CPE Program Planning & Design 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A program design incorporates both individual skill-building sessions and peer-support groups. This approach reflects which program design principle?
- Single-level intervention
- Multi-level or ecological intervention design (Correct answer)
- Deficit-based programming
- Universal prevention strategy only
Correct answer: Multi-level or ecological intervention design
Addressing both individual and social/peer levels reflects an ecological model, which recognizes that behavior change occurs across multiple interacting systems.
Question 2: When is a formative evaluation most appropriately conducted?
- After the program has concluded to assess long-term impact
- During program development or early implementation to improve design (Correct answer)
- When funders require accountability reporting
- Only when a program has failed to meet its goals
Correct answer: During program development or early implementation to improve design
Formative evaluation occurs during development or early implementation to identify improvements before the program is fully scaled.
Question 3: A CPE candidate is reviewing a program that targets all students in a school regardless of individual risk level. This is an example of which prevention strategy?
- Selective prevention
- Indicated prevention
- Universal prevention (Correct answer)
- Tertiary prevention
Correct answer: Universal prevention
Universal prevention targets an entire population without screening for individual risk, aiming to reduce incidence across the whole group.
Question 4: Which stakeholder engagement strategy is most effective for ensuring program design reflects community priorities?
- Distributing surveys after the program is designed
- Hosting community advisory boards during the planning phase (Correct answer)
- Sharing the final program plan at a public meeting
- Asking program staff to represent community perspectives
Correct answer: Hosting community advisory boards during the planning phase
Community advisory boards engage residents and stakeholders as co-designers during planning, embedding local priorities and increasing program relevance and trust.
Question 5: A program designer chooses to phase in program components over 18 months rather than launching all at once. This staged rollout approach is intended primarily to:
- Reduce the program's total budget
- Allow iterative learning and quality improvement before full scale (Correct answer)
- Limit the number of participants served
- Avoid regulatory oversight requirements
Correct answer: Allow iterative learning and quality improvement before full scale
Staged rollouts enable planners to learn from early implementation cycles and refine components before committing to full-scale delivery.
Question 6: An evaluator notes that a program's outcome measures are collected only at program exit with no baseline data. Which evaluation limitation does this most represent?
- Insufficient sample size
- Inability to assess change due to missing pre-program measurement (Correct answer)
- Lack of qualitative data
- Overreliance on administrative records
Correct answer: Inability to assess change due to missing pre-program measurement
Without baseline data, it is impossible to determine whether any observed post-program status represents change attributable to the program.
Question 7: Which document provides the most comprehensive framework for aligning program planning, implementation, and evaluation into a coherent strategy?
- An annual budget report
- A program evaluation plan linked to a logic model (Correct answer)
- A staffing org chart
- A participant satisfaction survey
Correct answer: A program evaluation plan linked to a logic model
A program evaluation plan grounded in a logic model connects intended activities, outcomes, and measurement strategies, ensuring alignment across all program phases.
CPE Program Planning & Design 5
A program design incorporates both individual skill-building sessions and peer-support groups.
This approach reflects which program design principle?