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Quality Standards and Evaluation: Building in Accountability
The Beacon Quality Standards support quality programming
and ensure accountability to youth, parents and caregivers,
schools, and public and private stakeholders. As a planning
tool, the standards guide the policies and practices at the
site level that help deliver positive outcomes for youth,
families and communities. As an assessment tool, the
standards provide a clear, consistent framework for ongoing
evaluation that identifies strengths and challenges at each
site and helps staff plan for continuous improvement.
The Core Principles: A Theory
of Change
In the early stages of the San Francisco Beacon Initiative,
the planning council realized that in order to achieve the
vision of community centers in schools that improve the lives
of youth and families, they needed a means to evaluate the
quality and impact of programming and ensure accountability
to stakeholders. The Initiative enlisted the Institute
for Research and Reform in Education (IRRE) to develop a guiding
theory that would reflect stakeholders’ assumptions
about the goals for the Initiative and outline each stakeholder’s
role in achieving these goals. IRRE gathered input from
Beacon Center directors and staff, funders, partners, community
members and youth participants. The resulting Theory
of Change articulated the core assumption that if Beacon Centers
provide a safe and welcoming environment and offer high-quality
activities, then youth will attend and participate in positive
developmental experiences that will contribute to their social
well-being and productivity. The theory presents a vision
of what the stakeholders hope the Initiative will accomplish
and identifies desired outcomes.
Development of Quality Standards
In the Summer of 2003, a special task force of Beacon Center
directors and staff, Initiative staff and San Francisco Unified
School District (SFUSD) representatives set out to finalize
early, intermediate and long-term outcome standards based
on the general site-level outcomes identified in the Theory
of Change. The specific standards were drawn from the
National After-school Association’s benchmarks for the
field, as well as a broad review of other quality standards
and related research, and were adapted to fit the unique Beacon
model. The resulting Beacon Quality Standards were designed
to serve as benchmarks for achieving desired outcomes and
to provide a framework for evaluation. The draft Beacon
Quality Standards were reviewed by Beacon directors and other
key stakeholders in the Initiative, and the Beacon steering
committee gave final approval. The Quality Standards
for Beacon Centers were implemented in the Fall of 2003 and
integrated into site-based planning and ongoing evaluation.
Components of the Beacon Quality Standards
To obtain copies of San Francisco Beacon Initiative:
Quality Standards for Beacon Centers, a 23-page document with
more than 180 specific site-level standards, please visit
www.sfbeacon.org. The following is a brief overview:
Compliance Standards
All Beacon Centers must meet the minimum compliance
standards. These standards outline policies that govern
the safety and health of youth participants, Center location
and hours and interaction among Center staff and partners
in the school and community.
Early and Intermediate Outcome Standards
Early outcome standards focus on the start-up phase
of the Centers and outline specific elements that must be
in place. Policies and practices include those that
address the emotional and physical safety of participants,
maximize the visibility and accessibility of Beacon Centers,
create a welcoming and inclusive environment and establish
hiring and training practices that contribute to a diverse
and well-trained staff.
Intermediate outcome standards outline expectations for high-quality
learning experiences and optimal participation by youth in
the Centers’ programs. These standards focus on
staff practices that foster supportive relationships, provide
opportunities for youth leadership and participation, promote
a sense of community and belonging, support youth involvement
in their communities, and provide challenging and engaging
opportunities for learning and skill-building.
Long-term Outcome Standards
Long-term outcomes are expected to be achieved after
a Center has been in operation for at least five years.
These standards outline expectations for increasing youth
competencies in the core areas of leadership, educational
support, career development, health, arts and recreation.
They also set forth expectations for increasing youth well-being,
health, positive connections to school, school performance
and family support. The standards also require that
Centers continually monitor key measures of academic success
in order to assess and improve the efficacy of the Centers’
educational support programs. In keeping with recent
research, the standards link expectations of academic outcomes
to both high dosage levels and multi-year participation in
academically focused programming.
School Site Standards
Recognizing that Beacon Centers would need the support of
their partners to meet many of the quality standards, the
Initiative also developed a list of basic expectations of
schools hosting Beacon Centers. These standards outline
expectations for the availability and use of school facilities
and interaction between Beacon and school staff.
A Work in Progress
The Beacon Quality Standards will be periodically reviewed
based on new data and research, as well as the changing conditions
for Beacon Centers. Further, the Initiative is examining
ways to establish benchmarks for community engagement programs
at Beacon Centers.
Quality Standards as a Yardstick
for Evaluation
Resource Development Associates (RDA) works with the
Initiative to collect and analyze program and participant
data at all Beacon Centers, and to produce an annual evaluation
report on youth participant outcomes that is directly aligned
with the quality standards. Youth participants are surveyed
at the beginning and end of the school year in order to assess
their progress on the early, intermediate and long-term standards
(the Youth Individual Assessment). A web-based data
system allows both RDA and Center directors to track and monitor
participation on a continual basis. With the help of
school district data, RDA also measures each Center’s
progress toward meeting school-success standards. Audits
are conducted at the beginning of each school year to ensure
Centers meet the minimum compliance standards. At the
end of the school year, an annual evaluation report informs
the development of the Centers’ annual strategic plans,
helps the Beacon Initiative set priorities for technical assistance
and training, and determines the course of continuing evaluation.
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