Danielle Duffourc, Ph.D.
Director for Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment
Xavier University
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Today’s workshop will focus on
understanding the SACS expectations for
Institutional Effectiveness in the 5 year
interim report.
◦ What information do we need to have?
◦ What documentation do we need to have?
◦ Are there any other expectations?
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NOTIFICATION: Institutions are notified about eleven months
prior to the due date for the report.
SUBMISSION: Fifth-Year Interim Reports are submitted midMarch or mid-September.
REVIEW: Report will be reviewed by the Fifth Year Interim Review
Committee, which meets each June and December.
RESULTS: A letter will go out to the reviewed institutions the
following month, informing them of the results of the review.
FOLLOW UP:
◦ If there are no issues for follow up—the process ends here.
◦ If there are issues, an institution would be asked to provide an additional
report that will go to Compliance & Reports Committee, addressing the
specific areas noted.
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5-year Report
◦ April 2016 – Review Notification
◦ March 2017 – Report Due
◦ June 2017 – Report Reviewed
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10-year Report
◦ June 2019 – Leadership Team to Atlanta
◦ September 2020 – Compliance Narrative Due
◦ Nov-Dec 2020 – Off-Site Review
◦ Jan-Feb 2021 – Focus Report and QEP Submission
◦ Jan-Mar 2021- On-Site Review
◦ December 2021 – Reaffirmation Decision
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Part I: Signatures Attesting to Integrity
Part II: Abbreviated Institutional Summary Form
Prepared for Commission Reviews
Part III: Fifth-Year Compliance Certification
Part IV: Additional Report (applicable only to
select institutions)
Part V: Impact Report of the Quality Enhancement
Plan
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CR 2.8
CR 2.10
CS 3.2.8
CS 3.3.1.1
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CS
CS
CS
CS
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CS 3.13.3
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CS 3.13.4
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3.4.3
3.4.11
3.11.3
3.13.1
Number of Full-time Faculty
Student Support Programs
Qualified Administrators and Academic Officers
Institutional Effectiveness: Educational
Programs, to include Student Learning Outcomes
Admissions Policies
Qualified Academic Coordinators
Physical Facilities
Policy compliance: “Accrediting Decisions of Other
Agencies”
Policy compliance: “Complaint Procedures
Against the Commission or Its Accredited
Institutions”
Policy compliance: “Reaffirmation of Accreditation
and Subsequent Reports”
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FR 4.1
Student Achievement
FR 4.2
Program Curriculum
FR 4.3
Publication of Policies
FR 4.4
Program Length
FR 4.5
Student Complaints
FR 4.6
Recruitment Materials
FR 4.7/
Title IV Program Responsibilities and
CS 3.10.2 Financial Aid Audits
FR 4.8
Distance and correspondence education
FR 4.9
Definition of credit hours
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The narrative and evidence for each standard
should be as comprehensive as the
narrative/evidence in your Compliance
Certification Report.
◦ Follow all of the directions.
◦ Write clearly and succinctly, using pointed
examples.
◦ Save the reader time by pointing directly to the
specific supporting documentation - excerpting
when it makes sense.
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CS 3.3.1.1 Institutional Effectiveness:
Educational Programs, to include Student
Learning Outcomes — 49%
CR 2.8 Number of Full-time Faculty — 42%
CS 3.4.11 Qualified Academic Coordinators —
32%
CS 3.10.2/FR 4.7 Financial Aid/Title IV — 21%
FR 4.5 Student Complaints — 17%
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The institution identifies expected
outcomes, assesses the extent to which it
achieves these outcomes, and provides
evidence of improvement based on
analysis of the results in the following
area: 3.3.1.1 educational programs, to
include student learning outcomes
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Relevant Questions for Consideration:
◦ How are expected outcomes clearly defined in
measurable terms for each program?
◦ What assessment instruments were used and why
were they selected?
◦ What is the evidence of assessment activities for
each program?
◦ How are assessment results used for improvement?
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Common Issues
◦ Lack of defined student learning outcomes and/or
methods for assessing the outcomes.
◦ Limited/Immature data.
◦ Not documenting use of data to make improvements.
◦ Non-representative sampling.
◦ Not addressing distance education and off-campus site
programs.
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What needs to happen?
◦ Focus on educational programs and student learning outcomes.
◦ Use mature data.
◦ If using a new system, use data from the previous system, if
necessary and possible, to demonstrate ongoing compliance.
◦ Document the use of data to make improvements.
◦ If presenting a sampling, use a representative sampling and
include a rationale for what makes the sample reasonable and
representative of the programs offered.
◦ Include data on programs offered at off-campus sites and via
distance learning
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If I asked you to provide me with an argument
for compliance that was backed up by multiple
years of assessment data by the end of the
day/week/month, could you?
◦ Does your department have defined outcomes and methods
for assessing the outcomes?
◦ Does your department have a strong, consistent and welldocumented stream of data?
◦ Does your department do a good job of documenting use
of data to make improvements?
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Provide an analysis of data, not just a data
dump.
Use tables and graphs when appropriate,
along with narrative to help the reader
understand what you are trying to illustrate.
Connect the dots for the reader—remember
you are translating, providing a context, and
building a case for compliance
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Reviewers are looking to see that the
academic programs…
◦ Have done what they said they were going to do
and made reasonable adjustments to the plan along
the way.
◦ Have measured and analyzed their impact on
student learning.
◦ Have learned from the process.
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From the State of Assessment Report for
2012-13:
◦ 33 academic units: 16 units have attained SACS
Compliance (48%) and 12 units have attained
Process Compliance (36%). 5 units were noncompliant at the time of the review.
◦ 31 administrative and student support units: 18
units have attained SACS Compliance (58%) and 5
units have attained Process Compliance (16%). 8
units were non-compliant at the time of the review.
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Our overall goal is to have 100% SACS
compliance in the academic units by the Fifth
Year Report, and 100% SACS compliance in all
units by the 10-year Review.
◦ This goal is critical to Xavier’s continued existence
as a SACSCOC Accredited Institution.
◦ This goal is also important to departments as it
provides evidence based proof of success, which
has both intrinsic and extrinsic value.
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THE FIFTH-YEAR INTERIM REVIEW PROCESS &
INCLUDED STANDARDS, Dr. Crystal A. Baird, Vice
President
http://www.sacscoc.org/staff/cbaird/FifthYear%20Interim%20Review.pdf