Transcript Protocol for the Conduct of Joint Visits WASC & ATS

Joint ATS-WASC Accreditation
Reviews
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Value of ATS-WASC Reviews
• Enriches the experience for the institution
• Brings more points of view to the
evaluation of the institution
• Reduces duplicative work of preparing
reports for and conducting two reviews
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General Responsibilities
• Sharing information, reports, and actions on
institutions
• Providing orientation to participating institutions
and teams
• Coordinating actions
• Staffing teams collaboratively
• Planning visits collaboratively
• Conducting visits and preparing reports together
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Protocol for the Conduct
of Joint Visits
WASC & ATS
* ATS Protocol
General Principles of the Joint
Protocol
• To facilitate the process of accreditation for
the member institutions
• To guide the process of joint visits
involving both accrediting agencies
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Responsibilities of the
WASC and ATS Staff
• Orientation of ATS/WASC Chairs
• Coordination of team recommendations and
respective Commission actions
• Staffing of visits [two visits: Capacity and
Preparatory Review (CPR) and Educational
Effectiveness Review (EER)]
– Normally most CPR members also serve, if possible,
on EER team
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Responsibilities of the
WASC and ATS Staff
• Sharing of Documents:
 No restrictions on sharing of accreditation-related information
• Logistics of Visit Planning:
 WASC/ATS staffs consult on team composition 12 months
prior to visits
 WASC/ATS staffs consult 20-24 weeks prior to coordinate
 WASC staff consult with school on dates and
coordinate with ATS staff
 Materials for visits sent to each agency and to team members 12
weeks prior
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Responsibilities of
Team Members
• Team Co-Chairs (one from each agency)
• Role of ATS Co-Chair: The usual ATS chair duties AND
preparation of the ATS supplemental report
• Role of WASC Co-Chair: Responsible for oversight of
visit, drafting WASC team report with WASC Assistant
Chair, making team recommendation to Commission
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Development and Construction
of the Team Report
• General Report Coverage: Address standards/criteria of both
agencies
• Report Format: Preference for joint reports with ATS supplement
that addresses ATS standards that might not be covered in joint
report
• Team Recommendations:
 Consensus desired with respect to recommendations and
monitoring actions
 Alignment desired as much as possible, but differences may
emerge
 Note difference about team recommendation to commissions
* CPR Report Template
* EER Report Template
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Development and Construction
of the Team Report
•
Finalizing Team Report
 Commission staffs, team chairs/assistant chairs confer as soon as
possible
 Drafts to be available ordinarily within two weeks of visit
•
Exit Meeting and Confidentiality of Team Recommendations
 Each agency has different practices and will report findings
appropriately at the exit interview
 ATS and WASC teams are not required to make the same
recommendation
 The Commissions of each agency make the final recommendations that
may or may not follow the recommendation of the visiting team
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More on the WASC Three-Stage
Review Process
1. Proposal: Identifies priorities, areas of emphasis, and
outcomes. Aligns work with institutional plans and needs.
2. Capacity/Preparatory Review: Focuses on capacity
and readiness for educational effectiveness.
3. Educational Effectiveness: Focuses on results of
assessment of student learning/quality improvement.
* 3 Stage Process
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More on the Scope of the Two Reviews
Capacity and Preparatory
Educational Effectiveness
• Preparatory as: readiness for
• Demonstrating student learning
the Educational Effectiveness
• Demonstrating institutional
Review
learning
• Capacity as: purposes, integrity, • Demonstrating evidence-based
stability, resources, structures,
decision-making
policies, processes
* Expectations for
2 Reviews
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WASC Expectations about Assessment
of Student Learning
CPR
EER
• Student learning outcomes
set at program and course
level
• SLOs are in syllabi
• Faculty has developed
assessment plans
• Faculty has set
expectations for student
achievement
• Faculty has tools to
measure learning (direct
and indirect; multiple)
• Results of assessment
show extent to which
graduates are meeting
expected levels of
achievement
• Results used to improve
student learning
• Results used to improve
assessment strategies
* Closing the Loop
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More on the Team Pre-Visit Preparation and
Coordination
• Materials review
• Call with the CEO and chairs
• Pre-visit conference call
– To meet team members
– To identify issues and strategy
– To agree on team assignments
– To refine visit schedule
– To identify needed documents
– To plan visit logistics and report
* Pre-Visit Conference Call
Worksheet- CPR and EER
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WASC Standards and CFRs
• Core Commitments: Capacity and EE
• Standards: Broad, holistic, encompassing
• Criteria for Review: Provide specificity and
meaning
• Guidelines: Ways to demonstrate compliance
with CFRs
* Alignment of ATS and
WASC Standards
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Team Use of the Standards and CFRs
• Team judgments must be linked to specific
Standards and CFRs
• CFRs must be cited in reports
• Standards and CFRs form the basis for
Commission decisions
• Standards and CFRs provide a context for
continuous quality improvement
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WASC Standards
at a Glance
* Standards at a Glance
* WASC Standards
STANDARD 1:
Defining Institutional Purposes and
Ensuring Educational Objectives
Institutional Purposes
Integrity
STANDARD 2:
Achieving Educational Objectives
Through Core Functions
Teaching and Learning
Scholarship and Creativity
Support for Student Learning
STANDARD 3:
Developing and Applying Resources and
Organizational Structures to Ensure
Sustainability
Faculty and Staff
Fiscal, Physical, and Information Resources
Organizational Structures and
Decision-Making Processes
STANDARD 4:
Creating an Organization Committed
to Learning and Improvement
Strategic Thinking and Planning
Commitment to Learning and
Improvement
What’s New on WASC Visits
in 2009-10
New on WASC Visits, 2009-10
• Systematic review and reporting of off-campus sites
and distance education programs
• Team rating of institution on Framework for Evaluating
Educational Effectiveness (pilot)
• Compliance audits for new and sanctioned institutions
• Revisions to CFRs adopted in 2008
• Coverage of student success on both reviews
• Coverage of program review at EER stage
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WASC Tools for Teams: Rubrics for
Assessment of Student Learning
•
•
•
•
Academic Program Learning Outcomes
Use of Portfolios in Assessing Program
Outcomes
Use of Capstones in Assessing Program
Outcomes
Integration of Student Learning Assessment
into Program Review
* Rubrics: Capstone, PLO,
Program Review, Portfolio
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Expected Examples of Evidence of
Assessment
• Retention and graduation data/disaggregated
and analyzed
• Standardized test results/licensing exams
• Faculty assessments
– Grades
– Portfolios, capstones and work samples
• Surveys and standardized interviews
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Using the WASC EE Framework
• Identify where the institution fits on the
framework for each line
• Use results to determine where the institution is
in its evolution toward being a highly developed
learning organization
• Use language of the framework in the report to
guide the Commission and the institution
* Educational Effectiveness
Framework
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Using Evidence in Team Reports
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use qualitative and quantitative evidence
Select evidence carefully and purposefully
Connect evidence to an assertion or question
Analyze information; do not just put forth data
Let evidence suggest improvements
Use evidence that speaks to the institution’s themes and
the team's questions
• Address results/findings of assessment, not just process
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Thank You!
This presentation and the accompanying
materials are available for download from:
http://www.wascsenior.org/ats2009
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