The present study assessed the status of gifted program evaluation in public schools in the United States during the years 1982-1983. Questionnaires were completed by 192 personnel in randomly selected school districts having gifted programs. Results indicate that at least half the gifted programs in this study were not evaluated throughout the year and most who carried out gifted program evaluation were not trained evaluators. A second aspect of the study assessed the influence of various personnel on program components such as funding, personnel, curriculum, identification of the gifted, and student time spent in the gifted program. Findings in this regard indicate that students, outside evaluators, other teachers, and the school board of education had little influence on these components. Gifted student evaluation procedures were also assessed. Teacher observation and creative products were the measures reported most often. Within the limitations of this study, evaluation of gifted programs in states mandating gifted education was found to be less thorough than that in nonmandated states.Regardless of area specialization (i.e., elementary, secondary, special, gifted education), educators agree that students, teachers, administrators, as well as total instructional programs must be evaluated. Yet despite this agreement, evaluation remains an afterthought. Precious time, energy and money are spent in developing and implementing programs; little remains to scrutinize the results. Secondly, when evaluations are completed, there remains much controversy regarding the validity and relevance of most program evaluations (Nadler & Shore, 1979).Much criticism has been leveled against present evaluation practices in gifted programs. Evaluations of programs for the gifted and talented have been criticized for their overreliance on attitudinal