Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance
Technical Assistance + Community
PEQA is developing a variety of quality assurance (QA) tools to help VR programs with their questions and needs, all of which can be found on their website. Project partners include the Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute located at the University of Wisconsin-Stout; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Michigan State University; the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR); and the Summit Group.
Resources include a QA checklist/workbook, mini-communities of practice working on common QA challenges, training webinars for QA beginners and QA experts, and a repository of successful QA practices posted by VR programs. Sign up at the PEQA site to get the latest QA updates. Visit https://peqatac.org and click on “Join” in the upper left-hand corner.
You're Invited to Learn and Share
The Summit/PEQA Performance Management Excellence Conference will be held September 4-6, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This conference will focus on the themes of program evaluation and quality assurance by 1) showcasing the evaluation results and projects of VR practitioners, academic researchers, and other researchers in the VR field; and, 2) promoting excellence in quality assurance as a key element to providing and managing effective employment-related services. Additional information can be found at: https://peqatac.org/join-summit-conference-2018/
Evaluation Tool Training Available at No Cost
PEQA collaborated with Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) on a webinar introducing the latest version of the Vocational Rehabilitation Evaluation Coach (“The Coach”). The Coach is a free, online tool that helps VR agencies answer important questions about efficiency and effectiveness using five easy steps. PEQA and MPR are planning future webinars on topics of interest to VR staff and management. You can watch a recording of the webinar and read a FAQ about the coach at: https://peqatac.org/vr-program-evaluation-coach/
Certificate Program Online
PEQA manages the Certificate for Instruction in Program Evaluation (CIPE) online training program. Individuals working in their state VR agency with program evaluation and/or data analysis responsibilities are eligible to apply to participate. CIPE is a comprehensive online course in the fundamentals of program evaluation and includes a capstone project. Course participation takes approximately 12-18 months. As of spring 2018 there are 35 participants in four cohort groups. The next round of applications will be announced soon and those accepted into the program will begin October 1, 2018. Applications will be available at https://peqatac.org/certification/
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