[NIFL-ASSESSMENT:480] 400+

From: Jeri Levesque (levesqjr@webster.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 07 2004 - 19:07:52 EDT


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Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:480] 400+
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Dear List,

Please excuse the first posting, my server was having a bad day and 
after two Message Rejected notices I sent the rough draft rather than 
the edited version.  That's really bad on a literacy discussion list!

Mea Culpa,

Jeri Levesque

Laura,

I am the evaluation coordinator for Missouri's state literacy resource 
center and local Even Start family literacy programs. I'm answering 
Jane's call for evaluators to respond to your posting.

The current GPRA direction is aimed at performance outcomes and program 
impacts.  The evaluation model currently in vogue is the logic model.  
The model comfortably accommodates performance outcomes. Your concern 
about putting things in writing is valid in the current funding 
environment.  We're all aware that federal education programs that can't 
demonstrate measured outcomes, as opposed to program activities 
(outputs) are in jeopardy. One example is the Even Start program that is 
in danger of being zero budgeted because while it consistently produced 
outputs it did not produced enough outcomes to suit the administration.

At the same time, coming up with objective performance assessments to 
document program success is trying.

Your topic; "I am currently trying to evaluate the success of a peer 
education curriculum designed to motivate women to get breast and 
cervical screenings" is one I am fairly familiar with as I did a series 
of presentations for our BCC project here in Missouri.  My target was to 
change practitioners' knowledge and attitude about health literacy and 
to improve their communication skills (outcomes centered on skills and 
behaviors). I could do simple post session evaluations about content 
knowledge but did not follow through to actually observe these folks in 
practice.

Marsha Drew Hohn did some amazing work in Lowell, Mass in a family 
literacy program, on the same subject. She published her work as a NIFL 
Fellowship Report, I think you can order it from ed.gov/pubs to see what 
measures she used.

The outcomes you want to consider are women's knowledge, attitudes, 
skills, and behaviors associated with BCS.  Is there a correlation 
between knowing how important it is to do screening and then actually do 
monthly BSE's and get regular mams and paps?  That's the real connection 
you're trying to document. As with all evaluation design, once you pose 
your key questions about what happens because of your work, assessment 
measures will start to fall in place. I'm sure the experts on this list 
have plenty of suggestions.

Raising awareness (an knowledge and attitude outcome) is important but 
getting changes in behaviors is challenging and in your practice, more 
significant. There are many women who know monthly self breast exams are 
important but they just don't get around to doing them. You want to 
connect knowledge with action, or as you put it, "behavior changes."

Perhaps working with a clinic you could make a simple tool to track 
women who attend your peer taught sessions and have them demonstrate to 
the health provider a self exam (a skill outcome is doing a breast exam 
correctly and actually going for a training is a behavior outcome).  If 
the clinic is willing to keep a confidential record for you that 
includes number of correct demonstrations and number of learners who 
have a check up, they could also keep records of early detection of 
suspicious lumps and actual breast tumors.  This would be a powerful 
impact from your program.

You might move ahead by reading Marsha's outstanding report on Project 
HEAL (it is online at NIFL but it's a pretty clunky set of PDFs) and 
then giving her a call. Another suggestion is to go to the Health 
Literacy conference in Canada this spring. Contact lchiarelli@cpha.ca 
<mailto:lchiarelli@cpha.ca> for more information.

I've also included some web sites to help you to consider different 
measures and evaluation designs.

As a pink ribbon wearing survivor, I would like to apply any suggestions 
for your work to our efforts here in Missouri.

Jeri Levesque, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Director, Webster Institute for Literacy
Webster University
St. Louis, MO



  1. American Evaluation Association
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D57f5faff626e8334%26clickedItemRank%3D3%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.eval.org%252F%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPIndex2%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eval.org%2F> 


     Devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation in all
     its forms. ... Click here to go directly to the Evaluation 2004
     website. ...
     http://www.eval.org/
  2. Evaluation Criteria from "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why
     ...
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D57f5faff626e8334%26clickedItemRank%3D6%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flib.nmsu.edu%252Finstruction%252Fevalcrit.html%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPIndex2%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Flib.nmsu.edu%2Finstruction%2Fevalcrit.html> 


     A easy to use guide for web evaluation. Lists evaluation criteria
     with links to actual pages that illustrate each point. ...
     Evaluation Criteria. ...
     http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
  3. evalwebs
     
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     ... Resources for Methods in Evaluation and Social Research. This
     page lists FREE resources for methods in evaluation and social
     research. ...
     http://gsociology.icaap.org/methods/
  4. Resource Selection and Information Evaluation
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=3&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D4f4e6e365c5510%26clickedItemRank%3D23%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Falexia.lis.uiuc.edu%252F%257Ejanicke%252FEvaluate.html%26invocationType%3Dnext%26fromPage%3DNSCPNextPrev%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Falexia.lis.uiuc.edu%2F%7Ejanicke%2FEvaluate.html> 


     Resource Selection and Information Evaluation. ... Resource
     selection and information evaluation involves answering three main
     questions. ...
     http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~janicke/Evaluate.html
  5. WWW Virtual Library: Evaluation
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=3&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D4f4e6e365c5510%26clickedItemRank%3D27%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.policy-evaluation.org%252F%26invocationType%3Dnext%26fromPage%3DNSCPNextPrev%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.policy-evaluation.org%2F> 


     The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Evaluation. The Social
     Policy-Evaluation area of the the World-Wide Web Virtual Library.
     Links ...
     http://www.policy-evaluation.org/
  6. The Evaluation Center
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=3&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D4f4e6e365c5510%26clickedItemRank%3D28%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wmich.edu%252Fevalctr%252F%26invocationType%3Dnext%26fromPage%3DNSCPNextPrev%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wmich.edu%2Fevalctr%2F> 


     The Evaluation Center: Provides information about Center projects,
     publications, staff, history, and support services, including the
     Directory of Evaluators ...
     http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/
  7. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation
     
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     ... on-line journal provides education professionals access to
     refereed articles that can have a positive impact on assessment,
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  8. Online Evaluation Resource Library
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=4&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D59bf6f74fc984211%26clickedItemRank%3D37%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Foerl.sri.com%252F%26invocationType%3Dnext%26fromPage%3DNSCPNextPrev%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Foerl.sri.com%2F> 


     home, : Online Evaluation Resource Library. ... Welcome to OERL,
     the Online Evaluation Resource Library. ... OERL has been serving
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  9. Basic Guide to Program Evaluation
     
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     Basic Guide to Program Evaluation Written by Carter McNamara, MBA,
     PhD | Applies to nonprofits and for-profits unless noted
     First-Timers | Library Catalog ...
     http://www.mapnp.org/library/evaluatn/fnl_eval.htm
 10. Rubrics
     
<http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=evaluation&page=6&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D4f4e6e365c6acd%26clickedItemRank%3D52%26userQuery%3Devaluation%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ncsu.edu%252Fmidlink%252Fho.html%26invocationType%3Dnext%26fromPage%3DNSCPNextPrev%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncsu.edu%2Fmidlink%2Fho.html> 


     ... Rubrics and Evaluation Resources. ** NOTE: Download ... you.
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 11. evaluation cookbook contents
     
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     A practical guide to evaluation methods for lecturers, for
     browsing online. A publication from LTDI. to ... INITIATIVE,
     Evaluation Cookbook. ...
     http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/cookbook/contents.html
 12. MEASURE Evaluation - Home Page
     
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     Monitoring and Evaluation to Assess and Use Results. ...
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 13. User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation:
     
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     User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation: ... Table of
     Contents & Introduction to the User-Friendly Handbook for Project
     Evaluation: ...
     http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/rec/programs/evaluation/handbook/
 14. The Evaluation Exchange - at the Harvard Family Research Project
     ...
     
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     Harvard Family Research Project's free periodical, The Evaluation
     Exchange, provides a forum for knowledge-sharing among evaluators,
     policymakers, and ...
     http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval.html

McREL and others have free publications (print) on evaluation - I have a 
bunch of other resources that I'd be happy to share.

 


North Central Regional Education Lab   Evaluation Reports     
http://www.ncrel.org/re/mdade/


Schwerdtfeger, Jane wrote:

> Laura, your topic sounds really interesting.  It would be a great 
> topic to
> explore, and maybe we could get some evaluators or psychometricians who
> focus on educational assessment to comment on the discussion too.
>
> Jane Schwerdtfeger
>
>
>  
>



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