Annual Report

“Educational assessment seeks to determine how well students are learning and is an integral
part of the quest for improved education.  It provides feedback to students, educators, parents, policy makers,
and the public about the effectiveness of educational services.”1

Reporting Expectations:

  1. Submit an annual report, by April 15th, in which there is evidence of direct assessment of least one of your program learning outcomes during the previous academic year.
  2. Provide evidence of full-cycle assessment for at least one of your program learning outcomes during each five-year period, i.e., assessment data for the outcome is collected, assessed, changes are made, and data is collected again to identify and describe the impact of the changes.

Please use our Assessment Report Checklist as a quick reference guide for this process

What is this report asking for?

This report is asking for a clear, succinct accounting of full-cycle assessment activities for each program. This means the program needs include the following in their assessment plan/report: 

  • Outcomes: What do ALL graduates from this program need to know and be able to do? 
  • Assessment Methods: How do students demonstrate that knowledge / those skills in a directly measurable way? 
  • Results: What do your assessment tools or processes indicate about student learning? 
  • Actions: What did you improve or change about the program based on what you learned through analyzing authentic student work? 
  • Full-Cycle Impact: What was the impact of those changes on student learning and success? 
Tips:
  • Consider starting your assessment planning with a curriculum map. There is a template for an easy to adapt curriculum map in the reporting template. 
  • We are here to help! Please reach out to the assessment coordinators in APAA if you would like help designing an efficient assessment plan.
  • For assistance and step-by-step instructors for any of the components of the report, see our handouts and guides in APA Assessment Resources.

Why are we asking for this?

  • The number one reason we are asking for this information is to ensure the use of evidence and data to inform curricula and pedagogy.
  • Just as in our scholarly and creative work, evidence and data are essential supplements to the professional competence and commitment that we dedicate to our students.
  • Additional reasons, which should be compelling to educators and members of the academic community, are that we owe it to the the students and we must demonstrate genuine, full cycle assessment to our accrediting body, the NWCCU. Remember, accreditation is voluntary but necessary.
Submit reports to the APAA Sharepoint website:

Annual Assessment Report Template

Access SharePoint (upload or access asessment reports)            

Related Resources:
Knowing what students know: the science and design of educational assessment Committee on the Foundations of Assessment, Center for Education, Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council; James Pellegrino, Naomi Chudowsky, and Robert Glaser, editors, p. 1