In light of the National Education Goals of 1990, several arguments against any federally funded large-scale census approach to the assessment of college student learning in the United States are presented to clarify challenges to an objective of Goal 5, which specifies that "the proportion of college graduates who demonstrate advanced ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and solve problems will increase substantially." There are really two central measurement problems posed by the initiative. One problem is that of measuring skills in the domains of critical thinking, communication, and problem solving; and the other problem concerns the measurement of social values for educational achievement at the college level. More specific measurement issues for the National Assessment of College Student Learning (NACSL) are: (1) consequences of measurement; (2) content of measurement; and (3) setting standards and determining their stability. Because America 2000 involves many controversial areas in measurement, the development and implementation of the NACSL should proceed slowly and carefully. A research plan is proposed to create the richest possible source of data about college student learning. A 27-item list of references is included. Reviews by J. Chaffee, S. B. Dunbar, and R. K. Hambleton of this position paper are provided. (SLD)