Topic outline

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  The Summit Group:

  Program Evaluation & Quality Assurance

  in Vocational Rehabilitation

  The Summit Group is a community of practice committed to the professional education and training of Vocational Rehabilitation Program Evaluators and to the improvement of performance management within state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Focus on these objectives is a means to (1) assuring quality service delivery to people with disabilities, (2) preserving quality programs within the vocational rehabilitation system, (3) encouraging innovation and change in both service delivery and program offerings.

  • The Summit Group's New Website URL
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  2013 Summit

  The 6th Annual Summit on Vocational Rehabilitation Program Evaluation & Quality Assurance will be held September 16-17, 2013 at the Omni Providence Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island.

   

  The RFP is out and registration will open in this summer.  The Summit's conference website is www.VRSummit.org
  

  Save the Date - Flyer

  
  
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  2012 Summit

  5th Summit in 2012

  The Summit is an educational and skill building event for individuals interested in improving VR agency performance. These two days are dedicated to learning from experts in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation Program Evaluation, networking with professionals from different agencies and creating new interstate initiatives that will improve program evaluation and quality assurance in state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies. We hope that you will join us in San Antonio for this 5th anniversary year!

  PowerPoint Handouts now available:

  • 2012 Summit Presentations - PowerPoints and Recordings Page
  • Summit Overview and Hotel Information File
  • Summit Program Booklet - revised File

  
  
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  Summit Reading Group - Dashboard

   

  • Summit Reading Group DASHBOARD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

    Welcome to our DASHBOARD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

    Members of the 3^rd Summit Reading Group are grateful to the National Clearinghouse for providing space on its website to promote the activities of the Summit Reading Groups.

    The Summit Group on Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance is dedicated to VR agency program improvement.  One professional development opportunity that the Summit Group offers to its members is voluntary involvement in the Summit Reading Groups.  Currently, the Summit is running its third reading group and the book under discussion is Stephen Few's Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data (2006).

    As part of our current group work together, we are developing a dashboard project to assist in the professional understanding of how a dashboard can effectively display data to improve communication and performance management in state vocational rehabilitation programs across the United States. This dashboard project will be developed and refined over the next eight months.

    The outcome from this dashboard project will be a proposal for a professional presentation to attendees of the 5^th Summit Conference in September, 2012.

    Specifically, we aim to show how dashboard development and use can help VR agency leaders and staff to meet standards of utility and feasibility in performance management.

    Each month, beginning in late January through September 2012, we will post a developmental aspect of a dashboard display and provide information to readers. You can expect information on the topics listed below.  

    PLEASE ASK US QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME. To ask a question of the group, please click on the Forum Icon on the DASHBOARD DEVELOPMENT site and click on 'add discussion.'  Type in your question and hit 'submit.'

  • Dashboard Survey Results_State Directors File
  • Ask the Group a Question about Dashboard Development Forum

  • Understanding visual perception as a means of communication_January 2012
    

    Role of dashboards_February 2012
    

    Mistakes_March 2012

    How to distinguish, within a dashboard, what is currently going on and variation in timing_April 2012         

    Enrichment through comparison and evaluation_May 2012       

    Options/Types of displays_June-July 2012

    
    
    
    

  
  
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  Florida Public Meeting

  “Lessons Learned” From Conducting RSA State Plan Public Meetings in Florida"

  
  
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  2011 Webinar Series

  Summit Webinar Series

  2011 Webinar Series for Vocational Rehabilitation Program Evaluators!

  Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Other Mapping Tools in Vocational Rehabilitation Programs

  • 10/21/2011 Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Other Mapping Tools in Vocational Rehabilitation Programs Page

  
  
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  Summit Webinar Archives

  Summit Webinar Archives

  The Summit Group is sponsoring a series of 8 webinars. Past webinars are archived below.

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  • 2012 Summit Presentations - PowerPoints and Recordings Page
  • 06/10/2011 at 2:00 pm EDT Research Basics 101 Review (Things you already know but may have forgotten) Page
  • 07/25/2011 at 2:00 pm EDT Project Design 101: How to Develop and Implement a Doable Plan (and Other Practical Issues) Page
  • 08/15/2011 at 2:00 pm EDT Stats 101: What can you do with the data you have? (We promise this will be painless.) Page
  • November 16, 2010: Disability Compendium 2010: A One Stop Knowledge Shop Page
  • May 18, 2010: VR Program Management: Quality Assurance Page
  • February 23, 2010: Economic Impact Study for the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation Page
  • November 24, 2009: Population-Based Estimates to Assist VR Planning and Evaluation (Andrew Houtenville) Page
  • July 21, 2009: Completing a Statewide Needs Assessment Plan: Perspectives and Lessons Learned (Darlene Groomes) Page
  • May 21, 2009: Changing VR Systems Through QA (Joe Matthews) Page

  
  
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  Summit QA Resources

  Summit QA Resources

  The following materials have been collected from Program Evaluation & QA efforts from programs around the nation. They are organized according to topic.

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  • Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment Tools Page
  • Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment Reports Page
  • Conference Call Transcripts Page
  • Customer Satisfaction Surveys Page
  • State Vocational Rehabilitation QA Manuals Page
  • Return on Investment Studies Page
  • Case File Review Instruments Page
  • Occupational Groups and Employer Analyses Page

  
  
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  2008-2011 Summit Conferences

  Summit Conference Proceedings and Materials

  A collection of the proceedings of the conferences thus far.

  • 2011 Summit Conference Page
  • 2010 Summit Conference Page
  • 2009 Summit Conference Page
  • 2008 Summit Conference Page

  
  
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  Satisfaction Surveys

  Here is the listing for surveys associated with your webinars.

  
  
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  Needs Assessment Survey

  Needs Assessment Survey

  • Needs Assessment Survey Questionnaire

  
  
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  Summit Reading Groups

  Welcome Group Members! My name is Darlene Groomes and I am very pleased to facilitate the Reading Groups. I hope that we can have a truly interactive process and experience that will strengthen our participation in the national Summit Group.

  Participation in the Summit Reading Groups is one element of professional development that the Summit Group offers to its members.  These Reading Groups strive to (1) offer information on the process behind program evaluation, quality improvement, and performance management; (2) provide an opportunity to build a professional library and reference base; (3) create conversations about innovative ways to face day-to-day concerns or challenges for the improvement of state VR agencies; and (4) develop tools, examples, and/or recommendations that members can take into their organization for possible implementation.

  The reading groups are comprised of interested individuals who want to read a book that is relevant to key issues facing Vocational Rehabilitation, and exchange personal and professional input, feedback, and learning content.  Three reading group sessions have been completed over two years, and the Summit Reading Group is excited by the interest and focused sharing of resources and information. The first group read Patton's book entitled: Utilization-Focused Evaluation (2008, Fourth Edition). The second reading group discussed Sylvia and Sylvia's Program Planning and Evaluation for the Public Manager (2004, 3rd edition). The third reading group read and presented on Stephen Few's Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data (2006).

  At the San Antonio Summit this past September, the 3^rd Reading Group presented their learned outcomes and impressions on performance dashboard development.  This specific experience of generating awareness and providing training was new, productive, and served as a model for future training and development opportunities from the Reading Groups.  The 4^th Reading Group will begin on November 16, 2012 and will engage monthly through September, 2013. The fourth reading group will read Scholtes' book, The Leader's Handbook: Making Things Happen, Getting Things Done (1998).

  All activities will occur at this site, such as Resource Posting, Forum Discussions, and Chat Sessions.  I would like to express thanks to Utah State University for hosting the reading groups on the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials website.  As we mainly communicate through teleconferences to exchange our thoughts and share our reactions to the book content, I also wish to thank Dr. Scott Sabella and Mr. Matthew Markve for providing access to the conferencing system through the University of Northern Colorado.

  Let’s get started!

   

  • Directions for How to Post to a Forum File

  
  
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  • Quality Assurance Development Forum

  
  
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