This study reviewed the context of and activities involved in state-level evaluation of elementary/secondary art education in Minnesota. Four main areas reviewed include: (1) legislation impacting all state-level assessment decisions; (2) curriculum development initiatives as they relate to assessment; (3) a specific state-level assessment project; and (4) the status of the statewide assessment program. State legislation upon which art education evaluations are based is referred to as the "PER Law", which stands for Planning, Evaluating, and Reporting. The law requires the Minnesota Department of Education to identify essential learner outcomes that must be incorporated into each district's educational plan; the result is a degree of curriculum standardization. Additional statewide standardization is provided by standardized testing, currently implemented via a multiple-choice, paper-and-pencil format. Other possible sources of information about student skill and knowledge, such as interactive video techniques, self-reports of students, observational techniques, and reflective interviews, are under consideration. (TJH)