The institution demonstrates that it is accomplishing and can continue to accomplish its mission, goals and program objectives and improve performance through a regular, comprehensive, and sustainable system of assessment and planning. Central to this plan is the systematic and specific assessment of student learning and development through a strategy that measures the student’s knowledge, skills and competencies against institutional and programmatic goals.

Relative to this standard, an accredited institution is characterized by…

1. The identification of appropriate integrated student outcomes in the context of institutional goals, program-specific objectives and course objectives.
2. A shared commitment on the part of students, faculty, staff, administration, and governing board to achieve these stated outcomes.
3. A written plan of ongoing outcomes assessment that articulates multiple means to validate expected learning outcomes and that is subjected to a periodic review process.
4. Criteria appropriate to the higher education credential to be awarded for evaluating success with respect to student achievement and to the level of education.
5. Validation, as a result of using the outcomes assessment plan, that students are achieving the stated outcomes relative to institutional goals, program-specific objectives and course objectives.
6. A process whereby these outcome measurements lead to the improvement of teaching and learning.
7. The ongoing provision of reliable information to the public regarding student achievement,including graduation and employment rates.

Relative to this standard, an accredited institution is characterized by…

1. A written comprehensive assessment document that describes how the institution measures its effectiveness in an ongoing and structured way.
2. Meaningful analysis of assessment data and use of results by appropriate constituencies for the purpose of improvement.
3. Substantial documentation issuing from its assessment processes that the institution is effective in fulfilling its mission and achieving its goals and objectives.
4. A planning process that is comprehensive, involves representatives of the various institutional constituencies, and is subject to a periodic review process.
5. A plan that reflects the institution’s mission, is based on assessment results, and is aligned with realistic resources projections.
6. A system for monitoring institutional progress in achieving planning goals.
7. The ongoing provision of reliable information to the public regarding its performance.