Why is a DD Council required to develop an evaluation plan?
Because the people who pay the bills (Congress) want to know how their money is being spent. As such, AIDD provides specific items to be addressed in the DD Council 5-year State plan related to the evaluation plan.
What is the general intent (purpose) of an overall evaluation plan?
The purpose of an overarching evaluation plan is to provide a foundation for the design, methods and uses for an evaluation. Clearly explaining the overall purpose will help a DD Council avoid making uninformed decisions about how the evaluation will be conducted and used.
A clear purpose focused on ‘use’ will help those charged with carrying out the evaluation know what will be done with the findings.
What are some common ways DD Councils use evaluation information?
- to gain insight
- to improve how things are done
- to determine what the effects of the initiatives were
- to understand how people who participated in the initiative were affected.