Archived: Comprehensive Needs Assessment (PDF)

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

COMPREHENSIVE

NEEDS

ASSESSMENT

Materials adapted from “Planning and

Conducting Needs Assessments: A Practical

Guide” (1995)

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

1

Archived Information

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Summary of Foundation Concepts

• A “need” is a discrepancy or gap between “what

is” and “what should be.”

• A “needs assessment” is a systematic set of

procedures that are used to determine needs,

examine their nature and causes, and set priorities

for future action.

• In the real world, there is never enough money to

meet all needs. Needs assessments are conducted to

help program planners identify and select the right

job before doing the job right.

KEY TOPICS

In this session, we will answer the following:

 What is a needs assessment?

 What steps are involved in conducting a needs

assessment?

 What aspects of a needs assessment are important

to its success?

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Why Conduct a Needs

Assessment?

Why do program planners in education, business, industry,

government, etc. conduct needs assessments?

_______________________________________________

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Legal Requirements

The law requires States to submit applications that

describe:

 a comprehensive plan for needs assessment and

service delivery that identifies the special

educational needs of migrant children;

 how the State’s priorities for the use of funds relate

to the State’s needs assessment; and

 how the State will award subgrants to reflect the

results of the comprehensive needs assessment

plan.

[See

Section 1304 - State Applications; Services &

Section 1306 - Comprehensive Needs Assessment

and Service-Delivery; Authorized Activities.]

Program Requirements

Policy guidance issued by the Office of Migrant Education

states that needs assessments:

 are conducted annually;

 use the best information available;

 are a process by which each state

determines how to integrate MEP-funded

services into the state’s comprehensive

education reform plan to best meet the

identified needs of migrant children;

 establish statewide priorities for local

procedures; and

 provide a basis for the allocation of funds.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

4

t

rt

It is not possible to succeed

with a brillian idea and superb

execution of the wrong strategy…

John O’Tool

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uthor, Adv

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ising

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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Definition of Key Terms

“Knowing and not doin

g

are equal to not

knowing at all.”

A

nonymou

s

“Need” refers to the gap or discrepancy between a

present state (what is) and a desired state (what should be).

The need is neither the present nor the future state; it

is the gap between them.

Desired Results - Current results = Need

(What should be) (What is)

100% of third

grade migrant

students meet

the state

proficiency level

in reading

-

30% of third

grade migrant

students meet

the state

proficiency level

in reading

=

70% of third

grade migrant

children must

reach the

proficiency level

in reading

“Target Group”

Needs Assessments are focused on particular target groups

in a system.

Common target groups in education settings include

students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the

community at-large.

Ideally, needs assessments are initially

conducted to

determine the needs of the people (i.e., service

receivers) for whom the organization or system exists

(e.g., students).

However, a “comprehensive” needs assessment often takes

into account needs identified in other parts of a system.

For example, a needs assessment might include the

concerns of the “service providers” (e.g. teachers,

guidance counselors, or school principals—the people who

have a direct relationship with the service receivers) or

“system issues” (e.g., availability of programs, services,

and personnel; level of program coordination; and access

to appropriate facilities).

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Definition of Key Terms

(continued)

A “Needs Assessment” is a systematic approach

that progresses through a defined series of phases.

Needs Assessment focuses on the ends (i.e., outcomes) to

be attained, rather than the means (i.e., process). For

example, reading achievement is an outcome whereas

reading instruction is a means toward that end.

It gathers data by means of established procedures and

methods designed for specific purposes. The kinds and

scope of methods are selected to fit the purposes and

context of the needs assessment.

Needs assessment sets priorities and determines criteria

for solutions so that planners and managers can make

sound decisions.

Needs assessment sets criteria for determining how best to

allocate available money, people, facilities, and other

resources.

Needs assessment leads to action that will improve

programs, services, organizational structure and

operations, or a combination of these elements.

t

A system is a set of re

g

ularl

y

interactin

g

elements that form

a

unified whole and or

g

anized for

a

common purpose.

An important characteristic of

a

system is tha all parts ar

e

interdependent. Anythin

g

tha

affects one part of the system ha

s

consequences for the whole.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

A Three-Phase Model of Needs Assessment

…a systematic approach that progresses through a defined series of phases

 Prepare a Management

Plan

 Identify Concerns

 Determine Measurable

Indicators

 Consider Data Sources

 Decide Preliminary

Priorities

 Determine Target

Groups

 Gather Data to Define

Needs

 Prioritize Needs

 Identify & Analyze

Causes

 Summarize Findings

 Set Priority Needs

 Identify Possible

Solutions

 Select Solution

Strategies

 Propose Action Plan

 Prepare Report

III

Make

Decisions

II

Gather &

Analyze Data

I

Explore

“What Is”

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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III

Make

Decisions

II

Gather &

Analyze Data

I

Explore

“What Is”

Decide

Preliminary

Priorities

Identify

Major

Co

n

ce

rn

s

Consider

Data

Sources

Determine

Need

Indicators

The purpose of Phase I is to

investigate what is already known

about the needs of the target group; to

determine the focus and scope of the

needs assessment; and to gain

commitment for all stages of the

assessment; including the use

of the

findings for program planning and

implementation.

Prepare

Mana

g

ement

Plan

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Phase I: Explore “What Is”

 Two major objectives of the exploration phase are gaining: 1) a sense of

commitment to the needs assessment at all levels in the organization; and 2) an

assurance that decision makers will follow-up (i.e., use) the findings with

appropriate and timely action.

STEP 1: Prepare Management Plan

 Successful projects have leadership. A key person

in planning and managing a needs assessment is

the project manager.

“Who is important to hav

e

as a member of your

Needs Assessment

Committee?”

 Form a Needs Assessment Committee.

The members of a Needs Assessment Committee

should represent those organizations and

individuals that are critical to ensuring

commitment and follow-up.

 Determine a reporting schedule.

Timely reports to top management and other

important stakeholders, with opportunities for

interaction on major issues, also are critical.

STEP 2: Identify Major Concerns

 Reach consensus on the goals (desired outcomes)

of greatest importance to the target group.

 Refine the list of goals to the top 3 – 5 goals.

 Brainstorm a list of concerns/factors for each of the

goals.

 Decide on the major concerns for each goal.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Phase I: Explore “What Is”

(continued)

STEP 3: Determine Need Indicators

 Identify indicators that could verify that the

concern/issue exist.

[An indicator is data that can verify that a concern

exists.]

STEP 4: Consider Data Sources

 Determine what kinds of information would be

helpful to more clearly define the need and

where

to get the data.

STEP 5: Decide on Preliminary Priorities

 Set the priorities of each concern as a focus in the

gathering of data.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Group Activity: Exploring “What Is”

Indicator

Concern

Goal

Project Mapping can be used

to provide a visual map of all

of the concerns and indicators

related to a goal.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Group Activity: Exploring “What Is” (continued)

GOAL:

CONCERN (FACTORS):

INDICATORS:

SOURCES OF DATA:

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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III

Make

Decisions

II

Gather &

Analyze Data

I

Explore

“What Is”

Summarize

Findings

Identify &

Analyze

Causes

Prioritize

Needs

The task of the Phase II is to

document the status, the “what is” of

the concerns/issues, to compare the

status with the vision of “what should

b

e,” and to determine the magnitude of

the needs and their causes. The major

output from this phase is a set of needs

statements in tentative order of

p

riority, based on the criticality of the

need

,

and its causes.

Gather Data

To Define

Needs

Determine

Target

Groups

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Phase II: Data Gathering & Analysis

,

.

A

Need Statement

describes the gap, or

discrepancy between “what

is” and “what should be”

STEP 1: Determine Target Groups

 Determine the scope of the needs

assessment—e.g., all districts with eligible

migrant children.

 Determine target groups—e.g., migrant

students, parents, teachers, etc.

STEP 2: Gather Data to Define Needs

 Specify a desired outcome based on the

program’s goals.

 Collect data to determine the current state

of the target group in relation to the desired

outcome.

 Formulate need statements based on

discrepancies between current and desired

outcomes.

STEP 3: Prioritize Needs—Based on Data

 List concerns (need areas) in rank order of

importance (e.g., School affliation, English

Language, Course Completion).

 Within each area of concern, separately

rank the identified needs (e.g., Within

School affliation—Counselor-student

contact, peer network, extra curricula

activities).

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Phase II: Data Gathering & Analysis

(continued)

STEP 4: Identify & Analyze Causes

 Determine general and specific causes of

high priority needs.

In general, try to answer question “Why

does this need persist?”

 Identify the factors that are amenable to

intervention with control of your program.

STEP 5: Summarize Findings

 Summarize and document findings by need

with an explanation of the major causes.

 Share the results with the Needs

Assessment Committee, managers, and

other key stakeholders.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Tool: Identifying & Analyzing Causes

(Cause and Consequence Analysis)

 To determine the priority of each need, examine both the difficulty to correct the need

and the degree of criticality.

 Review the ratings in light of the magnitude of the discrepancy between the present

and desired states.

 Use results to provide data for consideration in setting priorities and moving to

solution strategies.

NEED CAUSES CONSEQUENCES

DIFFICULTY TO

CORRECT

[low, medium, high]

CRITICALITY

1 2 3 4 5

In column 1: List

needs

that were previously identified in the needs assessment.

In column 2: List all possible “treatable”

causes

of each need (concern), itemized separately for

each need. A given need may have more than one cause.

In column 3: List

consequences

if the cause is not removed and the need is not meet, also itemize

separately for each need. There may be more than one consequence for each need.

In column 4: Enter a rating (low, medium, high) of the

difficulty of correcting the problem

once it

has occurred.

In column 5: Enter a rating, on a scale of 1 to 5, of the degree of

c iticality

of the need if it is not

met, with 5 being the most critical.

r

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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II

Gathering &

Analyze Data

III

Make

Decisions

I

Explore

“What Is”

It cannot be emphasized too strongly—

that a needs assessment is not complete

unless plans are made to use the

information in a practical way.

Phase III is the bridge from the

analysis to action—to use needs

assessment findings. It answers

important questions: What needs are

the most critical? What are some

p

ossible solutions? Which solutions

are best?

Propose

Action Plan

Prepare

Report

Select

Solutions

Identify

Possible

Solutions

Set Priority

of Needs

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Phase III: Decision-making

STEP 1: Set Priority of Needs

Criteria for assigning priorities among needs are based on several

factors:

 The magnitude of discrepancies between current and target

states;

 Causes and contributing factors to the needs;

 The degree of difficulty in addressing the needs;

 Risk assessment—the consequences of ignoring the needs;

 The effect on other parts of the system or other needs if a

specific need is or is not met;

 The cost of implementing solutions; and

 Other factors that might affect efforts to solve the need.

Set priorities in two stages: (a) broad areas, such as goals, concerns

(needs) or target groups; and (b) critical needs within each area.

STEP 2: Identify Possible Solutions

 Set criteria (or standards) for judging the merits of alternative

solution strategies.

At a minimum, proposed solutions should meet the criteria of

effect on causes, acceptability, and feasibility (includes

resources).

 Generate and examine potential solutions. In examining

possible solutions—review and document research and

evaluation data that supports the merits of each alternative.

What Is Possible

Solutions

What Should

Be

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Phase III: Decision-making

(continued)

STEP 3: Select Solutions

 Evaluate and rate each solution separately against the

evaluation criteria.

 Consider whether each of the high-ranking solutions will drive

toward the contemplated change or whether they will push in

the opposite direction, preventing change.

 On the basis of all the information, select one or more solutions

for each need area.

STEP 4: Propose Action Plan

 The plan should include descriptions of the solutions, rationale,

proposed timelines, and resource requirements.

STEP 5: Prepare Report

At the end of this phase, a written report should be prepared to

communicate the methods and results of the needs assessment to

decision-makers, policymakers, and key stakeholders.

The report should include:

 Description of the needs assessment process;

 Major outcomes (identified needs);

 Priority Needs (and criteria used to determine such priorities);

 Action Plan (with the data and criteria used to arrive at the

solution strategies); and

 Recommendations for future needs assessments.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Review of the Three-Phases of Needs Assessment

Set up management plan for

needs assessment

Select target group(s) Prioritize needs

Conduct preliminary

investigation of “what is”

Gather data on need indicators

to formulate need statements

(describing the discrepancy

between “what is” and “what

should be”)

Identify potential solution

strategies to meet the needs

Identify major concerns or

factors

Prioritize needs Evaluate alternative solutions

Determine indicators of need

in each area of concern

Perform causal analyses Select one or more solutions

Identify the best potential

sources of data to fully define

each need indicator

Identify factors within

program control

Propose an action plan to

implement the solutions

Set preliminary priorities for

each need indicator (by level)

to focus data gathering

Analyze and interpret all data,

summarize findings

Prepare written reports and

oral briefings

Outcome:

Preliminary plan for data

collection in Phase 2

Outcome:

Criteria for action based on

high-priority needs

Outcome:

Action plan(s), written and

oral briefings, and final report

II

Gather &

Analyze Data

III

Make

Decisions

I

Explore

“What Is”

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Needs Assessment in a Continuous

Improvement Cycle

Implement

Consider placing a focus on

service providers or system

resources in updating the basic

student needs assessment.

Improve

Evaluate

Implement

Plan

Implement

Evaluate

Improve

Plan

Update

Needs

A

ssessmen

t

Update

Needs

Assessment

Conduct

Needs

Assessment

Plan

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Summary

 There is no one correct needs assessment model or

procedure.

 The active use of a Needs Assessment Committee

is one important method for obtaining expert

advice and gaining commitment to the process and

using the results.

 Make sure needs focus on desired outcomes and

are listed as the gaps between “what is” and “what

should be.”

 Before you gather data, spend the time to

investigate what is known about the needs of the

target group—to identify all of the concerns.

 Develop measurable need indicators to guide your

data collection process.

 Perform a causal analysis—Ask “why” does this

need still exist? To solve a problem, planners must

understand it first.

 Share information with decision makers,

policymakers, and stakeholders throughout the

needs assessment process. Frequent

communication with these groups is important for

the “buy in” needed to use the needs assessment

results.

 Document the research base for potential solutions.

 Prepare a written report that describes the methods

and results of the needs assessment.

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Reflection

What are three of the top challenges you face as you

prepare to plan and manage a statewide needs assessment

for your program?

_______________________________________________

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT--APPENDIX

TYPES OF NEEDS ASSESSMENT DATA

TYPES OF “STUDENT” DATA ELEMENTS COLLECTED FOR

MEP NEEDS ASSESSMENT PURPOSES

(SAMPLE OF 13 STATES )

TEST SCORES SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT FAMILY BACKGROUND

State Assessment Scores Affiliation with teacher(s) Residency Data

Standardized Tests Scores Special Education (IEP) Homebase State/District

Norm-Reference Test Scores Free Lunch Participation Educational Attainment of Parents

Criterion Reference Test Scores Discipline Record Educational Attainment of Siblings

Cognitive Ability Test Score Personal Relationships (i.e.,

friends)

Language Spoken in the Home

Language Proficiency Ratings

(English & Primary Language Other

than English)

Enrollment/Placement in Other

Programs (Title I, ESL, Bilingual,

Even Start, Preschool, etc.)

Language Proficiency of Parent

Portfolio Assessment Ratings Gifted & Talented Access to Transportation

Teacher Survey of Basic Skill Needs Interest in Adult Basic Education Level of Parental Involvement

Early Childhood Development Test Interest in GED Mobility (Number of Moves)

Early Childhood Development

Survey

Interest in Enrollment in Public

School System

Family Income

Computer/Technology Literacy

Skills

Interest in Job Training Shelter/Food/Clothing

Abuse/Neglect

ACADEMIC PROGRESS

PERSONAL

CHARACTERISTICS

Family Conditions (e.g., foster care,

married teen, guardian, etc.)

Age-Grade Discrepancy Self Concept Rating

Grade Retention Self Esteem Rating

HEALTH INDICATORS

Attendance Record Special Talents/Strengths

Number of Interruptions to

Education During Regular School

Year

Social Behavior Assessment

Inventory Score

Medical Screening Result

Number of TASS Objectives

Mastered

Feeling, Attitudes, Behavior Scale

Index

Dental Screening Result

Last Grade Completed Education Goals Visual Screening Result

Grades Career Goals Auditory Screening Result

Credits Accrued for Graduation Hours of Employment Immunizations

Number of Failed Courses Library Card & Use Primary Health Care Access

Dropout Status Legal problem TB Test

Recommendation for Counseling Most Recent Physical Exam

Office of Migrant Education: 2001 New Directors Orientation

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COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT--APPENDIX

RESOURCES