Accuracy

Accuracy refers to the correctness of the evidence and conclusions in an evaluation. It may have an implication of precision.

Accuracy is the label of one of the five clusters of standards for program evaluation developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, which relates to validity more broadly.

"The accuracy standards are intended to increase the dependability and truthfulness of evaluation representations, propositions, and findings, especially those that support interpretations and judgments about quality.

• A1 Justified Conclusions and Decisions Evaluation conclusions and decisions should be explicitly justified in the cultures and contexts where they have consequences.
• A2 Valid Information Evaluation information should serve the intended purposes and support valid interpretations.
• A3 Reliable Information Evaluation procedures should yield sufficiently dependable and consistent information for the intended uses.
• A4 Explicit Program and Context Descriptions Evaluations should document programs and their contexts with appropriate detail and scope for the evaluation purposes.
• A5 Information Management Evaluations should employ systematic information collection, review, verification, and storage methods.
• A6 Sound Designs and Analyses Evaluations should employ technically adequate designs and analyses that are appropriate for the evaluation purposes.
• A7 Explicit Evaluation Reasoning Evaluation reasoning leading from information and analyses to findings, interpretations, conclusions, and judgments should be clearly and completely documented.
• A8 Communication and Reporting Evaluation communications should have adequate scope and guard against misconceptions, biases, distortions, and errors."