U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Introduction to Program Evaluation - A Handbook

NCJ Number
89445
Author(s)
M J Sheridan
Date Published
1980
Length
21 pages
Annotation
In addition to providing guidance for 10 steps involved in planning for and implementing a corrections evaluation, information is provided on the evaluation services available through Virginia's Evaluation and Monitoring Unit.
Abstract
The first step is to decide whether evaluation or technical assistance services are desired from the Evaluation and Monitoring Unit. Evaluation services involve the use of a unit evaluator to conduct the evaluation, while technical assistance services are oriented toward helping program personnel conduct their own program evaluation. The second step involves resolving the issues of the purpose of the evaluation; specificity of the evaluation questions; the availability of information required by the evaluation; timeliness with reference to the type of evaluation; resources required for the evaluation; and the programmatic, administrative, and political climate surrounding the evaluation. The third step consists of conceptualizing the program according to the components of inputs, activities, outputs, and impacts. The fourth step is to select the type of evaluation most appropriate for the evaluation focus, whether monitoring, process evaluation, or impact assessment. The fifth step is to determine the key events to be evaluated and to identify the specific indicators and measures for success. The remaining steps are to develop a work plan, collect the data, present the findings to targeted persons, and critique the evaluation study and process.