Educational evaluation in too many states and school districts, if done at all across an institution, has been reduced to crunching test scores in only the subject areas and grade levels tested. While measuring student achievement in reliable and valid ways is an important part of the mission of education, it is not enough. What's also needed is a systematic process for evaluating the effectiveness of education programs and how those programs affect all aspects of other subject areas and local resources used in instructional delivery. The authors describe the purposes of school district program evaluation; the assumptions undergirding its application; and the steps followed in planning to conduct, analyze and report results. The authors believe they portray principles of evaluation that school district personnel might find helpful if applied in ways that are consonant with local conditions. When it's time to evaluate the effectiveness of a program in a school district, the authors discuss seven considerations for doing more than reducing the process to crunching test scores in the subject areas and grade levels tested. A wider view of the beast is warranted.