Is BASE Education’s Curriculum Evidence-Based?

Yes! We’re proud to say that we are evidence-based. We took part in the first study of its kind, a randomized study with a control group demonstrated significant improvements across measured outcomes. The bottom line? Students that used BASE felt less lonely, more engaged in school, and demonstrated more resilience.

If you want the technical speak … all of our studies prove evidence-based outcomes and BASE uses all evidence-based practices derived from clinical foundations including Cognitive Behavioral Frameworks, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical-Behavioral Theories, Strengths-Based Approaches, Brief Solution-Focused Theories, Mindfulness, and Person-Centered Approaches.

Students are taught psycho-social concepts through a supportive and therapeutic dialogue.

All courses are rigorously edited and approved by our panel of field experts which include: Clinical Psychologists, Pediatric Psychiatrists, School Counselors, At-Risk Specialists, Licensed Professional Counselors, Social Workers, Administrators, and Educators.

Download our course curriculum to learn more.

If I have questions or comments about BASE or BASEline, who should I contact?

If you have questions or comments, please reach out to your students’ school.

My student was absent the day BASEline was administered, what can I do to assure my student takes the assessment?

If your student is absent the day BASEline was administered, please follow up with your student’s school. Administrators at your student’s school will have the ability to reassign the assessment if your student missed the assessment window.

Do you offer courses in Spanish?

Absolutely.  We embrace all learners and all backgrounds.

How long does it take for a student to complete each course?

Most of our courses can be completed in 30-90 minutes.  Some courses, such as our multi-part substance abuse course can take several days to a week to complete.

How many courses do you offer?

We offer over 60 unique modules covering a variety of topics.  You can view our entire list of courses here.

Can students take breaks during a course?

Yes.  Students have the ability to select from a few break activities such as games, guided meditation, and listening to music.

How do you know that BASE is working?

Our courses are comprised of questions that gauge a student’s understanding of the material before and after they take the course.  We have also compiled data in conjunction with one of our partners that clearly shows an increase in academic outcomes for students that use the BASE platform.

How many students can use BASE at one time?

Our platform is extremely scalable.  We are designed such that a single supervising adult can oversee dozens of students at the same time.  We make it easy for supervising adults to review course responses and spot potentially dangerous language through using our Fireword™ technology.

What happens when the school year ends?

Students can maintain access to their Base account as long as their school or mental health facility maintains a BASE membership.  If a student changes schools, their new school can re-activate their account to continue their development.

Of course, there are caveats.  If a school requests that student data be destroyed, we will comply as we are bound to all state and federal laws regarding the handling of student data.

Can parents see student data?

We adhere to all state and federal laws regarding the handling of student data.  If a student is a minor, the parent has the right to request and receive all student data.  They can also request that student data be destroyed.

Which age ranges can use the BASE curricula?

Our courses are written to accommodate age appropriate reading levels and can be used by elementary, middle school, and high school students. Our courses are also appropriate for students during their first year of college.  Again, we adhere to all federal and state laws regarding student privacy and data security.  Students under the age of 13 must obtain parental consent before taking one of our courses.

Do we offer training for school and mental health staff?

Yes.  We on-site training and ongoing support via phone or email.

Do students like using BASE?

Yes!  When we started BASE Education three years ago, our biggest fear was that students would have a hard time relating to, and taking seriously, SEL courses online.  What we found, without question, is that students engage with our platform much more quickly than they would with a real-life adult.  The students understand that their responses will be read, and feel cared about.

Their responses are often the catalyst for a meaningful follow-up conversation with their supervising adult.

Why does BASE work?

With 20 years of mental health experience and 10 years working with hard to reach teens, we understand the contemporary challenges teens face.  In short, we know how to speak to teens in a relatable way.  Our courses tackle tough, real-world, topics and we do it without the use of gimmicks or watered-down examples.

Can we set up windows of time when students can use BASE?

Yes.  We are able to configure access windows.  These are windows of time when a student can use BASE while receiving the proper adult supervision.

Will BASE Education ever share student data with third parties?

Student data privacy laws are ever evolving and we applaud work at the state and federal levels to ensure that student data remains secure.

Because we are bound by federal and state laws, there are a limited number of situations in which we would be legally compelled to share student data.

  • Upon signed consent by a student’s parent or legal guardian
  • Upon court order
  • If compelled by other, unforeseen, legal obligations to do so

What is a Fireword™?

A Fireword™ is potentially dangerous language.  A Fireword™ is triggered as soon as a student writes the word.  These are words that indicate to a supervising adult that a response needs extra attention.

Supervising adults are notified immediately via email (text messages coming soon) that they should review a specific student response.  Upon reviewing the response they are required to indicate whether or not the response is benign or dangerous.

What if a student types something dangerous or harmful then erases it?

Our platform captures every aspect of a student response.  Because we deal with very difficult topics students will often write their honest response first.  These honest responses help supervising adults understand a student’s state of mind and drive meaningful follow-up conversations.

In some instances, a student’s first response has proven dangerous to the point that they intend to harm themselves or others.  In these situations, supervising adults were able to immediately follow-up and initiate the proper care or intervention.

What accommodations do we have for students who may struggle with literacy fluency?

We offer a text to voice option for students that struggle with literacy.  In addition, our courses are targeted a 7th-grade reading level.  We may deal with challenging content, but we do so with a variety of learners in mind.

How do we keep students engaged within our courses?

We know that teens live in a world of constant distraction and, often times, low ability to remain focused.  Our courses engage students through a variety of methods;

  • Our course content is real and relatable.  We speak to using a language they understand and walk them through real-world scenarios.  Our scenarios are derived from our own real-world experience working with teens.
  • We leverage images to tell stories and those images change often.  Not only does our language tell a story, so do our images.  The images set the tone for the content and add to the course experience.
  • We have a keystroke minimum for question responses.  While this is useful, we’ve found that the vast majority of students do not require this minimum as they invest time to provide meaningful responses.
  • We will also move text and advancement buttons around the screen.  This prevents a student from falling into a predictable pattern of providing a response and clicking next.  This subtle change is enough to keep students on their toes.

 

Does BASE Education replace School Counselors?

No!  As a matter of fact, we recommend that School Counselors take an active role in the use of our software.  Our goal is to expand a School Counselor’s reach and help to quickly identify the students that most need their 1-1 attention.