FRAMEWORK
FOR EVALUATION
TO ASSESS IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE EIC MODEL™
The wide diversity of school structures, instructional practices, student abilities, administrative buy-in and community support have motivated SEER to develop a framework for monitoring and assessing implementation of the EIC Model™.
SEER has designed a series of instruments that allow educators to conduct both formative and summative evaluations of their progress toward implementing the EIC Model™in their schools. These tools have become part of the schools’ improvement plans for evaluating the success of the EIC Model™ implementation process and student achievement results.
Over the past five years, SEER worked collaboratively with its 12 member state departments of education to develop an assessment framework, based on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) developed by the University of Texas at Austin and the Southwest Regional Educational Development Laboratory. CBAM is a conceptual framework that describes, explains and predicts probable teacher/user/participant behavior in the change process. The model is intended to measure the adoption of an innovation by educators and includes a set of tools for measuring the implementation of an innovation.
SEER’s assessment framework includes a series of instruments and techniques that allow educators to conduct both formative and summative evaluations of their progress throughout the process of implementing the EIC Model™. This evaluation system allows the participants to assess their understanding of the EIC Model™; identify their concerns about the EIC Model™ implementation process; evaluate and monitor their progress toward implementation; and, measure the extent to which the school team has developed leadership and community support.
SEER’s EIC Model™
evaluation approach includes three key components: ·
··
Self-evaluation
rubrics; ·
··
Stages
of Concern questionnaire (SoC); and, ·
··
Innovation
Configuration instrument (IC).
EIC
MODEL™
Self-evaluation Rubrics
SEER has worked with its 12 state representatives to develop a rubric-based
instrument to assess the current status of school programs in relation
to the principal educational characteristics of the EIC Model™.
The rubrics are organized around each of the educational components
of an EIC Model™
program as well as considering leadership and community involvement
processes. These rubrics establish standards for implementing the EIC
Model™
allowing educators
to: understand what is expected of them; outline implementation strategies;
define performance; and, provide for ongoing program evaluation.
Educators who participate in EIC Model™ Implementation Seminars receive professional development in the use of the rubrics. They are encouraged to gather and use these data as a baseline for comparison in measuring their programmatic growth and as the basis for setting new programmatic goals. School teams are also instructed to utilize the rubrics for ongoing reflection and evaluation of their overall program status.
Stages of Concern
The Stages of Concern (SoC) instrument is a diagnostic tool created
by CBAM to explain the lack of teacher buy-in and to propose ways to
monitor and increase implementation of education innovations. The SoC
instrument is used to measure how people feel about the innovation that
they are expected to implement.
SEER administers the SoC questionnaire to teachers as they begin implementint the EIC Model™. The results of the questionnaire provide personal perspective on the participants’ concerns about implementing the EIC Model™. Periodically, during implementation, the SoC is re-administered to provide a current picture of the teachers’ continued commitment to the EIC Model™and professional/personal issues that may arise.
Innovation Configuration
The Innovation Configuration (IC) is a diagnostic methodology created
by CBAM to look at the way teachers actually implement innovations in
educational practice. SEER worked with a staff consultant from the Southwest
Regional Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to develop an EIC
Model™-specific
Innovation Configuration instrument. This instrument helps SEER evaluate
the qualities of various instructional practice as schools work to fully
implement the EIC Model™.
SEER field tested its IC instrument in February 2000 with 10 schools in its Minnesota network. SEER plans to administer the IC to teachers in EIC Model™ schools, through an interview process, before the end of the first year of their program implementation and periodically thereafter. Based on the analysis of the data, SEER will be able to offer support, make recommendations for adapting the innovation and communicate progress to various stakeholders.
Roles and Responsibilities
of SEER Staff, Member States and EIC Model™
Schools
SEER
··
Assist
in planning of program evaluation.
··
Furnish
program evaluation instruments.
··
Participate
in site visits for mid-term program evaluation.
··
Co-author
mid-term progress report and final report.
Member States
··
Participate in program evaluation process.
··
Co-author,
with SEER staff, mid-term progress report and final report.
EIC
Model™ Schools
··
Conduct a basic needs assessment and collect baseline data.
··
Provide monthly feedback to program coordinator and/or mentors.
··
Self-evaluate
program progress.
··
Participate
in statewide program evaluation.
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Produce annual evaluation plans.
