EDD-FPX8528_ FullerCara2

Program Evaluation Plan for Oklahoma Department of Corrections Correctional Classrooms in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for EDD-FPX8528 – Assessment and Evaluation in the Learning Organization Prepared by Cara Fuller Capella University July 30, 2023 Instructor: Cheryl Bullock 1

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3 PART 1: SITE AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................ 3 P ROGRAM E VALUATION S ITE I NFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 3 D ESCRIPTION OF THE P ROGRAM ........................................................................................................................... 3 P URPOSE OF THE P ROGRAM .................................................................................................................................. 3 S TAKEHOLDERS AND P ARTICIPANTS ...................................................................................................................... 3 P ROGRAM G OALS /O BJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................. 3 Y OUR R OLE ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 N EED FOR THE E VALUATION .................................................................................................................................. 4 C OLLABORATION .................................................................................................................................................... 4 P ERMISSIONS .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 PART 2: EVALUABILITY ASSESSMENT AND LOGIC MODEL .................................................................. 4 PART 3: EVALUATION QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................. 4 PART 4: DATA COLLECTION PLAN ............................................................................................................. 5 PART 5: ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ...................................................................................................... 5 PART 6: DETAILED DESIGN STEPS .............................................................................................................. 6 PART 7: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..................................................................................................... 6 PART 8: CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 7 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. 8 APPENDIX. EVALUABILITY ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................. 9 2

Introduction The plan will present an evaluation plan for the correctional classrooms found within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The evaluation will examine both the effectiveness and needs of the program. This plan is broken into eight different parts. Part 1: Site and Program Description Program Evaluation Site Information The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is a state-run agency that oversees incarcerated individuals in Oklahoma. Agency polies and procedures are monitored by the state and major changes require legislative approval. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has a mission to protect the public and provide offenders with a second chance. The current slogan for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is “We Change Lives”. The Oklahoma department of corrections operates fifteen community work centers and twenty-five correctional centers. The agency oversees fifty-three thousand offenders, with about half that number being incarcerated individuals and half being under the supervision of probation or parole. Four thousand people, including seventy-seven correctional teachers, work for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections offers programs based in substance abuse treatment, education, and sex offender programs (Department of Corrections Oklahoma 2023). Description of the Program This evaluation will be specific to correctional education offered by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Correctional teachers work all over the state of Oklahoma. These teachers offer adult education programs (literacy/ABE/PreHigh School Equivalency/High School Equivalency), reentry classes, and oversee college programs. This evaluation will focus on the 3

high school equivalency courses offered at a single Oklahoma prison. Employment with the state of Oklahoma as a correctional teacher required a state teaching certification. Student enrollment varies greatly from facility to facility. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has offered various education programs since the agency was formed. Over time these programs have expanded and developed into what they are today. Purpose of the Program The need for correctional education services is well documented, with seventy percent of state prisoners in the United States not having a high school diploma or equivalent (Addae 20). Correctional education has proven to be an effective way to improve outcomes of incarcerated individuals (Reese 2019). Education is one of the main ways that the Department of Corrections meets its current slogan and “Changes Lives”. Stakeholders and Participants This program evaluation will benefit not only correctional education students, but also classrooms, the entire agency, and the state of Oklahoma. Correctional education students are impacted as this evaluation has the potential to support positive changes that help the students. Correctional classrooms may benefit with additional funding or expansion possible. Both the agency and the state of Oklahoma could reduce long term costs, mostly in reincarceration of individuals, based on this evaluation. Participants for this evaluation should include correctional teachers, program administration for correctional programs, and students who attend correctional classrooms. Information and evaluations may come from correctional students. Correctional teachers will need to make observations and complete research. Program administration will need to provide approvals and guidance for this evaluation. 4

Program Goals/Objectives The main goal of the education programs within the Department of Corrections is to have a positive impact on the incarcerated individuals that enroll in the programs. The reentry classes offered by the Department of Corrections are designed to teach individuals life skills before they return to communities. Topic covered in these courses include anger management, legal issues individuals may face, budgeting and financial topics, basic mathematical skills related to earning and payroll, and more. Each topic is based on documented needs of previously released incarcerated individuals. Adult basic education courses are designed to help individuals incarcerated within the state earn a high school diploma. These increases earning potential and confidence. The college program offered further increases earning potential and shows incarcerated individuals what they are capable of, increasing self-esteem and further reducing the risk someone will go back to prison. Reduced recidivism reduces costs for the Department of Corrections and supports overall communities by keeping families together and reducing the number of single parent households. Several problems have been identified with the high school equivalency program offered by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The largest problem is the low attendance rates in this programs. Incarcerated individuals are not taking advantage of this program being offered. Your Role in (or Connection With) the Program I am currently employed by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as a correctional teacher. I teach a high school equivalency course with a maximum enrollment of fifteen students in the morning, I offer a reentry class in the afternoons at both a minimum-security facility and a medium facility, and I oversee the college program offered via a partnership with a local college. I also hold additional responsibilities that include scheduling and proctoring new arrival testing 5