The assessment literature frequently ignores the quandary of the department resistant to assessment in its discussion of implementing departmental plans and instead focuses on idealized implementation processes. The approach articulated in this article builds on the assessment literature, generating the hypothesis that a grassroots approach to assessment for these resistant departments would be more successful than the traditional mission-driven model. Effective, simple course assessment techniques can easily become the core of a comprehensive departmental assessment plan. Building on successful classroom assessment pedagogy, a department articulates a shared objective and creates a simple, nonthreatening assessment process that could pave the way for more integrated assessment approaches. Peer evaluation, the process of having students evaluate the work of their colleagues according to previously established guidelines, is one such classroom device. By asking similar questions of students at different points in their career, comparing their responses, and making changes, faculty can begin assessing departmental progress toward goals while improving student learning.