This paper argues for a new approach to continuous assessment of students of nursing clinical competence, which I call responsive assessment. Its argument for this is based on a research study highlighting the problems and concerns students and practitioners identified in relation to the assessment of their nursing practice and clinical competence. It puts forward a case for challenging role boundaries by implementing contract assignments: as an integral part of adult learning and continuous assessment (Neary 1992a, 1998) and for developing a conceptual model called responsive assessment, in which the students' readiness for assessment and their response to patient/client needs is identified.The arguments are developed against the background of Benner's movement from novice to expert (Benner 1984) and Stake's (Stake 1977) three stages of antecedents, transaction and outcome as a process for professional students development.