Internal Evaluation
Dr. Chris Ohana, a Western Washington University
faculty member with joint appointments
in Elementary Education and Science Education, will lead the internal evaluation which
will coordinate the overall project evaluation and collect, summarize, and analyze
evaluation data. The effort includes SMATE faculty, one postdoctoral research associate,
and four WWU graduate students, who together will provide mid-year and annual reports,
as well as monthly formative assessments, to all stakeholder groups. While WWU will
manage the overall evaluation plan, teachers, districts, ESDs, colleges, and
universities will all participate in data collection and interpretation.
Dr. Ohana will ensure that the appropriate tools are developed or obtained to provide the
project with evidence that the intended outcomes are being met.
Dissemination of research and evaluation findings will take
place through professional meetings (e.g. NARST, AETS, AACTE) and publications in
appropriate journals. Expected quantitative outcomes and annual benchmarks are in the
Supplementary Documents.
External Evaluation
Drs.
Jim Minstrell and
Ruth Anderson
of FACET Innovations will serve as external
evaluators. Their work will serve to:
- Advise the project on the implementation and refinement of the evaluation plan
- Review data and reports constructed by internal evaluators
- Compare data to internal evaluation to determine integrity of the analyses.
They are an integral part of the project and provide continual
formative feedback on all aspects of the work. Their geographic proximity to the
partner sites allows them to regular attend partnership meetings and activities,
giving them an authentic view of the ongoing work. They will communicate their
observations and recommendations through regular meetings, telephone and electronic mail.
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