Transcript The Commission’s Expectations for the Assessment of

MSCHE Annual Conference
December 2009
Understanding
Middle States Expectations
for Assessment
Linda Suskie, Vice President
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19104
Web: www.msche.org
E-mail: [email protected]
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
• “Learning-centered”
movement
– 1986: First outcomes
assessment language
– 1980s: Movement—
and assessment
– 1998: Assessment
movement—began
language
strengthened
– 1995: Barr & Tagg’s
seminal article in
– Regional accreditors
Change published
rewrote standards to
emphasize
– Research on what
assessment of student
promotes student
learning outcomes
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
2. Programs,
Services &
Initiatives
4. Using
Results
3. Assessment/
Evaluation
1. Mission & Goals
2. Planning
8. Admissions
3. Resources
9. Student Support Services
4. Leadership/Governance
10. Faculty
5. Administration
11. Educational Offerings
6. Integrity
12. General Education
13. Related Educ. Activities
7. Institutional Assessment
14. Asmt. of Student Learning
Institutional Effectiveness:
Are We Achieving…
7. Mission & Goals
Community
Service
Productivity/
Efficiency
Scholarship
14.
Student
Learning
Revenue
Generation
Diversity
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
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?
Goals
Assessments
Improvements
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.
2.
3.
4.
Read the directions.
Keep it useful…and used.
Tie assessments to important goals.
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.