What is a primary purpose of program evaluation in school psychology?

• A. Punish teachers
• B. Increase standardized test usage
• C. Determine student outcomes
• D. Determine staff promotion

Answer: (C)

Program evaluation in school psychology is about checking whether a program actually improves students' outcomes. The key idea is to determine student outcomes—do students make the expected academic gains, behavioral improvements, or social-emotional development the program was meant to produce? Practically, this means collecting data on those outcomes, comparing them to goals or benchmarks, and using the results to decide whether to continue, adjust, or expand the program. This focus on student results is what makes this the best choice. Other options miss the central aim: punishing teachers, increasing the use of standardized tests, or determining staff promotions do not reflect evaluating whether a program helps students.