With the growing demand for accountability by legislators, outcomes assessment has become a much higher institutional priority for community colleges. According to a recent survey, two-thirds of the states have implemented formal assessment initiatives, compared to a very few states only 1 year earlier. Institutions, however, must be careful that assessment is not used only to ensure accountability, but also to enhance institutional quality. Effective and meaningful assessment evolves within a collaborative framework in which both legitimate legislative needs and the integrity of institutional autonomy are respected equally. Follow-up studies and job placement surveys are often adequate for institutional needs but do not sufficiently fulfill state requirements. Some colleges have therefore implemented comprehensive assessment programs which attempt to evaluate quality at all levels, over time, through systematic reviews of academic programs and services and longitudinal studies of educational trends. One model identifies six areas of concern faced by all colleges: access and equity; employment preparation and placement; college/university transfer; economic development; college/community partnerships; and cultural and cross-cultural development. In 1988, a national study of outcomes measures investigated the use of academic progress and employment outcomes, student learning outcomes, and student satisfaction outcomes among a sample of 675 institutions of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges. Over 90% of the respondents expected outcomes measures to maintain their current priority or increase in priority over the next 3 to 5 years. The results of outcomes assessment should help colleges identify where present efforts and priorities lie and where they should be placed. (JMC)