Jane Minnema

Establishing Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators

This article presents a comprehensive taxonomy of essential competencies for program evaluators. First, the authors provide a rationale for developing evaluator competencies, along with a brief history of the initial development and validation of the taxonomy of essential evaluator competencies in King, Stevahn, Ghere, and Minnema (2001). Second, they present a revised version of that taxonomy and describe the revision process. Third, a crosswalk accompanying the taxonomy indicates which competencies address standards, principles, and skills endorsed by major evaluation associations in North America. Finally, the authors identify future needs related to the taxonomy, including the need for validation research, a shared understanding of terms, and the construction of descriptive rubrics for assessing competence.

Toward a Taxonomy of Essential Evaluator Competencies

This article discusses an exploratory study designed to determine the extent to which evaluation professionals, representing diverse backgrounds and approaches, could reach agreement on a proposed taxonomy of essential evaluator competencies. Participants were 31 diverse individuals in the field of program evaluation in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area who systematically engaged in a Multi-Attribute Consensus Reaching process. Both quantitative and qualitative results predominantly indicated consensus on more than three-fourths of the proposed competencies. Areas of disagreement reflected the role- and context-specific nature of evaluation practice.

A Professional Development Unit for Reflecting on Program Evaluator Competencies

This article describes an interactive professional development unit that engages both novice and experienced evaluators in (a) learning about the Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators (ECPE), (b) applying the competencies to program evaluation contexts, and (c) using the ECPE to reflect on their own professional practices. The article briefly summarizes current issues about program evaluator competencies and the components of effective professional development. It then describes the ECPE; the objectives, content, and process of the professional development session; and the ECPE Self-Assessment Instrument. Facilitators can adapt and use the unit in a variety of settings, including university courses and program evaluation conferences.

Past and Current Research on Out-of-Level Testing of Students with Disabilities.

Out-of-level testing has been proposed as an approach to including more students with disabilities in statewide tests. Currently, 12 states have policies to test students out of level with more states considering the possibility. However, the policy and practice of out-of-level testing are surrounded by concerns that have not been fully addressed by research. In this article, we present our initial findings related to the psychometric issues and the current policies and practices of out-of-level testing. We conclude with a discussion of future research needs that are important considerations for practitioners who test students with disabilities out of level in statewide assessment programs.