The Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I Evaluation and Reporting System is a method for giving a federally funded project in reading or math an overall score on its cognitive effectiveness. This System introduced the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) as an aid in aggregating Title I program scores across states and nationwide regardless of specific tests used, or research design. NCE is used to measure Treatment Effect, defined as the difference between expected no treatment performance, and observed post-treatment performance of Title I participants. As a T-score the NCE is psychometrically sound and intelligible to lay people; more significantly, it indirectly eliminates grade equivalent scores. The System specifies three research designs each having a different control group: (1) classic pretest - posttest; (2) regression-discontinuity; and (3) norm-referenced. A basic criticism of all design is that they require the use of norm-referenced tests, but the validity of such tests has not been demonstrated for Title I students. Each of the designs has its own problems and merits. The Evaluation and Report System has achieved its goal of organizing and detailing evaluation procedures so that untrained evaluators can avoid most of the pitfalls; nevertheless, a highly trained evaluator is still needed, except in the simplest of programs. (Author/CP)