No single study establishes the validity of a product such as a set of instructional materials; rather an accumulation of a body of evidence is required to support the soundness of the educational benefits attributed to the product. A portfolio of evidence supports the efficacy of programs. Each study in this portfolio provides further evidence that builds the educational foundation used in the development of each product.

Every product developed by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill has been designed specifically to meet the needs of today's teachers and students. Materials at the developmental stage are field tested and revised based upon the input from both teachers and students. Focus groups and teacher advisory boards are essential in creating materials to meet the ever-changing needs of today's classroom. Experts in content areas and special needs, including specialists in such areas as inclusion, cognitive development, ELL, review and revise lesson manuscript-all taking place prior to publication to ensure that the content, aligned to national and state standards and assessment, is developmentally appropriate, pedagogically correct, and adaptable for all students.

The Research Base

White Papers
A white paper frames the product in existing scientifically-based research. A white paper may include research supporting the rationale of including specific content in the product (e.g., matching state standards) as evidence of the efficacy of specific instructional design features.

The Results and Validation

Program Efficacy Study
In this type of study, an intervention is administered to all students participating in the study. Results between the experimental group and the control group are then compared. The gain from pre-test to post-test provides evidence of the product's (the intervention's) effectiveness.

Evidence of Increased Test Scores
Student, school, and district test scores are gathered and analyzed from schools using Glencoe textbooks and indicated positive results. Test scores from state websites where possible are presented for the year prior to using Glencoe.

Qualitative Program Evaluation
Qualitative research is conducted by using pre and post teacher and student evaluations and case studies.