evaluation
ih-val-yoo-AY-shun
/ɪˌvæljuˈeɪʃn/
The process of making a systematic judgment about the value, quality, importance, or significance of something.
Broader than testing; encompasses qualitative and quantitative judgment of overall outcomes and program effectiveness.
The story behind the word. Derived from French 'évaluer' (to find the value of), from Latin 'valere' (to be worth). It entered English in the 18th century to describe assessing overall worth or value.
Word relationships
- assessment: Assessment gathers evidence of learning, whereas evaluation judges the overall value or effectiveness.
- appraisal: Appraisal is often used for financial property valuation or workplace performance reviews.
Commonly confused with
- valuation: Valuation specifically refers to calculating financial monetary worth.
Word family
- evaluate (verb): To judge or determine the value or worth of.
- evaluative (adjective): Relating to or involving evaluation.
Collocations
- program evaluation
- formative evaluation
- conduct an evaluation
- evaluation criteria
Example sentences
- "At the end of the semester, students complete a course evaluation to provide feedback on teaching effectiveness." Course feedback
- "A comprehensive evaluation of the curriculum led to major updates in the mathematics program." Program review
Memory hook
e-VALU-ation: extracting the VALUE of something. Finding the overall value.
When not to use
Do not confuse with raw measurement; evaluation involves making a judgment of worth based on collected data.
Fun facts
- In educational theory, 'summative evaluation' takes place at the end of a project, while 'formative evaluation' occurs continuously during development.
Related words
Explore more words
assess, standard, critique, conclusion, observation, efficacy
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