ACCJC/WASC ACCREDITATION 2008

1. ACCJC/WASC ACCREDITATION2008 BUILDING FUTURES THROUGH LEARNING SELF-STUDY KICK-OFF SEPTEMBER 19, 2006

2. PRESENTATION • ACCREDITATION • SELF-STUDY PROCESS • TEAM PARTICIPATION • CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

3. WHAT IS ACCREDITATION? • Accreditation as a system of voluntary, non-governmental self regulation and peer review is unique to American educational institutions. • It is a system by which Cerritos College will evaluate itself in accordance with standards of good practice regarding goals and objectives; the appropriateness, sufficiency, and utilization of resources; the usefulness, integrity, and effectiveness of its processes; and the extent to which we are achieving our intended outcomes. Source: ACCJC Self-Study Manual & Guide to Evaluating Institutions

4. WHAT IS ACCREDITATION? • It is a process by which accreditors provide students, the public, and each other with assurances of Cerritos College’s integrity, quality, and effectiveness. • Accreditation is intended to encourage Cerritos College to plan for institutional improvement in quality and effectiveness. The ultimate goal of accreditation is to help Cerritos College improve attainment of its own mission-improving student learning and student achievement. Source: ACCJC Self-Study Manual & Guide to Evaluating Institutions

5. SELF-STUDY PROCESS • Self study is part of a three-part process of accrediting Cerritos College. This process includes: • An institutional self study, • An on-site visit by a team of peers, • A review and a decision on the accredited status of Cerritos College by the Commission. Source: ACCJC Self-Study Manual & Guide to Evaluating Institutions

6. SELF-STUDY PROCESS • The aim of our self study is to assess how well we meet: • Accreditation Standards, • Eligibility Requirements, • Policies of the Commission, • and to stimulate improvement of educational quality and our institutional performance. Source: ACCJC Self-Study Manual & Guide to Evaluating Institutions

7. SELF-STUDY PROCESS Self study requires a conscious and self-reflective analysis of strengths and weaknesses and an examination of every aspect of our function against Commission Standards. Continuous dialogue among members of the Cerritos College community—a dialogue that is consistently central to our institutional processes and which serves to provide the Cerritos College community with the means for arriving at a comprehensive institutional perspective—can be especially valuable as we engage in self study preparatory to writing a report. Broad involvement in both the self study and preparation of the Self Study Report enhances the credibility and usefulness of the self study report. Source: ACCJC Self-Study Manual & Guide to Evaluating Institutions

8. PARTICIPATION

9. TEAM ACTION (COLLECTIVE) • Collect evidence to support what we say about ourselves • Evaluate the evidence • Organize the evidence into a draft report • Conduct open forums for campus review of the draft document • Prepare a final document • Prepare for the site visit by a team of peers representing the ACCJC

10. TEAM ACTION (INDIVIDUAL) • Participate as a member of a Standard Team • Be a source of encouragement and support for your team members • Share data you collect with your team members as well as other teams • Assist team members in organizing evidence for review • Attend Self-Study document review forums • Assist in preparing for the 2008 site visit

11. Fall 2005 Campus Steering Committee formed Spring 2006/Fall 2006 Formation of Standard Teams Fall 2006/Spring 2007 Data/evidence collection Organize evidence for review by team members Write draft for each standard Team reviews of drafts for each standard Draft of self-study report (all team member input combined) prepared for campus review Fall 2007 Forums conducted for reviews of draft self-study report Organize evidence for review by Accreditation team Prepare final Self-Study report for submission to WASC Spring 2008 Site visit at Cerritos College Recommendations/commendations WASC Report CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES