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Offering an ONLINE TOOLBOX for measuring youth outcomes!
The California Afterschool Outcome Measures Project (CAOMP) has developed a set of easy-to-use online measures called the ONLINE TOOLBOX.The Online Toolbox allows diverse Out-of-School Time programs to collect reports of student behavior and skill development from program staff, classroom teachers, and the students themselves. The full battery of online measures has been tested extensively for students in Grades 3-8, is easy to complete and brief. At this time, our Online Toolbox assesses two primary domains: Skill Development and Positive Behavior Change. All the scales have been used successfully in evaluations of afterschool programs and other research studies. The Online Toolbox has been field-tested at over 200 afterschool and summer learning program sites in diverse settings and found to be valid and reliable. We are in the process of analyzing field test data, adding measures of youth interest, engagement and career aspirations in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math), and extending the surveys to high school youth. We will have the Online Toolbox available for public use Spring 2012.
Why are these measures important?
Research indicates afterschool programs can have a beneficial effect on students in many areas, both socially and academically. Tools that capture these impacts in afterschool and other Out-of-School Time programs can demonstrate positive outcomes for students participating in high-quality programs. This information can help inform program improvement efforts, serve as an accountability tool, and can be used for reporting program outcomes to funders and other stakeholders. The CAOMP has developed the ONLINE TOOLBOX with support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the California Department of Education.
Review:
The CAOMP Online Toolbox is featured in a recent publication by the Forum for Youth Investment, From Soft Skills to Hard Data: Measuring Youth Program Outcomes. The technical appendix includes a summary of the CAOMP Online Toolbox scales and psychometrics.