Assessment is discussed as a formal and overt manifestation of quality control. With some experiences in Swedish nursing education taken as the point of departure, assessment is discussed as: (1) a policy implementation and curriculum problem concerning the interpretation and exercise of programs by those in control; (2) a teacher problem reflecting the contradictions between beliefs and assumptions of teachers on the one hand and official duties and obligations on the other; and (3) a structural problem concerning the distribution of power and control. The surface of an educational policy or phenomenon may conceal a strange combination of structural and cultural factors, affecting both the formal and actual patterns of power and control in educational settings. The ways in which teachers act in their roles, deal with educational issues, and solve problems vary considerably depending on structural, social, cultural, and economic conditions. The study of assessment routines and an analysis of the assumptions underlying assessment practice can clarify the power structure in education and the role of education in society. (SLD)