Dr. Atkin, who is Co‐Director of the Illinois Elementary‐School Science Project, has long been interested in the evaluation of learning materials and, in particular, the evaluation of the new curricula in science. In this article he brings into sharp focus one of the important issues of the day: the related questions of when, how, and by whom learning goals should be stated in curriculum building and the suitability of traditional procedures for evaluating them. We look forward to publishing reactions to Dr. Atkin's statement.