Four kinds of measures of excellence are currently used in evaluating vocational education: components and process, occupational impact, equity, and individual student development. None of them displays the kind of precision that characterizes measures in the physical sciences. Furthermore, the nature of the enterprise to which these measures must be applied--vocational education--presents complications. Vocational education is not a single, homogeneous program, but many programs with differing purposes offered in various types of institutions. A further problem is that some of these measures are more pertinent for some varieties of vocational education than others. In addition, no general agreement exists on how the weighting of measures of excellence must be done. To achieve relevance, a notion included in excellence, vocational education also must adapt to the "dimensions of change"--technological, economic, and demographic. Vocational educators have identified areas where program improvement efforts might best be concentrated. Problems that will affect the extent to which the excellence of vocational programs can be enhanced include the need for better evaluation; choice of precedence of program improvement actions; roles of federal, state, and local agencies; and obtaining of accurate, usable manpower demand data for program planning. (YLB)