Alverno College (Wisconsin) defines a curriculum in which all students demonstrate certain major abilities within their disciplines or professional areas, and it assesses those abilities as its primary graduation requirements. The college-wide assessment center has enabled assessment of complex abilities not easily tested through a single course. The paper describes the performance assessment process in place at Alverno. It illustrates one competency, interactive ability, with behavioral criteria for evaluating levels of achievement; shows how assessment instruments are designed to elicit interactive ability; identifies procedures for assessor training; describes methods of student self-evalution; and discusses the validity of this approach to assessment. Three different professional curricula--management, nursing, and education--have defined interactive ability as an expected outcome, and their assessments are illustrated. The validity of the tests, evaluation criteria, and the evaluation process are studied by the college's Office of Research and Evaluation. Appendices include behavior rating scales and detailed criteria for student evaluation in each of the three areas. (GDC)