Sonoma State University College Portrait

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Students
Find out more about the characteristics of students who attend SSU.
Admissions
See how many students applied, accepted, and enrolled at SSU. Learn more about students’ high school preparation and test scores.
College Costs & Financial Aid
Learn about costs to attend SSU and how much financial aid is typically awarded.
College Cost Estimator
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Classes and Campus Life
Learn more about professors, where students live, and campus safety at SSU.
Student Experiences
Discover ways to be actively involved in your education at SSU – inside and outside the classroom.
Majors, Graduation and Next Steps
See which majors are most popular at SSU and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.
Student Success & Progress
Discover how many students who start at SSU 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 SSU.
Public Good

Student Learning at Sonoma State University

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.

Sonoma State University is committed to academic excellence and to assessment of student learning to improve the quality of the educational experience for our students. All departments have defined student learning outcomes for their majors and report annually their assessment findings and plans for improvement of curriculum and pedagogy. SSU’s General Education Program has a clearly articulated mission statement, teaching goals, and learning objectives. Additionally, institution-wide assessment data are gathered through the use of nationally recognized surveys, such as the NSSE, and through direct assessment measures, such as the Written English Proficiency Test, required of all students prior to graduation.

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.

2006-10 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 well above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 1057
Senior Score: 1161
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.

Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1070
Senior Score: 1001

Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students

The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is well above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.

Freshman Score: 1116
Senior Score: 1235
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.