3. 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 standards
These standards or criteria are the baseline
requirements of the profession to ensure that
programs are of sufficient quality to meet the
expectations of the discipline
They 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.
4. Graduation from an accredited program is
usually one of the admission standards for
continued degree or education work
Many 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 projects
Most 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
5. 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 data
2) Analyze the findings
3) Prepare reports
4) Disseminate the reports to key people
5) Set the timelines for collection, analysis, and reporting
of the data
6. 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 problems
2) Previously unidentified or new needs
3) Successes and why
4) Recommendations for improvement,
discontinuance of a program, or proposals for new
programs
5) Action plans for changes that include the people
responsible and timelines
6) A summary of the evaluation and judgment on the
program’s success or progress toward meeting its
goals