Identifying Priorities

and Developing
Program Relevance
 Many needs may emerge for the
different strategies utilized for surfacing them.
Because resources may be limited, or
attending to too many needs can produce
disastrous results, it is better to establish
priorities for developing programs that are
relevant and significant to the target
population and setting.
From the findings of the need assessment, one can
identify what is most important to the stakeholders,
particularly the target population. This can be followed
by a listing of priorities. It would be wise to disregard or
refer needs that may not be the within the purview of the
professional responsibility of the Guidance and
Counseling Program or that may require resources
beyond the capability of the institution. Priorities must
then be arranged in a hierarchical order specifying when
and how they will be addressed.
Goals and
Objectives
 The prioritized needs should consequently be
translated into written goals and objectives. While
the program goals are typically described in
broad, general, non-time bound terms, the
program objectives must be stated in specific,
pertinent, attainable, measurable, observable and
time-bound terms.
 They are formulated to describe desired
performances related to the meeting of expressly
identified needs and relevant to the achievement
of a program goal. In other words, the objectives
must be couched in behavioral terms.