Accountability in the private and public sectors of society has received significant attention in both research and practice, partly because of its importance, but also because it is challenging to define, measure and implement. The nature of accountability is complex, ambiguous and highly context-dependent. As related to postsecondary education…

This report provides six mini-case studies of higher education policy reforms enacted in other states, exploring the important role that state policy leadership played in developing, promoting, and implementing these policies aimed at improving higher education outcomes, and discussing the relevance of each reform effort for California. This…

Goal 5 of "The Illinois Commitment," strategic plan for higher education in Illinois, stipulates that by 2004, all academic programs will systematically assess student learning and use assessment results to improve programs. This paper provides the history and context for the systematic assessment of student learning, including…

The College Outcomes Evaluation Program, a New Jersey assessment plan, is intended to serve as an official blueprint for improving state higher education. It outlines specific goals for gauging quality but gives institutions leeway to carry them out. (MLW)

The need for goals in postsecondary and higher education is discussed. It is suggested that the development of statewide goals can serve as a means of making postsecondary education accountable to the public without resort to increased control and regulation. The process being used in Georgia to develop statewide goals for postsecondary education,…

The report presents the Adult Basic Education (ABE) 321/326 California learning progress and goal attainment data for fiscal year 1998-99. Chapter 1 introduces an overview of adult basic education in California and contains information about ABE 321/326 federal programs and the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASES). It discusses…

Described is the system of evaluation used to monitor and assess the effectiveness of community service/continuing education programs in Florida funded through Title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It is necessary to first describe the State Agency's understanding of program evaluation and indicate the influences that contribute to that…

Narrates an interview with Kenneth Ashworth, the recently retired commissioner of higher education in Texas, regarding his role in shaping the state's developmental-education programs. States that Ashworth was instrumental in starting the Texas Academic Skills Program, a statewide, basic-skills assessment program. Addresses such issues as funding…

This document reports on the evaluation of eight women's studies programs in the State University of Florida System. After reviewing the development of women's studies as a discipline, sections of the report cover measures of quality and vigor in women's studies programs, curriculum, women's studies programs as community builders on and off…

This report describes the model used by the Oregon State System for Higher Education to assess the impact of higher education on the growth and change in students as a result of participation in higher education. The model prescribes assessments of general knowledge and abilities, learning environment, major field knowledge, degree completion,…

Gubernatorial mandates involving value-added assessment and teacher competency testing have intensified external expectations of the institutional research community. With governors thus promoting quality in higher education, institutional researchers must exert leadership in identifying potential implications of state policies. The image of 20…

Key aspects of assessment's rise as an issue are reported, and several lines of inquiry labeled assessment (and their assumptions) are examined. Concepts of assessment originated decades ago, but until recently people in higher education hearing the word did not view it as they do today. The early 1980s saw the argument that traditional gauges of…

In 1972, the board of regents of the university system of Georgia directed that a testing program be established to provide information on the status of student competence in the areas of reading and writing. In addition, the program was to provide a uniform means of identifying those students who fail to attain minimum levels of competence…

Three projects have been undertaken in Minnesota to define standards for student outcomes in postsecondary institutions. The Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board has focused on outcomes, standards, and criteria which may be used as templates for student assessment. The first project followed the publication of the State Department of…

The role of the state government in higher education assessment is clearly expanding as both the state's interest and investment in higher education grows. Currently, patterns of state involvement vary widely--from indirect incentive programs to direct legislation or regulatory action. Institutional assessment and the resulting reform must be…