One of the simplest indicators of teaching or course effectiveness is student ratings on one or more global items from the entire rating scale. That approach seems intuitively sound and easy to use. Global items have even been recommended by a few researchers to get a quick-read, at-a-glance summary for summative decisions about faculty. The purpose of this article is to clarify the rating options available to administrators for making summative decisions from student rating scale results. The global item is first defined. Then the research literature related to its use for summative decisions is described. Finally, the critical issues pertaining to technical, professional, and legal standards in using global items for summative decisions are reviewed. Specific recommendations for several alternative types of ratings are proffered which are more defensible for summative decisions about faculty.