Application: Conducting Needs Assessment in Program Evaluation Gupta, Sleezer, and Russ-Eft (2007) stated that a needs assessment is in essence the evaluative process of gathering and interpreting data around the need for specific programs and services (Astramovich, 2011). As a counselor, a needs assessment allows you to analyze data at various individual levels (e.g., clients, parents/guardian, spouses) and at community levels (e.g., school or work attendance, engagement, employability). The data from a needs assessment is what helps to shape programs and can be used as part of the planning process of program evaluation. Thus, according to Astramovich, Hoskins, and Coker (2008), needs assessments are an evaluative process that helps inform counseling practitioners about the outcomes of their services and the impact of their programs on various stakeholder groups (Astramovich, 2011).
In this Assignment, you use the template provided and the strategies you examined this week to develop a needs assessment proposal.
References:
Astramovich, R. L., Hoskins, W. J., & Coker, J. K. (2008). The Accountability Bridge: A model for evaluating school counseling programs. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
Astramovich, R. L. (2011). Needs assessment: A key evaluation tool for professional counselors. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/vistas_2011_article_41.pdf?sfvrsn=11
Gupta, K., Sleezer, C. M., & Russ-Eft, D. F. (2007). A practical guide to needs assessment (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
The Assignment (2-3 pages):
- Clarify the purpose of the needs assessment.
- Identify the population of interest and stakeholders.
- Draft two goals for needs assessment, for each goal provide rationale supported with at least three data points.
- Determine how data will be collected and the rationale for the chosen data collection.
- Design an instrument or critically evaluate and adopt an existing instrument.
- Propose how the data will be analyzed.
- Describe how the results will be disseminated.
Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are required to provide a reference list and to appropriately cite, in APA style, all references used within your assignment.