At some future point, when a definitive history of the assessment movement is written, one of the most frequently cited, influential publications will be "Assessment Update" ("AU"). Since 1989, this bimonthly newsletter has been published by Jossey-Bass in partnership with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis…

The Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) first released by Lumina Foundation in 2011 and revised in 2014 sets forth a vision of what students should know and be able to do at the associate, bachelor's, and master's levels. It also carries an important message about assessment. Unlike the popular model of assessment as a sampling of…

In the wake of the Spellings Commission, critical choices need to be made about how to refashion institutional assessment practices to respond to new accountability demands, without destroying the essence of accountability as a process of continuous improvement. This article begins with a brief description of the history of assessment, with…

As educational metrics proliferate, individuals need to be increasingly sensitive to what they stand for in addition to what they seem to say. And because many of the authors of these metrics will not reveal what is behind the curtain, examining the features just reviewed can help individuals determine the values embedded in what appear otherwise…

The four participants in this "conversation" make the case for better theory to support contemporary practice in assessment. The participants tell individual stories about problems in assessment and then explore the nature of measurement. As a whole, the conversation embodies reflection as a central value of assessment. The assessment…

Explores specific features of present evaluation practices in higher education that could render them capable of resolving the contradiction in purposes between accountability and institutional improvement. Also explores particular features of institution-level "good practice" in the use of information that external quality-assurance…

This white paper on educational accountability was written in response to a request from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE). Of major concern in this study of accountability are the distinctions between system-level and institutional-level obligations. The concept of accountability is developed and related to other important…

Legitimate external groups that seek accountability for educational outcomes are identified, and attention is directed to choices for designing an institutional assessment, as well as principles to guide institutions' response to accountability demands. Appropriate domains of accountability include: (1) the authority of state government to…

The paper examines policy implications of recent trends toward state mandated assessment of higher education services. Two differing purposes of assessment, that of academic improvement and that of accountability, are distinguished. Current trends in how policy makers and higher educators approach a "new accountability" include seeing…

The use of student outcomes data in higher education is discussed. Consideration is given to a widely recognized taxonomy of student outcomes developed by Alexander Astin and his associates, and a classification of outcomes developed by Oscar Lenning and his associates at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). Issues…

The results of visits by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems to Arizona's three public universities to observe the status of institutional effort to assess the quality of undergraduate education are presented as a working paper in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and…

Successful outcomes assessment programs have many common characteristics. Institutional researchers should examine these signs of success and use them as guides for developing their own campus programs. (Author/MSE)

This book analyzes and discusses what is currently known about the benefits and costs of assessment programs for institutions of higher education. It is designed to provide a framework that can be applied by both institutional and state-level academic administrators as they consider which kinds of assessment approaches best fit their own needs and…

Successful implementation of assessment requires effective administrative leadership to get started, convert data to information, and use the information in making improvements. Assessment may pay its greatest long-term dividends as an organizational device for directing scarce reserves of institutional attention to teaching and learning. (MLW)

Recent state and national developments regarding assessment of higher education suggest that a decisive point for assessment policy is approaching. Too many higher education leaders remain uninvolved, and public patience is wearing thin. Increasing frustration with higher education may lead public policymakers toward greater prescription and…