Plain English Meaning
Evaluation is when a student can look at information, a plan, or a performance and make a sound judgment about how good or correct it is, and explain why.
Full Definition
In the cognitive domain of learning, evaluation is the highest level of mental skill, where a learner judges the value, accuracy, or quality of ideas, methods, or solutions against defined standards or criteria. It builds on the lower cognitive levels (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis) and produces a reasoned judgment rather than a recall or a calculation.