What I learned:
When looking at a school’s literacy program it is important to make sure
it’s effective. The best way to do this
is to create a needs assessment which by its name is easy to understand. You are assessing what you need. Since I’m a list person, I like focused on
the headings of the needs assessment process.
1. Create a demographic school
profile
2. Plan and Collect Descriptive,
Quantitative, and Qualitative Date
3. Analyze the Data
4. Create a Needs Assessment survey
for teachers and administration
5. Analyze the Survey Data
“This information is used to acknowledge the strengths and
identify the needs of the literacy program.” (Vogt and Shearer, p. 85)
Should I agree
or disagree: I agree that this process is a good
collaborative process. It allows for
multiple people’s input and perspectives.
When thinking about what literacy program will work, it is crucial to
take into consideration the experience of all of those involved. I hope when I develop my own needs assessment
I will be able to ask the right questions to render the results I’m looking
for.
Connection to the Real World: When I was in my undergrad I
spent 4 years working at an outdoor adventure center. Each year was a new
school year and we had to assess the programs and procedures we put in place.
As supervisors we went through the data and evaluations of our outdoor
education trips. Found commonalities and put it out to the whole staff
what they would like to see kept the same or changed. From there we made
goals for our trip program and set up mandatory training for our
staff to attend. The hardest part was judging whether our goals had
truly been met or not.
