Aligning and Defining Measurement for an Informal STEM Learning Organization

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Systematic Analysis of Opportunities for Remedy and Repair in Out-of-School-Time Research (Table 3)

Abstract

This evaluation focused on aligning measurement of an informal STEM learning organization across diverse program models, creating evaluation plans that connect cohesively across programs while remaining developmentally appropriate based on the ages and stages of students served. To engage in this process, the evaluator engaged stakeholders in a bottom-up process of developing logic models for each program, conducting literature reviews to identify and blend best practices in informal STEM measurement, and collectively using this process to determine a unifying theory of change to inform future developments. Implications for the field are twofold: first, the process applied can be adopted to other comparable use cases, and second, the resulting measures and models may be a resource for other STEM organizations.

Authors

• Isabella Fante, Maryland State Department of Education

• Latasha Wright, BioBus

• Sana Nitin Sohoni, ExpandED Schools

• Phil Yakushev, ExpandED Schools