RESEARCH & EVALUATION
School
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE TOOL
The Ohio Quality Assessment Tool
The Ohio Quality Assessment Rubric is a series of instruments designed by CAYCI to assess the perceptions of quality in afterschool settings among various stakeholders. O-QAR is comprised of four tools which have been developed by leaders in the CAYCI department of the College of Social Work at OSU over the past six years, including a stakeholder tool, a parent/guardian tool, an elementary aged youth tool, and a secondary aged tool. The various forms of O-QAR have been used in 21st Century Community Learning Centers and other afterschool programs to assess perceptions about various program characteristics such as the quality of youth development practices, academic learning, safety/health/nutrition, parent involvement, sustainability, and staffing.
While these tools are available for use in the public domain, we ask that you cite the scale appropriately (citation below), and let us know how you are using the O-QAR. For a nominal fee, we also can help you collect data through online versions of the O-QAR tools – just email us for more information! Also be sure to check out the 21st Century Learning Centers Project Tools portion of this website to access resources designed to help afterschool programs use O-QAR results to bring about positive change for their programs and youth.
Anderson-Butcher, D., Iachini, A., Wade-Mdivanian, R., Gezinski, L., & Gibson, A. (2013). The Ohio Quality Assessment Rubric Guide. Columbus, OH: College of Social Work, Ohio State University.
