ABSTRACT
The crux of program evaluation is measuring outputs and outcomes and determining whether an intervention has made a difference in those program goals. The crux of performance measure ment is measuring outputs. It follows that measurement is a key concept in both program evalua tion and performance measurement. In its cleanest context, measurement is “the assignment of numerals to objects or events according to rules.”1 But program evaluation and performance mea surement are not the same. Program evaluation attempts to assess impact, while performance measurement makes no attempt at causal assessment. Another difference between program evalu ation and performance measurement is that performance measures are typically selected by those internal to the organization, while program evaluation is usually (but not always) performed by persons external to the organization being assessed.
