The growing demand for program evaluation in the 1970s gave rise to a need for a comprehensive, carefully developed, objective set of guiding principles for the evaluation process, from initial planning to final report. The Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation was established to meet this need. This broad-based group, representing 12 organizations with widely differing constituencies, spent approximately 6 years developing the "Standards for Evaluation of Educational Programs, Projects, and Materials," published by McGraw-Hill in 1981. The intended audience includes all who commission, conduct, or employ the results of evaluations to improve education. In developing the standards, the Joint Committee strove for a set of general rules for dealing with a variety of specific evaluation concerns, and a conceptual framework appropriate to a broad spectrum of such concerns. At the same time, the Committee considered it essential that the standards promote innovation rather than stifle it, that research on their applicability and the effectiveness of their use be encouraged, that training needs be addressed, and that revisions be planned as needed. An overview of the development process and of the 30 standards, including their rationale and organization and current issues regarding their use is provided. (Author/PN)