Research-Validated Programs

Research-Validated Programs

Research-Validated Program Charts

Fidelity Guidelines & Checklists for Research-Validated Programs

Standards and Procedures for Research-Validated Designation

California Department of Education’s Science-Based SDFS/TUPE Programs

Local Educational Agency (LEA) Plan and Waiver Guidelines

Research-Validated Programs

While all of the programs available from the California Healthy Kids Resource Center are research-based (i.e., they use or support strategies for which research provides evidence of effectiveness), a limited number of programs have demonstrated the level of credible evidence of effectiveness that identifies them as Research-Validated.

Behavioral Outcomes
Research-Validated programs have empirically demonstrated reductions in health-risk behaviors and/or increases in health-promoting behaviors at least six months after the completion of the program.

Published Research
Research that provides evidence of effectiveness for Research-Validated programs is published in scholarly peer-reviewed journals.

Materials Ready for Implementation
Research-Validated program materials are complete, available, and ready to be implemented at school sites in California.

Research-Validated Program Charts

Fidelity Guidelines & Checklists for Research-Validated Programs

Implementing a program with fidelity means implementing a program the way it was implemented in the research that provided evidence of effectiveness for that program. Fidelity Guidelines specify how a program was implemented when it demonstrated evidence of effectiveness. To maximize program effectiveness, implementation should be aligned to the research-based specifications in the Fidelity Guidelines. Fidelity checklists, tools for assessing implementation alignment, accompany the Fidelity Guidelines.

Read more about Fidelity Guidelines & Checklists

Standards and Procedures for Research-Validated Designation

Research-Validated programs undergo two types of review by the California Healthy Kids Resource Center.

Materials Review
Materials are reviewed by the CHKRC Materials Review Board (MRB), comprised of teachers, health education professionals, and university faculty, selected for their expertise in health education curricula. Materials will be re-evaluated at a minimum of every eight years to confirm that they reflect research-based strategies and contemporary language and images that are relevant to students in California. Read more about the materials review process.

Research Review
Published research is reviewed by the CHKRC Research Review Board (RRB), comprised of researchers selected for their expertise in prevention and health education research. The center’s staff uses these reviews to designate a program as Research-Validated. To maintain Research-Validated designation, a program must demonstrate evidence of effectiveness with a new sample of students every eight years. Read more about the standards and procedures for identifying and maintaining Research-Validated programs, including instructions for submitting programs to be reviewed for Research-Validated designation.

California Department of Education’s Science-Based SDFS/TUPE Programs List

The California Department of Education (CDE), Safe and Healthy Kids Program Office (SHKPO) maintains the Science-Based Programs List to guide the implementation of policy for using Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSC) Title IV funds and Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) funds.

Read more about the Science-Based Programs List

Local Educational Agency (LEA) Plan and Waiver Guidelines

The California Department of Education, Safe and Healthy Kids Program Office has developed guidelines for submitting a Local Educational Agency (LEA) Plan. Visit CDE’s website for more information about the LEA Plan and to download the LEA Plan application forms.

LEAs that accept Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSC) Title IV funds must specify in the LEA Plan the Science-Based Program they will be implementing. LEAs must apply for a waiver to implement programs that are not on the Science-Based Programs list. Visit CDE’s website for more information about waivers and to download the Safe and Drug Free School Innovative Programs Waiver Request Form.