This paper surveys the status of current state and district level practice in content assessment, highlights related research efforts currently underway, and identifies high priority areas for subsequent research in content assessment. A needs assessment for research in content area assessment was conducted during 1986 by the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). District level administrators identified social studies and science as top priority areas for content testing. About half the districts surveyed currently assess these areas, primarily using locally produced tests. At the state level, there has been little recent assessment of content areas other than the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and that which exists appears rather limited in scope and technique. A survey of state directors of research and assessment in 1986 confirmed that science and social studies are top priority areas for current and anticipated testing for purposes of accountability, curriculum planning, and student diagnosis. Most of current research on the content areas focuses on issues in learning, instruction, and curriculum rather than on assessment issues. Future research and development efforts should: (1) identify which facts, concepts, and processes should be assessed in each field; (2) address how best to assess the targeted constructs and processes; and (3) determine how to facilitate the use of new content area measures. (BAE)