ABSTRACT
Although Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) was developed to evaluate the results of mental health treatment and community interventions, it was widely adopted by many other human service programs. Because of its ability to assess change brought about by any form of intervention, GAS has many applications in education, rehabilitation, medicine, corrections, nursing, chaplain training, social work, and chemical dependency. In education, for instance, the method is used to monitor improvement in skills and knowledge in programs that range from mental retardation to professional education. New applications continue to be reported, including its use in system-wide program administration and evaluation. Following its widespread dissemination in the United States, GAS has been adapted for use in several foreign countries and languages. Thousands of requests for information and expressions of interest have been received, first at the Program Evaluation Resource Center in Minneapolis, where GAS was first applied, and subsequently at other organizations that developed applications and implementation materials.
