5.

3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of
professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical
skills and/or increasing student learning. (PSC 5.3/ISTE 4c)
Artifact: ITEC 7460 GAPSS Review/Current Reality
Reflection
This GAPSS Review/Current Reality artifact was completed during the Fall of 2015 as a
part of my ITEC 7460 course. This artifact consists of a report on the current reality of
technology integration in the school as well as an evaluation using the Georgia Department of
Education-created GAPSS analysis. Section A of the artifact is based on an interview with the
principal that was used to inform the evaluation process and gauge the schools overall climate.
Part B of the artifact contains my GAPSS analysis results with evidence and recommendations.
This artifact demonstrates my ability to design and implement a program evaluation that
examines the effectiveness of professional learning regarding greater content knowledge as well
as increasing teachers pedagogical skills and improving student learning outcomes. Part A of the
GAPSS analysis utilized an extensive interview with the administrator of the school in order to
determine the most pressing issues affecting technology integration and the areas of strength.
Part B of the GAPSS analysis provided the specific evidence for each element that impacts areas
such as professional learning for teachers including deepening their content knowledge as well as
improving their pedagogical skills. Recommendations were included in this evaluation and
focused on ways to improve student learning outcomes using technology integration to modify
and redefine learning tasks.
Through the process of designing and implementing the program evaluation, I learned the
importance of fostering a trusting professional connection with the stakeholders at the school.

The principals time was limited; thus, I arrived prepared for the interview and ensured that my
initial questions were prioritized and easily understood by a non-native speaker. I learned that the
program evaluation process is an extensive undertaking that required a great deal of
collaboration with stakeholders all over the school. The evidence gathering process was the most
time-consuming, and I would like to allow myself more time to observe the school in the future.
I would also like to bring more stakeholders into the program evaluation process because I
believe that many hands make light work and two brains are better than one. Having other
perspectives would greatly improve the evaluation process, and I feel that limiting the GAPSS
analysis to just my perspective was a mistake easily remedied in the future.
This field experience and subsequent written artifact positively impact the professional
development of educators through the inclusion of evidence and recommendations from the
evaluation. Student learning was indirectly improved through the implementation of
recommendations made in the GAPSS evaluation. Seeing the concrete evidence of the schools
strengths and weaknesses in technology integration overall provided the incentive to implement
some of the recommendations I included in the evaluation.