Purpose of Program Evaluation

1. To affirm that the objectives of the program have been achieved.
2. Accountability for program quality to meet accreditation standards.
3. Used to assist in the management, planning, and development of the program for decision making, policy formation, program assessment, and improvement.
4. Used to validate the quality of existing and new programs so they will be refined at the state or federal level.

Types of Program Evaluation

Formative Evaluation
• Conducted to assess progress and provide ongoing improvement.
• Used to determine whether the program is meeting its objectives and determine weaknesses.
• May be done multiple times.
  • possible variables
    • child development
    • teacher behaviors
    • parental involvement
    • IFSP/IEP objective achievement
    • child social behaviors
  • instrumentation
    • team developed interviews
    • team developed surveys
    • commercially produced checklists
    • IFSP/IEP documentation
    • video/audio tape documentation
      • child-to-child social interactions
      • teacher-child interactions
      • training purposes
  • child product/work sampler
    • artwork
    • photographs (i.e., block structures)
    • dictated story


Summative Evaluation
• Conducted to measure the outcomes of a program
• Used to determine program effectiveness at the end of a set period by measuring overall program success and quality
• Conducted once
  • possible variables
    • child development
    • teacher behaviors
    • classroom environment
    • parental views
    • program objectives
    • transitional issues
  • instrumentation
    • developmental tests
    • language assessments
    • video/audio assessment
    • children's cumulative records
    • IFSP/IEP progress development
    • satisfaction survey/interview