Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Please review the following list to ascertain which of these tools and requirements apply to your upcoming visit. Links to additional Evaluator Resource Guides are provided at the bottom of this page.

1. Implementation of 2008 Revisions to the CFRs and Institutional Review Process

Changes in the CFRs and Institutional Review Process were adopted by the Commission in 2008. Beginning in fall 2009, all institutions need to address the CFR revisions and new subject matter requirements in their CPR and EER reports. Teams are required to review this material and address it in the team report.

Charts that explain the changes were sent to institutions last summer, and are attached here:

• ADDRESSING THE 2008 REVISIONS TO THE CFRS AND THE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW PROCESS (includes Table A Preparing a Supplemental Report on 2008 Changes to the CFRs and Table B Addressing New Requirements to the Institutional Review Process. MS Word versions of Table A and Table B can be found at the bottom of this page.)

• For your information, please click HERE to access the current Standards of Accreditation and Institutional Review Process from the 2008 Handbook of Accreditation. "Standards at a Glance" can be found HERE.

2. Expectations for Two Reviews

This document is designed to help institutions and teams to understand the differences between CPR and EER visits. Formerly called "Two Lenses on Two Reviews," this document has been updated and now includes a second page, which shows how assessment of student learning is approached on each of the two visits.

• EXPECTATIONS FOR TWO REVIEWS

3. Sample Visit Schedule

The sample visit schedule for CPR and EER visits has been revised. Teams are being encouraged to start their work with an executive session at their hotel in the late afternoon before the first day of the visit, to allow more time for their work.

• CPR AND EER SAMPLE VISIT SCHEDULE

4. Suggested Approaches for Evaluating Program Review on Educational Effectiveness Review Visits

EER teams typically examine program reviews during EER visits. The changes to the Institutional Review Process and CFRs have enhanced the emphasis on program review as a tool to ensure the sustainability of student learning outcomes assessment and to connect program needs and effectiveness with budgeting and planning. WASC is piloting one approach for teams to use in evaluating program review and assessment of student learning; an approach that integrates a number of WASC's other forms and rubrics. This approach gives teams a systematic way to engage in this work before and during the visit, by reviewing a sampling of program reviews.

• SUGGESTED APPROACHES FOR EVALUATING PROGRAM REVIEW ON EE VISITS

• EER TOOLKIT

 

5. Institutional Presentation Submission Requirements

Changes were made this past year in the requirements for hard copy and electronic submission of reports and data portfolios. The new requirements, along with related reminders about the Summary Data Form, report contents and due dates, are set forth in the flyer attached .

• INSTITUTIONAL REPORT PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS

6. Educational Effectiveness Framework

In use for six years, this form was updated last year. As has been our practice, teams use this form to guide their evaluation of an institution's capacity to assess student and organizational learning (on CPR visits) and to evaluate overall educational effectiveness (on EER visits). Special Visit teams may also use the framework if assessment and EE are within the scope of its visit.

NEW REQUIREMENT: EER teams are asked to submit their findings about the institution's placement on the framework to the WASC staff. At the end of the visit, EER teams should note on a copy of the framework document where the institution falls in each category/line. The Assistant Chair will send this annotated document to the assigned WASC director. This document will be considered to be part of the Confidential Team Recommendation. Staff will analyze all the framework documents submitted after visits, to learn more about how institutions are addressing educational effectiveness and what their challenges are, and to better understand how WASC might support teams in evaluating educational effectiveness.

• EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS FRAMEWORK
• INSTRUCTIONS ON USE AND SUBMISSION OF EE FRAMEWORKS

7. Assessment Rubrics

WASC now offers five rubrics designed to provide teams with guidance in evaluating the quality and effectiveness of institutions' work in assessment of student learning. The most recent addition to the list, the General Education Assessment Rubric, was piloted in 2008-09 and has been revised and adopted for use this year.

Each rubric has five criteria and four levels of effectiveness - initial, emerging, developed, and highly developed. The rubrics have descriptive language in each cell (i.e., for each level and criteria), which may be used in describing the level of the institution's effectiveness in the team report. The instructions for each rubric include questions that the team may ask on the visit to obtain the information needed to "place" the institution on the rubric.

• PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
• PORTFOLIO RUBRIC
• CAPSTONE RUBRIC
• PROGRAM REVIEW RUBRIC
• GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT RUBRIC

8. Report Formats

The report formats for all kinds of visits were revised and updated last year. We encourage teams, in particular the Assistant Chair, to type directly into the applicable Word document, replacing the instructions in the template with the team's text. Experienced Assistant Chairs have found that this practice saves time, ensures that the team's report follows the required organization and headings, and reminds the team about key questions that it should address in each section.

• CAPACITY AND PREPARATORY REVIEW TEAM REPORT
• EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REVIEW TEAM REPORT
• SPECIAL VISIT TEAM REPORT

WASC works continuously to improve its support for institutions and teams, by developing tools that are useful in the accreditation process. We hope that you will find these new tools to be of great value during your visits this year.