The purpose of Assessment is to improve institutional effectiveness in fulfilling its mission, vision, and goals. The office also keeps track of the extent to which students achieve the intended learning outcomes, as well as determining the extent to which institutional activities contribute to student learning. 

The following values guide the implementation of assessment at SAU:

Effective assessment ... 

1) must provide results that are useful for improving student learning.
2) is efficient and feasible, using existing instruments, data, and procedures when possible
3) meets both internal and external (accreditation, public reporting) demands
4) synthesizes information from multiple high-quality assessment instruments
5) must be developed, implemented, and sustained by faculty and staff, and strongly supported by campus leaders.
6) is continuously evaluated and improved.
7) aligns with institutional mission, values, and vision statements
8) is a matter of commitment; not compliance
9) is the degree to which the institution and its programs document and use data to identify areas of improvement and make changes.
10) comes in many forms, but is informed by scholarship and good practice