Evaluation of DIP Training Program

Submitted to:
Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development
Submitted by:
Lucky Peak Educational Association










Introduction
In October 2013, Far West Laboratory Research and Development submitted a request
for proposal (RFP) regarding their training program, Determining Instructional Purposes
(DIP). This document is a proposal from Lucky Peak Educational Association (LPEA) in
Boise, Idaho in response to Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and
Development.
Determining Instructional Purposes (DIP) Training Package
The DIP training package was developed by Far West Laboratory (FWL) in order to
train school administrators and graduate students in administration in skills related to
planning effective school programs. The overall training package includes a
Coordinators Handbook and the three Unit Studies: Unit 1 Setting Goals, Unit 2
Analyzing Problems, and Unit 3 Deriving Objectives. Each unit is self-contained so
that the program coordinator or administrator has flexibility to move through the units as
they see appropriate, in order to meet the specific needs/goals of their trainees or
building staff. Within each unit are four to six modules filled with a variety of reading
material, activities for both individual and small group skill practice, and feedback forms
for practice activities.
The overall purpose of the training package is to strengthen school instruction
purposes. The DIP training package is set up so that an administrator may use one or
any combination of the three Units to meet the needs of their specific building. In other
words, the package does not need to be completed in a specific order for evidence of
growth to be evident. It is up to the school administrator to choose in which areas they
would like to focus their study. The overall purpose of the DIP package is to help build
and strengthen the instruction of leaders in educational settings.
Evaluation Method
Purpose: By conducting this evaluation, FWL will be able to determine the efficiency of
the DIP training package from authentic reports and specific feedback given by school
administrators. The LPEA will work together with FWL to monitor and analyze feedback
from a variety of school districts and clients about the DIP packages influence and
validity in the educational setting. Through this, FWL will be able to determine best
marketing strategies to promote the use of their Units and training materials in the
future. To make this possible, LPEAs well-defined evaluation team will conduct all of
the data collection and analysis procedures and present possibilities to market DIP
training.
Data Collection: The LPEA will need a full report of districts and companies that have
used DIP training in the past, for any and all purposes. FWL will be responsible to
supply this information. LPEA will follow up with these clients via telephone interviews to
obtain specific feedback of the training packages. Mid-term and Unit-end surveys will be
given to clients. The data from the mid-term survey will be analyzed, organized, and
presented to FWL in a progress report halfway through the evaluation. The mid-term
and unit-end surveys and summaries will be compared and used to formulate the
direction that the DIP marketing will take.
Trainees and Administrators: DIP training packages will be issued to two school
districts, perhaps three, to complete throughout one semester of their professional
development training. When, how, and what part of the DIP training package used that
will be determined by the district professional development committee. However, a
content outline for the semester must be submitted to LPEA prior to beginning the
study. When the Unit studies are completed each trainee will receive a final evaluation
of Unit effectiveness. These evaluations will be web-based generated surveys. In
addition, random schools and organizations will be contacted via telephone for further
feedback.
Task Schedule
Below is a tentative schedule for how we would like to see this evaluation run. Since
there has already been ad hoc use of the DIP training packages we will plan to rely
heavily on the past feedback from districts and coordinators. Therefore, we only plan to
include two school districts in our evaluation summary.
Task
Agency
Responsible
Date Due
1. Meet with FWL team to review proposal
and make any necessary revisions.
LPEA November 20
th
, 2013
2. Submit list of contacts, which have
previously had interaction with any DIP
training packages, to LPEA.
FWL December 6
th

3. Submit data collection plan for two
cooperating school districts to participate in
training. This includes drafts of all survey and
end of course feedback forms.
LPEA December 14
th

4. Revise and resubmit data collection plan
from LPEA.
FWL January 6
th
, 2014
5. Make contact with and contract two school
districts to pilot DIP packages for one
semester.
LPEA January 15
th

6. Revise and submit final data collection
plan to FWL.
LPEA January 22
nd

7. Set up districts with DIP packages and
contact information.
LPEA February 3
rd

8. Collect mid-term data from cooperating
school districts.
LPEA April 14
th

9. Submit mid-term evaluation progress to
FWL. Meet with FWL and discuss any
concerns or questions.
LPEA April 21
st

10. Collect final semester data from
cooperating school districts.
LPEA June 16
th

11. Submit final evaluation report to FWL.
Meet with FWL to discuss marketing plan
and best strategies for product promotion
and sales.
LPEA June 25
th

Project Personnel
Lucky Peak Educational Association: Our trained evaluation team has been working to
specifically better prepare educators in the state of Idaho for over 20 years. The LPEA
team is comprised of three leading specialists in evaluation, surveying, and instructional
project coordination. Assisting the team are two graduate students from Boise State
University, specializing in educational evaluation and business marketing. LPEA has
partnered with Boise State University professors and graduate students for over 15
years to continue developing knowledge in advertising trends within professional
development curricula nation wide.
Budget and Fees
Below is a tentative budget breakdown for this evaluation. FWL has asked us to keep
costs around $50,000. Due to being out of state and trying to keep to a low budget, we
would like to make most of our meetings over Skype.
Item Costs
Airfare Travel for LPEA
team reps from Boise to
San Francisco
(about $350 x 3) Head
Coordinator, Evaluation
Specialist, Survey
$2,100
Specialist
*Making 2 round-trips
Airfare Travel to
cooperating school districts
out of state
(about $350 x 2) Head
Coordinator and Evaluation
Specialist.
*Making 1 round-trip
About $1000
Travel Total $2,800
LPEA Evaluation
Coordinator
$500/per day x 35 days $17,500
LPEA Evaluation Specialist $450/per day x 35 $15.750
LPEA Survey Specialist $400/per day x 15 $6,000
Total LPEA Staff Costs $39,250
DIP Materials for the LPEA
team
One set at $24.95 $25.00
DIP Materials for each
school district
$24.95/per set of 3 Units
*Four sets for each school
district to share
$200
Surveys generated on
Survey Monkey. Results
will be printed and put into
evaluation report.
Cost for printing @ $0.05
per page
$100
Final Evaluation Prints Cost for printing @ $0.05
per page
Research Materials Contacting districts,
meetings with competing
companies/products
$800
Total Printing Costs and $1,125
Materials

Total Budget and Fees $43,475