Evaluative Criteria for the Program Evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the needs and challenges of the PLC initiative at Canyon Lake Elementary School in order to identify ways in which the PLC can run more effectively. I propose five evaluation questions that will determine the focus of the program evaluation. For one, how does the school ensure that all teachers understand the common core state standards on which the PLC is based? What processes are used to create collaborative groups for the PLC? How does the school ensure that all teachers use assessment results to adjust their instruction? What is the role of the literacy and math coaches within the PLC model? And lastly, what actions are taken to account for the unique contextual factors at Canyon Lake? These questions are constructed from the logic model I created, which was based on the goals of the PLC program. According to the Rapid City Area Schools website, the PLC has three focuses: an emphasis on balanced literacy and investigative math, a focus on learning and results, and a focus on collaborative teamwork. Specifically, these questions will help me assess the needs and challenges at Canyon Lake, because I will be analyzing the actions of the PLC members at Canyon Lake and identifying which goals of the PLC Canyon Lake is struggling to meet. This will help me identify the needs and challenges of the PLC at Canyon Lake. The purpose of this evaluation is not to evaluate the effectiveness of the PLC at Canyon Lake, but instead, to evaluate the schools progress toward implementing a productive PLC by identifying any areas of need or challenges that need to be overcome. The focus will be on making progress toward the ideal PLC implementation. All Program Evaluation Standards are important to the implementation of a program evaluation (Fitzpatrick, et al., 2010). I have identified five Program Evaluation Standards that

will be reflected in this evaluation. Primarily, Utility 2: Attention to Stakeholders. This evaluation will devote attention to the full range of individuals and groups invested in the program. The principal, literacy and math coaches, and even individual teachers will all be considered when evaluating the PLC program. This evaluation will be based on creating meaningful processes and products (Utility 6). In this way, the evaluation will construct activities, descriptions, and judgments in ways that encourage participants to re-discover, reinterpret or revise their understanding and behaviors (Fitzpatrick, Sanders & Worthen, 2010, p. 499). Lastly, under feasibility, this evaluation will conduct practical procedures. Evaluation procedures should be practical and responsive to the way the program operates (Fitzpatrick, Sanders & Worthen, 2010, p. 500). Accuracy and Evaluation Accountability are important to all evaluations. Primarily, Communication and Reporting: Evaluation communications should have adequate scope and guard against misconceptions, biases, distortions, and errors (Fitzpatrick, Sanders & Worthen, 2010, p. 500). Under evaluation, E1: Evaluations should fully document their negotiated purposes and implemented designs, procedures, data, and outcomes (Fitzpatrick, Sanders & Worthen, 2010, p. 501). Following the Participant-Oriented Evaluation Approach, the stakeholders will be involved in determining evaluation criteria and approving the evaluation questions. The principal, literacy coaches, and math coach at the school will help identify activities to identify which pieces of data to collect for the evaluation and initiate data collection. It will be a collaborative effort to determine how to evaluate each question and how to determine which are areas of concern, needs, and challenges.