The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a project which annually surveys the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of young Americans. Its basic mission is to provide information useful to educational decision-makers and practitioners. The project has contributed to American education, but its assessment results have been of limited usefulness. To make the project's results more useful, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare should redirect the project by (1) identifying informational and other needs of decision-makers, (2) determining the feasibility and cost effectiveness of alternative approaches to satisfy those needs, and (3) deciding on the assessment approach to be used. (Author) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Program Description (Historical Background).