Evaluation Tools
Evaluation is a critical component of any education program. Lions Clubs International Foundation is committed to assisting schools with creating or finding tools that will enable teachers and administrators to provide the most effective Lions Quest program to students possible.
If a teacher is interested in testing knowledge from individual lesson plans, the Skills for Adolescence, Skills for Growing and Skills for Action curriculum kits contain tests for each unit. If a more comprehensive pre- and post-test is needed, there are a number of evaluation tools located below which have been used with minor modifications in a variety of settings. Please contact the Lions Quest office in Oak Brook for more information.
If you are interested in obtaining information on the results of Evaluation Studies please visit the Endorsements and Evaluations pages of the website.
Evaluation Tool(s) 1:
U. S. Department of Health and Human Service Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Core Measures Initiative Recommendations
http://www.activeguidellc.com/cmi/menu_frameset.htm
This is one of the best resources for educators Lions Quest has found regarding comprehensive, easy to use and practical tools for evaluation of drug prevention programs. The user is provided with a list of CSAP-recommended measures for data collection including printable student or parent surveys in the following domains:
- Drug Use
- Individual and Peer relationships
- School Expectations and Safety
- Family Involvement and Practices
- Community Involvement, Safety and Organization
Evaluation Tool 2:
Skills for Adolescence Evaluation Guide for Drug and Alcohol Use (student survey)
Dr. Marvin Eisen of the Urban Institute conducted an extensive study of the Skills for Adolescence program, which is the basis for the “Model” program rating given to Skills for Adolescence from the Department of Health and Human Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This guide can be modified for use with Skills for Action and higher grade level Skills for Growing students. For more information on the results of this study, visit the Endorsements and Evaluations pages of the website.
Evaluation Tool 3:
Pre-Implementation Teacher Survey, International Teacher Lesson Forms
Observation Forms for Skills for Adolescence
Dr. Marvin Eisen of the Urban Institute traveled to the Czech Republic to assist the Academia Medica Pragensis (AMEPRA) [now the Center for the Evaluation, Prevention and Research of Substance Abuse – CEPROS] with developing tools for an evaluation of the Skills for Adolescence program in the Czech Republic based on the tools used for his original study in the United States. Those forms have been further modified for the Lions Quest program in other countries. The Observation form is used by outside observers to determine teacher fidelity to the program as well as the success of the program in individual classrooms.
Evaluation Tool 4:
The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) – Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment Tools
http://www.casel.org/assessment/tools.php
CASEL has added sections to their website which include SEL Assessment Tools. The site has a variety of freely downloadable and publicly available tools including SEL student learning standards and benchmarks, school practices (with a focus on Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) efforts), SEL needs assessment and outcome assessment instruments along with school and classroom climate measures.
Evaluation Tools 5, 6 and 7:
Character Education Partnership – A Primer for Evaluating A Character Education Initiative
http://www.character.org/files/Primer.pdf
Character Education Quality Standards – a Self-Assessment Tool for Schools and Districts
http://www.character.org/files/QualityStandards.pdf
Character Education Evaluation Toolkit
http://www.character.org/files/Toolkit.pdf
These links to the Character Education Partnership website provide examples of choosing Character Education programs as well as evaluating current Character Education initiatives. “Evaluation of Character Education should assess the Character of the school, the school staff’s functioning as Character educators, and the extent to which students manifest good Character.”
Evaluation Tool 8:
Search Institute: Starting Out Right - Developmental Assets for Children
http://www.search-institute.org/downloads/#40assets
The Search Institute has identified 40 Assets as building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible. These assets can be used to evaluate programs that promote healthy communities and youth.
Evaluation Tool 9:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Service Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Evaluation Tools
http://preventionpathways.samhsa.gov/eval/default.htm
Prevention Pathways offers information on prevention programs, program implementation, evaluation technical assistance, online courses, and other prevention resources. The site provides Evaluation Courses that are online instructions in evaluation for staff responsible for planning the evaluation of a prevention effort. There are also Evaluation Tools, which provide advice on how to select an instrument for data collection as well as identify specific data collection instruments for everything from adult alcohol and drug use to evidence of depression in early childhood. Information is also included on how to choose an evaluator.
Evaluation Tool 10:
U. S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance Guide
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorousevid/index.html
Guide for “Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence”. Includes chapters on evaluating whether an intervention is backed by strong or possible evidence of effectiveness and an evaluation checklist.
Evaluation Tool 11:
Skills for Adolescence Competencies Correlation Guide
SFA consists of 103 sequential, skills building sessions that can be adapted to a variety of settings and formats, from a nine-week mini-course to a three-year program. This guide shows the link from specific lessons to skills acquired.
Evaluation Tool 12:
C.A.R.T
Compendium of Assessment and Research Tools
A database that provides information on instruments that measure education and youth development outcomes.