This two-page statement explains why the HLC values assessment and what qualities it expects to see in a strong assessment system.

Excerpt: "In October 1989, the Commission first posited that assessment of student learning is an essential component of every organization’s effort to evaluate overall organizational effectiveness. In February 2003, The Higher Learning Commission adopted a newly revised position statement ... to reaffirm and strengthen this position. ... [T]he Commission makes clear the centrality of student learning to effective higher education organizations and extends and deepens its commitment to and expectations for assessment. Indeed, the Commission asserts that assessment is more than a response to demands for accountability, more than a means for curricular improvement. Effective assessment is best understood as a strategy for understanding, confirming, and improving student learning."

This eleven-page paper is a brief guide to best assessment practices, from setting ambitious goals to reporting evidence and results.

From the HLC's publications page: "The Higher Learning Commission has endorsed guidelines, Committing to Quality: Guidelines for Assessment and Accountability, published by the New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability in 2012. The guidelines help colleges and universities in improving the quality of a college degree by asking them to set clear goals for student achievement, regularly gather and use evidence that measures performance against those goals, report evidence of student learning, and continuously work to improve results."

This five-page guide to assessing online learning was developed by the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC), of which the HLC is a member.