1

Nakesha Jones

Nakesha Jones

Program Evaluation Plan

EIDT-6130

Dr. Mitchell Platt

2
Nakesha Jones

The Program that I have chosen is the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). RUSD
located in Riverside California has recently been selected to participant in Bill and Melinda
Gates Next Gen Systems Initiative Program. Next Gen Systems Initiative is aimed at helping
all students achieve their individual goals. RUSD has approximately 42,500 students embracing
education reform for the benefit of students. The district has established a culture that prepares
students to become purposeful contributors to a global society. RUSD has engaged in a
number of unique learning programs that include the Riverside Virtual School, the all-digital
High School campus, and the use of digital learning tools across the district, choice programs
that allows students to pursue areas of study that interest them and much more.
Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) is a collaborative, multiyear initiative
created to address the barriers to educational innovation and tap the potential of technology to
dramatically improve college readiness and completion in the United States. The initial goals
consist of providing support and ending innovation isolation by advancing proven models that
catalyze rapid and significant improvement in college readiness and success. NGLC program
endeavor to noticeably enhance college velocity and achievement, particularly for low income
young adults, by identifying promising technology solutions.
Next Gen Systems Initiative Program is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates
foundation, which has partnered up to promote long term solutions helping people to live
productive lives. With each program funded, teams develop goals and strategies before allocating
resources and making investments. By collecting and sharing data on the programs progress, the

3
Nakesha Jones

foundation can reflect on lessons learned and make corrections as needed. That is embedded
throughout the strategy lifecycle.
The evaluation is done in the systematic, objective assessment. This focuses on
articulating the objectives of a program and collecting data to determine the extent to which they
are achieved (Fitzpatrick, 2011). NGLC use the evaluation to answer the how and why
questions, that they are not achieved. Their current practice in evaluation is characterized by
variation and the absence of a policy. In the end decision making is left to the individual program
teams and officers, which in this case will be RUSD. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
view evaluation as a high priority especially when the program outcomes are difficult to observe.
These program teams are not expected to use evaluation to sum up the results of program
strategies.
RUSD is working toward district wide personalization of learning and this project is a
part of that effort. Twenty two schools has learned and demonstrated this process that ultimately
aid RUSD and many others to follow and grow into personalized learning environments.

Evaluation Model

Advantages

Disadvantages

EXPERTISE AND
CONSUMER-ORIENTED
APPROACHES

Evaluation summative with

checklists and criteria of the
consumers.

Not one that continues to be

discussed extensively in the
professional evaluator
literature (Fitzpatrick et al,
2011).

Increase consumer
knowledge.
Extensively used by
government agencies and
independent consumer
advocates to make
information available on

Suppress creativity
Increase cost of products

4
Nakesha Jones

hundreds of products
(Fitzpatrick et al, 2011).
Makes evaluation material
widely available.

PROGRAM-ORIENTED
EVALUATION
APPROACHES

Depends largely on qualified

expertise to judge an
institution, program, product,
or activity.
Formal review boards
develop criteria, self study,
defined objectives, and
support and protect.

DECISION-ORIENTED
EVALUATION
APPROACHES

Serve decision making and

accountability needs.
Share a firm goal of
improving decision making in
school, nonprofits, and
government (Fitzpatrick et al,
2011).

Public concerns over

credibility and public
cynicism.
The evaluation could reflect
one persons biases.

Traditional approaches do not

fit the evaluation requirements.
Tests were not keyed to needs
and performance levels of
disadvantaged student and did
not yield timely feedback.

Explain your choice of model for your program evaluation:

Finding the best the evaluation methods to best suit my case study was not a difficult task.
Being that my program is school research based I will be using the Decision-Oriented
Approaches. These approaches were designed to address the problems that evaluations
encountered (Fitzpatrick et al, 2011). Having some drawbacks made me a little uneasy;
however I found this method to be extremely helpful. The one approach that benefits my
program the most is the CIPP evaluation model. The CIPP model has had the most staying
power of any early evaluation (Fitzpatrick et al, 2011).

5
Nakesha Jones

Seeing the Decision-Oriented approach in action give me a better understanding of the

Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). With the school engaging a number of learning
programs such as all-digital and virtual schools. Twenty four schools have had the opportunity to
demonstrate and learn from this program. The CIPP evaluation model aid evaluators to think
diversely. Providing a checklist of things to consider when conducting an evaluation. This in
return gives a high prescriptive value to the program itself. Finally this method allows the
evaluators the freedom to focus on objectives that can result in the overall effectiveness of the
program.

The key stakeholders in this program are Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC),
the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and of course RUSD. Having the stakeholders involved in
establish the outcome of this evaluation not only helps to aids the quality of the program. Key
stakeholders learn more about their expectations and to educate them to the different types of
information the evaluation could provide about outcomes (Fitzpatrick et al, 2011). The results
from the outcome will not only benefit the stakeholders but will aid in modifications to the
program. I believe the stakeholders should know the ins and outs of this program to enhance
validity.
The purpose of this evaluation was to compare and contrast the (NGLC) program at
Riverside Unified School District (RUSD). The stakeholders used the evaluation to answer the
who, what, where and why question. The programs strategies were summed up by collecting data
via surveys. Both written and online surveys as well as Interviews were taking by participates. In
addition the results yield a successful program that will continue to develop and mature
throughout the years to come.

6
Nakesha Jones

Stakeholder

Reporting Strategy

Implications

Stakeholder
Involvement

Report the findings by

having a meeting with
administration.
Presenting a handout
of a detail chart of
how many students
those were successful
in the program.

Students are excited

about the Next gen
learning program. The
students are able to
engage in advance
technology
integration.

The most important

thing that I would
report will be the
capacity and
willingness to meet
goals with the use of
technology.

Teachers

Have a district wide

meeting with the
teacher that are
currently teaching the
course. Present a chart
of the success of the
program.

Students are excited

to work on the project
that the teachers are
providing.
Technology
integration is a very
powerful tool in the
class room.

Teachers help to aid

the students thoughout the program.
Making them more
eager to lean. Thus
meeting their goals.

Students

Starting off by
submitting a
newsletter to the
parents and students.
This will help the
students become more
informed on the
program. In addition
to helping those to
plan out their goals.
Again submitting a
newsletter to the
parents and students.
This will help the
students become more
informed on the
program. In addition
to helping those to
plan out their goals.

Students at RSUD
have an advantage
over other students in
the state. Have assets
to technology
integration in their
day to day learning.

The students in the

RSUD not only have
an advantage over the
other distinct. They
have proven to score
higher on over all
testing.

Parents will need to

ensure that their
student is getting the
full benefits of the
program at home.
Also being aware of
what the student is
learning.

With having the

parents involved help
motives the students
to be more involved.
Showing the student
that they have support
at home as well as
school.

Administrators

Parents

Values, Standards, and Criteria:

My evaluation on the Riverside Unified School District has been a successful one. I was able

7
Nakesha Jones

to conduct different data collections. First, by observing the program from a consumer point of
view. Observations have a major strength: Evaluators are seeing the real thing: the program in
delivery (Fitzpatrick, etc, 2011). Observing give me the opportunity to view the program from
the outside. I was able to see how the program faired and was delivered. Next I was able
conduct interviews with both the teachers and students. Fitzpatrick, etc, states that interviewers
need to be well trained in methods for making respondents comfortable and establishing rapport
without biasing the nature of the responses (2011). I was able to conduct these interviews in a
timely and unbiased manner. The students and teachers were able to assist me with the
evaluation by giving me useful information regarding the program and how it fairs.

Potential ethical issues:

While conducting my program evaluation, I realized the constructive of evaluation. Taking

on the issues and other lessons learned were expanded on this report. Collectively with a
comprehensive set of recommendations for improving the program faults and short comings.
Overall the stakeholders in this program provided a framework for ensuring the productive
contribution for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Next Gen Systems Initiative and the
Riverside unified School District. They are essential to promoting sustainable development the
continuation of program.

8
Nakesha Jones

References:
Fitzpatrick, J., Sanders, J., & Worthen, B. (2011). Program evaluation: Alternative
approaches and practical guidelines (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Next Generation Learning Challenges: Retrieved from http://www.nextgenlearning.org
Riverside Unified School District: Retrieved from http://www.rusdlink.org
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Retrieved from https://www.gatesfoundation.org