If the program is only evaluated for behavioral change, however, it is certain to fail. Ongoing calibration of both is crucial for designing effective programs and evaluations. When making decisions about measurements and standards, decisionmakers should strive for change that is not only statistically significant, but also substantive. Therefore, although a change to the 50th percentile is important and should be recognized as progress, setting a standard based on the percentage of students scoring in the 70th percentile would reflect a research-based goal shown to significantly impact students' lives. The importance of the 70th percentile is based on an analysis of national data, but this critical point is probably different for different states across the nation.
States can use data they already collect to determine standards for themselves.
Standards based on state data will be more relevant and compelling than national statistics. Capacity building can follow after decisions about, and even steps toward, implementation. Plan, implement, and then check and build capacity through feedback of success from implementation. They may also be established for different strands of the initiative, such as economic development, physical conditions and housing, security, service integration and reform, educational reform, etc. Depending on the complexity of the initiative, there could be separate outcome grids for the overall initiative and for each strand.