The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) has been serving the career and technical education (CTE) community for almost 45 years. It is in the unique position to produce longitudinal data that indicates technical competence levels based on end-of-program testing across the country. NOCTI's data confirms that CTE is indeed having an impact. With a variety of diagnostic tools and professional development-related services, NOCTI assessments meet all the requirements of the accountability section of Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, and NOCTI delivers certification services for a number of industries. Many states are already engaged in using industry-based assessment, and are using the resulting reports and data to recognize student achievement, improve instruction, and maintain the currency of a particular program offering. NOCTI has witnessed a growing sophistication on the part of schools and states across the country in their understanding of data and its effective use in program improvement. In this article, the author takes a look at how some states are changing their assessment strategies to improve students' technical competence.