Assignment 1: Program Evaluation

Activities that support a counselor’s role include program development, program evaluation, and needs assessments. A planned, systematic evaluation of a counseling program needs to be conducted on an ongoing basis to determine the relevance and effectiveness of the program. The plan should include an evaluation of client competencies established in the counseling program, how data will be collected and the rationale for the chosen data collection, a calendar of timely assessments, and written procedures and documentation for assessing client satisfaction.

Existing data can help you understand the context in which to build your program, help you relate the counseling program goals to the overall objectives of the client, and help you decide which new data to collect. In this Application Assignment, you utilize the template provided and the strategies you examined this week to develop a program evaluation.

The Assignment (5–6 pages):

• Clarify the purpose of the program evaluation.
• Identify the population of interest and stakeholders.
• Drafttwo(2) goals for your program evaluation and for each goal provide rationale supported withat leastthree(3) data points.
• Determine how data will be collected and the rationale for the chosen data collection.
• Design an instrument or critically evaluate and adopt an existing instrument.
• Propose how the data will be analyzed.
• Describe how the results will be disseminated.
• Describe ethical and culturally relevant strategies for interpreting and reporting the results of research and/or program evaluation studies.
• Describe how current methods of using data inform decision making and accountability (e.g., school improvement plan, agency goals, or community strategic plan).