Junior High- Cara Moreland

1. Describe the purposes for and various stages of formative evaluation of technology plan.

Formative evaluation is “a judgment of the strengths and weaknesses of instruction in its developing stages, for purposes of revising the instruction to improve its effectiveness and appeal” (Tessmer, 1993). The purpose of a formative evaluation of the technology plan is to make sure the plan will be effective and follows the district, state, and national standards. The formative evaluation allows for revising and editing if necessary.

According to Tessmer (1993) there are four stages of formative evaluation:
1. Expert review
2. One-to-one evaluation
3. Small group
4. Field test

2. Describe your instruments used in a formative evaluation.

Currently Navasota ISD uses the STaR chart to evaluate the technology plan. “The Texas Teacher STaR Chart has been developed around the four key areas of the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology. The Texas Teacher STaR Chart is designed to help teachers, campuses, and districts determine their progress toward meeting the goals of the Long-Range Plan for Technology, as well as meeting the goals of their district” (TEA). The district technology team also has discussions on the technology plan, that they were not all involved in writing. After the technology plan was written by the Director of Technology, there was a small group evaluation. There was a group that spent time looking over the plan and critiquing (Moreland, 2012).

3. Collect data according to a formative evaluation plan for a given set of technology plan or instructor presentation.

Technology
Technology goals would be evaluated through surveys given to teachers and data collected during walk-throughs and lesson plans.. Also through the data of student achievement through standardized test they will be taking for core classes and 8th grade technology test they pre-assessment and post-assessment they take.

Management
I would conduct one-on-one evaluation to evaluate the instruction. I would be able to see how the teachers felt the training went, what they see could be improved, and do they feel their skills in troubleshooting have increased. Tessmer (1993) states “[u]sing a learner, the designer evaluates the intrinsic merits of the instruction via such criteria as clarity, ease of use, sequencing, and completeness.”

For the need of a technology integration specialist, I would start off with having someone who is part time. This would give the district the time to find the funding. During this time I would conduct the formative evaluation by using one-on-one evaluation, small group, and expert review of the need.

Funding
I feel that I would need a formative evaluation in the form of expert review. “Expert review does not even use learners, but rather seeks people who by definition have knowledge and experiences that the novices should not possess” (Tessmer, 1993). With funding, it would be very beneficial and important to have expert review to make sure the funding is being used correctly and efficiently.


References:

J. Moreland, NISD, Technology Integration Specialist, Personal Communication, April 6, 2012.

TEA. Texas STaR Chart History. Retrieved from http://starchart.epsilen.com/history.html

Tessmer, M. (1993). Planning and conducting formative evaluation: improving the quality of education and training. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. DOI: www.books.google.com