2013 A CCREDITATION S ELF S TUDY K ICKOFF M AY 2, 2011 Presented by Chairs: Aimee Myers, Faculty Chair Laurie Thiers, Classified Chair Brian Haley, Management Chair Accreditation Liaison Officer: Rachel Rosenthal 1

O VERVIEW Purposes of accreditation What’s WASC and ACCJC? The Standards It’s all about evidence Institutional Resources Steps for Preparing the Self Study Timeline Organization and Committees Next Steps 2

T HE P URPOSES OF A CCREDITATION ARE : To provide assurance to the public that education provided by institutions meets acceptable levels of quality To promote continuous institutional improvement To raise the quality of higher educational institutions in the region/nation To assure accuracy in institutional reports Buffer political forces 3

A CCREDITATION IS : Voluntary A peer review process Nongovernmental Continuous in a six-year cycle Annual Report Annual Fiscal Report Midterm Report Self Study Team Visit 4

W ESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES ( WASC ) One of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges and universities in the United States Commissions Accrediting Commission for Schools Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities 5

ACCJC  ACCJC is authorized by the United States Department of Education and recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.  The membership of the ACCJC includes California, Hawaii and six Pacific Islands; public and private institutions; secular and religious- based; non-profit and for profit.  Has 19 commissioners 6

G OAL : INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH Establishing standards of quality based upon excellent practices in higher education Evaluating institutions with these standards using a three-part process Institutional Self Study Peer Review Commission Review ACCJC Bylaws, Accreditation Reference Handbook, p

T HE ACCJC S TANDARDS Standard I: Institutional Mission and Effectiveness Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Services Standard III: Resources Standard IV: Leadership and Governance 8

T HE S TANDARDS :  Are necessary conditions for high - quality education  Reflect best practice in higher education, not common practice  Apply to diverse institutions 9

S TANDARDS ARE NOT :  Inclusive of every good practice in higher education  Representative of state or system regulations or requirements or used to enforce those regulations or requirements  Meant to represent the “standards” of other groups that purport to establish best practice or quality 10

S TANDARD I: I NSTITUTIONAL M ISSION AND E FFECTIVENESS 11

S TANDARD IA: I NSTITUTIONAL M ISSION The institution:  Defines its purpose  Defines its intended population  Defines its commitment to student learning 12

S TANDARD IB: I NSTITUTIONAL E FFECTIVENESS The institution provides evidence that it:  Collects and uses student achievement and student learning outcomes data  Conducts program review and other ongoing, systematic evaluation  Uses systematic assessment and planning to improve educational effectiveness and institutional quality 13

S TANDARD II: STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES 14

S TANDARD IIA: I NSTRUCTIONAL P ROGRAMS The institution:  Offers high quality instructional programs wherever and however they are offered  Identifies student learning outcomes and evaluates how well students are learning  Assesses student achievement  Assesses programs systematically  Assures quality and improvement of all programs including distance and off campus 15

S TANDARD IIB: S TUDENT S UPPORT S ERVICES The institution:  Researches and identifies the learning support needs of its students  Provides appropriate, comprehensive learning support services to its students regardless of location or delivery method  Provides precise and accurate information about the institution to students and the public continued… 16

S TANDARD IIB CONT.  Assesses the quality of those services by evaluating student achievement and student learning outcomes as appropriate  Uses the results of evaluation to plan and implement improvements to student support services 17

S TANDARD IIC: L IBRARY AND LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES The institution:  Offers sufficient services to support the quality of its instructional programs  Includes library, tutoring, technology and other learning support services  Trains students and staff to use these services  Assesses services systematically using SLOs as appropriate  Assures quality and improvement of services 18

S TANDARD III: RESOURCES 19

S TANDARD IIIA: HUMAN RESOURCES The institution:  Employs qualified personnel  Evaluates all personnel  Ensures professional development of personnel  Assesses its performance in employment equity and diversity  Uses human resources to support student learning  Integrates human resource planning with institutional planning 20

S TANDARD IIIB: PHYSICAL RESOURCES The institution:  Provides safe and sufficient facilities and equipment  Evaluates the quality of its physical resources on a regular basis  Ensures physical resources support student learning  Integrates physical resource planning with institutional planning 21

S TANDARD IIIC: TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES The institution:  Ensures its technology supports facilities, research and college-wide communication  Provides training to students and personnel in the use of technology  Ensures that technology supports student learning programs and services  Integrates technology planning with institutional planning 22

S TANDARD IIID: FINANCIAL RESOURCES The institution:  Ensures fiscal stability and integrity  Plans for short-term and long-term financial needs  Ensures that financial resources are sufficient to support student learning programs and services and to improve institutional effectiveness  Integrates financial planning with institutional planning 23

S TANDARD IV: LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE 24

S TANDARD IVA: DECISION - MAKING ROLES AND PROCESSES The institution:  Uses ethical and effective leadership that enables it to identify values, set and achieve goals, learn, and improve  Provides for staff, faculty, administrator, and student involvement in governance  Establishes and evaluates the effectiveness of governance structures and processes  Ensures that governance supports student learning and improves institutional effectiveness 25

S TANDARD IVB: BOARD AND ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION The institution:  Has an independent governing board that sets policy, assures quality and integrity of student learning programs and services and financial stability  Has a chief administrator that provides leadership for institutional quality and improvement  Has clearly defined and effective lines of authority and responsibility between colleges and the district/system in a multi-college system.  Ensures that board and administrative organization supports student learning and improves institutional effectiveness 26

I T ’ S ALL ABOUT EVIDENCE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES ADEQUATE RESOURCES INTEGRITY EVALUATION AND PLANNING CYCLE INVOLVEMENT OF ALL CONSTITUENCIES 27

S TUDENT L EARNING O UTCOMES  The standards place student learning outcomes (SLO’s) at center of accreditation review process.  Institutions must identify SLO’s at course, program and degree level, and measure their achievement  These standards build on the continued requirement of good processes, resources and institutional goals. 28

T HE BOTTOM LINE …  What should students learn?  How well are they learning it?  What evidence exists that students are learning?  How can the evidence gathered best be analyzed and then used to improve learning and teaching? 29

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RESOURCES  Have in place the organizational means to identify and make public learning outcomes, to evaluate the effectiveness of programs in producing those outcomes, and to make improvements  Have adequate staff, resources and organizational structure (communication and decision making structures) oriented to produce and support student learning 31

I NTEGRITY  Institutional concern with honesty, truthfulness, and the manner in which it represents itself to all stakeholders, internal and external  Integrity of its policies, practices, and procedures and how students, employees, and the public are regarded  Clarity, understandability, accessibility, and appropriateness of publications  Open inquiry in classes as well as student grades that reflect an honest appraisal of student performance against faculty standards 32

E VALUATION, P LANNING, AND I MPROVEMENT CYCLE Evaluation of student needs, college programs and services Goal setting Resource distribution Implementation 33

I NVOLVEMENT  Leadership from  Faculty  Administrators  Classified Staff  Board of Trustees  Students 34

I NSTITUTIONAL R ESOURCES  Previous Self Study Report  Team Report  Commission Action Letters  Follow Up Reports  Midterm Report  Technology  Editor (s)  Accreditation Liaison Officer 35

STEPS College prepares Self Study Peer team selected by ACCJC visits the college Confirms statements in Self Study Confirms alignment with Standards Team prepares report and recommends action Self Study and Team Report submitted to ACCJC ACCJC votes 36

P OSSIBLE ACCJC A CTIONS Reaffirmation Reaffirm accreditation Reaffirm accreditation and Focused Midterm Report Reaffirm accreditation and Focused Midterm and Visit Reaffirm accreditation and Progress Report Reaffirm accreditation and Progress Report and Visit Defer decision Sanction Issue Warning Impose Probation Order Show Cause Terminate Accreditation 37

TIMELINE Spring 11Identify Self Study Chairs, writing team chairs, and members Fall 11Training, evidence gathering, writing begins Spring 12Writing, first draft due by May 1 Fall 12Second draft due by October 1 First compiled draft complete by December 15 Spring 13Review by shared governance groups Approval by Board by May Fall 13Self Study submitted to ACCJC in August Team visit in October Spring 14ACCJC takes action 38

O RGANIZATION : S ELF STUDY S TEERING COMMITTEE Accreditation LiaisonStandard I Faculty ChairStandard II Management ChairStandard III Classified ChairStandard IV Dean, Research Planning and Resource Development Administrative Assistant 39

S ELF STUDY WRITING TEAMS ( AS OF 5/2/11) STDCHAIR IAMission IBInstitutional Effectiveness IIAInstructional Program IIBStudent Support IICLibrary IIIAHuman ResourcesCameron Abbott IIIBPhysical ResourcesLaura Doty IIICTechnology IIIDFinancial ResourcesKerri Hester IVADecision Making IVBBoard and Administration 40

N EXT S TEPS Identify writing team members and chairs Training session(s) for Steering Committee and Writing Team Chairs Establish detailed tasks, responsibilities and schedule for

QUESTIONS? 42