Implement and Conduct Rigorous Evaluation of the Intervention
This expectation instructs TPP Tier 2 Rigorous Impact Evaluation projects to:
- Conduct a rigorous impact and implementation evaluation using a robust design feasible for the intervention setting and population.
- Ensure intervention(s) are a good fit for the setting and population to be served, have a clear logic model, and are implemented only with participants in the evaluation sample (unless piloting).
- Ensure programming received by the control group is different enough from the intervention group to allow for a meaningful test of the intervention.
- Obtain necessary approvals by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and work closely with OPA and Evaluation Technical Assistance (Evaluation TA) to refine, improve, and finalize evaluation design and methods prior to implementation and throughout the project.
- The evaluation design must:
- Be a randomized control trial (RCT) or a quasi-experimental design (QED) with a comparison group. The study must include a counterfactual.
- Meet the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review (TPPER) 6.0 criteria when feasible and, if not feasible, seek OPA approval for an alternative design.
- Be conducted through a credible, neutral process which includes use of an independent external evaluator.
- Include plans to ensure baseline equivalency.
- Address limitations, bias, and possible threats to internal and external validity.
- Be registered online (e.g., clinicaltrials.gov).
- The data collection plan should:
- Be relevant to the logic model and proposed research questions.
- Include at least one sexual behavioral outcome. Other outcomes may be collected if they are “associated risk factors” related to unintended teen pregnancy.
- During the performance period, collect survey data at baseline, at one short-term follow-up, and at one long-term follow-up.
- Justify any additional data points proposed beyond these three points and discuss feasibility and necessity with OPA.
- Submit a data analysis plan in year 3.