Identify what you need from an evaluation

"We need to know..."

Evaluation can mean different things to different people. Find out what key constituents want to know about your magnet program and help create a shared understanding about your evaluation needs.

Resources

TOOL What Do Stakeholders Want to Learn About Our Program? (.doc 68.5 KB)

Gather information about what stakeholders want to learn about your program to tailor the evaluation to your district’s particular needs.

TOOL Developing an Overview of Your Magnet Program (.doc 76 KB)

Develop a shared understanding of your program’s background, goals, and components, to set the basis for identifying what you want to learn about your program in an evaluation.

TOOL Considering Two Types of Evaluation (.doc 75 KB)

Use this tool to understand two types of evaluation and how each might meet the needs of your district’s magnet program.

TOOL Assessing Your Readiness for Evaluation (.doc 88 KB)

Use this assessment to elicit and address beliefs and attitudes about evaluation.

Extra Resources for MSAP Rigorous Evaluation

An MSAP rigorous evaluation is an impact evaluation that uses experimental or quasi-experimental methodology to examine the extent to which changes can be attributed to the magnet program.
It is especially important to start early when conducting an MSAP rigorous evaluation as it may require additional steps and data sources.
“Rigorous” refers to the level of scientific rigor in the design and analysis conducted by the evaluators. It does NOT impose more rigorous or intense scrutiny on the district or the program itself.

VIGNETTE Making the Case for Rigorous Evaluation (.pdf 60.4 KB)

Read this fictitious conversation between an evaluator and a program manager to understand the additional information a rigorous evaluation provides about program impact.

SAMPLE MATERIAL Overview of MSAP Rigorous Evaluation (.pdf 205.2 KB)

Use this PowerPoint® presentation to provide basic MSAP rigorous evaluation information to stakeholders and staff.

VIGNETTE An Administrator Reflects on the Value of Rigorous Evaluation (.pdf 102.3 KB)

Review the ideas in this interview to generate compelling reasons for conducting a rigorous evaluation of your own magnet programs.

PITFALL

“ The very worst course to take would be for a group of people to sit down and begin listing off great ideas for magnets without first deciding on the goals, vision, direction, focus, depth, and breadth of the magnet program. ”

—Guilford County Schools Board of Education

TIP

“ We made sure our evaluation gave us the big picture and also told us whether what we’re doing was making a difference. ”

—Kim Morrison, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

TIP

Consider who is likely to need and use your evaluation information, and for what purpose. Find out what stakeholders want to know and why. And if you don’t know, ask!