Having students show their skills in three dimensions, known as performance-based assessment, dates back at least to Socrates. Individual schools such as Barrington High School--located just outside of Providence--have been requiring students to actively demonstrate their knowledge for years. The Rhode Island's high school graduating class became the first in the nation to face performance-based assessments as a state-mandated requirement for earning a diploma. No one is saying that Rhode Island's trailblazing move means it's time to start writing the obituary for machine-scored standardized exams. After all, even Rhode Island still uses them, and most experts agree that multiple choice is here to stay. As was underscored at the inaugural New England Symposium on Performance Assessment, held here May 28, more state education officials are starting to at least consider a type of testing that goes far beyond filling in the proverbial bubble, and that may help keep students better focused on their studies, both in high school and beyond. In this article, the author discusses the performance-based assessment model and how this model poses a unique mix of assessment among educators.