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MCPS moves to codify program-evaluation process; draft policy due in December
Summary
Staff described plans to draft a policy to formalize program evaluation, align the district’s program-evaluation framework with board oversight, and consider academic return on investment; a draft policy will be presented in December.
Montgomery County Public Schools staff told the Policy Management Committee on Sept. 16 they will prepare a draft policy to formalize program evaluation and to align board oversight with the district’s existing program-evaluation framework.
Dr. Keisha Addison, director of the Department of Shared Accountability, said the district’s program-evaluation framework was published publicly in 2023 and that several districts incorporate metrics intended to measure academic return on investment. “We engaged in a lot of conversation around processes as it relates to the program evaluation framework,” Addison said, and staff will return with a draft policy for committee review in December.
Why it matters: board members said a formal policy would help prioritize districtwide evaluations, guide when pilots should be scaled, and create a repeatable process for deciding which programs should be evaluated. Members urged that evaluations emphasize programs affecting the majority of students and that pilot selection avoid relying only on volunteer schools, which risks underrepresenting East County and other communities.
Discussion items staff will address in the draft policy include a definition of program evaluation, alignment with the district’s current program-evaluation framework, recommended review cycles, how to treat pilot programs and how to document follow-up after an evaluation. Committee members discussed whether policy should include an explicit matrix for prioritizing evaluations (for example, weighting dollars invested, student reach, or demonstrated outcome gaps) and concluded that the policy should describe principles and that implementation details and prioritization metrics may be better suited to implementing procedures or a regulation.
Next steps: staff will draft and return with a proposed policy (working title IEE) at the committee’s next calendar appearance, with the expectation of a December presentation. The board did not vote; members asked for attention to equity in pilot selection and for criteria that consider systemwide impact.
