▁the ▁valid ity , ▁reli ability ▁and ▁transfer ability ▁of ▁the ▁evaluation . ▁The ▁sho est ring ▁approach ▁has ▁been ▁created ▁to ▁assist ▁evalu ators ▁▁ ▁to ▁correct ▁ ▁the ▁limitations ▁identified ▁above ▁by ▁ident ifying ▁ways ▁to ▁reduce ▁costs ▁and ▁time , ▁re construct ▁bas eline ▁data ▁and ▁to ▁ensure ▁maximum ▁quality ▁under ▁existing ▁constraints ▁( B am berger ▁et ▁al ., ▁ 2 0 0 4 ). ▁ ▁Five - t ier ed ▁approach ▁The ▁five - t ier ed ▁approach ▁to ▁evaluation ▁further ▁develop s ▁the ▁strateg ies ▁that ▁the ▁sho est ring ▁approach ▁to ▁evaluation ▁is ▁based ▁upon . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁originally ▁developed ▁by ▁Jacob s ▁( 1 9 8 8 ) ▁as ▁an ▁alternative ▁way ▁to ▁evaluate ▁community - based ▁programs ▁and ▁as ▁such ▁was ▁applied ▁to ▁a ▁state wide ▁child ▁and ▁family ▁program ▁in ▁Massachusetts , ▁U . S . A . ▁The ▁five - t ier ed ▁approach ▁is ▁offered ▁as ▁a ▁concept ual ▁framework ▁for ▁matching ▁evalu ations ▁more ▁precisely ▁to ▁the ▁characteristics ▁of ▁the ▁programs ▁themselves , ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁particular ▁resources ▁and ▁constraints ▁inher ent ▁in ▁each ▁evaluation ▁context . ▁In ▁other ▁words , ▁the ▁five - t ier ed ▁approach ▁see ks ▁to ▁tail or ▁the ▁evaluation ▁to ▁the ▁specific ▁needs ▁of ▁each ▁evaluation ▁context . ▁ ▁The ▁earlier ▁t iers ▁( 1 - 3 ) ▁generate ▁descript ive ▁and ▁process - orient ed ▁information ▁while ▁the ▁later ▁t iers ▁( 4 - 5 ) ▁determine ▁both ▁the ▁short - term