About

The Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse is a clearinghouse of clearinghouses that includes strategies that were previously reviewed and rated by nationally recognized evidence-based clearinghouses. Ohio’s Evidence-based Clearinghouse was launched in September of 2018. In 2023-24, there was an extensive review and refresh of the strategies included in Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse based on contemporary evidence and input from a broad cross-section of Ohio educators.

Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse (OEBC) uses REL Midwest’s ESSA Clearinghouse Crosswalk to align ratings from existing clearinghouses to ESSA evidence standards. On this website, clearinghouses that the OEBC pulls interventions/strategies from are referred to as a “source clearinghouse.”

  • On source clearinghouses, the listings of evidence-based strategies provide references to the studies done on the strategy. While there may be many studies done on a strategy, the OEBC will only list the references of the studies that have been selected by the source clearinghouse that meet their evidence standards.
  • On source clearinghouses, multiple studies may be combined to determine if an evidence-based strategy met the large sample threshold.
  • In cases where an evidence-based strategy is rated by more than one clearinghouse, Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse connects practitioners to the clearinghouse that includes the most evidence associated with the strategy. For example, if one clearinghouse includes five references associated with an evidence-based strategy and a second clearinghouse includes seven references, Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse will connect practitioners to the clearinghouse that included seven references. Not all clearinghouses within the REL Crosswalk were contained in the initial launch of the OEBC. The OEBC was updated in 2023 to pull from additional clearinghouses, including the PA Evidence Resource Center and the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition.

Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse allows practitioners to filter selections based on content focus area, subject, grade bands, ESSA evidence levels, geographic settings, and student demographics. Users can also filter to see if information on the length of program, training needed, cost, effect size, and number of studies is listed or not listed on the source clearinghouse

It is important to know if an evidence-based strategy is proven to be effective for the specific student population you plan to work with before selecting that intervention for your student group. On the OEBC, information on geographic setting and student demographics is representative of the student population described in the study or studies that met standards on the source clearinghouse.

Below are the classifications of geographic settings and student demographics listed in the OEBC:

Geographic Location: Rural, Suburban, and Urban

Student Demographics: Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities, English Learners, Justice Involved, Foster Care, Male, Female, African American, White, Hispanic, Asian American/ Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native

For several of the filters available in Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, there is no universally accepted definition of the filter. For example, how researchers define “urban” versus “rural” may vary across evaluation studies. In cases such as this, Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse is not intended to apply a specific definition across all evaluations. Two strategies, that have been evaluated through studies that define “urban” differently, may both be associated with urban settings.

Cases where a specific definition of a filter or student demographic is applied within Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse system include:

  • Grade Band: Early Childhood is defined as Birth through age 5; Elementary School is defined as grades K-5; Middle School is defined as grades 6-8; and High School is defined as grades 9-12.
  • Evidence Level: The levels of evidence identified within Ohio’s Evidence-Based Clearinghouse and
  • Justice Involved: A term used in any case where the court system is involved in a student’s life.