Evaluation: WVDE Innovation
Zone and Drop-Out Grant
Andu Meharie
Office of Research
Evaluation
• It involves looking at your program and
asking
– Is what we’re doing working?
– How do we know it’s working?
– Under what conditions does it work best?
• It is part of what you put in place
beforehand to help you run your
programs.
– It should be about looking ahead not backwards.
• It is part of the continuum of planning
(rolling evaluation).
Evaluation
It is a systematic process of asking questions,
collecting information, and using the answers to
• Measure progress and identify areas of improvement.
• Set realistic goals and fine tune strategic program
decisions.
• Identify training and technical assistance needs.
• Be accountable and be credible to your constituents.
• Motivate by providing documentation of your
achievements.
• Guide budget and resource allocation.
• Generate support for programs.
• Be an efficient organization that works toward its
mission.
Evaluation
• If (process) or then (outcome), which to
evaluate?
Process evaluation
– How are resources allocated and used for activities?
– How is the action plan implemented (fidelity), who
participated, and what did they think about the activity?
– What obstacles were encountered?
– How are preliminary evaluation findings used to improve
implementation of activities?
Outcome evaluation
– To what extent has the program achieved its desired
results?
• Is a control group possible?
• To effect change (Theory of change logic model)
Evaluation
• Are objectives S.M.A.R.T. with respect to the
overarching goal/s of your project.
– Specific?
• What exactly do you want to accomplish (desired
outcome)?
– Measurable?
• How will you assess your progress and accomplishments?
– Attainable?
• What types of resources do you need to attain your
objective?
– Relevant?
• Does it align with other objectives and overarching goal?
– Time-bound?
• When do you expect to see some outcomes?
Identifying Outcomes of your
Objectives
• Take 5 minutes at your table:
– Choose one objective from your grant
application. Make sure to choose an Objective
you think is S.M.A.R.T.
– With your team, answer the question: “What
are one or more of the potential outcomes
that would show your program has been
successful in accomplishing this objective?”
Activity
Take 5 minutes to Identify one or more
outcomes for an objective listed in your grant
application.
Evaluation
• Is your outcome measurable? If your
outcomes are measurable, you should be
able to establish concrete criteria for
gauging progress toward the attainment of
each.
Activity
Take 5 minutes to Identify one or more
measures/data sources for the outcome(s) you
identified previously. Consider:
1. How will you know when the outcome is
accomplished?
2. What indicators will you look for to measure
progress and success?
3. Are data to measure your progress and success
readily available? Or do you need to develop
new measures, e.g., surveys, focus groups, etc…?
Evaluation
• Is your outcome time-bound? Outcomes
should have starting points, ending
points, and fixed durations.
– When will you achieve this outcome?
– When will you undertake activities to achieve
our outcome?
– When can you expect to see some short-term
outcomes?
Take 5 minutes to Identify the Time Frame for
each of the outcome(s) you identified
previously. Think about time lines for the
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Instrument development (if applicable)
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Reporting
Activity
1. Choose another of the objectives listed on
your grant application.
2. Using the worksheet provided, identify an
outcome, data sources; assign responsible
parties for designing new measures (if
necessary), data collection, data analysis, and
reporting; and define a timeline.
Evaluation
Evaluation Timeline
Objective
Outcome
Measure/
Data
Source
Responsible
Person (s)
Instrument
development
Data
collection
Data
analysis
Reporting
Evaluation
• Put evaluation on your upcoming meeting
agendas. Always take some time to talk
about where you are in your project, what
data you have collected, what it is telling
you and what you still need to know.
Thank You
Andu Meharie
Coordinator – Research and Evaluation
WVDE Office of Research
http://wvde.state.wv.us/research
ph: 304.558.2546
fax: 304.558.1613
ameharie@access.k12.wv.us