The framework used in this toolkit is based on five tiers of evaluation, originally developed by Francie H. Jacobs in The Five-Tiered Approach to Evaluation: Context and Implementation. The five tiers are originally defined as the follows:
This framework is intended to be integrated throughout all stages of program development, from planning to implementation. As programs develop and change, different tiers of this evaluation framework can be applied. It is developed with flexibility in mind and can be adapted for various educational programs.
In the paper Financial Education and Program Evaluation, published by the Handbook of Consumer Financial Research, authors Jonathan J. Fox and Suzanne Bartholomae advocate for the adoption of Jacobs’ five-tier framework to evaluate financial education programs. We further adapt the original model to meet the needs of different players in high school financial education to effectively evaluate programs.
