| Goal 8: To help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by improving the educational opportunities of the Nation's low-income families through a unified family literacy program that integrates early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting education. |
| Objective 1 of 3: THE LITERACY OF PARTICIPATING FAMILIES WILL IMPROVE. |
| Indicator 8.1.1 of 4: Adult literacy achievement: Increasing percentages of Even Start adults will achieve significant learning gains on measures of math and reading. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Targets and Performance Data | Assessment of Progress | Sources and Data Quality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: Unable to judge.
Next data point to be reported with the Third National Even Start evaluation in 2002. Explanation: The percentage of adults who showed significant gains in 1995-96 (the last year for which data are available) did not change in math and declined in reading. Progress toward the target cannot be judged since the assessment will be changed for the next data point. (An improved but different assessment instrument will be used in the next measure of performance toward this target). |
Source: Other Survey/Research Survey/Research Report Title: Second National Even Start Evaluation: Sample study. Frequency: Other. Collection Period: 2001. Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED. Data Collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Limitations: Study was designed to look at new participants' gains each year, thus the populations being compared in 1994-95 and 1995-96 were different. The sample study also had a small sample size, as well as grantee-collected data. Planned Improvement: The Third National Evaluation will use an experimental design, which is the strongest design for measuring program impact. |
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| Indicator 8.1.2 of 4: Adult educational attainment: Increasing percentages of adult secondary education (ASE) Even Start participants will earn their high school diploma or equivalent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Targets and Performance Data | Assessment of Progress | Sources and Data Quality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: No significant progress toward target.
Explanation: There has been no significant change in the percentage of ASE participants earning a Graduate Equivalency Diploma. The GED figures presented for 1998-99 and 1999-00 represent only the GED attainments for new enrollees within the program year of their enrollment. Thus, GEDs participants earned after the year of their enrollment are not reflected. |
Additional Source Information: Second and Third National Even Start Evaluations: Universe Study. Frequency: Annually. Collection Period: 2001. Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED. Data Collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Other sources and experience corroborate these findings. Limitations: Definitions of participation in ASE and Graduate Equivalency Diploma may vary across programs and these data are obtained through grantee self-report. |
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| Indicator 8.1.3 of 4: Children's language development and reading readiness: Increasing percentages of Even Start children will achieve significant gains on measures of language development and reading readiness. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Targets and Performance Data | Assessment of Progress | Sources and Data Quality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: Unable to judge.
Explanation: There has been a continuing increase in the percentage of children achieving gains on a measure of language development. Progress toward the target cannot be judged since the assessment will be changed for the next data point. (An improved but different assessment instrument will be used in the next measure of performance toward this target). |
Source: Other Other: Record/File. Sponsor: Second National Even Start Evaluation. Frequency: Monthly. Collection Period: 2001. Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED. Data collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Limitations: Study was designed to look at new participants' gains each year; thus, the populations being compared in 1994-95 and 1995-96 were different. The sample study also had a small sample size, as well as grantee-collected data. Planned Improvement: The Third National Evaluation will use an experimental design, which is the strongest design for measuring program impact. The new study will use measures that align for the most part with Head Start's national FACES study. |
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| Indicator 8.1.4 of 4: Parenting skills: Increasing percentages of parents will show significant improvement on measures of parenting skills, home environment, and expectations for their children. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Targets and Performance Data | Assessment of Progress | Sources and Data Quality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: No current data but progress toward target is likely.
No 1999, 2000, 2001 data available. Explanation: The percentage of parents showing significant improvement on measures of parenting skills has continued to improve. ED has also placed a strong emphasis on improving the literacy focus of parenting education in the last year. The third national evaluation will use a different assessment instrument in the next measure of performance toward this target. |
Source: Other Other: Record/File. Sponsor: Second National Even Start Evaluation. Frequency: Annually. Collection Period: 2001. Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED. Data collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Limitations: Instruments used to measure parenting outcomes often have accuracy problems; parents often respond with the answer that is socially acceptable, even if not accurate. |
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| Objective 2 of 3: EVEN START PROJECTS WILL REACH THEIR TARGET POPULATION OF FAMILIES WHO ARE MOST IN NEED OF SERVICES. |
| Indicator 8.2.1 of 1: Recruitment of most in need : The projects will continue to recruit low-income, disadvantaged families with low literacy levels. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: Target met.
Explanation: Projects are already successfully targeting service to the neediest of families. No declines expected. |
Source: Other Survey/Research Collecting Agency: . Survey/Research Report Title: Second and Third National Even Start Evaluations. Frequency: Annually. Collection Period: 2001. Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED. Data collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Limitations: The second national evaluation on in 1996-97 had some accuracy problems with income survey questions. The third national evaluation currently under way benefits from improvements to the survey to increase accuracy to the survey to increase accuracy of income information. A significant number of families do not report income. |
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| Objective 3 of 3: LOCAL EVEN START PROJECTS WILL PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY, COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO ALL FAMILIES IN A COST-EFFECTIVE MANNER. |
| Indicator 8.3.1 of 2: Service hours: Increasing percentages of projects will offer at least 60 hours of adult education (AE) per month, 20 hours of parenting education (PE) per month, and 65 hours of early childhood education (ECE) per month (60 hours for children ages 0-2). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: Positive movement toward target.
Explanation: On average, projects have increased the number of service hours that they offer to participants. Although these data show positive movement toward the target, service intensity is not at the target level for the majority of projects. One possible reason for the drop in PE from 1998-99 to 1999-00 is the change in the data collection instrument in 1999-00 that no longer reported PE hours in two parts (parent alone and parent and child together). |
Source: Other Other: Record/File. Sponsor: Second and Third National Even Start Evaluation. Frequency: Annually. Validated By: On-Site Monitoring By ED. Data collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Limitations: Data collections undertaken in 1995-98 required providers to report service hours in a way that was difficult for them to reliably calculate. The calculation method has been improved for the 1999-00 collection. |
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| Indicator 8.3.2 of 2: Participation, retention, and continuity: Projects will increasingly improve retention and continuity of services. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Status: Target not met.
Explanation: ED has observed no significant movement toward target. Projects are faced with new challenges related to the pressures associated with the competing demands of welfare reform. |
Source: Other Other: Other. Sponsor: Second and Third National Even Start Evaluation. Frequency: Annually. Collection Period: 2001. Validated By: Experienced Public/Private Entity. Data collection before ED Standards for Evaluating Program Performance Data were developed. Limitations: Data are grantee-collected and require accurate record-keeping. The calculation method has been improved for the 1999-00 collection. |
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