Review Protocols
ELs are among the fastest-growing population in U.S. schools and comprise 9 percent of all students in grades PreK–12 nationwide (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). Despite the fact that ELs bring many assets with them to school, including their home language, they consistently perform at lower levels than their non-EL peers and have lower high school graduation rates (National Center for Education Statistics, 2014). This review focuses on interventions designed to address this achievement gap by improving the English language and literacy skills and/or content area achievement in mathematics, science, technology, engineering, or social studies of ELs in grades PreK–12.
The following research question guides this review:
- Which interventions improve English language and literacy skills among EL students in grades PreK–12?
- Which interventions improve content area achievement among EL students in grades PreK–12?
Prior versions available for download.
Protocol Details
- Version: 4.0
- Released: February 2020
- Version: 2.2
- Released: January 2013
- Version: 2.1
- Released: October 2012
- Version: 2.0
- Released: June 2009
- Version: 1.0
- Released: September 2006
What is a Protocol?
Starting in January 2021, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) uses the Study Review Protocol in combination with the Procedures and Standards Handbook to guide reviews of all studies. In particular, the Study Review Protocol provides additional information on eligible outcome domains for all topic areas reviewed by the WWC and provides examples of outcome measures that fall within each domain.
When conducting systematic reviews, the WWC uses the Study Review Protocol to review studies and an accompanying topic area synthesis protocol to define the parameters of the systematic review. The synthesis protocol provides criteria for the literature search; guidance on how to identify and prioritize relevant studies for review and inclusion in evidence synthesis products; and guidance on intervention, sample, and outcome eligibility criteria for the synthesis.
Prior to 2021, studies were typically reviewed using a topic-specific synthesis protocol and the corresponding version of the Procedures and Standards Handbook. In addition to defining the parameters for the review, these protocols described any topic-specific applications of the design standards, such as how to establish baseline equivalence between samples when required.