2 Chapter 2: Effectiveness Tier Levels

Color Coding System

Blue: Tier 1: Considered an Evidence-Based Strategy. Implementing the program is likely to result in the intended outcome(s).

• Must appear as evidence-based in at least one national registry of evidence-based practices. It may appear in multiple registries as evidence-based and promising.
• Has at least one study, either Randomized Control Trial or Quasi-Experimental Demonstration, that illustrates effectiveness in most or all stated objectives.
• Appears in two separate peer-reviewed journal articles that illustrate positive effects based on the evaluation of the targeted causal or contributing factor.
• Evidence for this program or practice should include data from a follow-up at least 12 months post-implementation.  
• There has been program replication with evaluation replication.

Green: Tier 2: Considered a Promising Strategy. Implementing the program should result in the intended outcome(s).

• Should appear as promising in at least one national registry of evidence-based practices. It may appear in multiple registries as promising but could also appear as ineffective.
• Has at least one study demonstrating some positive outcomes achieved
• There has been program replication without evaluation replication
• Has documentation that illustrates the strategy has been effectively implemented in the past, multiple times, with results that show a consistent pattern of positive effects. This can be shown through local evaluation efforts.

Yellow: Tier 3: Considered an evidence-informed or emerging strategy. Implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

• An evidence-informed program or practice has no direct studies (randomized control trials or quasi-experimental demonstrations) showing effectiveness. However, extensive evidence exists backing the theories or logic models on which the program or practice is based.  
• Is a direct replication of a blue tier strategy.
• Has research behind it and has evaluation results that prove change in determinants.

Green Tier 2: Considered a promising strategy and/or Appears in two peer-reviewed journal articles that illustrate positive effects based on the evaluation of the targeted causal or contributing factor.

• Should appear as promising in at least one national registry of evidence-based practices. It may appear in multiple registries as promising but could also appear as ineffective.
• Has at least one study demonstrating some positive outcomes achieved
• There has been program replication without evaluation replication
• Has documentation that illustrates the strategy has been effectively implemented in the past, multiple times, with results that show a consistent pattern of positive effects. This can be shown through local evaluation efforts.

Yellow: Tier 3: Has documentation that illustrates the strategy has been effectively implemented in the past, multiple times, with results that show a consistent pattern of positive effects.

• An evidence-informed program or practice has no direct studies (randomized control trials or quasi-experimental demonstrations) showing effectiveness. However, extensive evidence exists backing the theories or logic models on which the program or practice is based.  
• Is a direct replication of a blue tier strategy.
• Has research behind it and has evaluation results that prove change in determinants.