Therefore, using an evaluation framework, whether an EPE model or a six step problem solving model, not only requires identifying a set of intake, tracking, and exit measures to document participation or satisfaction, it also requires that family literacy practitioners identify specific program activities which demonstrate that learners engage in literacy experiences as families.

In the actual meetings of the evaluation team, once you begin sorting through how you currently use assessment measures, discussions will bounce back and forth between developing a measure itself and critical reflection on the particular instructional/learning activity that relates to it. It will not be possible to separate these two aspects. For this reason, "gathering information" and "identifying what it means" stages of evaluation are critical times in which the team is very important.

Asking critical questions about how well a program activity is meeting expectations for family literacy involvement can challenge the limits of current practice. Individual members need to be able to encourage each other and offer different ideas on how to introduce and develop family focused program activities to ensure that a family literacy focus is maintained on a routine basis.

Compare currently used instruments with the samples presented in this resource guide.

This activity will help you to sort out important assessment times and objectives for your individual family literacy initiative and suggest ideas on how to adapt various approaches to your individual program needs.

First, identify whether measures, such as a parent reading inventory, selected at entry should reappear at exit. Such measures are usually related to core objectives of a program, for which the program judges that the time and effort to gather this information will add significantly in evaluating program effectiveness.

Next, review individual assessment strategies selected at entry, progress monitoring, and exit, in order to decide if they can be coded numerically to more clearly summarize changes before and after participation in program. Practitioners are usually able to rely on their experience in describing different levels of expected learner participation or expected performance across defined dimensions of literacy activities.