Understanding Middle States Expectations

for Assessment

Linda Suskie, Vice PresidentMiddle States Commission on Higher Education

3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104Web: www.msche.org E-mail: LSuskie@msche.org

MSCHE Annual Conference

December 2009

What the Heck is Going on with Accountability &

Assessment?

The US Accreditation “System”

• Regional accreditors– All require liberal arts foundation– Oldest, strongest reputation– Historically examined inputs, not outcomes

• National accreditors– Mostly colleges without liberal arts foundation

• Specialized accreditors– Mostly programs, not colleges

• State licensure

• All accreditors voluntary, membership-controlled

1965 Higher Education Act (HEA)

• Title IV funds go only to colleges accredited by Federally recognized accreditors.– Pell, SEOG, Trio, Migrant grants– Federally-insured student loans

• Accreditors must comply with HEA criteria to be recognized.

1980s and 1990s

• HEA reauthorization– 1986: First outcomes

assessment language– 1998: Assessment

language strengthened

– Regional accreditors rewrote standards to emphasize assessment of student learning outcomes

• “Learning-centered” movement– 1980s: Movement—

and assessment movement—began

– 1995: Barr & Tagg’s seminal article in Change published

– Research on what promotes student learning & success

Recent Decades: A Changing World

• Shifting public policy – Higher education more private than public good– Students pay more and expect money’s worth

• Broadening market for higher education– Most well-paying jobs require post-secondary

education.– “Money’s worth” is better pay.

• Not necessarily a richer education

2000s: Calls for Accountability

• 2007 Spellings Commission

• 2008 Higher Education Act negotiations

• Public information on quality & effectiveness– Transparent - easy to find & understand

• Systematic information, not anecdotes

• Comparable assessments

• Value-added assessments

Will Assessment Ever Go Away?

• Federal regulations • Other calls &

mandates for accountability

• “Learning-centered” focus

Understanding Standards 7 & 14

Assessment as Part of a Four-Step Cycle

1. Goals

4. Using Results

2. Programs, Services & Initiatives

3. Assessment/ Evaluation

1. Mission & Goals

8. Admissions

9. Student Support Services

2. Planning

10. Faculty

3. Resources

11. Educational Offerings

4. Leadership/Governance

12. General Education

5. Administration

13. Related Educ. Activities

6. Integrity

7. Institutional Assessment

14. Asmt. of Student Learning

Institutional Effectiveness: Are We Achieving…

Community Service

Scholarship

Diversity

Revenue Generation

Productivity/ Efficiency

14. Student Learning

7. Mission & Goals

Access

So What Does Middle States Want?

Have a goal for anything you do and assess how well you’re

achieving it.• Institutional goals (mission & strategic plan)

– Administrative goals• Division goals

– Administrative unit goals

– Student learning goals • Institutional

• Gen Ed curriculum

• Academic programs

• Student development programs

• Support programs

Make sure your students graduate with the learning you

value.

• What knowledge, skills, competencies, and attributes does a successful student have?

• Why do you think these are important?

Make sure you achieve whatever else you want to

achieve.

• Mission• Strategic goals• Other important goals

Are you satisfied with your results?

• Why or why not? • If not, what are you doing about it?

Questions a Reviewer Might Ask

Goals Assessments Improvements

For Each Goal…(Institutional, Gen Ed, Program)

• How is the goal being assessed?

• What are the results of those assessments?

• How have those results been used for improvement?

How Much Has Been Implemented?

• Are there any significant missing pieces?

What Do Assessment Results Tell Us?

• Do results demonstrate…

– Achievement of mission and goals?

– Sufficient academic rigor?

Do Institutional Leaders Support and Value a Culture of Assessment?

• Is there adequate support for assessment?– Overall guidance, coordination, resources

• Are assessment efforts recognized & valued?

• Are efforts to improve teaching recognized & valued?

Is the Process Sustainable?

• Simple

• Practical

• Detailed

• Ownership

• Appropriate timelines

Where is the Institution Going with Assessment?

• Will momentum slow after this review?

• What Commission action will most help the institution keep moving?

What Should Institutions Document?

• Clear statements of goals

• Organized, sustained assessment process

– Principles, guidelines, support

– What assessments are already underway

– What assessments are planned, when, & how

• Assessment results documenting progress toward accomplishing goals

• How results have been used for improvement

How Might Institutions Document This?

• Need not be a fancy bound document!

• An overview in the self study

• A chart or “roadmap” for assessment documentation in the self study or as an appendix

• More thorough information in an appendix, online, and/or burned onto CD

– A few samples of student work • Exemplary, adequate, inadequate

MSCHE’s Fundamental Expectations for Assessment

1. Read the directions.

2. Keep it useful…and used.

3. Tie assessments to important goals.

4. For student learning, include some “direct” evidence.

5. Use multiple measures.

6. Keep doing something everywhere, every year.

Bottom Line on Moving Ahead

Keep assessment useful.Keep things simple.

• Especially in terms of time• Ask MSCHE about anything that

doesn’t make sense.

Value assessment.Just do it!

Volunteer for Middle States Evaluation Teams!

• Go to www.msche.org

• Click on “Evaluators”

• Consider joining as an Evaluation Team Associate.