Assignment: Course Project Parts 1 and 2: The Program and Assessment Tool Planning
Just as the first step in solving a problem is to understand the problem, the first step in conducting an Assessment is to understand what you want to evaluate.
(Giancola, 2014, p. 6)
As a leader in the field of education, you must constantly review program goals and initiatives, collect and analyze program-specific data, and refine strategies for the continuation of your programs to affect educational change. Thus far, you have honed some of these skills in your hypothetical role as a member of Mayor Keller’s task force in Grand City. You now have the opportunity to apply these skills to designing a program Assessment for your own educational setting. How will you approach understanding what you want to evaluate and enact data-informed change?
For this Assignment, you will develop Parts 1 and 2 of your Course Project. In Part 1: The Program, you will analyze a program in your specialization that is in need of Assessment and change; and in Part 2: Assessment Tool Planning, you will outline an Assessment tool for the process.
Note: This Assignment has five parts and you will complete sections in subsequent modules. The final part will be due in Week 10, Module 5.
To prepare:
• Review the Fullan (2016) chapters in the Learning Resources. Consider how program Assessments fit within the process of continuation of educational change and the stakeholders who play a role in that continuation.
• Read the Giancola (2015) and Peurach, Glazer, & Winchell Lenhoff (2016) articles. Reflect on the purposes and various approaches of program Assessments and those elements that are inherent in any program Assessment. Reminder: The Giancola (2015) resource will serve as an essential guide for the completion of your Course Project. Be sure to read it for your work in this module, and refer to it often as you complete your Course Project.
• Consider a program within your specialization area that is in need of Assessment and change. Review any existing data regarding the program, and think about what the data may be telling you about the effectiveness of the program.
• Think about how you would plan for the Assessment of your selected program. What tools might you need to measure its effectiveness? How might you develop a tool of your own to measure not only effectiveness, but also to identify areas for growth?
• Using Giancola (2015) as a starting point, research a number of program Assessment tools and approaches. What quality indicators might you use to evaluate your selected program? What criteria will you use to evaluate the program based on those indicators?
• Review the Learning Resources from the Module 2 Discussion 2. What strategies might you consider employing to garner trust and buy-in from staff in conducting your program Assessment?
• Review and save a copy of the Walden APA Paper Template linked in the Learning Resources as well as other resources in the Writing Center.
Note: All Assignments in this course require the use of the APA Paper Template.
By Day 7 of Week 6
Complete the following parts of your Course Project:
Part 1: The Program
Write a 2- to 3-page explanation of the following:
• The program you identified within your specialization area that is in need of Assessment. Be sure to include the purpose of the program, stakeholders involved in the program, and at least two current goals of the program.
• Current program data and what the data is telling you about the effectiveness of the program. Be sure to include what additional data you believe should be collected to support a change.
• The strategies, activities, or program initiatives that are currently in place to help the program to be effective and meet the goals. Be sure to explain to what extent the program initiatives are supported by research and data.
Part 2: Assessment Tool Planning
Write a 2- to 3-page explanation of the following:
• At least five key quality indicators to measure the effectiveness of your selected program. Provide a rationale for each indicator supported with reference to program goals, initiatives, and research.
• The type of criteria you can use to evaluate the indicators and how you might set up your Assessment tool. Provide a rationale for your criteria and Assessment tool design.
• The strategies you will employ to establish buy-in and collaboration from other stakeholders regarding conducting a program Assessment. Provide a rationale as to why the selected strategies would be effective with your program’s stakeholders.
For this Assignment, and all scholarly writing in this course and throughout your program, you will be required to use APA style and provide reference citations.
REFERENCES
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
• Chapter 4, “Initiation, Implementation, and Continuation” (pp. 54–81)
• Chapter 6, “The Teacher” (pp. 97–122)
• Chapter 10, “The District Administrator” (pp. 177–208)
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0895904814557592
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/sst/Assessmentmatters.pdf
