California State University, San Marcos College Portrait
California State University, San Marcos333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road San Marcos, CA 92096
(760) 750-4848
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- Students
Find out more about the characteristics of students who attend CSUSM.
- Admissions
See how many students applied, accepted, and enrolled at CSUSM. Learn more about students’ high school preparation and test scores.
- College Costs & Financial Aid
Learn about costs to attend CSUSM and how much financial aid is typically awarded.
- College Cost Estimator
Estimate your cost to attend CSUSM in a few simple steps.
- Classes and Campus Life
Learn more about professors, where students live, and campus safety at CSUSM.
- Student Experiences
Discover ways to be actively involved in your education at CSUSM – inside and outside the classroom.
- Majors, Graduation and Next Steps
See which majors are most popular at CSUSM and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.
- Student Success & Progress
Discover how many students who start at CSUSM finish their bachelor's degree and how long it takes.
- Student Learning Outcomes
Figure out what learning gains to expect in critical thinking, writing, and other important subjects at CSUSM.
- Public Good
Student Learning at California State University, San Marcos
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
Graduates of California State University San Marcos will, 1) express a coherent purpose and point of view in written and other formats, including writing clearly and concisely, demonstrating proficiency in a second language and effectively presenting ideas; 2) apply critical thinking to arrive at thoughtful conclusions based on logic and sound reasoning; 3) demonstrate competence in electronic and information technologies; and, 4) possess a global and interdisciplinary perspective, appreciate and value the racial, ethnic, social and cultural diversity and combine insights from several disciplines to more fully understand today's complex problem.
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
2008-10 Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1014
Senior Score: 1211
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 20
Senior Score: 22
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 975
Senior Score: 1030
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1038
Senior Score: 1233
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 20
Senior Score: 23
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 975
Senior Score: 1036