Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Case Study: ABC Literacy Agency

Getting Started
The evaluation team at the ABC Literacy Agency started with what they knew. For example, they knew that their program objectives were to provide enhanced literacy skills and knowledge for their students, and they knew that their mission statement said that they would do this free-of-charge.

They were easily able to identify the inputs, activities and outputs they used to achieve these objectives. For example, they have two staff and 20 volunteers who directly provide literacy training, both in 1:1 and small group settings. They know that they are bound by corporate law and their own by-laws. Because they are funded by MTCU, they follow the LBS guidelines. They also know the numbers of learners who participate in literacy training on a weekly and an annual basis. They know what training they offer. What they need to find out is what outcomes these inputs, activities and outputs produce, and they need to demonstrate that those outcomes do indeed occur. They will also want to determine if they met the outcomes targets established in their annual business plan.