The authors provide an account of their experiences with the Study Essay Award of the Canadian Evaluation Society from the perspective of a former winner and the professor of program evaluation who mentored her evaluation of a substance abuse program for federal offenders on release in the community. (SLD)

Performance improvement practitioners can be stymied to solve clients' problems. Clients may fail to recognize problems, would rather address symptoms than root causes and practitioners unable to convince clients to institute a meaningful solution. Practitioner can use internally developed data to build a case for action, create a clear vision of…

This article discusses the transition of students with disabilities to higher education, their needs and challenges, and introduces a tool that is being piloted to address areas of concern. The questionnaire is designed to determine the readiness skills of students who indicate their desire to transition from high school to college. (CR)

Conducted a case study of the evaluation of a women's substance abuse prevention program and identified three key aspects of negotiated evaluation. Discusses the processes involved in feminist evaluation, including collaborative agenda setting and cooperative teamwork. (SLD)

Discusses level 3 evaluation from Donald Kirkpatrick's Four Level Evaluation Model (level: 1-reaction; 2-learning; 3-behavior; 4-results) to measure training program performance. Highlights include an evaluation planning matrix; increasing evaluation data accuracy and reliability; data collection method selection; designing data collection…

Proposes that the Internet can be a valuable source of information for teachers who use or plan to use Readers Theatre in their classrooms. Provides a brief description of Readers Theatre and its many benefits for literacy learning. Describes Internet sources for scripts and for information on implementation, additional classroom applications, and…

Modified evaluation planning tools, such as document models, logic models, and program theory models in planning for the evaluation of the coordination of domestic violence services in metropolitan Baltimore, Maryland. Data from a variety of sources (targeted agencies) show that activities of agencies in the coordinated community response are…

Considers how performance standards should be set and applied in the face of problems caused by auxiliary outcomes (outcomes other than those of interest) and counterfactual outcomes (the threshold standard not observed). Makes the case that the proper way to implement standards varies with the prior information an evaluator can credibly bring to…

Explains the creation and validation of the Narrative Comprehension of Picture Books task (NC task), an assessment of young children's comprehension of wordless picture books. Creates and tests assessment materials and procedures that can be used with young children, whether or not they can decode print. Discusses how narrative comprehension is…

Eight articles discuss Program Theory (PT) construction issues, administrators as applied theorists, tests of PT, using path analysis to develop/evaluate PT, using PT to describe/measure program quality, developing/testing program classification and function theories, a pattern-matching approach to link PT and evaluation data, and linking PT and…

Reviews the history and theory of evaluation of management training and development. Assesses the state of the art of evaluation techniques and instruments, discussing how the focus, scope, and purpose of evaluation affect the choice of method. Presents a systematic model of evaluation and a model of results-oriented human resource development.…

Judgment based assessment (JBA) allows the collection and quantification of the perceptions and impressions of individuals appraising a child's status and environment. This article addresses the purposes, features, and appropriate uses of JBA of young children with disabilities. Current research relevant to JBA is discussed. (Author/DB)

A home safety assessment and training methodology for mothers with mental retardation was evaluated. Although the overall number of implemented safety precautions increased, the variability of results among the four mothers suggests additional training or support services are needed. (Author/DB)

The evaluation of gifted programs is examined in terms of setting group and individual goals, measurement problems (validity, reliability, precision, ceiling effect, and overtesting), comparison groups (national norms or pre- and posttesting), and implementing evaluation strategies. (DB)

Evaluators must use a flexible, open-minded approach oriented toward a holistic view of the implementation and operation of the program they are analyzing. The use of more than one methodology expands the potential findings and avoids the limitations of a unidimensional approach. (SLD)