Materials contained in the 16 Volumes that make up the Rural America Series suggest practices through which rural schools can meet local community needs and realize their potential for career program delivery. This procedural handbook, one of five program development process documents for the series, provides information on why and how to conduct a career development needs assessment. One portion of the handbook deals with the ideas surrounding the execution of a needs assessment and offers concrete guidelines for conducting such an assessment for career guidance programs. Discussion and examples of procedural tools used in a needs assessment are provided. The document specifically addresses the issues of (1) identifying and involving important groups for input, (2) establishing and valuing goals, (3) gathering data, and (4) measuring and prioritizing discrepancies. The other portion of the handbook documents an application of the suggested procedures in a hypothetical situation. Appendixes contain general forms for use in conducting a local career guidance needs assessment. (TA)