What and how we teach, how we learn, and how we practice nursing are fundamentally changing. Perspectives on Assessment invites dialogue on assessment's central role in the paradigm shifts currently occurring in nursing education and nursing practice. Programs of assessment in educational and practice institutions offer the opportunity for continuous feedback on the quality and effectiveness of our efforts to prepare nurses who are competent to practice in a healthcare environment that is continuously changing and increasingly community based. The assessment process itself offers the opportunity for us to engage in an ongoing conversation about our progress with these two paradigm changes.