MASTER PLAN OF EVALUATION

“A plan giving comprehensive guidance or instruction” (American heritage® dictionary of the English language, fifth edition. Copyright © 2011)

“A plan, usually graphic and drawn on a small scale but often supplemented by written material, which depicts all the elements of a project or scheme.”

(McGraw-Hill dictionary of architecture and construction. Copyright © 2003)

Rationale for a Master Plan of Evaluation

When developing a master plan of evaluation, one of the major tasks to integrate into the plan is to meet accreditation or program approval standardsThese standards or criteria are the baseline requirements of the profession to ensure that programs are of sufficient quality to meet the expectations of the disciplineThey also demonstrate to the public that a program is recognized by external reviewing bodies and thus the quality of its graduates meets educational and professional standards.

Graduation from an accredited program is usually one of the admission standards for continued degree or education workMany funding agencies for programs require accreditation as it indicates that the program is of high enough quality to assume the responsibility for the administration of grants and completion of projectsMost accrediting agencies require that a program have a master plan of evaluation and even if it is not required, a master plan helps to identify the components that need to be evaluated

Components of a Master Plan of Evaluation

The master plan must specify what is being evaluated and an organizing framework is useful so that as nearly as possible, no crucial variable is omitted for review. Additionally, it is important to identify the persons who will:1) Collect the data2) Analyze the findings3) Prepare reports4) Disseminate the reports to key people5) Set the timelines for collection, analysis, and reporting

of the data

Finally, there must be a feedback loop in place for recommendations and decision making. Reports from the evaluation should include:1) Identification of existing and potential problems2) Previously unidentified or new needs3) Successes and why4) Recommendations for improvement, discontinuance

of a program, or proposals for new programs5) Action plans for changes that include the people

responsible and timelines6) A summary of the evaluation and judgment on the

program’s success or progress toward meeting its goals