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A School-Based Reading Program Evaluation. Michael F. Lewis, Ph.D. Niagara Falls City School District. Changing Education Funding. Current changes in educational funding New federal grant opportunities Private grant opportunities This funding often requires increased accountability.
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A School-Based Reading Program Evaluation Michael F. Lewis, Ph.D. Niagara Falls City School District
Changing Education Funding • Current changes in educational funding • New federal grant opportunities • Private grant opportunities • This funding often requires increased accountability
Accountability • Landscape in the U.S. has shifted to mandated levels of accountability in many areas due to recent events • Deceptive accounting in business • ENRON • Abuse of school district budgets • Roslyn School District (New York)
Accountability • Recently, when funding is awarded accountability is achieved through program evaluation • program evaluation required by independent evaluators • Mandated compensation (7%) • Strict accounting of expenditures • The budget is fixed
What is Program Evaluation? • Definition: • a formalized approach to studying the goals, processes, and impacts of projects, policies and programs • can involve quantitative or qualitative methods of social research (or both) • People who do program evaluation come from many different backgrounds: • sociology, psychology, economics, social work
Types of Program Evaluation • A needs assessment examines the nature of the problem that the program is meant to address • The program theory is the formal description of the program's concept and design • Process analysis evaluates how the program is being implemented • The impact evaluation determines the causal effects of the program • Cost-effectiveness analysis assesses the efficiency of a program.
Impact Evaluation • Impact evaluation is the most common form of program evaluation • Determines (as best as possible) the effects of a particular program along some criteria • DARE (on decreasing drug use) • PBIS (on reducing negative behaviors in school) • RTI (on reducing # of students identified as LD)
Big ‘R’ research University Run For Publication Large Scale Little ‘r’ research Individually Run For Information Small Scale Evaluation as ResearchAs conceptualized by: Stephen Truscott, Psy.D. (Georgia State University) Program Evaluation can be both or either
The role of the School Psychologist • We do EVERYTHING!!! • SP has evolved: • We are now Jack (and mostly Jill) of all trades • We were special education evaluators • We are now increasingly responsible for many activities related to General Education • Including evaluation of programs
Program Evaluation In Action • Niagara Falls School District evaluation of: • Fast ForWord (FFWD) • Computer-based • Auditory Processing and Literacy Skills • Timed ‘protocols’ for going through program • 50, 90, and 120 minute protocols • The Problem: FFWD has never appeared in peer-reviewed literature
The Problem (continued) • Fast ForWord • Proprietary program • No real scientific evaluation of program • How do we know it is really effective? • We do a program evaluation on student’s who use FFWD…
FFWD Evaluation • The Subject • Administration of FFWD to entire 2nd grade • 50 minute protocol (run every day) • The Evaluation • Pre-test/Post-test design • Evaluate every 2nd grader in reading • Analyze findings for increase in reading scores
FFWD Evaluation • To evaluate you must have a measure • The Measure: GRADE • Group • Reading • Assessment (and) • Diagnostic • Evaluation • Standardized, norm-referenced
FFWD Evaluation • To evaluate you must have a measure • The other Measure: DRA • Diagnostic • Reading • Assessment (This is a tool we use locally for Reading level)
FFWD Evaluation • The Procedure: • Every 2nd grader participated • Daily 50-minute FFWD protocol • Ran for 20 weeks • Took GRADE before andafter FFWD • Classroom instruction did not change
FFWD Evaluation • The Procedure (a summary) 1) GRADE pre-test 2) 20 weeks of FFWD (50 minute protocol) 3) GRADE post-test 4) Score and analyze GRADE results 5) Determine effects of FFWD on reading
FFWD Evaluation • Statistics: • Imported GRADE data into SPSS • SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences • Computed Paired Samples t-tests on all students with pre/post GRADE data • Same computation for DRA levels • This determined statistical significance • Not the whole story…
FFWD Evaluation • Statistics: • Statistical Significance vs. Effect Size • Effect size determines a measurable degree of the statistical significance • Effect size reported in standard deviation form • Evaluation can have statistical significance but a small Effect Size
FFWD Findings • Paired Sample t-Test
FFWD Findings • Paired Sample t-Test
FFWD Findings • Statistical Significance vs. Effect size • With a large sample it is highly likely that even a small change will indicate a statistical significance • ≈380 students is a large sample size
FFWD Findings • Effect Size takes more realistic look at actual increase of significant findings • Hedge’s G: one way to calculate effect size • g = t √(n1 + n2) / √(n1n2) or • g = 2t / √ N • Effect Size findings: • Vocabulary: g = .27 • Comprehension: g = .35 • Total Test: g = .33 These are considered small effect sizes
Errors • Inefficiency • No need for testing of all students • Maintain statistical meaning w/ smaller random sample • this was ignored by district administration • Administration • Testing all students reduces control of standard administration • this was ignored by district administration • Evaluation Design • No Control Group • No way of determining if FFWD caused increased GRADE scores w/out control group
???Questions??? • Program Evaluation Reference: • Posavac, E. & Carey, R. (2006). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies (7th Ed.). Prentice Hall, New York, NY. • Contact: • mlewis@nfschools.net