The College Outcome Measures Project (COMP) was organized to design, develop, validate, and disseminate assessment instruments and procedures to measure and evaluate the knowledge and skills that undergraduate students are expected to acquire as a result of general or liberal education programs, as well as those important to effective functioning in adult society. Six interrelated content and process skills were identified: (1) functioning within social institutions; (2) using science and technology; (3) using the arts; (4) communicating; (5) solving problems; and (6) clarifying social values. Major research projects were conducted on the three COMP instruments (the open-ended Measurement Battery, the Objective Test, and the Activity Inventory) with college freshmen, college seniors, postsecondary vocational-technical students, and mature adults. An advisory panel report evaluated the results of these projects, concluding that the COMP instruments have achieved reasonable validity, reliability, and cost effectiveness. Furthermore, these field tests indicated that the six skills are affected by college education, and do correlate significantly with effectively functioning adults. (GDC/CP)