September/October 2002 | NW REPORT

Youth Success:

Assessing Program Effectiveness

By Michael Heavener

Schools that forge partnerships with local organizations and families can bring all of a community's assets to bear on helping young people to succeed. But when projects are implemented to promote youth success, how can their effectiveness be evaluated? And how can "youth success" be measured?

Following the release of Planning for Youth Success: Connecting Schools, Families, and Communities, a guide for bringing local resources to the task of defining and measuring youth success, the Laboratory is now offering Supplement to Resource and Training Manual: Assessing Youth Success by Lena Ko.

The supplement suggests five activities that can help schools and their partners explore assessment indepth and develop effective assessment tools. For each activity there is a facilitator's guide, handouts, goals, time frame, materials, and topic overview.

The activity "Critiquing Assessment Scenarios" engages participants in analyzing assessment strategies to take into account a youth's learning experiences, learning environment, community and school cultural norms, as well as the goals and strengths of the youth's family and community.

"Assessing Youth Success Characteristics: Building on Current Assessments" helps schools identify how to improve their assessment systems.

"Authentic Assessment Using Multiple Intelligences" addresses the theory of multiple intelligences and ways to assess youth characteristics within and across specific intelligence areas.

"Building a Rubric" involves participants in creating fair and valid rubrics.

"Developing a Deeper Understanding of Students' Culture and Strengths Through Community" is a forum for community members on aligning education goals, standards, and assessments.

These activities can help schools measure the success of programs that aim to help students reach their potential.

To order Planning for Youth Success: Connecting Schools, Families, and Communities and Supplement to Resource and Training Manual: Assessing Youth Success, see the Document Order Form.