Assessment Tools & Inquiry Guides

About the Assessments

This collection of assessment tools allows colleges and their leaders to evaluate how well their practices align with what research tells us leads to high and equitable levels of student success. The assessment results provide colleges with insights into where they may need to invest additional strategic effort, based on identifying strengths and weaknesses in particular practices. Included below are four open-access assessment tools available to all users. In addition, there are descriptions below of nine assessment tools Aspen uses in its professional development offerings that require a log-in to access.

Access the Assessment Tools

Registered users of the College Practice Assessment Tools can log in here to access their assessment dashboard. If you are interested in learning more about Aspen’s professional development offerings that includes access to the full suite of assessment tools, please contact cep.fellowship@aspeninstitute.org.

Student Success Strategy Assessments

Transfer Assessment

This tool is designed to help community colleges assess the alignment of their transfer practices with those described in The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges, published in 2016 by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Community College Research Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Please note that this tool will be updated in late 2024 with the forthcoming release of The Transfer Playbook 2.0.

Workforce Assessment

This assessment tool outlines research-based practices and policies highlighted in The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Playbook, gathered from institutions that achieve strong and equitable workforce outcomes. The purpose of the tool is to enable leaders and practitioners to explore areas of strength and needed improvement for their own institutions’ workforce strategies and practices.

Dual Enrollment Assessment Tool

This assessment tool is designed to help community colleges assess the alignment of their dual enrollment practices with those described in The Dual Enrollment Playbook: A Guide to Equitable Acceleration for Students, published in October 2020 by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and Education & Society Program and the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Equitable Outcomes Assessment

This tool will help college leaders reflect on their current policies and practices for improving equitable outcomes and closing equity gaps.

Access Assessment

This tool will help college leaders reflect on the accessibility of their institution through the lens of systemic and scalable student success reforms.

Teaching & Learning Assessment

This tool will help college leaders reflect on current teaching and learning practices through the lens of systemic and scalable student success reforms.

Completion Assessment

This tool is designed to help enable college leaders to increase the number of students, including students of color and those from lower-income backgrounds, who enter and complete programs that lead directly to jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage or efficiently and effectively complete a bachelor’s degree.

Leadership & Institutional Capacity Assessments

Senior Teams Assessment

This assessment tool is for presidents and their senior teams and investigates: the composition of the senior team, how the senior team collaborates around common purpose, and the level of implementation of the student success reform agenda.

Strategic Finance Assessment

This assessment tool will help college leaders reflect on their current institutional strategies for using finance as a key lever for institutional culture, disciplined revenue and expenditures, and partnerships.

Human Capital Assessment

This assessment tool is for college leaders to reflect on how current human capital practices are leveraged for systemic and scalable student success reforms.

Data Use Assessment

This assessment tool will help college leaders reflect on their current practice of strategically using data for systemic and scalable student success reforms.

Board Engagement Assessment

This tool will help presidents and their trustees reflect on current board governance practices and policies through the lens of systemic and scalable student success reforms.

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