Response to Request for Proposal Evaluation of Determining Instructional Purposes (DIP)

Submitted to: Mike Johnston Director of Instructional Support West Laboratory for Educational and Research Development (FWL)

Submitted by: Ginny Cronin, Owner Learning and Behavior Solutions

Introduction Far West Laboratories issued a request for proposal (RFP) for evaluation and research development regarding marketing and sales of units of their DIP training program package. This proposal, submitted by Learning and Behavior Solutions of Chattaroy, Washington is a response to their RFP. Learning and Behavior Solutions has over 15 years of experience evaluating programs for effectiveness in the Spokane area. Description of Program Being Evaluated: Far West Laboratories DIP program Far West Laboratories (FWL), of San Francisco, California, is a research, development and service agency which works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth and adults. 1. (FWL) has worked for the last four decades across the country with a diverse clientele to develop strategies products and services to build student success. They have recently developed a training program to assist school administrators and graduate students in educational administration in gaining the skills they need to plan for effective school programs. This program, (DIP), is comprised of three training units with 46 modules within each unit. The training units include reading materials, practice activities and planning meetings for application of skills learned. The self-contained units can be administered in short-term workshops or individual sessions over several days or weeks. The training modules require anywhere from 10 to 18 hours each to complete. The purpose of this evaluation proposal is to provide FWL with information and recommendations regarding marketing and sales of the DIP program and to provide information which would help school administrators decide whether or not to purchase a DIP training program package. 4. Evaluation Method * The proposed evaluation seeks to determine if the program is perceived as both effective and attractive to stakeholders who make purchasing decisions, to determine whether to move forward in marketing this product. It will also seek to provide data that will enable those in the marketing division to highlight the positive components of this program to prospective purchasers. The evaluation methods delineated below will seek to answer the following questions, which should enable FWL to determine whether to move forward with marketing this product: What do school administrators/graduate students see as their skill gaps in building more successful schools? Does the PIP program address the skill gaps self identified by administrators and graduate students? Are participants in the PIP training program able to demonstrate mastery of targeted skills? What models of professional development are preferred by administrators and graduate students?

Does the PIP program present training in a model preferred by administrators and graduate students? What areas of improvement do administrators and other stakeholders hope to achieve as a result of implementation after PIP training? Does PIP training target those same areas for change? What time and money constraints exist currently for administrators and school boards regarding professional development training? Does the cost of implementation of the DIP program, including paying staff for their time, fit within the time and money constraints of administrators and school boards? Do participants find that a text dense program with extensive reading the most time effective way to learn the necessary information? Are there other components which could be added to the DIP training to make it more attractive to stakeholders?

Survey school administrator and graduate student attitudes: A survey will be created by Learning and Behavior Solutions to evaluate the attitudes of a wide variety of school administrators and graduate students regarding their perceptions of their skill gaps and their preference for learning strategies and environments for professional development. This will enable Learning and Behavior Solutions to identify whether the skills presented and the method of presentation used in the DIP program will be perceived by administrators and graduate students as necessary and desirable for professional development. This data will be helpful the marketing division of Far West Laboratories. Observation data collection during simulated training session: Learning and Behavior Solutions observe a simulated training involving 20 school administrators and graduate students of educational administration during a day-long workshop. Data will be collected on participation rates, skill mastery, and required preparation time by the coordinator. This data will be helpful to the marketing division of Far West Laboratories. Pre-and post-test during simulated training session: A pre-and post test will be administered to a sample of school administrators and graduate students of educational administration, who will participate in a three-week PIP program training. Results of these tests will be aggregated to evaluate the effectiveness of the training modules. These tests will allow us to identify whether DIP program participation results in content and skill mastery required as a first step towards implementation. This data will be helpful for the marketing division of Far West Laboratories. Participant attitudes: A survey will be created by Learning and Behavior Solutions to identify the pre-and post-training attitudes of participants to the training process. The survey was seek to address whether the participants found the training applicable to the needs of their individual schools, their perception of the quality of the training, and their opinion of the time and cost effectiveness of the training to include the cost of staff time. Participants will also address what additional components they believe might enhance the curriculum and training for possible inclusion in the DIP package. Participants will

respond to questions regarding whether the training failed to meet, met or exceeded their expectations, providing important information for the marketing division of Far West Laboratories. Attitudes and opinions of stakeholders: Learning and Behavior Solutions will create a survey to determine whether stakeholders including school boards, superintendents, parent advisory teams and families believe that their school district would benefit from training in the areas of setting goals, analyzing of problems, and deriving objectives, which are the focus of each of DIPs training units Task Schedule TASK Meet with Far West Laboratories staff to include at least the development director and marketing director to discuss the evaluation proposal and access to programs which have piloted the product. Meet with a sample of graduate students and school administrators to gather input on the creation of a survey regarding their needs and preferences and professional development. Create surveys, pre-and post tests, and design and recruit for simulated training, and submit to Far West Laboratories for review and feedback. Meet with Far West Laboratories to receive feedback on data collection plans and instruments. Revise and finalize data collection plans and instruments and submit them to Far West Laboratories for approval. Provide simulated training to a cohort of 20 to 40 school of administrators and graduate students in educational ad's ministration Collect data before during and after the simulated training provided by Far West laboratories. Distribute and collect survey data. Analyze numerical data and summarize qualitative data and provide charts and graphs for communication of data. Meet with Far West Laboratories to present analyzed data. Provide summary report and recommendations in written form to Far West Laboratories Development Director and Far West Laboratories Marketing Director. AGENCY RESPONSIBLE Learning and Behavior Solutions DEADLINE DATE August 1

Learning and Behavior Solutions

Sept. 1

Learning and Behavior Solutions Far West Laboratories Learning and Behavior Solutions Far West Laboratories Learning and Behavior Solutions Learning and Behavior Solutions Learning and Behavior Solutions

October 1

October 15 Nov. 5

Dec. 15

Dec 15-20 January 5 April 1

Learning and Behavior Solutions

May 15

Project Personnel Ginny Cronin*, behavior analyst and evaluation specialist for Learning and Behavior Solutions will be the lead evaluator for the Far West laboratories DIP program evaluation. She will design data collection and survey instruments, organize personnel for the completion of all evaluation tasks, and carry the primary responsibility for the completion of this proposed evaluation. She has served as a primary evaluator in multiple projects reviewed by Learning and Behavior Solutions, including the Headstart of Welpinit Review and the Alex Math Online instructional program review. She has authored research in the area of behavior and evaluation, and is co-authored a chapter in a book on the evaluation of feeding disorders for professional staff. She has a Masters degree in education from Gonzaga University in over 20 years of experience conducting a variety of evaluations and staff trainings. Lawrence Roberts*, professor at Boise State University in the Masters of Social Work Program will review the design of the data collection instruments, supervised data collection and review the summary interpretation of the data. Lawrence Roberts has a Masters degree in social work from the University of Berkeley and has spent the last 30 years in a variety of agencies serving as administrator, evaluator, and program developer. He teaches masters level students for Boise state University and is an expert in research and data. Sarah Reiter*, program assistant, will provide secretarial and data entry assistance and coordinate communication among all team members. Sarah is a graduate student in the Boise State University Department of educational technology, with a background in secondary education and research. * fictitious person and/or qualifications

Budget or Fee Attached below is a proposed budget for the evaluation of the Far West Laboratorys PIP model by Learning and Behavior Solutions.

Expense Type Personnel

Summary

Cost Breakdown

Total

payment for lead evaluator, data consultant, and program assistant

Lead Evaluator: Data Specialist: Program Assistant:

80 days x $300/day 24,000 10 days x $500/day 5,000

80 days x $150/day 12,000

Travel

includes plane, rental car, hotel, mileage, per diem

3 round trips to San Francisco: (2 days for 2 people) $ 2275/trip

6, 825

Office/Misc. printing, office supplies, postage, phone etc.

600

Total Cost

$49,325

References 1. WestEd: Agency Overview. (n.d.). Far West Laboratories. Retrieved June 29, 2012, from http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs