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Single-System Design×Goal Attainment Scaling×
FieldSocial WorkSocial Work
FamilyProcess / pipelineProcess / pipeline
Year of origin20091968
OriginatorMartin Bloom, Joel Fischer & John G. Orme (codification in social work)Thomas J. Kiresuk & Robert E. Sherman
TypeTime-series design for evaluating intervention with a single client systemIndividualized, criterion-referenced outcome measurement procedure
Seminal sourceBloom, M., Fischer, J., & Orme, J. G. (2009). Evaluating Practice: Guidelines for the Accountable Professional (6th ed.). Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 9780205458066Kiresuk, T. J., & Sherman, R. E. (1968). Goal attainment scaling: A general method for evaluating comprehensive community mental health programs. Community Mental Health Journal, 4(6), 443–453. DOI ↗
AliasesSingle-Subject Design, Single-Case Design, N-of-1 Design, Single-System EvaluationGAS, Goal Attainment Scale, Kiresuk-Sherman Goal Attainment Scaling, Individualized Goal Scaling
Related43
SummaryA single-system design is a time-series approach to evaluating practice in which a single client system — an individual, family, group, or organization — is measured repeatedly on a clearly defined target before and during (and sometimes after) an intervention. By tracking the same system over time rather than comparing a treatment group to a control group, it lets a practitioner judge whether their own intervention is associated with change in the people they actually serve. It is the methodological backbone of the 'accountable professional' tradition codified by Bloom, Fischer, and Orme.Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a method for measuring the outcomes of an individualized intervention by writing, in advance, a small set of client-specific goals and defining for each a graded scale of possible outcomes from much worse than expected to much better than expected. After the intervention, the actual outcome on each goal is scored on this scale and the scores are combined into a single standardized index, allowing idiosyncratic, personally meaningful goals to be aggregated and compared across clients and programs. It was introduced by Thomas Kiresuk and Robert Sherman in 1968 to evaluate community mental health programs.
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ScholarGateCompare methods: Single-System Design · Goal Attainment Scaling. Retrieved 2026-06-24 from https://scholargate.app/en/compare