A Systems Framework for Special Education Program Evaluation

Abstract

Evaluation of special education programs and services is a growing concern of many educators and school psychologists. For special education program evaluation to be worthwhile at the local level, however, a broad-based view of the process is necessary. This paper describes a systems framework for special education program evaluation that allows practitioners to more readily adapt program evaluation methods, procedures, and techniques to the problems and nature of special services delivery, Use of the framework as an organizing device helps provide definition and direction to the relatively underdeveloped area of special ed With growing demands for fiscal and legal accountability in education, the attention of educators has been increasingly directed towards means of evaluating the quality and efficiency of educational programs and services. In special education, various aspects of program evaluation have been considered: program evaluation requirements of P.L. 94-