Classcraft Fact Sheet

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Designed for whole-class instruction, Classcraft™ supports the craft of teaching by providing efficacious academic content and tools that foster a positive classroom climate. Classcraft enables consistent, seamless delivery of research-based academic lessons that gets students excited about school and increases their engagement. Pre-built, standards-aligned, whole-class instruction provides educators with real-time insights to support in-class remediation.

Classcraft is designed to support educators at all levels of experience, with ready-made lessons that save time and take the stress out of planning. It delivers daily, standards-aligned lessons, drawn from the efficacious HMH Into Reading®, HMH Into Literature®, and HMH Into Math® solutions, leaving administrators confident that the curriculum is being implemented with fidelity. Through features that support classroom management and promote student participation, Classcraft helps teachers establish a cooperative and collaborative learning environment.

How does Classcraft work?

Classcraft improves educational and social-emotional outcomes by facilitating high-quality instruction that increases student engagement, personalized learning, and collaboration.

• Provides standards-based, interactive lesson plans.
• Helps teachers easily adjust instruction to meet individual student or whole-classroom needs.
• Contains ready-to-go instructional routines that allow educators to maximize efficacy, simplify classroom management, and have a high impact on student engagement to encourage ownership of learning.

What supports does Classcraft provide?

Classcraft provides ongoing professional development sessions for teachers, including trainings, check-ins, and as-needed implementation support.

The Classcraft Study

SRI (a non-profit research organization in Menlo Park, California) is partnering with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) to conduct a large-scale study of the Classcraft program. The project will involve up to 100 math and English teachers in middle schools across multiple school districts.

This study, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, will assess whether the Classcraft program:

• Improves teachers’ classroom management practices;
• Increases students’ motivation and academic engagement; and
• Improves students’ social-emotional and behavioral skills.

Half of participating teachers will be randomly assigned to implement Classcraft and receive training and technical assistance for one year. The other half will be in a wait-list comparison group and will implement typical instruction and classroom management practices. Classcraft will be offered to teachers in the comparison group the following school year.

What does the study involve?

• Study participants will include two cohorts of math and English teachers in 10–15 middle schools across two school years (first cohort starting in fall 2024).
• Teachers randomized to the Classcraft group will implement for one school year.
• SRI researchers will conduct assessments and observations in all participating classrooms, including surveys with students and teachers.
• SRI researchers will also gather information about schoolwide behavioral and educational outcomes from school records of disciplinary referrals and state achievement tests.

What will participating schools and staff be asked to do?

• In classrooms implementing Classcraft, teachers will participate in training and support sessions with HMH staff.
• The Classcraft teachers will implement the program and use the platform and materials.
• All participating schools will provide schoolwide behavioral and academic data.
• All participating teachers and students with consent will complete surveys.

How do schools, staff, and students benefit?

• All teachers will be provided with Classcraft materials, which may help support them in developing proactive and positive classroom management approaches that improve classroom climate and educational and behavioral outcomes.
• Teachers and students who participate in surveys will receive stipends for completing measures.
• All participating schools will receive $1,000 annually to offset any additional data collection costs or staff burden.

Download the Classcraft Fact Sheet to learn more.