Outcome Evaluations

Outcome studies measure the degree to which your program or service is achieving its objectives. They are an important component of any comprehensive evaluation. They can measure program impacts over time, and are ideally based on statistical comparisons of pretest and post-test measures.

Outcome evaluations, more than most methods, require the development of a Logic Model that clearly sets out the goals and objectives of the program or service being evaluated, related activities, and performance measures and indicators. The operational questions of an outcome evaluation are:

• What are the primary and secondary objectives of this program or service?
• What does success mean with respect to this program or service?
• How will we be able to recognize success when it occurs?

Some general standards can be applied to outcome evaluations:

• They generally rely on empirical data
• They are ideally based on measurable objectives and measures of success
• Where possible they incorporate the use of validated scales

Outcome Evaluations ideally track changes over time, based on the use of Repeated Measures. This means that only individuals who have completed both a pretest and post-test question are included in this analysis.