Assessment of practice at diploma, degree, and postgraduate levels in nursing and midwifery education in Britain was the focus of a research study. Key issues from a critical review of literature on the assessment of theory and practice at different academic levels were as follows: lack of clarity in defining "levels"; inconsistencies in use and interpretation of professional and educational frameworks to assess practice; and different methods to assess practice. Curriculum documentation from nursing and midwifery programs that led to a diploma, degree, or postgraduate award were analyzed. A key finding was considerable variation in criteria used to discriminate between the assessment of practice at different academic levels, both in relation to the academic status of a qualification and to progression within an award. In most programs, different criteria were identified for assessment of theory and of practice. Approaches to assessment of practice were direct observation of the student's performance or written documentary evidence in a portfolio. Indepth interviews with educators involved in program design and delivery uncovered the following: conflicting views of the extent to which assessment of practice should contribute to a degree classification, widespread use of learning portfolios, lack of appropriately qualified practice assessors, and considerable influence of university regulations on approaches to assessment of practice. (Appendixes contain 47 references and 60-item bibliography.) (YLB)