The need for competent formal evaluation programs, particularly for new federally assisted programs, is expressed. Problems in defining educational evaluation and its requirements, in designing such evaluations, and 3 possible sources of faulty conceptual bases for evaluations, are presented. An attempt is made to define evaluation in general, to analyze emergent problems of educational change, and to identify the types of decisions for which evaluations are needed in these programs. Four strategies for evaluating educational programs are outlined. These include context, input, process, and product evaluation, each of which are used at a distinct stage in the development of a program. Finally, a general guide for developing evaluation designs to implement a given evaluation program is provided. The logical structure of evaluation design is presented in a step by step format. (PR)