In order to determine how vocational education programs should be evaluated, it is first necessary to define vocational education, to describe how vocational education programs are now being evaluated, to find out how other federal education programs are evaluated, and to suggest what criteria might reasonably be set out in future federal legislation for the evaluation of vocational education. Vocational education can be defined as encompassing some 28,000 institutions providing three types of occupational preparation, in nine general types of program areas, at four educational levels, to meet the needs of at least seven special needs groups. Studies by several researcher and Congressional hearings have demonstrated that vocational education is being evaluated on a variety of criteria, with a confusing mix of data. Federal regulations, however, call for each state vocational education program to be evaluated once every five years in terms of planning and operational processes, student achievement, student employment success, and results of additional services provided to special populations. Title I (Education of Disadvantaged Children) and Public Law 94-142 (Education of the Handicapped) have somewhat different evaluation requirements than the Vocational Education Amendments set forth, raising questions of whether evaluation should be seen as a management and accounting activity for the federal government, or as a diagnostic and planning tool for local schools and districts. It is suggested that the federal role in vocational education evaluation requirements be lessened, inasmuch as the federal government provides less than 10 percent of its support. It is also proposed that evaluation criteria be developed pertaining to program improvement and that evaluation of labor market demands be left to the federal government. (KC)