This article reports on the evaluability assessment (EA) of a program to prevent substance use among young people transitioning from primary to secondary school. Termed Network Intervention (NI), the program is implemented among fifth- and sixth-grade students from five primary schools within a single school board in Quebec. Drawing from qualitative data gathered via interviews, meeting notes and the patient navigator’s logbook, the study allowed a better understanding of the program and its logic model, a tool necessary for the coming evaluation activities.

Evaluability assessment (EA) was conceptualized in the late 1970s following the finding of poor program implementation quality and inability of evaluations  to meet stakeholders' needs. EA is an approach that might allow improvement to  both the program and the evaluation to be conducted later. In fact, EA may, on  the one hand help clarify a program theory and on the other hand, facilitate the  elaboration of the logic model, which are helpful for program implementation.