Vision: The M&E Working Group develops tools and trainings to increase child survival and health program performance and quality through the standardization of use of data, analysis and reporting.

2008 Working Group Highlights

2008 Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group Highlights In 2008, the M&E Working Group hosted a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting, in which practitioners developed new guidelines for parallel sampling in order to improve the quality of monitoring and evaluation efforts. Two documents were developed as a result of the meeting, including:

• Parallel Sampling: Lot Quality Assurance Sampling

• Parallel Sampling: Question and Answer Guide

The Parallel Sampling document provides guidance for using the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) parallel sampling methodology for conducting multiple surveys at the same time from different sample groups using the same logistical system. The U.S. Agency for International Development's Rapid CORE Assessment Tool for Child Health (Rapid CATCH) establishes a set of indicators, several with different denominators, required of all grantees supported by the Child Survival and Health Grants Program. Rapid CATCH 2007 indicators are used to illustrate the parallel sampling methodology.

The Q&A Guide provides some of the most common questions about the use of parallel sampling. Questions include:

• When should/shouldn't I use LQAS?
• If I just want a coverage estimate (mean and confidence interval) at the level of the project area, and am not worried about performance of indicators within sub-project areas (e.g., supervision areas), is LQAS for me?
• What criteria should guide the selection of Supervision Areas?
• May LQAS results be stratified by ethnic group, gender, and other variables of interest?
• Why is a sample size of 19 sufficient? When is a sample size of 19 too small?
• At what point do you stop collecting data on an indicator?
• How many times do you go back to a house?
• If there is more than one respondent in a household, should they be included in the survey?

KPC Field-Based Mentoring Program

The M&E Working Group began offering a KPC Field Based Mentoring Program for members of the CORE Group. The program is designed to allow members involved in M&E for their organizations obtain hands-on field experience. For more information: KPC Mentoring Opportunities.

The M&E working group hosted several technical updates over the last year on topics including: measuring community capacity and learning the terminology used for documenting, testing, and measuring innovations.

• Past highlights

Working Group Tools/Resources

• Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS): Protocol for Parallel Sampling
• Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS): Frequently Asked Questions
• KPC Mentoring Opportunities
• M&E Technical Reference Materials
• Assessing Community Health Programmes Using LQAS for Baseline Surveys and Regular Monitoring (2007):
  • Français
  • Español
• MEASURE Evaluation: MENTOR (Monitoring and Evaluation Network of Training On-line Resources)
• KPC Training: Trainers Manual, Loma Linda University, 2006
• KPC Training: Participants Workbook, Loma Linda University, 2006
• LQAS Series: On-Line Workshop (February-April 2006)
• A Guide for Monitoring and Evaluating Child Health Programs - MEASURE Evaluation Project (September 2005)
• KPC Survey Training Curriculum (December 2004)
• KPC Field Guide (MS Word Doc)
• KPC 2000+ Survey/ All Modules
  • New: Module 4E: Malaria (March 2008)
  • Module 1A: Household Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (April 2005)
  • Module 2: Breastfeeding and Infant/Child Nutrition (June 2006)
  • Module 7: HIV/AIDS/STIs (January 2005)
• PEPFAR Indicators - Reporting Requirements and Guidelines (April 2004)
• KPC 2000+ Task Force (May 2003)
• LQAS Trainer's Guide (2003)
• LQAS Manual (March 2002)
• KPC Membership Survey
• Health Facility Assessment Tools
• IMPACT M&E Guide
• Resources For Qualitative Research

For additional resources, see Child Health + Development database.

Working Group Meetings and Reports

• Epi Info Training Workshop - Uganda (April 2005)
• Epi Info Training Workshop - Nicaragua (October 2003)

Working Group Toolbox

• Working Group Member List

Useful Links

• Gender Evaluation Methodology
• MEASURE Evaluation
• Performance Assessment Resource Centre
• M&E Tools at CSTS

Photo: Project Hope