Intended Outcomes

Useful evaluation of a professional development program must be based on a clear sense of the intended outcomes. The evaluation team should identify how students, staff, and the school organization will be affected by the implementation of the program. In addition, the evaluation team must determine what evidence the administration, faculty, or school system will accept as indicators of this change.

Likewise, the evaluation team must specify whether the evaluation is formative or summative (or both) and indicate the intended audience (e.g., the school improvement team, staff developers, the school board, faculty, parents). Without measurable objectives determined at the outset of an improvement effort (these objectives, of course, may change over time) and a clear identification of the evaluation's purpose and audience, it is impossible to determine the most appropriate means of assessment.