Problems and Needed Improvements in Evaluating Office of Education Programs

A review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of federally supported education evaluations, primarily those concerning elementary and secondary education programs, in order to obtain objective data for allocating resources and in deciding whether or not programs should be continued or modified. Questionnaires were sent to education agencies in all States and the District of Columbia and to a statistical sample of local school districts to obtain State and local agencies' views on Federal education program evaluations. Federal, State, and local education agencies frequently use standardized norm-referenced achievement tests to measure the effect of Federal education programs.