Implementing, Supporting, and Monitoring the Evaluation

Once the evaluation plan has been created and approved, you need to determine whether the project has the capacity to carry out the plan or whether additional capacity must be created.For example, you may need to purchase analytical software, secure storage for data forms, and train the people who will collect the necessary data.

In most cases, the evaluator is primarily responsible for supporting the implementation of the evaluation in the field. The evaluator can train or coach interviewers, provide survey or interview materials, and solve problems that arise while collecting data, such as assisting the schools in scheduling surveys.

Although monitoring the evaluation is the responsibility of the evaluator, you, as the project director, need to stay fully informed about the progress of the evaluation, since you are responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the initiative work together smoothly. For example, a delay in administering pretests could produce a situation in which there is not enough time to teach an evidence-based program before the end of the academic year, which could affect its fidelity.

For more information, please see the Working with an Evaluator Section of the SS/HS Evaluation Toolkit.