Discussion: Program Evaluation
Be sure to indicate which sets you have chosen to respond to first.
Question Set 1: Assume that one of the goals of the gifted program you are evaluating is represented by this statement:
“Our school is committed to supporting demonstrated ability and developing latent talent, specifically stating as a goal that the resulting talent pool should reflect the entire student population and welcome students from diverse backgrounds and experiences” (Clarenbach& Eckert, 2013, p. 31-32).
Based on what you learned from the readings, develop a set of questions that would help you evaluate whether this goal is being met. From whom would you solicit information to answer the questions? What types of data would you need?
Question Set 2: Assume that a school district wants to evaluate the component of identification of gifted students as part of its overall program evaluation. Its goal has been to create a fair and equitable identification process Create a chart of resources, activities and outcomes that you might see in the identification component. Make a list of questions that would guide the evaluation of the resources, activities, and outcomes of the component used to meet this goal. Keep in mind Dr. Callahan’s statement: “Each goal must be subjected to the questions: How will we know if the goal has been achieved? What evidence will we accept?” (p. 442).
Below is some additional relevant information that may help to guide your response:
“The term ‘component’ is used as a construct to describe some set of resources, activities, and outcomes of a functional activity in a program. For example, identification (determining which students will be considered gifted and talented and which services each of these students will receive) is a component of all services for gifted students (Callahan & Caldwell, 1995). Resources are used to carry out the identification function (policies including the definition of giftedness, staff time to collect and organize student data, tests, teacher time to complete rating scales, guidelines for decision making, staff time to meet and make decisions, appeals guidelines, etc.).
There are also activities associated with that component (e.g., testing, collecting teacher ratings on forms for assessing student behaviors, compiling student data into a format for review, meetings of selection and placement committees, time for appeals hearings, notification of parents, etc.). And the use of the specified resources to carry out the activities of a given component should lead to the expected outcomes or goals (e.g., creation of a fair and defensible identification process, accurate identification of students who are in need of special services, appropriate matches between identified students and the services offered to them, etc.) (p. 443).