The assignment is for MPA Public Program Evaluation class.
The Midterm Evaluation Critique requires you to locate an existing evaluation report of a specific program or policy that is of interest to you and then critique it according to the specific criteria in the assignment requirements. There are hundreds of evaluation reports published online; a simple search including “evaluation report” and your topic and/or location of interest should be sufficient to find options; you may also want to narrow your search to a specific program that you already have in mind (please do not choose the program your group has selected Pell Grants (do not select Pell Grant). You may also find evaluations in the form of peer-reviewed journal articles; these are also acceptable for the project. There are also several organizations that conduct evaluations on various topics, so you could check out these websites: AIR (American Institutes of Research), or the IES Regional Education Labs. (REL).
This paper should be 3-4 pages single-spaced or (6-8 pages double-spaced) and must include the following (bolded text should be the heading of each section):
Purpose of the Evaluation. A succinct summary of the program/context, purpose(s) of the evaluation, context, methods, and findings from the evaluation that you chose to critique. (20 pts)
Narrative answers to the following questions:
For each of the following evaluation areas, discuss whether the evaluation report provide sufficient detail; provide evidence for your answer (use quotes and/or page citations); if it does not provide sufficient detail, include suggestions as to what could be done to improve each section.
Rationale (i.e., theoretical framework) (10 pts)
Background (e.g., literature review, previous evaluations) (10 pts)
Context for the evaluation (10 pts)
Are the methods (including data collection, sampling, instruments) aligned with the purpose(s) of the evaluation? Provide evidence and rationale for your answer. If you believe they are not aligned, provide a better alternative method to addressing the stated purpose. (20 pts)
Are the findings useful for the stated purpose? If you were involved in the program under evaluation, how would you use the findings to change or improve the program? (15 pts)
Conclusion: A succinct conclusion of the quality of the evaluation, based on your specific critiques included in the body of the paper. (I.e., would you recommend that program staff use this evaluation for improvements? Do you think the funder of the program should use it to judge the worth of the program and potential funding renewal? Do you think other similar programs could learn from this evaluation? Evidence for any of these should not be in the conclusion but rather in the specific critique sections, which you can then reference back to in the conclusion.) (10 pts)
Bibliography, including citation (and link, if applicable) to the evaluation that you chose to critique, as well as any additional resources you referenced, including course readings. (5 pts)
I have provided an excellent example (Bernhardt+SPEA+562+Midterm.pdf Download Bernhardt+SPEA+562+Midterm.pdf) from a previous student on Canvas. Please feel free to use this as you work through the sections, to see what level of detail and organization I am expecting.