ABSTRACT
Measurement is an essential component of program development and evaluation. Measurement serves a vital function in screening and determining eligibility for a program, assessing implementation of the program, tracking progress, evaluating outcomes and impact, and determining how a program was (or was not) effective. Measures have been developed to assess a broad range of constructs and assist practitioners and researchers with multiple functions in program development, implementation, and evaluation. When an existing measure is available to assist with an assessment function, it is wise to select this instrument because measurement development can be time consuming and costly. Unfortunately, existing measures often are not available for specific functions (e.g., progress monitoring, integrity monitoring) or important constructs (e.g., family-school relationship, school-primary care provider relationship). In these cases, it is often essential to develop, pilot test, and validate an instrument for use in a project.
