A project was conducted to develop and implement a comprehensive assessment system in existing adult education programs. Weekly site visits were made to four programs as follows: a segment of a large adult program offering literacy, General Educational Development (GED), and specialized technical courses; a small community-based program with literacy and GED components; a small community-based program focusing on career development for women wishing to reenter the work force; and a career development program for women that provided training in computer and secretarial skills with an adjunct literacy component. Adult informal measures (AIM) were developed along with AIM development/use guidelines. Data from site observations and student and teacher interviews indicated that informal assessment and portfolio development can be useful to instructors for students at all ability levels in all types of adult education settings if learning outcomes are clearly defined before implementation of an instructional program; however, no relationship between alternative and standardized assessment measures could be validated because of inconsistent use of the measures and the small numbers of students studied. (Appended are pre- and posttest data for the programs and 13 reading, writing, and spelling AIM developed for use in peer, teacher, and self-evaluation.) (MN)