Enrichment · Wellbeing

Check the claim
against the studies.

Almost every SEL program says it is evidence-based. This checklist makes a team look at the studies themselves: the design, how many students and sites, and whether those students resemble yours. It works out which ESSA tier the studies could support, sets it next to what the publisher claims, and walks through the questions that decide whether a program will work in your building.

Review a programWhat you get

Programs reviewed

The worked example uses three made-up programs, A, B and C, with made-up studies. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A record per program: name, grades, cost per student, the tier claimed, each study with its design, students, sites and fit, and an eight-item review checklist. Works out the strongest tier the studies could support; compares claimed and supported tiers across programs; flags claims stronger than the studies, small or single-site studies for Tiers 1 and 2, studies of students unlike yours and partial costs.
Who it is for
School and district SEL teams, counselors, principals and anyone choosing or renewing a social and emotional learning program.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per program. Prints one review, all programs in a table or a blank review sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Ask the publisher for the studies, not a summary.
  2. Add each study with its design, size and sites.
  3. Work the checklist as a team.
  4. Compare claimed and supported tiers in the side panel.
  5. Print the reviews for the decision meeting.

Review a program

Evidence tiers

ESSA evidence tiers, in briefTierNeeds1 · StrongOne well-run experimental study2 · ModerateOne well-run quasi-experimental study3 · PromisingCorrelational, with controls4 · RationaleA logic model, being studiedESSA evidence tiers, in brief1 · StrongNeeds: One well-run experimental study2 · ModerateNeeds: One well-run quasi-experimental study3 · PromisingNeeds: Correlational, with controls4 · RationaleNeeds: A logic model, being studied
Federal guidance also looks for a large sample (about 350 students or more) across more than one site for Tiers 1 and 2, and no strong evidence against the program.

What the tool can and cannot tell you

The supported tier here comes from the design you enter. Whether a study was well designed and well carried out (low attrition, groups that started out similar, outcomes measured fairly) still takes reading it, or checking a review such as the What Works Clearinghouse.

Fit matters as much as tier

A Tier 1 program studied in a different grade band or setting may help less than a Tier 2 program studied with students like yours. The fit column and the checklist are there for that.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education (2016, updated 2023). Non-regulatory guidance: using evidence to strengthen education investments (ESSA evidence tiers).
  2. What Works Clearinghouse. Procedures and Standards Handbook, version 5.0. ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc.
  3. CASEL. Program Guide (pg.casel.org).
  4. Durlak, J. A., et al. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: a meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405 to 432.

The worked example is made up; programs A, B and C are not real products. Supported tiers are a first screen, not a ruling. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.