CPE CPE Logic Models & Theory of Change 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CPE is reviewing a logic model that shows no link between program activities and intended outcomes. This is called a:
- Fidelity gap
- Theory failure
- Logic gap (Correct answer)
- Implementation gap
Correct answer: Logic gap
A logic gap occurs when there is no plausible causal connection between what a program does and the outcomes it claims to produce.
Question 2: Which type of outcomes in a logic model are typically measured 5–10 years after program implementation?
- Short-term outcomes
- Immediate outputs
- Long-term impacts (Correct answer)
- Process milestones
Correct answer: Long-term impacts
Long-term impacts represent the ultimate, sustained changes in conditions or systems that a program aims to influence, often observed years after implementation.
Question 3: A program's Theory of Change should be developed:
- After the final evaluation report is published
- Before program implementation to guide design and evaluation planning (Correct answer)
- Only when a program fails its audit
- Exclusively by external evaluators, not program staff
Correct answer: Before program implementation to guide design and evaluation planning
Developing a Theory of Change before implementation ensures the program's design and evaluation plan are aligned with intended causal pathways.
Question 4: In logic model development, 'external factors' refer to:
- The program budget line items
- Environmental influences outside the program's control that may affect outcomes (Correct answer)
- Staff turnover rates within the program
- Evaluation contractor fees
Correct answer: Environmental influences outside the program's control that may affect outcomes
External factors are contextual influences—such as economic conditions or policy changes—that can affect outcomes but are beyond the program's direct control.
Question 5: Which practice BEST validates a program's Theory of Change during evaluation?
- Increasing the program's marketing budget
- Testing assumptions by collecting evidence on whether intermediate outcomes lead to long-term outcomes (Correct answer)
- Limiting evaluation to participant satisfaction surveys
- Hiring more program staff
Correct answer: Testing assumptions by collecting evidence on whether intermediate outcomes lead to long-term outcomes
Validation of a Theory of Change requires empirically testing whether the assumed causal links between intermediate and long-term outcomes hold in practice.
Question 6: A logic model that includes only outputs and no outcomes is problematic because it:
- Makes data collection too complex
- Fails to articulate the change the program aims to create (Correct answer)
- Exceeds the required page limit for grant applications
- Includes too many stakeholder perspectives
Correct answer: Fails to articulate the change the program aims to create
Without outcomes, a logic model only tracks what a program does, not what difference it makes, undermining the evaluation's ability to assess effectiveness.
CPE CPE Logic Models & Theory of Change 2
A CPE is reviewing a logic model that shows no link between program activities and intended outcomes.
This is called a: