This post will take a look at program evaluation, which is a critical part of the grant process.

Types of Evaluation

In program evaluation, there are two forms of evaluation. The two forms are formative evaluation and summative evaluation. Formative evaluation is an evaluation that takes place during the running of the program and is used to make course corrections during implementation. Summative evaluation takes place when a program has run its course and now the goal is to see how it went. In other words, formative is focused on performance right now while summative is focused on performance in the past.

Formative Evaluation

Formative evaluation, as already mentioned, is focused on the context and implementation of the program. This type of evaluation is also focused on the quality of the program (good/bad) and the quantity of the program (ie how many people were served). Formative evaluation takes a look at the activities that were used in the program as well as the outputs from the program.

The purpose of this evaluation is to make needed adjustments. If people are dissatisfied with the program and or the numbers are subpar, formative assessment allows for changes during the implementation. Failure to do this will generally lead to a poor summative assessment. In other words, formative evaluation, which allows for program adjustments, can help to improve a summative evaluation at the end of a program.

Summative Evaluation

Summative evaluation is focused on the effectiveness and satisfaction of the program. Rather than looking at activities and outputs like formative evaluation, summative evaluation looks at the outcomes and measures how well those were achieved. Outcomes measure how the activities changed the behavior of people in the target population who participated in the program. For example, an outcome might be to see a one-grade level increase in reading comprehension after spending 3 months using a reading software for 6 hours a week.

Since summative evaluations are focused on the results of a progam this type of evaluation must happen at the end of a program. The results of such an evaluation are used to prove that the program deliver what it promised and to improve the program before the next implementation.

Developing Evaluation Question

Determining what type of evaluation you are doing helps in shaping the type of questions you will ask. Timing is another factor to consider. In addition, knowing whether the program is still ongoing or if it is over should also be considered. Another thing to think about is where in the logic modeling are you evaluating. Activities and outputs generally fall under formative evaluation while outcomes and maybe impact would fall under summative evaluation.

When developing questions that you will answer for an evaluation it is important to think of the following.

• Area of the question (context, activities, outputs, outcomes, impact)
• Audience (staff, participants, community, government, funders)
• Type of question (qualitative vs quantitative)

As mentioned, think about where in the logic model the evaluation takes place as this affects the questions. Questions about activities will be different from questions about outcomes. Activity questions might focus on the number of participants while outcome questions will ask about changes in the participants’ behavior after program participation.

It is also important to think about the audience for the report. Staff within the program will have different questions from funders. Funders will care about how money is used while staff may care about satisfaction and ease of implementation. Not only are questions going to vary but the type of evaluation may vary as well.

Lastly, it is important to think about the type of questions to ask. Questions can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative questions are narrative-focused and use words to describe a phenomenon. Quantitative questions use numbers to describe things, Both are appropriate at the right time.

Whatever questions you develop you must think about where the data comes from and what type of help you might need to get this data. With this information in mind completing an evaluation should not be a problem.

Conclusion

Evaluation is used within the context of grants to determine how well things were going during the program and how well the program met its targets at the end of the program. This knowledge plays a critical role in establishing a program and measuring how to improve the program going forward.