PTC Board Assessment Tool

The items in the following assessment tool reflect statements of strong practice observed through Aspen’s research and direct engagements with excellent institutions. These are colleges that are achieving high and continuously improving levels of student success, both while in college and after graduation. The assessment tool asks you to rate your perception of the current status of each practice at your institution. The assessment is organized according to one prerequisite and four domains of practice emerging from Aspen’s research; summaries of scores across each domain allow you to see big-picture areas where your institution may need to invest additional strategic effort, in addition to identifying strengths or weaknesses in specific practices that support student success. 

The term “student success” is used throughout this assessment tool. The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program defines “student success” as:

  • Success in college: Students (1) learn and (2) complete credentials.
  • Success after college: Students (1) get good jobs and/or (2) transfer and attain a bachelor’s degree.
  • Access and success for all: All students have access to programs of value with strong learning, completion, transfer, and workforce outcomes. 
     

Directions: Assess the extent to which your college governing board engages each of the following practices, according to the scale below.

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Prerequisite Domain

Terms of Engagement
The board and president have established an agreed-upon set of guidelines for conducting business (including roles and responsibilities).
The board abides by agreed-upon guidelines in interactions with the president and others at the college.
The board demonstrates ethical behavior in all activities.
Members come to meetings prepared and ready for discussion.
The board speaks with one voice once a decision is made.
The roles and responsibilities of the board and president are clear.

Domain 1

The Why and What of Reform

Ensure every board member understands why reform is needed and what reform strategies the college is prioritizing.
Every board member understands why student success reform is needed, informed by data.
The board sets the expectation that the president will present a cohesive institutional plan for improving student success with a limited set of clear priorities for board consideration and adoption.
The board maintains a high-level understanding of what the president and college are changing from and what the college is working toward.
Student success is a central and visible priority in all board agendas and meetings.
A culture of inquiry, evidence, and accountability is in place and serves as the foundation for board and institutional action.
Board members leverage their position and influence in the community to help the institution meet its student success goals.

Domain 2

Goals and Metrics

Set student success goals and regularly monitor a limited number of aligned leading and lagging indicators.
The board formally adopts student success goals and updates them annually.
The board formally adopts annual strategic priorities aligned to student success goals.
The board monitors student success through a limited number of leading and lagging indicators, aligned to prioritized reforms, that are regularly reported to and discussed by the board.
The board holds the president and the college accountable for progress toward student success goals and annual reform priorities.
Board members are aware of major changes in the sector that relate to student success.
Reports are provided on the characteristics of students at least annually.
The board consistently works with the CEO to reduce the time the board spends on misaligned priorities to ensure focused work time on student success.

Domain 3

Policies and Budget

Advance policies and budgets to support the prioritized reform strategies.
The board regularly considers and adopts policies that are specifically needed to support the implementation of priority student success reforms.
The board allocates resources to support the implementation of priority student success reforms.
The board assures financial sustainability for the institution.
The board supports measures necessary for sustainability and scale of student success reforms (e.g., review and modification of policies, organizational structure, collective bargaining agreements, etc.).
Budget consideration and approval are linked to college student success priorities.

Domain 4

President-Board Relationship

Align presidential hiring, transitions, and evaluations with student success goals.
The board creates a mutually supportive relationship with the president, balanced with accountability for achieving student success goals.
The board and president share a commitment to the same student success reform priorities.
The board engages in regular retreats and work sessions with the president to learn about and discuss matters related to student success reform priorities.
The board works to align presidential hiring and transition planning with student success goals and needed reforms.
The president is evaluated at least annually based in substantial part on achieving student success goals and advancing student success reform priorities.
The board holds itself accountable for achieving student success goals during and beyond each college president’s tenure.

Board Engagement Assessment Inquiry Guide

This guide aims to help community college leaders assess review the functioning of their board and how well it is aligned with achieving higher student success outcomes for all students. The guide’s prompts and questions are designed to be considered alongside a summary of responses to Aspen’s senior teams assessment tool, built on research about effective practices in the field. While we anticipate that users of this guide will gather additional information, the assessment responses—alongside this guide—will support leaders in developing specific areas for improvement.

Board Engagement Assessment Inquiry Questions

Based on your Aspen board assessment tool results, where is your board strongest and weakest?

  1. In committing to terms of engagement that govern how board members conduct themselves? In what particular questions/domains?
  2. In understanding why the status quo needs to change and what priority reform efforts the college is pursuing to achieve higher student outcomes for all students? In what particular questions/domains?
  3. In setting clear indicators of success and monitoring progress so the board makes data-informed decisions and holds leaders accountable for progress? In what particular questions/domains?
  4. In aligning consideration and approval of budgets and policies with student success reform priorities? In what particular questions/domains?
  5. In aligning the president-board relationship—including presidential recruitment, hiring, and evaluation—with student success goals? In what particular questions/domains?

How are your board operations contributing to student success?

  1. What are the most effective ways your board contributes to higher outcomes for all students? What evidence do you have from your assessment results to support those conclusions?
  2. In what ways is the board least effective in contributing to higher outcomes for all students? What is it doing that it should not?  What more should it be doing? What evidence do you have from your assessment results to support those conclusions?
  3. Among those weaknesses, what seems most important to address?

How is the way the board spends its time aligned with your student success goals and research-based effective practices? Based on a review of recent board meetings and recollection of meetings:

  1. Are there things the board spends time on that it should stop doing to make room for more time on the prioritized reform agenda and related indicators?
  2. Are there specific ways the board can increase the focus of its meetings and other efforts to prioritize student success reforms?  

If the full board took the assessment tool: Were there any areas of disagreement in your board assessment results? 

  1. What evidence from board interactions and operations could help explain that disagreement?
  2. Is it necessary to resolve that disagreement? If so, what seems most important to resolve?

Next Steps

  1. What are the 1-5 most important things you have uncovered about your board from your assessment tool?  How do those things relate to advancing priority student success reforms?
  2. Among the areas of strength, what do you want to keep doing and perhaps enhance?
  3. Among the areas of weakness, what few changes would make the biggest positive difference?
  4. What challenges do you have (or anticipate) in further strengthening the board?
  5. What immediate next steps will you take to ensure progress on these lessons learned?