77-000
BOT 08-30-12
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (POLICY)
The Board of Trustees and constituencies of Oglala Lakota College are committed to
continuous improvement of student academic achievement. To further this goal,
academic departments will conduct regular activities to assess the knowledge, attitudes,
and/or abilities students are acquiring while attending classes at OLC.
Results of assessment activities will be used to plan and budget for continual
improvement of college operations.
Purposes of assessing student academic achievement:
1. To provide information to students and faculty about individual progress;
2. To inform faculty and other professionals so they may develop appropriate
learning programs and curriculum;
3. To provide information to people who make decisions about the allocation of
resources for curriculum, pedagogy, college organization, and other educational
goals;
4. To provide information to the public regarding the institution’s performance;
Who will be assessed:
1. Entering freshmen
2. Students in basic skills courses (General Education).
3. Students completing an Associates and Bachelor’s Degree and/or complete a
designated number of credit hours during their first two years of college.
4. Students in academic and vocational degree programs as determined by their
respective department.
What will be assessed:
All students will be assessed in basic skills subjects and the college core, including but
not limited to Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Lakota cultural awareness.
In addition to college wide assessment in core subjects, students’ learning will also be
assessed in their general education, majors and in specific courses as determined by
the respective academic departments.
Assessment process:
Assessment will use a number of direct and indirect measures to determine learning.
Direct measures may be criterion-based and/or norm-referenced. Students will be
assessed at different points during the student’s academic program.
Reporting of results:
1. The chair of each academic department and/or the director of each instructional
site are responsible for forwarding assessment results to the Institutional
Assessment and Research Office as outlined in the procedures below.
2. Summary Reports of assessment results in Basic Skills/Core will be prepared by
the Institutional Assessment and Research Office on a semester and /or annual
basis.
3. Each academic department will prepare a report of assessments carried out with
a copy of each report to be lodged in the Institutional Assessment and Research
Office.
Assessment Committee:
Oglala Lakota College will have a permanent assessment committee whose members
broadly represent the college’s academic departments. In addition, members may also
be drawn from support services and students.
The duties of the assessment committee are:
1. Develop, distribute and monitor a schedule pertaining to assessment (i.e. an
assessment calendar)
2. Review assessment results from the Office of Institutional Research and
Assessment and from the academic units.
3. Recommend assessment activities and processes and their modification.
4. Review and approve a semester and annual report prepared by the Office of
Institutional Research and Assessment, which describes the semester’s and
year’s outcomes of the assessment of student academic achievement.
Planning and budgeting:
Assessment results and assessment reports will be distributed to OLC’s Administration
and Departments for use in planning and budgeting for continual improvement of student
learning.
Responsibilities:
Oglala Lakota College affirms that assessment is a process independent of decisions
concerning personnel matters, such as retention, rehire, or dismissal. Assessment
outcomes will not be used for such purposes and every effort will be made to safeguard
against the use of assessment results for matters related to these areas.
1. All tests to be used for assessing student academic achievement will be reviewed by
the assessment committee and copies will be lodged in the Office of Institutional
Research and Assessment.
2. Directors of instructional sites or other designated faculty or staff are responsible for
forwarding results of all diagnostic/placement tests to the Office of Institutional
Research and Assessment office no later than the first week of classes in the Fall
and Spring semester.
3. Designated faculty from relevant academic departments will forward the results of
any post tests conducted in pre-college level classes and/or other classes
designated for post tests by the department involved no later than the due date for
final grades each semester.
4. Based on the assessment activities carried out by each academic department and as
outlined in the department’s assessment plan(s), the assessment committee will
publish an assessment calendar each semester.
5. Academic departments will provide the Office of Institutional Research and
Assessment with a report that summarizes the department’s assessment activities
and assessment results as they relate to departmental programs, courses, and/or
disciplines. The assessment report, separate from the department report, will be due
at the end of the department chairs’ contract year.
6. Based on the timely submission of reports and data from academic departments and
instructional sites, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment will furnish a
semester report by the middle of the following semester and an annual report by the
end of the academic year. The annual assessment report will be reviewed by the
assessment committee at the beginning of the following academic year and contain
recommendations from the Assessment Committee for improving the academic
achievement of OLC’s students.
I. ANNUAL ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment will furnish an annual assessment
report based on the direct measures listed by the end of the academic year. The
Assessment Committee will review the report at the beginning of the following academic
year. The report will contain recommendations for improving student academic
achievement.
Oglala Lakota College
Annual Assessment Calendar
YEARLY
August
Department Assessment Day - First Thursday faculty report for academic year
Placement testing Fall Semester (Foundational Studies, Center Counselors)
September
Summary of Placement testing forwarded to assessment office (Foundational Studies)
Assessment Committee reviews Institutional assessment report. Departments and
assessment office make recommendations for planning and budgeting.
October
Assessment presentation Board of Trustees retreat (Assessment Office)
Employer survey (Center Directors) (every odd numbered year)
Community needs assessment (Center Directors) (every year ending in 2, 5 and 9)
November
Praxis Exam (Education Department)
Weeks 12-14 for course evaluations (SIR II) (College Center Staff)
Weeks 12-14 college center evaluations (Assessment Office)
Information Literacy exit exam (Information Technology Personnel)
December
Summary of Post-Placement testing forwarded to assessment office (fall courses)
(Foundational Studies)
Drop out Students (Data Manager)
Student Attendance (Data Manager)
AKIS report (Assessment Office)
January
Department Assessment Day - First Thursday faculty report after break
Placement testing spring semester (Foundational Studies, Center Counselors)
Fall General Education assessments forwarded to assessment office (Academic
Departments)
February
Summary of Placement testing forwarded to assessment office (Foundational Studies)
March
Student Satisfaction (NSSE) survey (freshman and seniors) (Assessment Office) (every
even numbered year)
April
Praxis Exam (Education Department)
Weeks 12-14 for course evaluations (SIR II) (College Center Staff)
Weeks 12-14 College center evaluations (Assessment Office)
Information Literacy exit exam (Information Technology Personnel)
Proficiency Profile (PP) proctored to those graduating with an Associates and Bachelor’s
degree (Assessment Office)
May
Academic Major assessments (Academic Departments)
Summary of Post-Placement testing forwarded to assessment office (spring courses)
Department assessment reports forwarded to assessment office (Due no later than May
31 or last working day in the month) (Academic Departments)
Lakota Studies Exam for those graduating with an Associates and Bachelor’s degree
(Lakota Studies Department)
Alumni Survey (Center Directors)
Drop out Students (Data Manager)
Student Attendance (Data Manager)
June
Summary of Post-Placement testing forwarded to assessment office (spring courses)
(Foundational Studies)
Spring General Education assessments forwarded to assessment office (Academic
Departments)
July
Institutional assessment report finalized for the past academic year (Assessment Office)
Assessment Population Responsibility Schedule
Assessed
Foundational Studies First year Foundational Each semester
Placement Test entering Results to prior to completion
(Accuplacer)(Pre & Post students/ Director of of the first
Test) Students testing Assessment registration; each
out of semester at
Foundational completion of
Studies Foundational
Studies courses
Core Curriculum Graduating Center Spring Semester
(Proficiency Profile) students with an Counselors last two weeks of
D Associate Director of April and first
I and/or Assessment week of May
R Bachelor's
E Degree
C
T Lakota Language Students ready Lakota Studies Last two weeks of
to graduate with Department each semester
M Associates or Results to
E Bachelor's Director of
A degree Assessment
S
U Praxis Education Education April and
R students Department November
E Results to
S Director of
Assessment
Information/Computer Students upon Information Close of each
Literacy completion of Technology semester
MIS 113 Department
Results to
Director of
Assessment
Core Curriculum Students Academic Each Semester
enrolled in the Departments
pre-determined
courses on a Results to
semester basis Direcotr of
Assessment
Academic Majors Students in Department Annually, prior to
Senior year as Personnel May 15th
determined by Results to
department Director of
Assessment
Non-teaching Units Services Unit teams Annually, end of
provided - how Results to the fiscal year
effective are Director of
they? Assessment
Alumni Survey Graduates of Center Annually, near
the previous Directors close of spring
I academic year Results to semester
N Director of
D Assessment
I
R Employer Survey OLC graduates Director of Every odd
E employers Assessment numbered year, fall
C semester
T
Community Needs District Center Every third year,
M Assessment population Directors fall semester
E Results to
A Director of
S Assessment
U
R Drop out Students Drop out Data Manager Every semester
E students Results to
S Director of
Assessment
Student Attendance All Students Data Manager Every semester
Results to
Director of
Assessment
Student Satisfaction Students (400 Director of Every two years
(NSSE) random) Assessment
Course Evaluations All Students Director of During weeks 12-
(SIR II) Assessment 14 each semester
College Center All Students Director of During weeks 12-
Evaluations Assessment 14 of each
Semester
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