School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Policy 6-26

INSTRUCTION

Evaluation of New and Existing Programs

A. Purpose

Virginia Beach City Public Schools will employ a systematic approach to program evaluation for the purpose of maintaining relevant, high quality programs. It is expected that results from program evaluations will be used for continuous improvement. Programs to be included in this policy are defined as all educational programs that are currently in operation or being planned for implementation that receive local funding. This policy does not apply to programs that are funded solely through external grant funds or school-based funds.

B. Evaluation of New Programs

All new programs will be evaluated for a minimum of two years. The year-one evaluation will focus on the implementation of the program, while the year-two evaluation will focus on program outcomes and progress made toward meeting the program’s goals and objectives. Programs that have been designed to take more than two years to fully implement will also be evaluated after the year in which the program reaches full implementation. This evaluation will focus on the accomplishment of the program’s goals and objectives.

In accordance with Regulation 6-24.2, a formal written report will be provided to the School Board. Each evaluation will include a recommendation to continue the program without modifications, continue the program with modifications, expand the program, or discontinue/phase out the program. If a new program is recommended to be continued without modifications following its final evaluation, the program will not be eligible again for evaluation until after one annual evaluation cycle has passed. After that period, the program will be classified as an existing program and will be evaluated in accordance with section C of this policy.

Beginning September 1, 2007, all new program proposals shall include a sunset provision in accordance with Regulation 6-24.2. Program evaluations for these programs shall adhere to established timelines.

C. Evaluation of Existing Programs

Existing programs will be evaluated based on an annual Program Evaluation Schedule which will be developed by the Program Evaluation Committee and approved by the School Board annually. The composition of this committee will be determined by the Superintendent and may include representatives from the Department of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of School Administration, the Office of Organizational Development and/or appropriate school-based personnel.

On a yearly basis, the evaluation committee will present a list of programs recommended for evaluation to the Superintendent and the School Board. This listing will include the rationale for each recommendation based on an approved set of criteria. All programs will be prioritized for evaluation based on the following factors:

1. Alignment with the school division’s strategic plan and School Board goals
2. Program cost
3. Program scale
4. Cross-departmental interest
5. Community/stakeholder interest in the program
6. Availability of information on the program’s effectiveness
7. Date of most recent evaluation

D. Program Status Assessment

Once programs have been selected and approved for evaluation by the School Board, the Department of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (DREA) will conduct an assessment of each program to determine the type of evaluation that will be conducted. This assessment will investigate the extent to which the program’s goals, objectives, activities, and outcomes are connected, plausible, well defined, and measurable. Based on the outcome of this assessment, the program will be scheduled for a Program Refinement Evaluation or a Comprehensive Evaluation as described below:

1. Program Refinement Evaluation

For those programs scheduled for Program Refinement, DREA will assist program staff in defining measurable goals and objectives, as well as linkages with activities and outcomes. A Program Refinement Evaluation report focusing on the outcomes of this process and baseline data will be presented to the superintendent and School Board with a recommendation that the program be scheduled for a Comprehensive Evaluation as appropriate.

2. Comprehensive Evaluation

For those programs scheduled for a Comprehensive Evaluation, DREA will complete an evaluation and present findings and recommendations to the Superintendent and School Board. Upon completion of the evaluation, a formal report will be provided to the School Board and will include a recommendation to continue the program without modifications, continue the program with modifications, expand the program, or discontinue/phase out the program. Programs that are recommended to continue with modifications may require additional program evaluations to monitor the implementation of any School-Board approved modifications. If a program is recommended to continue without modifications, the program will not be eligible again for evaluation until after one annual evaluation cycle has passed. After that period, the Program Evaluation Committee may include the program in the list of possible programs to be evaluated that will be approved by the School Board.

In addition, all existing programs that receive a comprehensive evaluation may be subject to the inclusion of a sunset provision at the discretion of the Superintendent and/or the School Board. If a sunset provision is applied to an existing program, future program evaluations shall adhere to established timelines.

Adopted by School Board:       September 5, 2007
Amended by School Board:     February 5, 2008