How should programs implement a custom measure? If you are implementing a custom measure as part of a program evaluation or needs assessment, there are several things to keep in mind. Once you have developed a custom measure, the best thing to do with it is to fully document its development and share it with…
How are custom measures developed? My colleagues who are measurement specialists lament that the most common way that custom measures are developed is for someone on the project team to “just start writing items.” If this approach actually worked well for the making measures, I wouldn’t be so hard on it, but the truth is…
In my last blog post about measurement, I wrote about why an evaluation consultant may encourage you to use a validated measure in your project. In the conclusion to that piece, I promised that I would also explain when a tailor-made questionnaire would be more appropriate. To cut to the chase: custom measures will be…
As part of our series on trauma-informed evaluation approaches, we first delved into different ways trauma is defined and how it impacts individuals or groups. Because trauma is widespread and can have such a strong impact on individuals or groups, it is pertinent to understand how to best engage with and support individuals who have…
At EVALCORP, when we collaborate on a program evaluation or needs assessment, we value meeting our clients where they are by understanding what informs their perspective. This initial understanding creates a strong connection from the project start, which in turn supports communication and leads to more meaningful collaboration throughout the project cycle. Our approach does…
It seems like there is a never-ending list of health disparities that exist. Those disparities are derived from a complex set of factors, often referred to as social determinants of health. While addressing these disparities at the individual level, it needs to happen at the community level as well. This systematic approach includes improving access…
In the previous blog post, I explained why evaluators encourage using a validated survey measure in place of a tailor-made questionnaire. I unpacked what validated measures are and what they can do for an evaluation. This week, I will share how an evaluator selects a validated measure as well as how programs should implement the…
When working with an evaluator, you may have been encouraged to use a “validated” survey measure in place of a tailor-made questionnaire. At first, this might seem like a strange proposition: why use a measure that wasn’t specifically developed for your program or intervention? The short answer is that validated measures have special characteristics that…
Happy new year! To kick off 2022, we wanted to bring it back to our core and remind you of our approach to evaluation and consulting. At EVALCORP our relationship with our clients comes first! One of the main priorities at EVALCORP is to provide actionable and valuable data to inform decisions. Across all evaluation…
As you know from our last post, we’re in the midst of a 3-part series on empowerment evaluation. In our prior installment we introduced the basics of empowerment evaluation providing you with some of the key concepts and a big picture overview. For this post we’d like to focus a little more on one of the…