Which type of evaluation is typically used after a program ends to determine overall effectiveness?

• A. Formative evaluation
• B. Process evaluation
• C. Summative evaluation
• D. Baseline assessment

Answer: (D)

Evaluating after a program ends to judge overall effectiveness is summative evaluation. This approach looks at final outcomes and the extent to which the program achieved its objectives once delivery is complete. It answers whether participants showed the desired changes and whether the program produced the intended impact, often using end-of-program data and comparisons to pre-program baselines or control groups. Baseline assessment, by contrast, is collected before the program starts to establish where participants stood initially, and is used to measure change over time rather than to determine final effectiveness. Formative evaluation happens during development to improve design, and process evaluation focuses on how the program was implemented. So, the end-of-program, outcome-focused judgment is the preserve of summative evaluation.