Vocational Education for the Handicapped: Perspectives on Program Evaluation. Personnel Development Series: Document 4.

Overview & Synopsis

This document is a monograph in a personnel development series addressing issues that are pertinent for policy-making personnel concerned with program evaluation and personnel preparation. The major intent of the monograph is to present a variety of evaluation practices and procedures used in the evolution of a vocational/special education personnel preparation program. As a means of illustrating and discussing the major evaluation points in a program, a three-phase view of program evaluation is delineated. Section 1 considers planning evaluation (determining program goals and selecting the program strategy). Section 2 describes process evaluation focusing on the implementation aspects of a program. Three case examples describe evaluation activities conducted for a short-term workshop, a course, and an inservice project. Section 3 examines impact evaluation that looks at the outcomes and effects of a program on its graduates and their respective work environments. Two case examples of impact evaluation designs in vocational/special education personnel preparation projects are highlighted. A final section suggests procedures and guidelines to increase use of evaluation findings. (YLB)