What specific questions guide your assessment?

Assessment questions are essentially the purpose of your assessment in question form. They are derived from clearly stated objectives that flow from the program’s overall goals. Effective assessment questions are a direct reflection of the purpose of the assessment, are appropriate to the specific outcomes of a given program or service and can be answered realistically in a measurable way. Here are some resources to help you get started.

Does the data already exist?

This stage is also a good point to take stock as to what kind of information your questions cover. Before collecting new data, it can be valuable to identify what data already exists, what topics are covered, and their location. SAIRO may also already have existing data that can be used in your assessment too.

To find out if data already exists and how to request it, check out the Reports and Data section.

Step 4: Select Method and Conduct Assessment