In order to ensure that instructional practices and behavioral interventions are as effective and efficient as possible, all educational programs and services need to be evaluated on a regular basis. School educators, counselors, and administrators face the tasks of determining the effectiveness of services provided to individual students; assessing this effectiveness with regard to individual, small-group, and classroom interventions, including attention to the quality of academic instruction; and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of programs at several other levels. The goal of this book is to provide a practical guide for school personnel to evaluating educational programs and services at the individual, small group, school-wide, and district-wide levels. The authors believe that procedures for adequately assessing the effects of all types of academic activities need to be included as part of the daily planning and implementation of activities and interventions within and across each of these levels.
Basic principles associated with evidence-based evaluation procedures are summarized and discussed in a way that makes them less technical and more practical for incorporation into everyday routines. Special emphasis is place on a three-tiered model for intervention – universal, targeted, and intensive. The authors work through a typical evaluation program, addressing relevant issues such as those of stakeholders; strategies for maximizing the validity and reliability of data, as well as how to effectively utilize multiple sources of data; and specific designs of and methods for evaluations of school-based programs and services. Cross-cultural aspects of program evaluation are also considered.
An accompanying CD will contain useful resources such as forms, worksheets, monitoring tools, and parent handouts.
