About Us
EvalSolutions is a client-centered organization. While the vast experiences
of the director, Dr. Elizabeth Oyer, and key partners provide a wealth of resources,
the unique needs of individual projects are always at the core of all evaluation
services.
Organization Bio
EvalSolutions was established in 2001 as a full-service organization providing
evaluation consultation for state, regional, and local education agencies. Current
and past clients include state departments of education, regional education cooperatives
and service centers, private foundations, as well as individual school districts
with federal or state grant awards.
Evaluation Philosophy
Regardless of the budget and scale of the evaluation, several "truths" are evident.
First, there are a variety of methodologies and models of evaluation. The most appropriate,
valid approach to a specific evaluation emerges from the goals and objectives of
the project, intervention, or curriculum and may be a combination of different models.
In addition, empirical and interpretive methodologies address different, equally
relevant questions in an evaluation. Neither approach should be summarily excluded
without considering their possible contributions to the primary goals and questions
driving the evaluation. Finally, effective evaluation incorporates an appropriate
evaluation model, with strategies evolving from a clear understanding of the participants
and context, utilizing appropriate measurement and analyses in a planned, efficient
manner.
Director Bio
As an evaluation specialist, Dr. Elizabeth Oyer provides a wide range of evaluation
consulting services from the proposal phase through the final reporting stages of
your grant or project. Dr. Oyer specializes in working with educators and service
providers who need external support for designing or implementing effective, meaningful
evaluation solutions for their projects. Her past undergraduate and graduate level
teaching experience has provided her with the expertise to translate complex research
concepts into understandable, applied terms for non-researchers.
Dr. Oyer's education and professional experience has focused on empirical and interpretive
research and specifically the use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies
in evaluation. Highlights include:
- Ph.D. Indiana University, Educational Psychology, Minor in Instructional Systems
Technology
- MS Indiana University, Educational Psychology
- BA Purdue University, Psychology and Communications
As an independent evaluator, her professional experiences include evaluation of
state programs in educational technology and Advanced Placement as well as local
evaluation for technology-related projects at the elementary, high school, and higher
education level as well as for teacher professional development programs. In addition,
she has evaluated reading outcomes for children participating in inquiry-based curricula,
programs for high school students taking online classes as well as teacher technology
integration and literacy. Finally, she has conducted several longitudinal studies
of federally-funded projects for American History interventions throughout the Ohio
Valley in Kentucky.
At the University of Illinois at Chicago, she was the evaluation coordinator for
a large, 14-school, longitudinal study. She managed and participated in all measurement
design, data collection, and training activities as well as contributing to grant
writing and data analysis for the project. Evaluation for the project included both
empirical and interpretive methodologies.
At the University of Chicago, she was a research specialist for a variety of large,
national longitudinal survey projects. Her duties ranged from survey construction
and data management to developing training materials and managing field staff.
The professional partnerships established by Dr. Oyer are vital to providing the
full range of evaluation services offered by EvalSolutions. While Dr. Oyer
acts as the sole evaluator on many projects, for some clients, there is a need to
collaborate with professional peers and support staff to provide the most effective
evaluation solutions.
EvalSolutions's partners include other evaluators with whom Dr. Oyer has personal
experience and trust. In addition, while some technical solutions are provided directly
by Dr. Oyer, more complex data warehousing and management services require the experience
of her degreed associates in the computing industry. Finally, administrative support
for clerical tasks is available when local resources and infrastructure require
reinforcement.
Recent Milestone
EvalSolutions collaborated with TA Consulting to complete a Whitepaper summarizing work on Common Core State Standards for Mathematics as part of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program.