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    21st Century Community Learning Centers

    The OST Collection of Evidence-Based Strategies

    The 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Migrant Education Program partners with the PA Evidence Resource Center to curate The OST Collection, a clearinghouse of evidence-based strategies, interventions, and activities that may be relevant and feasible to implement in out-of-school time settings.

    The OST Collection

    Launched in 2023, the OST Collection applies research-based criteria to a broad landscape of educational strategies to identify those that may have potential for after school, summer, or migrant education programming. The strategies impact one or more goals, GPRA measures, or enrichment areas that out-of-school time programs work to improve. The evidence to support these strategies meets one of four tiers of quality: ESSA Tier 1 or 2 (conditional on similarities to setting and population), or ESSA Tier 3 or 4 (evidence that is promising or demonstrates a rationale). In some cases, the evidence was gathered in an OST setting and is directly applicable; in other cases, evidence gathered in a school setting may help OST program leaders design adaptations of strategies to serve their learners.

    To appear in the collection, a strategy must meet minimum evidence requirements and the OST Criteria:

    • Has been studied in an OST setting (after school, summer, at home, or supplemental settings, including tutoring sessions);

    OR

    • Meets ALL of the following criteria for feasibility of OST implementation (with reasonable adaptations or partnerships as appropriate):
      • Can be implemented by a non-certified educator with moderate training, or through a partnership/consultative service provider;
      • Includes ongoing implementation supports and resources for educators; and
      • Has the potential to make an impact within the time, format, and service delivery opportunities of OST settings.
        Visit the curation protocol for further details on the selection criteria.

    The collection is maintained by the PA Evidence Resource Center and additional strategies are reviewed and added regularly. To submit a strategy, study, or topic area for consideration, please visit PA Evidence Resource Center Contact.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    ​The OST Collection was developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE's) 21st Century Community Learning Center and Migrant Education programs, and the PA Evidence Resource Center (ERC), a partnership of PDE and the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU). In addition to CCIU practitioners and consultants, the ERC also partners with several research agencies to provide evidence reviews, curation, and protocol development, including American Institutes for Research and Mathematica.

    ​The criteria for the OST Collection are based on the criteria of the ERC, and are detailed in our full curation protocol. 

    ​The OST Collection is aligned to the evidence standards of the ERC, which uses the ESSA Evidence Standards of Tier 1, 2, 3, or 4:

    (from section 8101(21)(A) of the ESEA)

    "…the term 'evidence-based,' when used with respect to a State, local educational agency, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that –

    1. demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on –
      1. strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study;
      2. moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or
      3. promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias; or
      4. demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes; and
        1. includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention.

    There may be several reasons why a strategy does not appear in the OST Collection:

    • The strategy or evidence does not meet OST curation criteria;
    • The strategy or evidence does not meet the evidence standards of the ERC or has not yet been studied;
    • The strategy or evidence has not yet been reviewed by the ERC. 

    To suggest a strategy for review by the ERC, visit PA ERC Contact information. 

    OST Programs are also welcome to consult additional clearinghouses for evidence-based programs. A list of top clearinghouses.

    ​PDE does not endorse or recommend any specific strategies that are listed in the OST Collection and encourages all users to research a strategy thoroughly before purchasing or implementing any strategy in their learning setting. Strategies are included in the ERC and the OST Collection if they meet evidence requirements that demonstrate favorable outcomes.

    ​We welcome your suggestions and ideas for evidence-based programs that should be reviewed by the ERC and considered for inclusion in the OST Collection. To suggest a strategy for review by the ERC, visit PA ERC Contact Information.

    ​An evidence-based program is a strategy, intervention, or activity that has been shown through one or more studies meeting ESSA tiers 1 through 4, to have favorable outcomes for students, staff, or others in a learning community. At ESSA Tiers 1 and 2, local program coordinators must verify that the program where the intervention was studied is similar in setting or population to their own. At ESSA Tier 4, a logic model combined with a further plan to study the intervention is sufficient for inclusion in the collection.

    The OST Collection is designed to support OST providers in selecting strategies that have the potential to have a positive impact on outcomes for students, staff, or families. It may be useful as you: 

    • Develop a grant application and specify how you will use program funds;
    • Address programming gaps and look for activities that will be relevant for students goals;
    • Make a plan to make progress on GPRA measures, MPOs, or other goals; or
    • Seek techniques to improve service delivery. 

    The online tool's search filters can help identify strategies that may be right for you:

    1. Search by outcome domain. If you know the specific areas you'd like to improve for your learners or families, use the Outcome Domain search menu to narrow the collection to those strategies that have demonstrated an impact on a specific outcome area. Then, explore each strategy and their associated studies to determine how the authors or researchers achieved those results.
    2. Search by attribute. Attributes reflect aspects of the implementation, experience, or style of a strategy. Some may be necessary for you; others just may be nice to have. Attributes that may be of special interest to OST providers include:
        1. OST Potential: Summer
        2. OST Potential: After School
        3. OST Potential: Migrant / 1:1
        4. Small Group
        5. Individual Student
        6. Parents
        7. Tutoring
        8. STEM
        9. Physically Active
        10. Community-Based Learning
        11. Partner Organizations & Agencies
        12. Free
        13. Real-World/Project-Based Learning
        14. Career Exploration
        15. Discrete Skill
        16. Single Subject/Skill
        17. Multi-Subject/Skill
    4. Search by COVID-19. Apply the COVID-19 filter to see strategies that have been tagged as especially useful in supporting students who may require remote learning opportunities, or to help tackle the academic and social-emotional challenges of pandemic learning conditions.

    Go beyond the summary. Once you have identified a strategy that impacts the outcomes you're seeking, dig deeper by reading the study that is linked on the strategy page. Look for details that can support your implementation and help you adapt the strategy for your learning setting without compromising its key components. You may be able to anticipate the challenges of implementation by reading the researcher's observations of what did or did not go as planned during the study. Lastly, a study can contain references to materials or training resources you may be able to use in your OST implementation.