Artifact 3A: Needs Assessment

1. Module Two Artifact 3A: Needs Assessment

2. This artifact will be submitted to me to grade. After I have graded it and returned it to you with suggestions for revisions, you should make revisions and then upload into TaskStream. Submit to instructor and to TaskStream

3. A form of evaluation that assesses the nature, magnitude, and distribution of a social problem; the extent to which there is a need for intervention; and the implications of these circumstances for the design of the intervention. • Evaluation: A Systematic Approach, Rossi, Lipsey, and Freeman, 2004 What is a Needs Assessment?

4. It’s often a first step in planning a new program Needs Assessment

5. Identification of users and uses. • Description of the target population and service environment. • Need identification. • Need assessment. • Communication. • Need Analysis: Process and Techniques, Jack McKillip, 1998 Steps in Analyzing Need

6. Clarify the purpose of the needs assessment • Identify the population • Determine how you will conduct the needs assessment • Design a survey instrument • Collect data • Analyze data • Use the results http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/grants/needs.pdf Steps in Conducting Needs Assessments

7. Survey • Paper/Pencil • Electronic (ex. Zoomerang) • Focus Group • Example of meeting agenda • Introduction of purpose and participants • Ask participants for their views on the issue • Probe for reasons behind their views • Ask for ideas to overcome barriers • Debrief and wrap up Evaluation: A systematic approach, Rossi, Lipsey, and Freeman, 2004 Examples of Needs Assessments

8. Consider ordinal scale questions (an ordered set of answer categories) • Examples • : Levels of satisfaction (completely satisfied, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not at all satisfied) or • Frequency of behaviors/events (all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, none of the time) Create good questions

9. Make sure the question applies to the respondent • Make sure the question is technically accurate • Ask one question at a time • Use simple and familiar words • Use as few words as possible to pose the question • Use complete sentences with simple sentence structures • Make sure “yes” means yes and “no” means no Pages 79-88 of Surveys-The Tailored Design Method by Dillman, Smyth, and Christian Guidelines for writing questions

10. Other Tips Guidelines for Questionnaires and Surveys: • Keep them short, people should be able to complete them in 15 minutes or under •  State why you are asking for their response, (e.g. their opinion is important to you) •  Note that their responses are confidential • Thank them up front, be appreciative of the time and effort they will take • Make your questions clear, avoid confusion over wording or interpretation • Pilot test your instrument to be sure of its clarity • Use rating scales, or a yes/no answer format • Include questions about people’s job status, e.g., years on the job, age, gender, etc. http://www.fsu.edu/~truancy/needs.html Guidelines for Focus Groups and Interviews • Select a group appropriate to your needs • Explain your purpose, time and place of meeting • Send reminder letter • Develop a set of questions, grouped in categories, keep it to a vital few • Appoint a time keeper, respect people’s time • Start the meeting with an explanation its purpose, how it will be conducted • Emphasize that all questions are valid and welcome, there are no right or wrong answers • State that this is not the place for answers or resolutions • Keep to the time, end promptly, thank people, promise to send results in appropriate

11. http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/grants/needs.pdf • See Sample Three on last page • http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/schooltransformation/assessments/school-rubric.pdf • http://www.nhscholars.org/School-Business%20How_to_Guide.pdf • See pages 24 and 25 • http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprevention/download/pdf/Measure_of_school_etc.pdf Sample instruments

12. Reference pages 44-48 of the MELS Handbook. The candidate will lead the Stakeholder Involvement Plan (SIP) Team in conducting a needs assessment to determine the gaps in communication between the internal and external communities and potential opportunities for involvement of these two communities in decisions that have a direct effect on the community and the schools. Artifact 3A – Needs Assessment

13. The needs assessment should include a background description of the setting, a clear statement of the purpose of the needs assessment, a list of participants who participated during the needs assessment process and at what stage of the process the participants were active, an analysis of the findings, a set of recommendations that identifies avenues of communication that will be established, and a set of recommendations that includes both short-term and long-term objectives to establish the SIP. (continued)

14. Module 2 Expectations and Evidences for Artifacts Expectations and Evidences

15. Remember to always work closely with your school administrative team as you complete your assignments. Seek their advice as you work through your artifacts. School Administration

16. September 25, 2011 Due Date

17. Module Two Needs Assessment