A complete assessment of communication competence includes assessing a student's ability to communicate a variety of communicative intentions in a variety of situations. We are using the term pragmatic assessment here to include assessment of functional communication and assessment specifically focused on obtaining a student's perception of his/her communication competence.

An instructional plan must consider how a student engages in communicative interactions and how the student's life experiences and self-concept as a communicator influences communication decisions and performance. We also feel strongly that all communication is pragmatically determined and that this delineation of some specific assessments should not diminish the overall importance of viewing and considering language in use.