Assessment is a goal-oriented process. Assessment as a process pushes a campus toward clarity about educational aims and the identification of standards which are sensitive to program distinction. Assessment requires attention to outcomes but also and equally to the experiences that lead to those outcomes. Assessment works best when it is ongoing not episodic. Assessment is a process whose power is cumulative.
Assessment fosters greater educational improvement when there are multiple participants.
Assessment makes a difference when it begins with issues of use and illuminates questions that people really care about. Assessment is most likely to lead to improvement when it is part of a larger set of conditions and campus values that promote change and reflect a value for improved performance over time. Through assessment, educators meet responsibilities to students and to the public. Acting on this responsibility promotes the integrity associated with public accountability. This document was developed under the auspices of the AAHE Assessment Forum with support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education with additional support for publication and dissemination from the Exxon Education Foundation.