The Community Assessment System (CAS) is a research technique designed to probe small, rural community perceptions and attitudes toward planned economic expansion and social development by generating suggestions for general or specific community modifications; ascertaining community attitudes and possible responses to a specific modification; providing insight into relationships between community orientations and community structures; monitoring community assessments during the stages of any actual development program. Using traditional social science research methodology, CAS calls for analysis of the interrelationships between attitudinal and structural (occupation, influence, community participation, age, sex, religion, ethnicity, and years of residence) variables. Employing factor analysis and analysis of variance of the factor scores, CAS provides a large amount of information that is summarized and structured. Having been tested in one community (Unity, Saskatchewan), CAS generated 17 factors which were interpreted as 6 "assessment sets" as follows: Environment and Life (community environment, solidarity, and life and social interaction); Diversity and Growth (social diversity, attitudes toward change, and future growth); Development (agricultural and urban economic); Local Control (environmental, business, and unskilled labor); Employment Opportunities (blue and white collar job opportunities); Income Support Systems (financial, job, and mobility). Providing for area specific assessments, CAS should prove valuable to community planners. (JC)