The Summer and Afterschool Needs Assessment helps youth serving programs and organizations learn best practices and identify areas where they might benefit from guidance or support. The Needs Assessment draws from the best available evidence on what constitutes high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs and organizes these Success…

Describes trends in CD-ROM retrieval software design and discusses the need to evaluate such software in terms of the specific requirements of the purchaser. A checklist of general evaluation criteria for five aspects of access software--hardware/software dependencies, interface features, search and retrieval functions, output functions and…

Prepared to assist Ohio school personnel in improving nutrition education, this self-appraisal checklist can be used to survey and assess an existing program and to compare it to a quality program exemplified by the checklist items. A brief description of how to use the checklist is followed by 89 items divided into seven categories: philosophy,…

An inside expert explains the principles of good grantsmanship and notes that, though writing a proper proposal is not easy, it's the kind of paperwork that pays off. (Editor)

The development, field testing, and evaluation of a checklist approach to selecting an integrated library automation system are described, and recommendations for using this approach are outlined. The checklist, which is divided into five main sections of catalog features and functions, is appended. (Author/CLB)

Describes the steps in a systematic approach to: identification of most important competencies for industrial trainers for agency use in developing instructor competencies to select, train, and evaluate trainers: determining need for trainer competencies list; identifying competencies; establishing criteria to judge competencies; and testing…

Provides data gathered from a survey of English teachers in Alabama revealing the potential use of a list of teacher qualifications as an instrument for individual teachers' self-assessments and for directing teacher education program improvements. (RL)

This article outlines the rationale for developing a process to help Individualized Education Program teams determine when to assign paraeducators to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms. It describes a formal, decision-making model, its benefits, and its effects. A needs checklist and assistance matrix is provided.…

A vital aspect of performance measurement is the assurance that the service provided by the library or information service is valued by the users. Profiles of information use can help in the analysis of performance at a more detailed level than is normally practiced. The quality assurance toolkit described in this paper was designed to facilitate…

In a practical guide to program evaluation, many issues still facing this rapidly expanding profession are discussed. Strategies are suggested for overcoming difficulties and establishing a systematic and effective approach to the profession. The most appropriate methods for the different purposes of evaluation are pointed out, and procedures are…

This technical assistance paper presents information designed to assist school personnel in assessing the strengths and needs of children and planning developmentally appropriate curriculum strategies. The first topic addressed is assessment strategies, which include developmental screening, diagnostic instruments, teacher observation, parent…

The Facilities Committee of the Birmingham School District developed procedures for a thorough assessment of the buildings in the district. By March 1974, all buildings had been visited by an assessment team. A subsequent report submitted by the building principals contained the consensus judgment of the assessment team for each item assessed. At…

In 1985-1986 the Pima County Adult Education program conducted an adult basic education (ABE) curriculum project that was intended to devise materials for use in determining and remediating content gaps in the district's adult basic education and high school equivalency programs. The needs assessment instrument, which was designed to discover…

A handbook to help faculty plan and implement the evaluation of medical school courses is presented. Seven steps necessary to planning a course evaluation are specified: identify users and needs, ask specific questions, indicate how questions will be answered, select and/or design instruments, consider ethical issues, collect and analyze data, and…

This guidebook is intended to help state literacy leaders evaluate their states' progress in implementing five key strategies for establishing an integrated literacy system. Chapters are devoted to each of the following strategies: determine the dimensions of the literacy problem, set priorities and performance expectations, create quality…