EVALUATION MEASURES

 
The Arts Education Partnership argues, students do a better job at mastering reading, writing and math than those who focus solely on academics. In 2011, C.A.E. received test results from the Garfield Academy administration for 70 students Grades 5 - 8 who actively participated in C.A.E. beginning September 2010 to January 2011. The Scantron® Performance Test data results showed an overall combined average increase of 34% in Science, Reading, and Math – supporting the findings from the 2002 Arts Education Partnership Study: Arts education has academic effect.

Through careful observation, data collection, and interpretation, staff repeatedly assess program functioning to make quick improvements. The success of the outcomes of the programming will be undertaken through self-evaluation surveys, pre-test and post-tests, interviews, forms, observational protocols, and forms-over-time against a predetermined set of criteria (Key Performance Indicators-KPIs) by adopting the following methodology:

 

PARTICIPATION DATA: includes qualitative indicators such as the perceived success of the artistic practice and audience response, student profile, volunteering as well as quantitative such as participant and audience numbers

 

MARKETING DATA: includes outreach strategies to target markets

 

IMPACT DATA: includes involvement, outcomes (e.g. artistic practice, profile, school climate), perception of success

 

FINANCE & RESOURCES DATA: includes funding, budgeting, resource allocation, and controls

 

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT: includes staff, volunteers, artists, partners, and board member assessments. Strategic planning, training, rapport with student & family, and clarity/success of program/project objectives

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COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY: includes collaborative software tools and systems designed to facilitate group work and allow for more intuitive and coordinated group problem solving across entire teams' workflows, both in-office and remote. 

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The criteria derived from workshop objectives involves the following:

 

  • Translating those objectives into measures of success and establishing a small number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and/or Impact Measures around each of the objectives

 

  • Testing the assumptions underlying the workshop and its anticipated impacts

 

  • Creating a base-line where appropriate (e.g. activity levels, current/target audiences, partnerships, financial parameters, educational attainments, satisfaction surveys) for the KPIs

 

  • Setting up light-touch tracking mechanisms for the workshop (e.g. user surveys)

 

  • Ensuring that all projects are adequately documented through a range of media

 

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Program graduates will be assessed on a semi-annual basis for up to four years. Survey instruments will be deployed upon students’ exit to determine their level of satisfaction with services and generate suggestions for improvement from the student's perspective.

C.A.E. has partnered with QuestionPro to analyze participant data in real-time.