PASA ensures program quality by connecting what youth experience with how programs perform. We regularly gather data and feedback from youth, families, partner schools, and programs providers through surveys, observation, and focus groups and surveys including the Holistic Student Assessment-Retrospective (HSA-R) and Survey of Academic and Youth Outcomes – Youth (SAYO-Y) and -Teacher (SAYO-T). This feedback directly informs our professional development and program offerings.
The results speak for themselves. Among AfterZone youth, 87% report that programs help them "discover what they're good at," while Hub youth show significant increases in learning interest (87%), critical thinking (79%), and reflection skills (77%). These outcomes reflect the effectiveness of our approach to connecting retention to results.
We also evaluate program quality by looking at design, staffing, practices, and activities using standards from nationally recognized youth development research organizations including the Forum for Youth Investment, the David P Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, and Every Hour Counts. These same standards are used by Rhode Island’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers network, as well as statewide afterschool funders, ensuring our approach aligns with best practices in the field.
This multi-level feedback creates a cycle of ongoing improvement. What we learn from youth and programs, informs our professional development, which strengthens programs, which improves retention, which results in youth outcomes.
The Rhode Island Department of Education regularly completes evaluation of PASA programs. The most recent evaluation was completed June 27, 2025 and is available upon request at info@mypasa.org.