This article describes Wyoming's development and implementation of a multimethod approach to assessing quality of care for people with mental retardation in rural areas. The approach incorporates fiscal accountability, parental satisfaction, consumer satisfaction, national accreditation standards, and broad measures of personal and system change.…

This discussion of evaluations of mediation programs at seven sites and of shock incarceration and home arrest focuses on the similarities in the interpretations of alternative dispute-resolution programs to interpretations of alternatives to incarceration programs. The political construction of the two approaches, which are both designed to…

Discusses a four-level model of criteria for evaluating training: learner reactions, learning, job application, and observable business results. Looks at reasons why organizations avoid evaluating business results--they can be difficult, time consuming, intimidating, and used inappropriately. Offers guidelines for effective use of the model. (JOW)

The use of focus groups by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a tool of internal evaluation is described. Focus groups are used in an environment where credibility is key to achieving meaningful cooperation. Issues for consideration by other evaluators interested in the approach are summarized. (SLD)

Reviews alternatives to program evaluation. Suggested qualitative methods are interviews; participant observation; and journal analysis. Meaningful designs for evaluation are case studies; participatory and collaborative evaluation; and mixed methods. Uses for evaluation are utilization-focused evaluation; explicating and developing program…

This commentary outlines considerations in assessing (and programing for) social validity to attain results that are valued by client audiences. It discusses the objectives and contexts of several types of social validation, procedures for conducting a social validation, and questions addressed by researchers in assessing social validity. (JDD)

Describes University of Michigan's Child and Adolescent Mood Disorder Program (CAMDP), a program developed in 1988 and based on a medical specialty clinic model. Explains CAMDP staffing and patient identification; discusses assessment procedures, illustrated by case examples; and considers a variety of treatment options, including medication,…

Describes the authors' experiences in organizing bilingual evaluation case competitions for the National Capital Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society for three years. Competition structure, eligibility, judging, contestant recruiting, and preparing cases are outlined. (SLD)

Outlines issues involved in evaluating community services and lists questions to be considered: Why evaluate? What are the benefits and costs? and What is being evaluated? Describes methods: surveys, case studies, performance indicators, action research, and holistic evaluation. (SK)

Defines return on investment (ROI); describes the individual articles included in this special section of the journal which focuses on the process of ROI in organizations. Together, this collection of articles displays a wide variety of views about the necessity for ROI and the quality and quantity of its use. (AEF)

Reports on data from pharmaceutical students' experiential training based on paired baseline and end-of-rotation short-answer tests of 86 students over a 10-year period. Significant improvements from baseline to end-of-rotation were found. Results suggest the value of the written examination as an interactive assessment instrument, but not as a…

Identifies problems with recidivism as an evaluation measure in correctional education. Addresses recidivism as a moral issue. Describes procedures to improve the effectiveness of recidivism studies. (JOW)

Uses the evaluation of a family literacy program as the basis for an analysis of the benefits of collaborative evaluation. Identifies enhanced learning, efficient data collection and problem planning, deepened professional and personal relationships, and strengthened convictions as results of the collaboration. (SLD)

Chelimsky, former head of the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the General Accounting Office, suggested that advocacy by evaluators destroys their credibility. Evaluators should, this author argues, be advocates for democracy and the public interest, with the question being how explicitly and how defensibly. (SLD)

Asserts that students learn more when teachers individually tailor student programs using curriculum-based measurement (CBM). Describes computer applications to CBM and provides examples of how the technology has been used. Provides an overview of the research conducted and examines its utility. Discusses implications for the field of special…