>21st CCLC Eval>21 CCLC Evaluation

Finally, Affordable Objective program Evaluation 

The process of evaluation is critical to the foundation and continuation of program success in any endeavor, but especially where the number one task that can be performed under the program is academic progress.  Under the guidelines of the 21^st CCLC program, the top priority is academic enrichment.  The federal documentation is clear that the purpose of academic enrichment is to support the regular school day.  The purpose of the regular school day is to help children achieve proficiency academically.  To best assist students with academic success, 21^st CCLC programs can focus on a singular item that is highly identifiable and concentrate the precious academic time on only this item to maximize the opportunity. 

The second federal priority of 21^st CCLC is additional educational opportunities.  It may most practical to consider this as everything except curricular math and reading, and that includes everything morally acceptable with students.  The primary purpose of additional educational opportunities is to attract and retain students to this voluntary student opportunity that is 21^st CCLC.  Experience demonstrates that students will not want to attend a program whose apparent purpose is to extend what students perceive as school.  These enrichment opportunities are the things students want to do.

The third priority is family programming and it is given a very broad definition.  The purpose here is to engage parents in the educational process with their children with the research supported understanding that the more family involvement - the better the student performs academically and socially. 

All aspects of the program are focused on these priorities, with additional efforts made toward other state or local priorities that are centered in identified need. 

Evaluation Process - $300 per grantee per program year

Effective program evaluation then focuses all efforts toward these established priorities.  Effective programs (characterized by student academic and social achievement) have evidence of vision, processes, procedures and results that support the priorities.  These are categorized into 6 areas and evaluated:

•         Program focus
•         Programming
•         Academic progress
•         Enrichment progress
•         Family programming progress
•         Operations
•  Staff
• Relationships
• Partnerships
• Facilities
• Policy
• Budget

These 6 areas are evaluated internally and externally, subjectively and objectively, formatively and summatively - for one singular purpose - program improvement.  While evaluation may also serve to determine funding levels and continuation processes, those are really consequences of evaluation, not the purpose.  Evaluation with the purpose of program improvement should be highly objective and specific to identified tasks or opportunities.  If the purpose of evaluation is program improvement, then expectation should accompany what is done with evaluation by the recipient.  Expectation for the purpose of improvement should also be highly objective and established by those who have stewardship for the support provided to administer the program.

Internal evaluation will contain self-assessment and survey data that will inform performance on a quarterly and annual basis.  The quarterly report process will provide an external evaluator a method whereby to assess the collected performance data against the reported process data.  The combination of this information will inform progress both summative and more importantly formatively. 

Process:

Each of the six areas will be self-assessed either annually, quarterly or monthly, on various elements from the list of measured & weighted variables.  Directors will be encouraged to utilize their own process to gather information so that they can answer the periodic self-assessments accurately.  This information will be analyzed with data that will be reviewed.  For OSTLMS clients the data is in the system and review is done with no additional effort on the part of the director. 

For all programs, the following will be reviewed monthly:

• Program schedule including both academic and non-academic offerings
•  What courses are offered?
• What is the balance of academic and enrichment?
• Does there appear to be alignment to objectives?
• Program attendance by course
• What might attendance rates tell us?
• Student achievement data and student goals (number of identified students with a learning plan)
• Are student goals established with students working clearly toward those goals?
• Plans for the next month (indication of changes to be made; why, what & when)

• Is there evidence that data gathered and analyzed to date is used to alter programming toward improvement?

For all programs the following will occur quarterly:

•         Analysis of monthly reviews
•         Director responded program self-assessment
•         Budget review - draw downs and expenditures
•         Data audit against objectives - do courses align to objectives and to state objectives and are attendance trends identified
•      Staff operations - is staff status identified and are there plans to address what is found
•      Relationships - assessment of the relationships between the program and school staff

For all programs, the following will occur annually:

•         Analysis of quarterly reports
•         Objective audit
•         Operations audit
•         Student performance audit

Technical Assistance (Coaching Option - Cost is 2% of grant/program year plus travel if used)

From the data collected on the schedule provided above, the areas of technical assistance will be identified and provided to those in need.  Where the need is established a plan will be presented to the director for this topic to be addressed either in a webinar, site visit or another effective forum.  The process of support is evolutionary, specific to each grantee and follow a process of effectiveness.  For each grantee, the areas of need should be identified, prioritized by the weights established by the state director, and addressed accordingly.  This option includes OSTLMS (our data management system for OST programs) along with the support you need ongoing to really optimize the program.  Using OSTLMS also include the PPICS reporting process that we do for you.

Addressing needs that exists will include:

1. Identification of the need
2. Communicate this need with the program director with the intent to assist in the development of a plan to fill the need
3. Establish the plan, outcome, benchmarks and timeline
4. Provide needed support in accordance with the plan
5. Monitor the progress according to the timeline and benchmarks

 If you would like to use our Evaluation Process, please contact Travis @ 208-467-6545 or email travis@creatingchange.com.  We look forward to serving you.