A progress map describes the nature of development in an area of learning and thus serves as a frame of reference for monitoring individual growth. An essential feature of a progress map, which is an integral component of Developmental Assessment, is that it describes and illustrates developing competence. The first step in constructing a progress map is to specify the kinds of skills, knowledge, and understandings that make up a domain of learning and to draw on expert knowledge and research evidence to develop a draft of the sequence in which these learning outcomes typically develop. Once a progress map has been drafted, the resulting draft must be checked against student achievement. The checking process usually leads to a revised map. Observations of student performance on assigned tasks provide opportunities to refine descriptions of progress through an area of learning, and this enriching process continues through each assessment task and beyond. A progress map describes typical student progress through an area of learning, but by itself it does not answer questions about the adequacy of student achievement. Comparative benchmarks may be set by reference to performances in other places or by other people, while absolute benchmarks may be set by identifying desirable levels of student performance for particular purposes. Examples of progress maps and benchmarks are given and highlighted in a number of illustrations.