When the North Dakota State Department of Education mandated new guidelines for accreditation, each school district in the state was required to develop and implement student performance standards and measurements for every curricular area. This paper describes one district's approach to developing a performance assessment program. Teacher committees in each school identified exit outcomes reflecting student expectations upon graduation. Outcome was defined as the demonstration of what students know, can do, and are like; program outcomes state what a student should be able to do upon completion of a program. Authentic task assessments, portfolio assessments, and criterion referenced tests were developed and validated. A typical performance assessment designed for K-5 science emphasized the process of science rather than content; students were asked to interpret, classify, compare, make observations, and predict rather than respond to multiple choice questions; writing skills were used to explain responses. Vocational and fine arts areas are designed for authentic assessment tasks; mathematics and science make use of both performance assessment and criterion referenced tests. A sample geometry assessment is provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of student learning within the context of performance assessment. (LL)