Jan 27 -- CDC extends comment period to February 17, 2023.
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-01695
Nov 29 -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the opening of a docket to obtain comments and suggestions to update the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health (CDC Evaluation Framework) and associated resources (e.g., checklists, self-study guide). Updates to the CDC Evaluation Framework are needed to continue its valuable use and service to the evaluation field and public health. Written comments must be received on or before January 30, 2023.
The flexibility and simplicity of the CDC Evaluation Framework have led to its wide adoption and use beyond CDC and public health. The CDC Evaluation Framework has guided CDC and other evaluators over two decades, as evidenced by more than 300 citations in peer-reviewed articles and use in projects reaching more than 50 countries on six continents. However, evaluation has evolved since publication of the framework in 1999; therefore, CDC seeks to update the framework to align with changes in evaluation, public health, and federal policies and practices.
The comments from this Request for Information, along with input gathered through other mechanisms (e.g., townhall with CDC, interviews with key federal evaluators, surveys with federal evaluation staff and leaders), will help identify how the framework may have been adapted and used in different settings, what aspects of the framework have been useful, any challenges in using the framework across different contexts, and gaps that may need to be addressed. CDC is gathering input from a variety of audiences, such as federal evaluators, CDC staff, and CDC funded partners. Feedback from these sources will be considered in determining priority areas to update and revise in the CDC Evaluation Framework to continue its valuable use and service to the evaluation field and public health. The relevant feedback along with tools, evidence, and resources in the field and literature will also be considered in determining whether to update, revise, or create new content for the CDC Evaluation Framework and supporting resources (e.g., checklists, tools).
Interested persons or organizations are invited to submit written views, information, and recommendations. CDC invites comments specifically on the following questions, along with suggestions for improving the CDC Evaluation Framework:
1. How has the current CDC Evaluation Framework assisted or not assisted the public health community in planning and conducting high-quality program evaluations? What specifically helped or did not help?
2. Which contexts has the current CDC Evaluation Framework worked well for and for which contexts has it not worked well? What specifically did or did not work and why?
3. How does the current CDC Evaluation Framework promote or inhibit the conduct of evaluations that are culturally responsive and address health equity? What opportunities for improvement exist?
CDC Evaluation Framework and associated resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/evaluation/framework/index.htm
Effective program evaluation is a systematic way to improve and account for public health actions by involving procedures that are useful, feasible, ethical, and accurate. The Framework for Evaluation in Public Healthpdf icon guides public health professionals in their use of program evaluation. It is a practical, nonprescriptive tool, designed to summarize and organize essential elements of program evaluation.
Adhering to the steps and standards of this framework will allow an understanding of each program’s context and will improve how program evaluations are conceived and conducted. Furthermore, the framework encourages an approach to evaluation that is integrated with routine program operations.
The emphasis is on practical, ongoing evaluation strategies that involve all program stakeholders, not just evaluation experts.
Understanding and applying the elements of this framework can be a driving force for planning effective public health strategies, improving existing programs, and demonstrating the results of resource investments.
The Evaluation Framework’s steps include: Engaging stakeholders; Describing the program; Focusing the evaluation design; Gathering credible evidence; Justifying conclusions; Ensuring use and sharing lessons learned. The Evaluation Standards are organized into the following four groups: Utility; Feasibility; Propriety; and Accuracy.
The purposes of the framework are to:
-- summarize the essential elements of program evaluation,
-- provide a framework for conducting effective program evaluations,
-- clarify steps in program evaluation,
-- review standards for effective program evaluation, and
-- address misconceptions regarding the purposes and methods of program evaluation.
Evaluation Steps: Six connected steps together can be used as a starting point to tailor an evaluation for a particular public health effort, at a particular point in time. An order exists for fulfilling each step – in general, the earlier steps provide the foundation for subsequent progress.
The options at each step are many – there are many potential levels of detail to a logic model, countless potential stakeholders, and a large number of potential ways to gather evidence. The Framework asks you to apply each of the 4 groups of evaluation standards as a “lens” to help isolate the best approaches at each step. . . .
Evaluation Standards: This set of 30 standards assesses the quality of evaluation activities, determining whether a set of evaluative activities are well-designed and working to their potential. These standards, adopted from the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation,external icon answer the question, “Will this evaluation be effective?”. The standards are recommended as criteria for judging the quality of program evaluation efforts in public health.
The 30 standards are organized into the following four groups:
-- Utility standards ensure that an evaluation will serve the information needs of intended users.
-- Feasibility standards ensure that an evaluation will be realistic, prudent, diplomatic and frugal.
-- Propriety standards ensure that an evaluation will be conducted legally, ethically and with due regard for the welfare of those involved in the evaluation, as well as those affected by its results.
-- Accuracy standards ensure that an evaluation will reveal and convey technically adequate information about the features that determine worth or merit of the program being evaluated.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-25997