In 1991, a study was conducted to evaluate intake assessment at the various adolescent alcohol and drug treatment centers in Washington State. The three goals of this study were: (1) investigate the level of agreement among drug treatment professionals on the placement of adolescents in different treatment programs; (2) evaluate the existing placement process; (3) identify the most important factors influencing primary treatment placement decisions. Seventy-two assessment files were gathered from various types of treatment facilities. Six major findings emerged: (1) the number of cases for which consensus was attained was higher in the Team Review than in the Independent Review, for both realistic and ideal placements; (2) in both the Independent and Team review, there was a very high level of correspondence between the realistic and ideal placements; (3) in the majority (68%) of cases in the Independent Review, the recommended primary treatment duration was the same for realistic and ideal placement; (4) there was a low level of agreement between the panelists' recommended placements and the actual treatment the clients received; (5) drug history factors were identified as paramount in making placement decision; and (6) little standardization of the adolescent assessment process exists. (KM)