Over the past decade many university-based teacher education programs and school districts have forged partnerships creating restructured, collaborative programs aimed at improving teaching and learning for credential candidates, as well as the children that they serve. According to data from the California Department of Education, progress is being made in raising the percentage of fully certificated teachers teaching in urban schools; however, it is unknown whether this progress will be sustained or if it is a short-term spike. Keeping credentialed teachers remains a challenge as many leave the inner city or the teaching profession within their first five years of teaching. The intention of this article is twofold: (1) to provide both a description of an innovative, alternative teacher preparation program that was designed to address this challenge, and (2) to analyze how the assessment process was integral to its success. The analysis focuses on how both formal and informal evaluation procedures produced a dynamic and beneficial relationship between the assessment process and implementation. (Contains 3 tables, 3 figures and 1 note.)