1. Institutions are required to demonstrate their formal plans to continuously improve their educational, administrative, and student learning outcomes effectiveness.  This planning activity results in a carefully developed document known as the Institutional Effectiveness Plan, or the IEP.  Institutional Effectiveness Planning is described in the Accreditation Criteria Title III, Chapter 1, Sections 100 - 113 and the Guide to Institutional Effectiveness both of which can be downloaded from the Publications tab. Please also review the most recent membership statistics for comparative data from the Summary of Key Operating Statistics.

2. Each campus shall have on file an Institutional Effectiveness Plan (IEP). A main and its branches may share aspects of an IEP, such as the mission, but each main and branch campus is expected to have its own plan for effectiveness that describes the characteristics of the programs offered and of the student population, describes what types of data will be used for assessment, identifies outcomes, and states how continuous improvement will be made to improve or enhance outcomes at the institution. At a minimum, the following five elements will be evaluated for institutional effectiveness:

(a) student retention rates;
(b) student placement rates;
(c) level of graduate satisfaction;
(d) level of employer satisfaction; and
(e) student learning outcomes.
Each institution shall publish annual placement and retention goals. In formulating these goals, each institution shall take into account the retention and placement rates from the previous three Annual Institutional Reports and the specific activities that will be undertaken to meet those goals. The activities must demonstrate the institution’s ability to maintain or improve retention and placement outcomes each year.Institutions are encouraged to include additional information in their plans which is relevant to improving their overall effectiveness. 

3. Institutional Effectiveness Planning also requires that the plan be implemented through specific activities, and monitored through periodic progress reports, and evaluated at least annually.