Assessment & Evaluation

Although the terms “assessment” and “evaluation” are essentially synonymous, TSTC Harlingen has defined assessment as the process used to determine the level of development of student groups or organizational units. Assessment generally has associated expected outcomes, benchmarks, or standards that a unit or division tries to achieve or surpass.

Evaluation, on the other hand, is defined as information that is garnered from a variety of constituents to determine the level of satisfaction or acceptability of the service provided or duty performed. Generally, evaluation does not measure actual development against expected and internally pre-determined standards, but rather seeks to demonstrate improvement in these same ratings over time.

Both assessment and evaluation are used to provide evidence that TSTC Harlingen is meeting all performance standards established in its Indicators of Success and to demonstrate the levels of constituent satisfaction will all college operations. Both provide a basis for creating new plans to address weaknesses identified by data garnered from assessments and evaluations. It is through assessment and evaluation of the college’s teaching, service, environment, processes, and the actual extent to which students actually learn and develop as a result of their educational experience at TSTC Harlingen that the college can nurture a responsive and continuous quality enhancement process. [Back]

THECB Data Review Approval Letter (pdf)

Learning Outcome Assessment Plans

Learning Outcomes Assessment Report of Results

Program Assessment and Improvement Team (PAIT) Exit Reports

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