Stop snarling and start smoothing out the tangles of your program
BCPS has taken the leading edge when it comes to creating quality programs that meet the needs of all stakeholders. Being one of the foot soldiers helping to implement this change, I have heard this task described as arduous, impossible, sensible, dumb, doable and time-consuming. Michael Fullan, who wrote about the change process in From Staff Room to Classroom, summed it up well. “Some will anticipate the best possible scenario, others the worst. Some are eager to see the plan unfold; others dread the effort it will take. The signal to all concerned is that things are going to change.” That being said, let’s get down to brass tacks and look at the steps needed to create a quality program.
In order to create a Program (BEG) , you need to have “need”. A good needs assessment is data-driven and identifies the gaps that your program and its subsequent events will fill. They can come from focus groups, interviews, trusted print media, records, reports, rubrics, tests, assessments, competencies, shadowing, observing, suggestions, surveys and work samples. A needs assessment will also involve the stakeholders. To quote the BCPS Strategic Plan for 2010, our belief as a district: “Stakeholder involvement is a valuable tool for decision-making.” 
The next logical step is to create the program goal. A program has just one goal and is based on the needs assessment. The goal then is the generalized, overall statement depicting the outcome of the program.
Program objectives should be SMART, like you. These SMART objectives should also contain evidence of KASABs. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. SMART objectives: can be evaluated, define levels of training (foundation, application and accomplished), contain evidence of KASABs – Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Aspirations, and Behavior (the changes you want to see in your learners). These program objectives are part of your BEG and identify what your program will cover over time.
Tick, tick, tick. It’s time to create a theory of change. First, brainstorm the activities needed to reach the goal. Within your theory of change, you should be able to identify the Florida Evaluation Protocol’s 4 strands: Planning, Delivery, Follow-up and Evaluation and explain how its goal and objectives are logically related to its activities. Then line them up sequentially keeping in mind that the theory of change will read like a roadmap of the possible steps necessary to accomplish the program’s goal and will include an idea of what will be used to measure progress along the way. 
Last but not least, create a logic model. What’s that you ask? Simply put, a logic model is a flow chart that sequences the critical components of a program. It is a useful tool, and can help clarify the goal and communicate the basics of how a program works to others. Professional Development Support has created a logic model with five components, each related to the next. They are the inputs, activities, initial outcomes, intermediate outcomes and the intended results. The activities in the logic model were once the steps outlined in the theory of change. A program’s inputs and activities are directly related to the outcomes they will produce, and the initial and intermediate outcomes containing KASABs are directly related to the program’s desired results. 
I’m blogging out of here. Ya’ll come back now…ya hear?
3 comments:
"A good needs assessment is data-driven and identifies the gaps that your program and its subsequent events will fill."
I couldn't agree more. In such a large system it may seem impossible to gather data, but there are really creative ways of doing it. I have utilized Quia to do surveys of stakeholders with the incentive of a drawing for a prize.
Data is the first step and as I master that, I find my programs work out better.
Thanks for the great info!
I concur with your statement regarding the need to include stakeholders when conducting needs assessments. In my opinion, this is the single most important aspect of creating a new program; one that is too often overlooked.
The more we involve our parents, students, and community members, the more we ensure the success of the program we are attemptimg to create.
Denise,
As a new CHAPMS trainer and the Project Specialist for the CE Grant, I found the entry most helpful. The need to appropriately plan, deliver, follow-up, and evaluate are critical to the success of our District Programs.
As a new BCS employee, I will admit that at times the system is overwhelming. Providing program managers the tools to succeed will bring greater systemic success to Broward County School Programs.
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