Comments on two articles related to ethical challenges in evaluation and a series of articles on the subject published in the "American Journal of Evaluation" between 1998 and 2001. Considers the problems of ethical challenges in the context of principles and standards for evaluation developed by professional associations. (SLD)

Introduces the articles of this theme issue focusing on performance assessment methodology. Papers address: (1) merging item formats; (2) scoring models; (3) equating and linking; (4) generalizability theory; (5) standard setting methods; and (6) validity issues and methods. (SLD)

The "Program Evaluation Standards" supplies a useful framework for generating questions to raise about any evaluation plan or evaluation report to assess its pros and cons. It is a valuable "how-to" for graduate students and professionals. This second edition incorporates changes in the field in the last decade. (SLD)

Two reviews consider the program-evaluation standards of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluations. This edition makes the complexity, risks, and power of evaluation clear through descriptive writing and case illustrations. The organization and content of the standards document are described. (SLD)