“Statement on Assessment”

The purpose of assessment in the Maricopa Community Colleges is to improve teaching and student learning in support of the Governing Board’s goal of post-secondary competencies according to the colleges' assessment committees.

The key characteristics of assessment are:
• Owned and driven by faculty
• Directed by local colleges
• Involves multiple methods
• Ensures an ongoing, sustainable process of review
• Uses results to contribute to curriculum, budget and planning
• May be addressed on various levels (i.e., course, program, institutional).

All of the Maricopa Colleges have been actively engaged in assessment work since the early 1990’s, deploying and sustaining plans for systematic assessment of postsecondary student competencies.  These plans are integral to improving student learning and focus primarily on measures of specific student learning outcomes, which rely on integration into each college’s processes for program reviews, department and college planning, and budgeting.

District support for assessment work includes:  providing support and resources for assessment forums for faculty development and sharing of best practices, funding for workshops, conferences and guest speakers, and providing resources such as time to create and sustain assessment programs and to develop specific assessment tools.

The group seeks to sponsor various forums and dialogues for faculty and administrators. Recent topics include:  helping the under prepared students to succeed, moving from competencies to outcomes, sharing recent re-accreditation processes and interests, to note a few.

Assessment of Learning

The Maricopa Community Colleges' assessment committees, in collaboration with the Academic Assessment and Research Office, prepare the annual summary report of assessment progress at each college during the academic year. The document addresses the Governing Board's outcome for student competencies under University Transfer Education and General Education and serves as the annual monitoring report. The student assessment committee at each college includes faculty members from various academic disciplines and representatives from the Deans of Instruction, Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, and institutional research staff.

Statement of the Governing Board outcome
“Students will demonstrate post-secondary competencies in communication (writing, speaking, listening), reading, the humanities, science, critical thinking, problem solving, computer information literacy, and mathematics.”
     
Context
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredits each Maricopa Community College individually and independently of its sister colleges.  When a college undergoes continuing accreditation, HLC seeks to ascertain whether the institution meets the five Criteria for Accreditation, including Criterion 3 on Student Learning and Effective Teaching.  The college assessment committees report on the Governing Board goal for Student Competencies, which reflects the Student Learning component of HLC Criterion 3.

In 2002, the college assessment committees wrote a district statement on assessment:  The purpose of assessment in the Maricopa Community Colleges is to improve teaching and student learning in support of the Governing Board’s goal of post-secondary competencies.

Some Highlights from 2008-2009
The colleges continue their work to actively engage in assessment and to sustain systematic assessment of postsecondary student competencies which is integral to improving student learning.  The goal is to integrate this work into each college’s processes for program reviews, and department and college planning and budgeting.  The dynamic nature of the college assessment programs is reflected in the various college activities, with some highlights below:

• Chandler-Gilbert Community College developed an online assessment tool to enable faculty to evaluate projects for the indicators that serve as measures of the college’s cross-curricular outcomes and envision evaluation of student work through piloting of a rubric.
• Estrella Mountain Community College continued to refine a General Education program abilities matrix to answer the question, “What do we want our graduates to know, think, and do?”
• GateWay Community College had multidisciplinary teams evaluate general education clusters using standardized rubrics in programs such as Allied Health, Nursing, Automotive, and HVAC programs, benefiting from collaboration between disciplines.
• Glendale Community College continued to sustain the assessment of core learning outcomes demonstrating that Graduate cohorts outperform General Education cohorts.
• Some colleges (Glendale Community College and Scottsdale Community College) applied and were accepted by the HLC’s Academy for Assessment of Student Learning.
• Mesa Community College has begun offering grant funds for projects linking assessment results with teaching or learning practices.
• Paradise Valley Community College evaluated its rubrics, identifying where learning is the strongest and the results were being used to improve learning.  The college has been developing project teams to focus on specific challenges (e.g., program review team).
• Phoenix College, using results from the prior year, developed a Round Table discussion on using writing rubrics in the classrooms to promote writing across the curriculum.
• Rio Salado College piloted a newly developed Program Review model with the Nursing Program and continued an annual assessment and learning experience for adjunct faculty.
• Scottsdale Community College reorganized the structure of general education assessment such that faculty focus on two overarching student outcomes - Critical Analysis and Effective Communication across the curriculum.
• South Mountain Community College simplified the General Education outcomes to Critical and Creative Thinking, Quantitative Analysis, Information Literacy, and Written and Oral Communication; and plans to focus on course-level outcomes for the highest enrolled courses.

This report shows the distinct natures and common commitments of the colleges to our students and to student learning.  For more information on the colleges’ assessments and accomplishments, refer to the respective college updates and their web sites.

November 2009 Assessment Report

Prior Updates on College Assessment

Several college self-study chairpersons share some observations and perspectives from their reaccredidation efforts:  These include the chairs from Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Paradise Valley Community College.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College:  “Assessment and Accreditation at Chandler-Gilbert Community College”

Paradise Valley Community College:  “Incorporating the Self-Study Process into the Campus Culture” 

Rio Salado College:  “Experience with the HLC Academy Approach to Assessment”  (article forthcoming)

Self Study Reports by the Maricopa Colleges

These are the self-study or assessment sites provided by the Maricopa colleges:

• Chandler-Gilbert Community College

• Estrella Mountain Community College

• Glendale Community College

• GateWay Community College

• Mesa Community College

• Paradise Valley Community College

• Phoenix College

• Rio Salado College

• Scottsdale Community College

• South Mountain Community College

Next Self-Study Reporting to Higer Education Commission

MOU with NCA’s Higher Learning Commission for Financial Reporting

The District and the NCA have a memorandum of understanding regarding financial reporting at the system level and for the colleges to be able to include that report in individual Maricopa College reporting the NCA. Download the MOU

State Board and Arizona Association of Community Colleges

A state board for the community colleges no longer exists.  A statewide association (the Arizona Community College Association) has assumed some roles, notably, the compiling of college reports for the legislature.

Assessment Resources – A Sampling

Benchmarking Resources

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)

Over the next several years, eight MCCCD colleges expect to administer the survey.
The CCSSE is administered directly to community college students at CCSSE member colleges in randomly selected classes. It asks about institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and retention (such as student interaction with faculty).  The results are provided to the public for the total CCSSE population, subgroups within the total population, and individual colleges.  Results are provided on national and institutional benchmarks.

Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI)

Several Maricopa Colleges have participated routinely in the Noel Levitz survey of students to determine what aspects of the community college students care most about and how well those expectations are being, and how do the college compare with similar institutions nationally.  The SSI questions cover 12 factors (such as academic advising, campus climate, concern for the individual, instructional effectiveness, and recruitment).

Initiative at State Levels to Track Students

Data Quality Campaign (DQC)

The DQC, with the National center for Education Accountability, surveyed States about their state data systems as to which of 10 essential elements of a longitudinal student data system would be in place as of 2006-07.  A longitudinal data –data gathered on the same student from year to year – would enable schools to look at students academic progress from year to year.  For example, a very basic element is a unique statewide student identifier (code#) that connects student data across key databases (for e.g., between high schools, or between high schools and colleges.

Arizona can only address 1 of the 6 questions, on graduation rate. Arizona does not have a statewide, coherent and consistent database across grade school, high school, community college and university; however, it has legislated a unique student identifier for all high school students and a recording of that information at the public colleges which is in process of being implemented.

1. Which schools produce the strongest academic growth for their students? (27 states can answer this question; Arizona cannot)
2. What achievement levels in middle school indicate that a student is on track to succeed in rigorous courses in high school? (5 states can answer this question; Arizona cannot.
3. What is each school's graduation rate, according to the 2005 National Governors Association graduation compact? (Arizona is 1 of 28 states who can answer this question.)
4. What high school performance indicators (e.g., enrollment in rigorous courses or performance on state tests) are the best predictors of students' success in college or the workplace? (4 states can answer this question; Arizona cannot.
5. What percentage of high school graduates who go on to college take remedial courses? (14 states can answer this question; Arizona cannot.)
6. Which teacher preparation programs produce the graduates whose students have the strongest academic growth? (10 states can answer this question; Arizona cannot.)

Plans for Institutional Assessment or Effectiveness– Some Examples

Alverno College Diagnostic Tool

Alverno uses a web-based system – Diagnostic Digital Portfolio (DDP) which enables their students – anyplace, anytime - to follow their learning progress throughout their study at the college.  Students can review actual performance data, feedback they receive from faculty, external assessors and peers, as well as look for patterns in their academic work. The DDP is built on Alverno's student assessment-as-learning process. 

By being to look at their own performance data and how they succeed over time, they can take more ownership of their own development.  Graduates can then create an electronic resume for either potential employers or for graduate schools.

Howard Community College

HCC provides an Academic Plan comprised of goals, objectives, cost, oversight and performance.  Key areas are addressed: learning environment, organizational effectiveness, staffing and infrastructure.

Johnson County Community College

JCCC provides a strategic plan assessment matrix which includes the strategic goals, objectives, initiatives, indicators, targets and current performance.  These include student learning as well as other institutional goals.

Richland Community College

Richland College (which is part of the Dallas County Community Colleges District) recently won the prestigious national quality award -- the Malcolm Baldridge Award and the Texas award for educational excellence, in 2005.

Sinclair Community College

Sinclair defines assessment as a “shared process of purposeful, systematic measurement used to document, reflect upon, and improve student learning. In order to better understand and operationalize their assessment practices, they provide a distinction between Assessment and Evaluation. “Evaluation is the analysis and use of data by faculty to make judgments about student performance. Evaluation includes the determination of a grade or a decision regarding pass/fail for an individual assignment or for a course.”  “Assessment is the analysis and use of data by students, faculty, and/or departments to make decisions about improvements in teaching and learning. This description is congruent with the College’s definition.”

Other Resources

Journals

Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 

Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation (PARE)

New Directions Evaluation

New Directions for Institutional Research

Assessment Update (newsletter)

Readings/Resources

Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning

What Research Says About Assessment

Assessment that Promotes Learning

Council for Higher Education Accreditation (2003). Statement of Mutual Responsibilities for Student Learning Outcomes: Accreditation, Institutions and Programs. Washington, DC: Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Ewell, Peter T. (2001). Accreditation and Student Learning Outcomes: A Proposed Point of Departure. Washington, DC: Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Evaluation Planning, and Assessment Strategies (various resources)

Higher Education Outcomes Assessment (various resources including
Individual Institutions' Assessment - Related Pages

Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment

Internet Resources for Institutional Research

Resources

Resources