More than ever, these practices must meet the criteria of quality assessment, and it is crucial that these criteria include an appropriate alignment between a learning outcome which represents a program standard, and the assessment method used to verify the achievement of this outcome. In the context of the current initiatives, a careful understanding of the conceptual framework underlying the establishment of program standards is a prerequisite for creating this alignment, and for producing dependable assessment information. The documentation made available to the college system describes this framework's elements, three of which have a direct impact on assessment. Such standards must focus on the learning outcomes expected of graduates from a program. A second element of the framework consists in the definition of learning outcomes.
Learning outcomes represent culminating demonstrations of learning and achievement.
They are not simply a listing of discrete skills, nor broad statements of knowledge and comprehension. They describe performances that demonstrate that significant learning has been verified and achieved by graduates of the program. The definition and description of characteristics of learning outcomes have introduced a new terminology that is part of a widespread movement for making education more meaningful to students, and more responsive to workplace demands. A community college post-secondary graduate is someone who can integrate knowledge, skills and dispositions in the application of theoretical principles to complex roles performed in the workplace and in his or her personal life. The ability to demonstrate this integration broadly characterizes the exit standard for community college post-secondary graduates.