Designed to assist California community college personnel in implementing 1986 regulations concerning associate degree requirements, this paper analyzes the key terms in the new policy, "college level" and "critical thinking," and discusses practical implications for assessment, curriculum, and instruction. First, the paper identifies factors that can be used to define "college level," including intensity, abstractness, open-endedness, rigor, independence, and type of instructional materials. A chart linking these factors with instructional methods, assignments, and tests is provided. The remainder of the paper focuses on "critical thinking," arguing for a broad definition of the term, encompassing the generation of ideas, decision making, problem solving, and profound thinking. Subsequent sections examine: (1) the appropriateness of a broad definition for educational policy; (2) a programmatic definition of critical thinking skills as those diverse cognitive processes and associated attitudes critical to intelligent actions in diverse situations and fields that can be improved by instruction or conscious effort; (3) the cognitive processes that do not constitute critical thinking (e.g., innate or instinctive processes) and learning activities that do not require these skills (e.g., short answer quizzes or rote drills); (4) holistic assessment of competencies; (5) learning objectives; (6) the impact of critical thinking requirements on programs and enrollments; (7) curriculum planning; and (8) course structures. The next sections of the paper describe a process-oriented method for teaching critical thinking, discuss coaching techniques that support skill development, and underscore the importance of planning for transfer and commitment to the process. Finally, a chart is presented which identifies the components of intelligent acts and related generic and domain-specific thinking skills and attitudes. (AJL)