PROGRAM EVALUATION
Mark Spolidoro, University of Massachusetts Boston
What is Evaluation?


Program evaluation is the systematic assessment of
the processes and outcomes of a program with the
intent of furthering its development and
improvement. *
It involves collecting and analyzing information
about a program’s:
 Features
 Activities
 Outcomes
* (Office of Educational Assessment,
University of Washington)
Importance of Evaluation

Improve your program’s:
 Design
 Implementation


Demonstrate your program’s impact
Leverage findings:
 To
garner community support
 To attract potential funders
 To attract new families to your program
Sources of Information

Everyone involved in the program including:
 Families
 Staff
 Coaches
 Counselors
 Children
Sources of Information
Family
Child Impact
Child
Staff
Tools of Evaluation

Program surveys
 Paper
and pencil
 Online


Observations
Interviews
 In-person
 Phone

Logs
Tools of Evaluation
Tool:
Administered to:
Program Surveys
Families
Staff
Children
In-person Interviews
Staff
Children
Phone Interviews
Families
Observations
Children
Logs
Staff
Examples of Evaluation
Objective:
What are parents’ reasons for sending their child to
camp?
Camp Shriver:
Below is a list of goals that family members have for their child at Camp Shriver.
Please rank the three things that are most important to you.

improve physical fitness

have opportunities to be proud of himself/herself

make new friends

improve sports skills / athletic ability

improve social skills

improve self-confidence

have fun

feel like he/she belongs

Other: _____________________________
Examples of Evaluation
Objective:
Did the program work?
Camp Shelanu
How did we do? Please rate the following aspects of camp
Poor
Registration process
Schedule/structure of camp
Communication with families
Organization
Customer Service
Counselors
Camp Director
Inclusion Staff
Safety
Facility
Activites
Field trips
Your camper's enjoyment
Fair
Good
Great!
Don't know
or N/A
Examples of Evaluation
Objective:
Is inclusion taking place?
Camp Crossroads:
1. How do you feel that the overall spirit of inclusion is working
this summer?
o I don’t know what inclusion is
o It’s going okay
o It’s going well but it doesn’t really apply to me
o It’s going great!
2. If you were a counselor last summer, have you noticed any
changes in inclusion? ________________________
3. What are the biggest difficulties or challenges that you face
with inclusion? ________________________
Examples of Evaluation
Objective:
Did the program improve the child’s social skills?
Camp Shriver

Use the number scale below to show how often each child engaged in each of the following
statements during the past week. Just do your best to answer each item, based on how well you
know each camper.
0 = never
Camper’s
Name
Interacts well with
other campers
Can calm
down when
excited
1= rarely
Makes new
friends
easily
2 = sometimes 3 = often
Easily
changes
from one
activity to
another
Disobeys
rules or
requests
DK= don’t know
Offers
help to
other
campers
Has difficulty
when waiting
for turn (ex. In
the lunch line)
Encourages
and cheers
on peers
Invites
other
campers to
play with
them
Examples of Evaluation
Objective:
Did the program improve the child’s swimming skills?
Camp Shriver
Camper’s Swimming Level
Not getting in
Getting in and holding on without life jacket
Getting in and holding on with life jacket
Getting in and letting go with life jacket
Walking with life jacket
Getting in and letting go without life jacket
Walking without life jacket
Taking feet off the ground without life jacket
Learning to stroke, move forward without life
jacket
Taking feet off the ground with life jacket
Learning to stroke, move forward with life
Traveling, swimming without life jacket
jacket
Traveling, swimming with life jacket
Playing without life jacket
Playing with life jacket
Taking the swim test
Taking off life jacket
Jumping off the diving board
Examples of Evaluation
Objective:
What did the child like about camp?
Camp Shriver
I didn’t like it
at all
a. Gym
b. Pool
c. Field
d. Creative room
e. The food at camp
f. Free time after
lunch
g. The kids on your
team
h. The kids at camp
i. The counselors on
your team
I liked it a
little
I liked it a lot
It was the best
thing ever!
What makes a good evaluation?



It is tailored to your program
It takes into account many different perspectives
The methods are as rigorous as possible
Strategies in Developing an Evaluation





Think about the most essential questions: What do
you want to know about your program?
Use research and program evaluation resources of
the community
Determine what is feasible
Network with other programs to find out what works
for them
Get buy-in from stakeholders