Project REACH was established at Green Sea Floyds (South Carolina) High School during the 1990-91 school year as a mechanism for grassroots change in the humanities program. The activities involved in the project were collaboratively developed by students and teachers. The central theme, "Backroads: A Look at Northwestern Horry County," focused on the unique qualities of the students in the Green Sea Floyds area as well as the rich cultural heritage from which students had to draw. Students were involved in producing original work that incorporated information from published materials, interviews, and other materials. The instructional program emphasized the application of learning rather than the memorization and recall of facts. Authentic assessment was stressed, with the teacher sharing with others the job of evaluating what the students had done. Cooperative editing teams and outside mentors contributed to assessment to give each student a more in depth assessment and feedback for improvement. The process of assessment emphasized learning over grading. (LBG)