As I speak to educational leaders about using evidence to help them improve outcomes for students, there are two words I hear all the time that give me the fantods (as Mark Twain would say):

Evidence-based

            I like the first word, “evidence,” just fine, but the second word, “based,” sort of negates the first one. The ESSA evidence standards require programs that are evidence-proven, not just evidence-based, for various purposes.

“Evidence-proven” means that a given program, practice, or policy has been put to the test. Ideally, students, teachers, or schools have been assigned at random to use the experimental program or to remain in a control group. The program is provided to the experimental group for a significant period of time, at least a semester, and then final performance on tests that are fair to both groups are compared, using appropriate statistics.

If your doctor gives you…