Editor’s Note

When its founders organized the New England Educational Assessment Network in 1995, assessment of student learning remained a nascent academic field. Over the past two decades, NEEAN has played a significant role in shaping the field’s maturing focus on outcomes over inputs and education over external accountability. In recognition of the still-evolving leadership of its sponsoring organization, therefore, the Journal of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness proudly presents in this anniversary issue two articles commissioned to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of NEEAN. Both authors, from the perspective of their special contributions to this history, devote considerable attention to reflecting upon the past. Nostalgia satisfies neither of them, however, and we are particularly grateful for their insights regarding the future directions of our collective undertaking. Terrel Rhodes highlights new attempts to achieve an effective balance between pedagogical and curricular advancement, on the one hand, and accountability on the other. Steven Weisler challenges the assessment community to realize a higher level of accomplishment in centering our work on the improvement of teaching and learning.

Given that the aspirations and challenges articulated by Weisler and Rhodes will be attained and addressed through the work of colleagues collaborating in and among institutions, JAIE 5.2 also includes two pieces reflective of such efforts. Alexandra Cole illustrates how accountability’s focus on cost control can undermine its emphasis on outcomes by necessitating increases in class size. Amy Housley Gaffney presents a case study in the importance of sustaining program assessment across multiple cycles. Both this section and its more broadly directed predecessor stimulate our commitment to continuing the advancement of student learning. We offer them with deep appreciation to their authors.