Two major areas are recommended in the redesign of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data collection: assessment of social and communicative competence, and description of classroom processes. Social and communicative competence are important achievements of the school-age years and are heavily influenced by classroom experiences. Academic, social, and communicative achievements are interrelated. To expand descriptions of students' achievement and competence in the classrooms, a model is presented. The effective speaker, who is successful in communicating with others, receives appropriate responses to requests. Appropriate speakers have been found to produce effective responses and to have the highest achievement test scores in reading and mathematics. The communicative climate of the classroom may help to encourage individual differences in achievement. To measure social and communicative competence, direct classroom observation is suggested. One could assess social problem solving, effective communication, moral reasoning, understanding of social relationships, and self-concept. It is also important to observe communication in the small instructional classroom group: (1) conditions under which the student successfully requests and obtains information; (2) variety of attempts to obtain information; and (3) response when information is not obtained. Assessment of young children is encouraged. (GDC)