Summative measures of learning collected at the conclusion of an associate or bachelor's degree program are insufficient to help educators and students maximize learning and personal development across the college years. Managing the desired outcomes of college requires an understanding of when learning and growth occur during the educational process and which educationally purposeful initiatives or experiences are associated with gains for various subpopulations of students. Producing this kind of rich assessment of the first year is dependent on general principles of good assessment in higher education, such as ensuring that instruments are valid, reliable, and measure important constructs; that processes are inclusive of multiple constituencies; and that student time is respectfully and efficiently used. But assessment of first-year students and programs also presents unique challenges and opportunities that must be considered in addition to general good practices in assessment. The hypothesis of this essay is that assessing first-year students and programs is grounded in good practices in assessment but requires attention to uniquely significant conditions of the first year. It is imperative that first-year assessment plans combine the knowledge of institutional researchers, assessment practitioners, and frontline faculty and staff who regularly interact with first-year students. Understanding the unique aspects of the first college year provides the necessary foundation for successful assessment activities, a means to the desirable goal of maximizing student learning and growth during the critically important first year.