Goal Attainment Scales as a way to Measure Progress

Amy Gaumer Erickson & Monica BallayDecember 3, 2012

Question #1

Have you ever used a Goal Attainment Scale for evaluation? Yes No

Goal Attainment Scale (GAS)

Used to measure the progress towards meeting goals and objectivesExpresses distinct goals on a common scale

Periodic review (monthly/quarterly) of obtaining anticipated outcomes

Validates anticipated outcomes or identifies needs for adjustment

Goal Attainment Scale

A tool that can be used both

formative and/orsummative evaluation

ParticipantsSuccessfully used with groups and individualsManagement TeamsTechnical Assistance PartnersDistrict/School TeamsTeachersParentsStudents

Question #2

Which group would you be most likely to use Goal Attainment Scaling for?A: Management Teams/Technical Assistance ProvidersB: District/School TeamsC: Individual Teachers/Administrators/FamiliesD: Other

Beginning Goal Attainment Scaling

Identify the broad goalPre-determinedFlexible

Identify the range of desirable outcomesMuch less than to much more than

expectedMonitor progress toward goalCelebrate completion; revise if necessary

SPDG GAS for Louisiana(completed quarterly and annually)

Example of GAS used with school district

What do districts commit to do in MOU?1. Assign a point of contact at the district level for LaSIG activities. 

2. Assign/identify a Family Facilitator.  3. Develop a district level improvement team with all stakeholders included (Must include school

level representatives). Teams must meet at least quarterly. 4. Develop a process for reviewing the LaSIG 2 Five Year Plan to determine progress, changes

that need to be made, and funding expenditures. The plan should be reviewed at least biannually.

 5. Support the district leadership team in designing and conducting joint professional development

with collaborative efforts to ensure sustainability.  6. Collaborate with People First of Louisiana. 7. Support restructuring that integrates inclusive schools practices with general education reform. 8. Develop specific targets that use data generated through current assessments to positively

impact the performance of, and results for, students with disabilities.  

0 = expected outcome 1 = more than expected 2 = much more than expected-1 = less than expected -2 = much less than expected

Example of a School District using Goal Attainment Scale to measure anticipated outcome of annual

plan.

Example of a Goal Attainment Scale to measure anticipated

outcome of family facilitator roles & responsibilities.

Example Goal Attainment Scales Developed by an Early Childhood

Team

GAS Example

GAS Procedural Checklist

Do goals reflect outcomes or effects of TA plan activities (rather than process variables, such as methods or procedures)?

Are goals observable and/or measurable? Do goals reflect outcomes that are

sustainable from completion of the plan to the time of follow-up, i.e., and 6 and 12 months after completion of the TA plan, not a one-time event?

Has only 1 variable been included per scale, unless multiple variables are used to justify movement on the scale, i.e., “0” = X, +1 = X + Y, +2 = X + Y + Z?

GAS Procedural Checklist cont.

Does every variable represent a positive outcome?

Did you determine that no levels overlap? Did you determine there no gaps between

levels? Are intervals between goal attainment

levels approximately equal, i.e., change from +1 to +2 is similar to change between -2 and -1?

Example Goal Attainment Scales

Developed by a Teacher

Broad Goals from Ongoing PDTo set in place a system of formal and informal assessments which will assess student’s interests, needs, preferences and strengths to be used during Transition Planning? Increase meaningful job opportunities through an on-the-job training program for at-risk students and students with disabilities.Each student is able to identify an occupation that they prefer with the components of salary range, necessary education requirements, related occupations, benefits & disadvantages.Develop staff manual for transition assessment.Develop Parent Resource list and be able to inform parents of community agencies.Students are actively involved in developing their own transition IEP and are supported to lead their IEP meeting.To develop a transition planning curriculum and implement in a year-long academic class.

BROAD GOAL: To develop a resource directory of community agencies and services.

Level of Attainment+2Much morethan expected

I will have started to translate the manual into an online website where all of the services and agencies are listed and described.

+1 Somewhat morethan expected

I will have finalized the manual and printed and distributed the manual to all of the families and students at the high schools in our community.

0Expected levelof outcome

I will have developed a draft of a manual that describes the variety of agency services as well as other community supports for students and families in transition.

-1 Somewhat lessthan expected

I will have gathered all of our materials and information (community resource mapping) about community services and agencies but have not completed the draft of the manual.

-2Much lessthan expected

I will have started the process of gathering materials and information (community resource mapping) but have not finished this process.

Question #3

The Goal Attainment Scale is an effective tool to measure progress and/or completion of goals and objectives?

A. Strongly AgreeB. AgreeC. DisagreeD. Strongly Disagree

Using Goal Attainment Scales

for Project Feedback

Goal Completion by PD Participants

20

12

8371

41

Much Less than ExpectedLess than ExpectedExpectedMore than ExpectedMuch More than Expected

Of the 277 participants, 245 (88%) met the expected level of attainment.

School-Wide Implementation of Tiered Supports

Evidence-Based Instruction, Assessment, & Curriculum

Family Involvement & Cultural Responsiveness

Leadership & Empowering Culture

Ongoing Professional Development

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Less than 20% of Staff21%-40% of Staff41%-60% of Staff61%-80% of Staff

School Implemen-tation Scale

Example Goal Attainment Scales to

Measure Development of

Initiatives

Developing & Implementing a Mentoring Framework

The SPDG management team discusses via phone, email, and/or video conferencing statewide mentoring needs and technology mentoring strategies on a monthly basis.

-2 (2 meetings) -1 (6 meetings) 0 (12 meetings) The SPDG management team identifies

multiple strategies for infusing mentoring into each existing SPDG project.

Mentoring is infused into each of the three SPDG projects.

0 (mentoring in all 3 projects) +1 (multiple mentoring components in one

project)

Question #4

For your purposes, which do you think you might use:

A: Predetermined Goals (set by the evaluator or management team)

B: Individualized Goals (set by each team or individual)

C: BothD: Neither

Example Performance Measures

Percentage of SPDG developmental tasks and activities that have reached a level of goal attainment of "0" (expected outcome).

Percentage of School Teams that met the expected level of attainment of their action plan implementation.

Percentage of facilitators that implemented 90% of their objectives at an expected level of attainment (level zero or higher).

Percentage of schools with more than 60% of instructional staff reporting effective leadership & empowering culture.

Contact Information

Amy Gaumer Erickson, PhD KS, MO, & OR SPDG Evaluator University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning aerickson@ku.edu

Monica Ballay, M. Ed. LA Evaluation and Site Liaison Louisiana State University mballay@lsu.edu