Comprehensive Needs Assessment

A needs assessment is a systematic way of determining needs, examining their nature and causes, and setting priorities for future action. The approach progresses through a defined series of phases as shown below.

Section 1306 of the No Child Left Behind legislation requires state education agencies (SEAs) to deliver and evaluate Migrant Education Program (MEP) services based on a State plan that reflects the results of a current statewide CNA. The Eastern Stream Center has worked with 18 SEAs on the CNA, either through facilitation of the entire process or through consultation on parts of the process. Through this extensive experience, Eastern Stream staff have identified the benefits of the process for strategic planning purposes beyond migrant education. The process has been used successfully in developing priorities for English language learners, for example. Click on the links below to learn how the Eastern Stream Center can help your state or program.

Model adapted from Witkin and Altschuld (1995).