The Dutch approach to evaluation and assessment gives a strategic role to education system evaluation as part of policy planning and development. This is reflected in the establishment of comprehensive information systems, sample-based national assessments, longitudinal surveys and programme evaluations. It is also visible in the transparent reporting of indicators and education outcome measures in online databases and annual publications on the state of the education system. There has been increased attention to disseminating information widely and in different formats and there is wide acceptance of the principle that education policies and programmes should be continuously monitored in order to inform future policy development and educational planning. In addition, education system evaluation could benefit from a clearer and more comprehensive set of educational goals and priorities, which could contribute to reminding all stakeholders of the full spectrum of national priorities, while also communicating that not all of these are currently measured or measurable. Going further, consideration should be given to monitoring a broader range of valued student competencies, devoting more attention to the analysis of learning outcomes across student groups, and incorporating information on school professionals, practices and perceptions into the system evaluation framework.