Because of various flaws in their design, most research studies that have up to now examined the transition of youth to the work setting have failed to pinpoint ways of improving existing programs. Many of these design flaws (including lack of a uniform set of outcome measures, failure to routinely incorporate control groups, and failure to design for replication) have been overcome in a study that examined the effectiveness of the Youth Career Development (YCD) Program. The study's design involved the use of a Standard Assessment System (SAS) that could serve as a core system with a range of behavioral constructs that would be applicable to program objectives across the variety of Youth Education and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) programs. Included in the SAS were a battery of measures of vocationally oriented attitudes and knowledge, performance outcome survey instruments, and surveys to collect demographic data. Based on a summative approach, the study focused on determining what works best for whom when assessing particular programs. After analyzing the results of the survey as well as the design of the study itself, researchers found that both the YCD and the measurement system used to evaluate it were extremely effective. Recommendations called for further research to determine why some programs work and others do not. (MN)