Evaluating Practicecontinues to be the most comprehensive practice evaluation text available. Focusing on single-system designs, Evaluating Practice, 6/e presents clear guidelines on conceptualizing and measuring problems, developing practice-oriented evaluation designs, understanding and analyzing data, and ethical guidelines for practice evaluation. Unsurpassed among human service evaluation texts for bringing clarity to evaluation procedures, Evaluating Practice comes with a free CD-ROM featuring numerous programs, including the innovative SINGWIN program for analyzing data (created by Charles Auerbach, David Schnall, and Heidi Heft Laporte of Yeshiva University), and the CASS and CAAP programs (created by Walter Hudson) for managing cases and scoring scales.

Table of Contents:
Preface   Prologue     Part I   What Are You Getting Into?  1  Integrating Evaluation and Practice   Introduction to Single-System Designs   What Are Single-System Designs?  Evidence-Based Practice Single-System Designs and Classical Research: The Knowledge-Building Context  Single-System Evaluation, Qualitative Research, and Quantitative Research  Advantages of Using Single-System Designs in Practice  A Walk through the Evaluation Process  Summary      Part II Conceptualizing and Measuring Targets and Objectives/Goals   2  Basic Principles of Conceptualization and Measurement   Introduction  What Is Conceptualization?  What Is Measurement?  Definition as a First Step in Measurement  Can Everything Be Measured?  Key Characteristics of All Measures  Summary    3   Specifying Problems and Goals     Introduction: From General Problems to Specific Targets of Intervention  Specifying Client Concerns: Identifying and Clarifying Problems and Potentials  Specifying Goals and Objectives Using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) to Establish Goals  Setting Goals in Groups  Problems and Issues in Setting Goals  Summary    4  Developing a Measurement and Recording Plan   Introduction  Steps in Developing a Recording Plan  Charting: Putting Your Information on Graphs  Problem-Oriented Records (POR) Use of Computers in Evaluation and Practice  Summary    Computer Assisted Social Services (CASS): A User’s Guide  Appendix: Installing CASS  5   Behavioral Observation     Introduction  General Guidelines for Behavioral Observation  Sampling Behaviors  Instruments for Recording Behaviors  Ensuring Accurate Observations  Methods of Recording Behavior  Analog Situations  Recording Behavior in Groups  Summary    6    Individualized Rating Scales     Introduction  Uses of Individualized Rating Scales  Constructing and Using Individualized Rating Scales  Summary    7     Standardized Scales   Introduction  What Are Standardized Scales?  Selecting a Standardized Scale  Administering a Standardized Scale  Some Available Standardized Self-Report Scales  Some Available Standardized Scales for Practitioners  Some Available Standardized Scales for Relevant Others  Some Available Standardized Scales for Independent Observers