What are outputs in the ROSS program?
Outputs are the direct products of program activities. Measuring outputs allows the Service Coordinator to monitor program implementation through quantifiable evidence of the number and/or proportion of completed activities as well as the duration and/or dosage of services delivered. Outputs indicate incremental progress and achievements along the way to desired outcomes.
The below example includes measurable outputs in assisting families with children to improve their children’s educational achievement:
ROSS participant, Boston Housing Authority
- The share of parents with children under age 5 who are enrolled in the ROSS program
Enrollment is the first step in working with a Service Coordinator to identify any barriers to educational achievement. Service Coordinators can refer enrolled residents to services to overcome those barriers.
- The number of referrals to an early childhood education program
When residents express interest in accessing a certain type of service, Service Coordinators make referrals to facilitate those connections. Referrals to early childhood education programs increase the likelihood that parents of young children will enroll them in those programs.
When residents express interest in accessing a certain type of service, Service Coordinators make referrals to facilitate those connections. Referrals to early childhood education programs increase the likelihood that parents of young children will enroll them in those programs.
- Enrollment data (e.g., number of participants, percentage of residents contacted about the ROSS program who actually enroll)
- Average number of hours of case management or service coordination assistance per participant per quarter
- Average number of referrals per participant
- Proportion of services referrals that result in participants accessing services (i.e., “take-up rate”)
- Types of services provided and number of community partners
ROSS Service Coordinators can typically use their tracking system to generate reports that roll up individual participant data into program-level outputs.