Amherst College
AC-5: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

5.1 Sustainability literacy assessment design and administration

An institution earns 2 points when it has conducted one or more assessments of the sustainability literacy of its students during the previous three years and meets both of the criteria listed below:

1. Institution conducted one or more assessments of the sustainability literacy of its students during the previous three years.
2. Academic staff engaged in sustainability education at the institution were involved in developing and/or adopting the methodology used to assess sustainability literacy.

Partial points are available and earned as outlined in the Technical Manual.

Measurement

Report on assessments conducted during the previous three years.

To qualify, an assessment must address student understanding of sustainability and/or the knowledge and skills required to address sustainability challenges. Assessments that exclusively address sustainability culture (i.e., behaviors/practices, beliefs/values, and/or awareness of campus sustainability initiatives) or student engagement in sustainability-related programs and activities are excluded. A single instrument that addresses sustainability literacy, culture, and/or engagement qualifies if a substantive portion (e.g., one-third) of the assessment focuses on literacy. 

5.2 Percentage of students assessed for sustainability literacy

An institution earns 2 points when at least 75 percent of students are assessed for sustainability literacy during their tenure at the institution, either directly or by representative sample. Partial points are available and earned as outlined in the Technical Manual.

Measurement

Report the most recent data available. An institution that has not conducted a sustainability literacy assessment during the previous three years may not claim points for this indicator.

A student is considered to be assessed when assessed directly (e.g., as part of a course or program or a mandatory assessment) or by representative sample (e.g., of the student’s entering and/or graduating cohort). An institution that has opted to assess an unrepresentative segment of the population may only claim points for those individuals that participated.

An institution may limit its analysis to undergraduate students if they represent its predominant student body or else report on the entire student body.

Applicable to all institutions.