Sonoma State University College Portrait
Sonoma State University1801 East Cotati Avenue Rohnert Park, CA 94928
707-664-2880
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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
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- College Cost Estimator
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- Classes and Campus Life
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- 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 4-year pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
As the pilot project comes to a close, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot project within the College Portrait and to disclose the results to the public. All VSA participating institutions are encouraged to report their results; SSU reported results from one of the VSA-approved value-added SLO assessments below. Institutions who have not posted SLO results from one of the three VSA approved value-added pilot measures by the end of September 2012 are required to report their results here.
2010 - 11 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: 1117
Senior Score: 1101
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EAA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 22
Senior Score: 22
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: 510
Senior Score: 509
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EAA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 508
Senior Score: 530