When remedying deficiencies disclosed by national educational reform commissions, school districts must be as concerned with quality as with quantity. In response to a demand by 17 school districts to study their schools' effectiveness, Emporia State University's College of Education (Kansas) has developed an assessment model and initiated a project to (1) collect school level data on variables related to instructional proficiency, parent and community involvement, and school climate; (2) provide districts with comprehensive school profiles of educational strengths and needs; (3) assist school districts in targeting goals and developing school improvement plans; and (4) guide school districts in building an ongoing self-assessment process to monitor their own improvements, goals, and effectiveness. This paper describes the Project for Determining the Quality of Schools (PDQS), developed and initiated according to the key characteristics of successful school improvement, staff development, and inservice models. Focused on the individual school, the PDQS gathers quantitative data from school records, documents, and reports and qualitative data administered to school staff, parents, and the community. These data are related to 3 broad data domains, 4 data sources, and 13 quality indicators. The three phases of PDQS are briefly described, along with expected outcomes. The PDQS provides schools with a framework within which to set priorities; outcomes tell schools what they are doing, not what they should be doing based on an ideal model. Nine figures are provided, including three extensive charts--the PDQS Quality Indicator Forms--for three measures: (1) instructional proficiency; (2) parental support; and (3) school climate. (MLH)