Assessment Student Learning Outcomes

All Council on Social Work Education programs measure and report student learning outcomes.  Students are assessed on their mastery of the competencies that comprise the accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education. These competencies are dimensions of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training.

A measurement benchmark is set by the social work programs for each competency. An assessment score at or above that benchmark is considered by the program to represent mastery of that particular competency.

Form AS 4(B): A form required for Reaffirmation, Candidacy, and ongoing compliance per AS 4.0.3.  

Submitting Form AS 4 for Reaffirmation Self-Study & Candidacy Benchmarks

This form is used to assist the COA in the evaluation of the program’s compliance with the accreditation standard below:

4.0.3: The program uses Form AS 4(B) and/or Form AS 4(M) to report its most recent assessment outcomes for each program option to constituents and the public on its website and routinely up-dates (minimally every 2 years) its findings.

All programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (COA) are required to measure and report student learning outcomes.  All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and any additional competencies programs may choose to add.  These holistic competencies reflect the dimensions (knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive & affective processes) of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training.  

Programs determine a percentage-based benchmark for each competency and determine an outcome-measure benchmark (minimum score) for each measure. The competency benchmark (which can differ for each competency) represents the minimum percent of students the program expects to have achieved the outcome measure benchmarks in both/all measures for each of the nine competencies. The program then determines the percentage of students that attained each outcome measure (e.g., minimum score or higher), and aggregates the percentages for both/all measures together to obtain the percentage of students demonstrating competence inclusive of two (2) or more measures. The result of aggregating both/all outcome measure percentages provides the percentage of students achieving the competency benchmark. An aggregated percentage at or above the competency benchmark is considered achievement of that competency. If the program has more than one program option, the program must report data for each program option, and also an aggregate of all program options combined to determine an overall percentage of students across all program options achieving the competency benchmark.

Summary of the Program’s Assessment Plan | Generalist Practice 

All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education and any additional competencies programs may choose to add.  Summarize the program’s competency-based assessment plan.  Programs may add/delete rows to accurately reflect the number measures included in the data presented.

Directions for completing Form AS 4 

Indicate the benchmark percentage for each competency.  The competency benchmark is the percent of students the program expects to have achieved both/all outcome measure benchmarks.  Programs calculate the percentage of students achieving each outcome measure benchmark, then calculate the percentage of students achieving each competency inclusive of two or more measures for each program option.  Programs with multiple program options must present data for each program option, and in aggregate inclusive of all program options per competency.  Programs may add/delete columns to accurately reflect the number of program options offered.  This is a required form.  The assessment data table may be altered to accurately reflect the number of program options offered and additional program-developed competencies program. However, beyond these formatting alternations, the program may not alter the content of this form.  

Virginia State University Baccalaureate Social Work Program

Assessment Data Collected During the Academic Year (2023-2024)