Evaluating Your Technology InitiativeHow do you know it’s working?

The MassCUE Evaluators Program

Let us know you’re here!

http://tinyurl.com/masscueval

Sun Associates Program evaluators State and local initiatives www.sun-associates.com/masscue

Our take on evaluation Evaluation is a part of a strategic approach to

project planning and implementation Links vision to goals to actions to measures

MassCUE Evaluators

A professional development project that helps districts integrate evaluation within projects: Clearly articulate goals Plan and coordinate activities strategically Develop performance measures

New this year… MassCUE Evaluators Individual Works directly with district teams, in-district, to

develop evaluations of specific initiatives

Format

Hands-on professional development with a strategic team of stakeholders Curriculum and Instruction DTC/Digital Learning

Director Administrators Teachers Board/Community/Parents

Day 1 – Framing and Indicators

Day 2 – Developing Data Collection Questions and Tools

Day 3 – Data Collection Methodology

Day 4 – Data Analysis, Recommendations, Reporting

BedfordBurlingtonConcordNeedhamReadingWayland

DanversDuxburyHopkintonHudsonWinchesterWestford

What’s Your Return on Investment?

Define “Return”

A Strategic Approach

It starts with your visionWe sometimes refer to this as your “central

claim” What do you claim as the main benefit of your

initiative? How will this initiative positively impact

teaching and learning? Your claim/vision should connect to core values

of teaching and learning.

The main point of evaluation is to assess the degree to which the performance of your initiative is reaching your vision/meeting your claim. Current status – documenting the situation

before your implementation Formative assessment – documenting the

impact your project is having

Indicators for Success

Teacher Skills/Pedagogy

Professional Development

Infrastructure Community Support

Student Learning Outcomes

Indicators are developed by a committee of stakeholders to your project … the MassCUE Evaluators team! Teachers, administrators, technology staff,

and others This also generates broad buy-in to the

project and its perceived value…which is helpful in terms of sustainability

Indicators Drive Data Collection

The next task is to develop data collection tools and to collect data based on the indicators Teachers Students Parents/Community Technical

ObservationsSurveysFocus GroupsRelevant Technical and Cost Information

MassCUE Evaluators learn how to create and use these data collection tools

The collected data is analyzed against the indicators…

…resulting in evaluation findings. Findings are the “answer” to your basic question

about value. This answer is enriched by the context provided by

the indicators. Recommendations usually follow the findings.

How can you improve performance to come closer to meeting the vision/claim?

Reporting

The whole point of the evaluation is to communicate the progress – formative and summative – of your initiative/project

Reporting should be to your school or district community…thereby providing a statement about value to your stakeholders.

Summary Points

Central Claim/Vision – What are you aiming for?

Indicators – What domains does your project address? What constitutes success?

Data Collection – Multiple types of data, tied to your indicators and therefore vision.

Reporting – Communicating success and engaging your community in the project’s implementation

How to Join

http://tinyurl.com/masscuevalContact us about the “Individual” option

(rolling admission)The next cohort/group starts in January,

2014www.masscue.orgwww.sun-associates.com/masscue