A component of the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB) (PL 107-110) is its emphasis on the importance of systematic and explicit instruction in early reading using practices that are grounded in scientific research. The Reading First legislation (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1) within NCLB is designed to support state and local education…

Multiple program impact analysis was used to evaluate the overall effectiveness in programs for 11,766 first-year students at the University of Texas at Austin. The technique examines the relationship between involvement in multiple educational programs and selected educational outcomes. Among findings was that participation in more than one…

A method used in France to measure a university program's effectiveness at bringing students to the degree level is described. The method uses mathematical formulas to calculate indicators of success for a given cohort, which can then be compared for various programs. (MSE)

This book analyzes and discusses what is currently known about the benefits and costs of assessment programs for institutions of higher education. It is designed to provide a framework that can be applied by both institutional and state-level academic administrators as they consider which kinds of assessment approaches best fit their own needs and…

This handbook is a "how to do it" set of definitions, instruments, and procedures based on program effectiveness and related costs (PERC) evaluation at Empire State College (Saratoga Springs, New York) and four other cooperating institutions. The handbook focuses first on program effectiveness and then considers program costs. It…

This paper briefly reviews the early efforts at forming alumni associations and organizing alumni reunions, describes a number of the more recent alumni surveys used in assessment activities, and concludes with suggestions for conducting such surveys. First, pre-1980 alumni surveys that attempted to measure college outcomes are discussed. Next, a…

Prepared by the Outcomes Assessment Task Force (OATF) at Owens Community College (OCC), in Ohio, this document describes the philosophy guiding assessment at OCC and provides a non-prescriptive guide for implementing an assessment plan. Part I provides an introduction to outcomes assessment at OCC, including OCC's assessment philosophy, a list of…

This monograph is a collection of papers that emerged from a project evaluating the implementation of college outcomes assessment at the campuses of the California State University (CSU) system. Fifteen pilot projects integrated their outcomes assessment in the academic majors and in general education from 1986 to 1990 and the projects were then…

This guide is intended for use by college or university administrators or departmental chairs responsible for implementation of educational outcomes assessment and institutional effectiveness evaluation processes. An introductory chapter explains the guide's purpose, defines key terms in assessment terminology, and explains the institutional…

Institutions of higher education are responding to increasing demands for accountability at all levels of government. The demands are also coming from regional accrediting associations in the form of a call for institutions to document their efforts in the areas of effectiveness and outcome assessment. This paper describes briefly this…

This digest, based on a larger report of the same title, summarizes principles for improving quality in higher education institutions. Emphasis is on the effect of the principles when they are used holistically to create a culture of academic excellence. The quality principles are based on the conceptual framework of total quality management (TQM)…

The California Community Colleges (CCC) has implemented a prototype model for determining student transfer readiness as a primary means of assessing community college transfer effectiveness. This report provides definitions of transfer readiness and guidelines for colleges participating in the CCC transfer readiness study. First, a memorandum from…

This document is a compendium of information from 34 colleges and universities on freshman seminar/student success courses and their outcomes and how institutions are evaluating and reporting on these programs. Freshman seminars or success courses are courses for entering students that aim to ease the student's transition to the college…

This document provides a compendium of evaluation research findings on first-year seminars at 50 institutions of higher education. Program reports are listed by type of institution: two-year institutions, small four-year institutions, mid-sized four-year institutions, and large four-year institutions. Each listing provides a brief description of…

This report provides a comprehensive review of quality principles in higher education and proposes that, when used holistically and systematically, the quality principles, also known as total quality management and continuous quality improvement, can create a culture for academic excellence. After an introduction, the first section explains the…