Questions on Evaluating PD
From LiteracyTentWiki
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2584] Re: 'Currents' in PD
From: steve.reuys steve.reuys at umb.edu
Date: Wed Oct 8 10:36:01 EDT 2008
Jackie: I would be interested in exploring the question of how to
evaluate or assess the impact or outcomes of professional development
activities that we provide. Using the five levels of evaluation
delineated by Thomas Guskey, we are usually able to evaluate the
first two--participant satisfaction with an activity and participant
learning--but the other three--change in the organization/program,
change in practitioner behavior, and eventual learner gains--are much
more difficult to assess in adult basic education. It would be
interesting to see if others doing professional development in our
field are wrestling with the same issues and anyone has come up with
any useful approaches or strategies for doing this.
Steve Reuys
Director, A.L.R.I./Boston SABES
University of Massachusetts Boston
Wheatley Bldg., 4th fl., rm 04-167
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125-3393
617-287-4071
steve.reuys at umb.edu
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2585] Re: 'Currents' in PD
From: Deborah Stedman stedman01 at austin.rr.com
Date: Wed Oct 8 11:55:06 EDT 2008
Steve and Jackie,
I really appreciate this question. The Texas Family Literacy Resource
Center has always struggled with these issues as well. The current
"accountability" environment values standardized assessment; however, there
are none that I know of that measure professional development learning.
Changes in the organization/program and practitioner behavior can be
assessed through qualitative data from interviews and surveys and such but
the trick, obviously, is crafting the right questions. Qualitative
evaluation (especially the analysis) is mighty labor intensive and
expensive.
Eventual learner gains is another whole issue and would require a controlled
study to attribute gains or the lack of gains directly to professional
development - an evaluation strategy that most professional development
organizations do not have resources for. I'm hoping for some responses to
Steve's question that are "outside the box" thoughts and ideas.
Deborah
Deborah Stedman, Ph.D.
Grant Director, Texas Family Literacy Resource Center
Lecturer, Developmental and Adult Education
Texas State University
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: 512-245-9757
fax: 512-245-8151
E-mail: ds43 at txstate.edu
Website: http://www.tei.education.txstate.edu/famlit
