GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING (FROM EVALUATION OF HUMAN SERVICE PROGRAMS, 1978, BY C CLIFFORD ATTKISSON ET AL - SEE NCJ-51554)

• NCJ Number: 51566
• Author(s): T J KIRESUK; S H LUND
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 30 pages
• Corporate Author: Academic Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE BACKGROUND, PROCEDURES, VARIETIES, AND USES OF A FORM OF GOAL-ORIENTED EVALUATION USEFUL IN MEASURING THE PROGRESS OF BOTH INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS AND ENTIRE PROGRAMS ARE REVIEWED.

Abstract

GOAL-ORIENTED EVALUATION INVOLVES SIX STEPS: SPECIFYING THE VALUES UPON WHICH A PROGRAM IS FOUNDED; DETERMINING WHETHER THE SPECIFIED VALUES ARE BEING REALIZED IN THE COMMUNITY; IDENTIFYING NEEDS (UNREALIZED VALUES); FORMULATING GOALS WHICH, IF ATTAINED, WILL LEAD TO REDUCTION OF NEEDS; IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM; EVALUATING THE PROGRAM; AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK OF EVALUATION FINDINGS. GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING MAKES TWO ADDITIONS TO THE GENERAL FORM OF GOAL-ORIENTED EVALUATION: A FIVE-POINT SCALE OF INDIVIDUALIZED POTENTIAL OUTCOMES AND A SUMMARY GOAL ATTAINMENT SCORE. THE SCALE PLACES EACH TARGET GOAL IN THE CENTER OF A RANGE OF POSSIBLE OUTCOMES (MOST UNFAVORABLE, LESS THAN EXPECTED, EXPECTED OUTCOME, MORE THAN EXPECTED, BEST ANTICIPATED). THE SUMMARY SCORE COMBINES A CLIENT'S OR A PROGRAM'S SCORES ON INDIVIDUAL GOALS INTO A SINGLE, WEIGHTED NUMERICAL VALUE. THE CORE OF GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING IS THE GOAL ATTAINMENT FOLLOWUP GUIDE, WHICH ORGANIZES THE SCALING PROCESS. THE SIX STEPS IN COMPLETING THE SCALING PROCESS FOR A CLIENT OR PROGRAM ARE OUTLINED, AND A SAMPLE GUIDE IS PRESENTED. THE FORMULA FOR COMPUTING THE GOAL ATTAINMENT SCORE IS PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED, AND THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE SCORES ARE CONSIDERED. CLINICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND EDUCATIONAL USES OF GOAL ATTAINMENT ARE DESCRIBED AND ILLUSTRATED IN EXAMPLES. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING ARE ANSWERED. THE MAJOR ADVANTAGE OF GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING IS ITS FLEXIBILITY--ITS ABILITY TO ACCOMMODATE A VARIETY OF SPECIFIC GOALS AND MEASURING SCALES. PRESUMED ADVANTAGES ARE THAT EACH CLIENT IS MEASURED ONLY ON DIMENSIONS AND POTENTIAL OUTCOMES RELEVANT TO HIM OR HER, THAT A PROGRAM'S GOAL-SETTING OPERATIONS CAN BE AUDITED, AND THAT PROGRAM GOAL ATTAINMENT AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL CLIENT OUTCOMES CAN BE MEASURED. PROBLEMS IN USING GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING RELATE TO THE REQUIREMENT THAT SERVICE PROVIDERS THINK IN TERMS OF OBJECTIVE OUTCOMES AND TO CONSIDERATIONS IN USING GOAL ATTAINMENT SCORES FOR COMPARISONS ACROSS PATIENT POPULATIONS AND FOR REPEATED MEASURES OVER TIME. (LKM)