A consistent Afterschool Evaluation Framework is in effect for all Missouri 21st CCLC and ARPA funded cohorts. All 21st CCLC and ARPA cohorts have the same goals related to Youth Outcomes and Program Content. The External Evaluation process requires the completion of a guided reflection document by the certified external evaluator with input and participation by the program administrator and other key staff.
Process: 21st CCLC and ARPA grantees are required to select a certified external evaluator to review, analyze, and jointly reflect upon the data collected over the course of the year specific to the grant goals. The process will be a collaborative effort that requires participation from both the program administrator and the external evaluator.
Overview of External Evaluator Duties: The external evaluator must attend a certification training to be an evaluator for 21st CCLC and ARPA grantees. Certified external evaluators selected by a grantee will be responsible for meeting with the grant administration and staff to learn about the specific afterschool program, its goals, structure, and local context (~2 hours). Once available, the certified external evaluator will review data reports (~3-4 hours) and prepare written responses to the questions in the Guided Reflection Documentation form (~3-4 hours) prior to the second face-to-face meeting with the program administrator and other key staff. The external evaluator will meet again with the grantee administration and key staff to review the data and narrative responses prepared by the external evaluator. At the second meeting (~2-3 hours), the evaluator, program director, and key staff will also discuss the final feedback/response question(s) for each objective. The external evaluator will then complete the remainder of the Guided Reflection Documentation form (~1-2 hours) and submit it online through a Qualtrics survey.
Fee: All certified external evaluators will receive the same rate of payment for the external evaluation of a 21st CCLC or ARPA grantee. The fee for the external evaluation is $2200 for a grantee with one site, and $400 per additional site after the first site. Note: Completion of the certification/training process does not guarantee that the certified external evaluator will be selected by a 21st CCLC or ARPA grantee, and grantees may change external evaluators from year to year during the five-year grant cycle.
Timeline: A list of certified external evaluators will be provided to 21st CCLC and ARPA grantees to choose from. Certified external evaluators will meet with the program administration in the spring or ealry summer to discuss the local context. Data for the outside evaluation will be available near the start of the school year. Local evaluators and program administration will meet in the early fall to discuss the data and questions on the Guided Reflection Documentation form. The final Guided Reflection Documentation form will be due to DESE approximately 6-8 weeks after the data reports are available (anticipated due date 10/15/24).
Eligibility: Individuals seeking certification as a 21st CCLC External Evaluator must 1) be based in Missouri, 2) have a master’s degree in education, child/youth development, policy, or other related area which ensures knowledge of quantitative and qualitative methods, 3) have experience conducting program/project evaluations, and 4) attend the required 21st CCLC External Evaluator training.
Training/Certification: The Missouri AfterSchool Network (MASN) will provide the training sessions for new and returning external evaluator candidates. Training will be a combination of pre-recorded and live virtual trainings. If you are interested in becoming a certified 21st CCLC and ARPA External Evaluator for the 2023-24 grant year, please complete the interest/application form. Further information will be provided after completion of the interest/application form.
Note: The 2022-23 Certified External Evaluators must complete the interest/application form and attend “refresher” training(s) to maintain certification for the 2023-24 grant year. Information will be provided after completion of the interest/application form.
