Understanding performance measurement terminology as it relates to Learn and Serve programs
Abstract
Performance measures are intended to be a useful tool for program managers to define and communicate the needs their program will address and the impact the program will have. This effective practice will help clarify performance measurement terminology for Learn and Serve America programs and was submitted by Donald Pratt of Project STAR in March 2003.Issue
The National and Community Service Act of 1990 requires applicants for funding to apply measurable performance goals to determine impact of Learn and Serve America on communities and participants.Action
The following definitions are intended to clarify performance measurement terminology for Learn and Serve America programs
Activity: What a program does with inputs to fulfill its mission.
Beneficiaries: Those who benefit from community activities.
Data Source: Identifies the origin of the information you plan on collecting.
Evaluation: In-depth assessment of program effectiveness by means of rigorous scientific methods. This can include use of control groups and other techniques to determine what would have happened in the absence of the program.
Indicator: A specific, measurable item of information that specifies progress toward achieving a result.
Input: Resources a program uses to produce outputs and achieve outcomes. Examples include staff, members, volunteers, facilities, equipment, curricula, and money.
Instrument: Specific tool to collect information, e.g., behavior checklist, tally sheet, attitude questionnaire, or interview protocol.
Logic Model: A diagram or chart that traces the flow from inputs to activities, outputs, and outcomes to demonstrate an aligned activity. A logic model employs an "if A, then B" way of thinking.
Performance Measure: A statement containing a result output, intermediate outcome, or end outcome, an indicator, and the target that is expected to be achieved toward this result over a given period of time (one year, two years, or three years)
Performance Measurement: The process of regularly measuring the outputs and outcomes produced by your program. Performance measurement allows you to track both the amount of work done by your program and the impact of this work on your program beneficiaries.
Result: The outputs and outcomes you intend to track for a particular activity.
Output: Counts of the amount of service members or volunteers have completed, but do not provide information on benefits to or other changes in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries.
Example of an Output: In the first year, twenty-five percent of the parent volunteers participating in the dropout prevention program will attend all sessions.
Intermediate Outcomes: Specify changes that have occurred in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries, but are short of a significant benefit for them.
Example of an Intermediate Outcome: In the second year, those students whose parents attend all sessions of the dropout prevention program will demonstrate ten percent fewer behavioral incidents compared to those students whose parents are on a waiting list for the program.
End Outcomes: Specify changes that have occurred in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries that are significant.
Example of an End Outcome: Eighty percent of students currently reading below basic will progress to at least the basic reading level, as measured and documented by the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Ninth Edition.
Target: The level of success a program expects to attain for efforts made over a given time period.
Volunteers: Citizens or residents in the community who offer their time and talents to assist your Learn and Serve America program. Volunteers differ from members in that they are under no formal obligation to provide a specified amount of assistance, e.g., as measured by service hours, and do not receive a stipend or health benefits.
Context
Since 1993, programs and state commissions have been using various forms of performance measures to articulate program goals and results. With the issuance of the 2003 Learn and Serve America guidelines, the Corporation is placing increased emphasis on the importance of performance measures to gauge program strengths and weaknesses. According to 2003 Learn and Serve America guidelines, all programs will "develop output, intermediate-outcome, and end-outcome measures." Standardizing performance measurement will help the Corporation and individual programs assess overall results and impact.Outcome
According to Project Star's Learn and Serve America Program Applicant Performance Measurement Guidance, performance measurement allows programs to:- Clarify the purpose of the program and the way specific services contribute to achieving desired results.
- Document the actual results of program activities.
- Improve program performance by documenting program successes and areas for improvement.
Posted On
April 3, 2003For More Information
Resources
A glossary of terms related to performance measurement is found in the Learn and Serve America Program Applicant Performance Measurement Guidance.
The purposes of the Performance Measurement Guidance are to introduce the concept of performance measurement, provide information on performance measurement as it applies to Learn and Serve America programs, and to help potential applicants for Learn and Serve America funding satisfy the performance measurement requirements of the application process. The toolkit describes
- Performance measurement, outputs, intermediate outcomes, end outcomes
- The minimum requirements the Corporation expects Learn and Serve America programs to report
- How the logic model can be used to define desired results
- Logic model examples
- Considerations for choosing methods and instruments for performance measurement
- How to complete a performance measurement worksheet
- A list of additional resources
The Urban Institute Report, Outcome Indicators and Outcome Management (396 KB) offers general recommendations in sections 1, 4 and 5. Readers primarily interested in the Learn and Serve Program should read section 8.