THE EVALUATION OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS IS BECOMING A NECESSITY AS FINANCIAL RESOURCES DECREASE AND DECISIONS ON HOW TO ALLOCATE AVAILABLE FUNDS MUST BE MADE. PROGRAM EVALUATION, PERCEIVED BY THE CALIFORNIA EVALUATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, REPRESENTS A MEANS BY WHICH USEFUL INFORMATION CAN BE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED BY LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCIES FOR THEIR OWN USE. WHILE MOST EDUCATORS HAVE EXPERIENCE OR TRAINING IN TESTING AND MEASUREMENT AND SOME CONTACT WITH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE TO PREPARE THEM TO CONDUCT SYSTEMATIC EVALUATIONS OF LOCAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS. THE RESPONSE OF CALIFORNIA TO THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN TO DEVELOP A TRAINING PROGRAM IN BASIC EVALUATION CONCEPTS AND SKILLS THAT IS DIRECTED TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS, SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, CURRICULUM DIRECTORS, AND PROGRAM MANAGERS WHO DESIRE TO EVALUATE LOCAL PROGRAMS IN A WAY THAT AIDS LOCAL DECISIONMAKING. SECTIONS OF THE PROGRAM EVALUATION MANUAL DEAL WITH THE FOLLOWING PARTICULAR AREAS: DETERMINING EVALUATION PURPOSES AND REQUIREMENTS, DEVELOPING AN EVALUATION PLAN, DETERMINING THE EVALUATION DESIGN AND THE SAMPLING PROCESS, SELECTING OR DEVELOPING ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS, COLLECTING DATA, ANALYZING EVALUATION DATA, REPORTING EVALUATION RESULTS, AND APPLYING EVALUATION FINDINGS. A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS, LIST PUBLISHERS OF TESTS, AND EXAMINE MULTIPLE CRITERION MEASURES FOR USE IN EVALUATION. SUPPORTING FIGURES AND TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)