Program evaluation plan for Treca Digital Academy grades K-3 curriculum

Program Evaluation Parts I and II

Program Evaluation Plan: Treca Digital Academy Grades K-3 Curriculum

Program evaluation could be called the most important factor for maintaining a successful educational program. Without a proper program evaluation, it is difficult to determine if the program is reaching its intended goals. Program evaluation is necessary in order for curricular programs on all levels to achieve accreditation and endorsement from outside agencies. Developing an appropriate strategy for program evaluation is the key to performing an acceptable program evaluation.

The popularity of online schools is bringing some important issues to light. Many of these issues concern the ability to learn using only the computer and limited teacher interaction. Grades K-3 are critical in the development of skills that will form the foundation of the rest of the educational program. The following presents the program evaluation plan that will be used to evaluate the curriculum and delivery of that curriculum in grades K-3 at Treca Digital Academy.

The program evaluation plan will examine the following topics regarding the chosen program:

Current trends and state of the program

Purpose of the Evaluation

Program Goals and Objectives

Analysis and Action Plan

Cost Analysis

Resources

Intended Audience

Time Frame

Current Trends and State of the Program

The first task will be to examine the current state of the program. This evaluation process will use three primary tools to accomplish this goal. The evaluators will conduct a needs assessment to identify the various stakeholders and to determine their needs. It is expected that key stakeholders will include the Treca Digital Academy K-3 students, their parents, the Treca Digital Academy Board of Directors and staff. Secondary stakeholders typically include community members, but in this case, the student and teacher population is dispersed over a larger geographic area, using the Internet to form the classroom. Therefore, the individual communities will serve as secondary stakeholders. However, the benefits and other effects of the program will be diffused, as opposed to a school that is located in a single geographic location.

Next, the evaluators will conduct a process evaluation to determine the program's ability to adapt to the needs of the stakeholders (Priest, 2001). The process evaluation will focus on how the processes within the curriculum relate to the goals and expectations of various stakeholders. The processes within the program must meet the expectations of stakeholders, otherwise the program will not be successful in achieving its goals. In this case, the goals of Treca Digital Academy are to provide a high quality alternative to brick and mortar schools. This evaluation will help to determine its ability to accomplish this task.

The third aspect of the evaluation of current trends consists of a feasibility study to determine if the program is likely to be successful considering the constraints of available resources. An examination will be limited to legalities, funding, staff, time, and resources. It will examine resources that are available now and those that are anticipated to become available in the future. In this case, the school operates from a central office and via satellite offices scattered throughout the area. The school does not have the same cost and operating structure as a traditional brick and mortar school. It provides every student a free computer and equipment through which school is conducted.

Analysis and Action Plan

This section of the evaluation plan will focus on data collection, analysis of the data, and the steps that need to be taken to reach the end goals of the evaluation. In order to accomplish this task a review of the goals and objectives of the program will be conducted. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques will be used to collect data regarding the current state of the program. Quantitative data will focus on academic performance of the students. Qualitative data will consist of a series of interviews among those on all levels of the program. Quantitative data will be analyzed to determine if the program is meeting specific performance criterion. Qualitative data will be used to enhance and add depth to the statistical data. It will provide insight into the reasons for trends found in the statistical analysis. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic analysis.

Once both the quantitative and qualitative data have been analyzed, the strengths and weaknesses of the program will be identified. The data will be examined in relation to the expected outcomes of the program. The final report and recommendations will be derived from the data analyzed using these two primary techniques. The recommendations will include both academic and curriculum improvements, as well as administrative improvements that need to be addressed at Treca Digital Academy.

Cost: benefit Analysis

A cost: benefit analysis of Treca Digital Academy will be conducted that examines the resources currently available to the program. It will examine the future needs of the program in terms of materials and funds. These costs will be compared to the desired benefits of the program. In order to accomplish this task, the net cost per student will be calculated and compared to the desired outcomes of the program. In order to be beneficial and worthwhile, the benefits of the program must not dramatically outweigh the costs of the program. Cost:benefit analysis will help to determine if the program is beneficial enough to continue.

Resources

The cost: benefit analysis will help to determine if the expenditures for the program will result in a satisfactory return for investors. Once the program has been determined to be a worthwhile pursuit, an evaluation of the resources that are currently available to achieve that goal will be conducted. Next, an evaluation of the resources that are estimated to be needed in the future will be conducted. The resources that are currently available will be compared to the resources that are anticipated to be needed in the future will be undertaken to determine if the program is likely to achieve its intended goals in the future.

Resources will include both tangible and intangible resources. Tangible resources will include items such as operating capital, buildings, and other physical resources that will be necessary for the daily operations of the program. In the case of Treca Digital Academy, these resources may include student computers, staff, access to the Internet, and a wealth of information that is available online for use in the curriculum.

Intangible resources will include many things that are difficult to account for in a physical sense, but that are necessary for the success of the program nonetheless. Intangible resources include organizational culture that promotes or harms the ability of the organization to achieve its goals. It includes the background and experience of those administering the program. It includes an atmosphere of community support surrounding the program. Treca Digital Academy includes the skill of their teachers and staff, as well as the willingness and determination of the students as intangible assets. Parents often serve in a support position, offering encouragement to their child and acting as an emotional support for their child. These intangible resources are important to the functioning of Treca Digital Academy.

Intended Audience and Responsible Parties

The intended audience and responsible parties will be identified. A plan will be devised to communicate the results of this study to the intended audience. This portion of the study will identify stakeholders, both internal and external to the program. Stakeholders are expected to include program planners, funding personnel, other people outside of the agency and community members.

This portion of the study will identify the information needs of each stakeholder. The format of the information will be presented in a manner that is consistent with the needs of the stakeholder. Formats may include, but are not limited to, progress updates, recommendations, problem resolution and information gathering. A timeline will be developed informing shareholders when the information will be available. It will also describe the communication format.

Time Frame for Evaluation Process

The evaluation process will be divided into two phases. The first four phases will take place over four quarters in the first year. The second phase will take place in year two of the evaluation process. The time line for completion of the evaluation will be as follows.

PHASE I

Quarter 1 -- Review and Revision of Evaluations

Review and revise standards, benchmarks, and indicators.

Write evaluation framework.

Present the evaluation to the Board of Directors for approval or the appropriate party.

Order sample copies and support materials.

Develop instructional resources appraise instrument that reflects standards and benchmarks for evaluations.

Appraise evaluations and support material samples.

Present recommendations to the Board of Directors or other appropriate party.

Order final evaluation copies and materials.

Quarter 2 and 3 -- Train Staff and Implement

Provide training for the new evaluation process.

Provide facilitator/Instructor/Manager/Administrator support for the new evaluation process.

Implement evaluation process

Data collection

Quarter 4 -- Progress Review

Review efforts thus far.

Identify strengths and needs.

Monitor evaluated assessment outcomes.

Refine evaluation process.

Make any needed adjustments to the process

PHASE II

Year 2 -- Monitoring and Report

Implement the evaluations with refinements.

Monitor progress and continue monitoring formative assessment

Monitor evaluation assessment outcomes thus far.

Appraise evaluation effectiveness.

Identify and discuss latest research and evaluation methodology

Generate final report.

Conclusion

This program evaluation plan will allow the researchers to assess the effectiveness and benefits of Treca Digital Academy. It will provide a comprehensive view of the program and its relationship to key stakeholders. It will examine all of the key areas of the program including finance, community benefits and the impact of the program of students and the community surrounding it.

It will utilize a combination of quantitative methods and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods will be statistically analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program on student academics and to compare these to students in a brick and mortar school. It will consist of a records review, performance testing, and other means to provide insight into the impact of the program on students. The qualitative portion of study will consist of interviews with persons both inside the program and outside of the program to gain insight into the usefulness of the program to the community. The study will weigh the costs of the program with the benefits that are discovered during this portion of the research study.

The evaluation process will help to uncover the strengths and the weaknesses of the online curriculum. Some of these will be uncovered as a result of formative, ongoing research. Others will be uncovered as a result of summative research. It is anticipated that these strengths and weaknesses will lead to the use of problem resolution strategies and recommendations. These recommendations will highlight the ability to emphasize the strengths of the program. They will also assist in the ability to eliminate or reduce the weaknesses of the program. Resolution of these issues is the key to achieving the goals and objectives of the program.

The evaluative process for this program is complex and contains many complex phases. The end result will be a comprehensive assessment of the program that will allow decision makers to weigh their options regarding the program. Certain portions of the program will have more weight than others for certain stakeholders. For instance, it could be expected that accountants and finance persons would have a greater interest in the cost-benefit analysis than in the interests of community stakeholders. Likewise, educators would have a greater interest in the academic outcomes of the program.

This evaluation plan provides a balanced approach to the assessment of the program. Each of the stakeholders will be interested in a specific part of the information. However, all of these portions will have to be assessed as a whole in order to provide the basis for the necessary decision-making strategies. This evaluation process and presentation format will allow the individual stakeholders to have access to the specific information that they need, yet will allow them to view their portion of the report in relation to all of the other parts.

This evaluation will result in the ability to strategically assess the future needs of the program and the actions that need to be taken. It will play a key role in the evaluation of Treca Digital Academy and will provide a template for the evaluation of similar programs. The evaluation plan will help the program to achieve its goals for existing and future stakeholders.