Knowledge Bank

Ex-Post/Summative Evaluations

November 30, -0001, Evaluation Observatory


The Government started a Mid-Day meal program for children in class I to VIII to reduce child malnutrition. How successfully has the program been in increasing the height and weight of students? Has there been an increase in the haemoglobin levels? Should funding to the program continue over the next five years? Should it be expanded to students in classes IX to XII?

An Ex-Post evaluation may help answer these questions.

Briefly, an ex-post evaluation is an assessment done after the completion of the project to examine whether the intended project outcomes have been achieved or not, providing information on the project’s effectiveness. It is a useful tool in helping policy makers and program managers in deciding whether to continue or end a given project.

An Ex-Post Evaluation emphasises critical thinking, judgement and common sense rather than the mastering of sophisticated evaluation tools (European Union, 2018, p.3).

List of recommended resources:

For a broad overview

  • Prepared by T. Draskovics, Chapter III of this resource talks about Ex-Post Evaluations – planning, types and the steps involved. It also guides practitioners on holding consultations with stakeholders.

For in depth understanding

Case Study

Toolkits

  • This website provides practitioners with a brief description of Summative evaluation, along with a brief hands-on guide of the use of both quantitative and qualitative tools.

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