We've reviewed over 200 related Assessment Tools

Early in the process, we identified over 200 related assessment tools.  Each was carefully reviewed: to learn about approaches to assessment and to identify practice guidelines and related success indicators for the recreation and parks field.

All of these resources are available online and they cover every aspect of our work:

• 34 tools addressed recreation facilities
• 41 focussed on parks and natural area management
• 75 looked at program services (recreation, sport, arts, culture,after school, early childhood, etc.)
• 15 were about community building, and
• 95 addressed various aspects of management.

These resources have already been used to design the principles and approach to be taken.  They will continue to be used by our Advisory Team to ensure that we are building on the best approaches available.  And they will be used by each Expert Panel as they refine the actual practice guidelines and indicators that will be used in each of five modules of the Framework (community-building, programs, facilities, parks, management).

The 200 assessment tools have all been catalogued using Diigo - essentially an online annotated bibliography that allows you to search by the module categories and/or key words.  Someone using this Diigo service could look for assessment tools for:

• children's cultural programs
• sport programs
• gender equity in sport
• inclusion in facility design
• natural area parks
• risk management in facilities,
• etc.

Having searched and found a number of related annotations, the user can click on a link at the bottom of each annotation and go directly to the web source.  Generally, the full assessment tools are available for download.

We are in the process of making this Diigo resource available to anyone who is interested.  Please leave a comment with your contact information if you would like access; we'll keep you informed.