In 1996, a subcommittee of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards commissioned a study of the use of performance-based assessments in large-scale accountability systems. The idea was to look into current state assessment work on performance-based assessments to see what has been learned, but not widely reported, by those who had been at work I the trenches. Five states were included in the case studies: Maryland, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington, and Delaware. In each state, interviews were held with key participants and stakeholders in the statewide assessment effort. In addition to the interviews, data were obtained from document reviews. The lessons learned are summarized in these points: (1) pay attention to the technical qualities; (2) successful assessment is more than just technical; (3) building support is essential; (4) establish system accountability before student accountability; (5) nurture professional development about and through the assessments; (6) it is most than just professional development; (7) if possible do not send a test out to do a framework's job; (8) time may be a luxury but it buys a lot; and (9) the most important asset of an assessment system is the people, especially the people in the middle. An appendix contains the interview protocol. (Contains 11 endnotes and 31 references.) (SLD)