SSITA [Seal Serving Institutional Transformation Assessment]

What is the SSITA?

SSITA is a self-assessment tool that provides a starting point for institutions to assess with a student-centered lens who they are serving, not serving, and want to serve with data, practice, and leadership. SSITA focuses on meeting institutions where they are in their journey to more intentionally serve Latino, and all, students and emphasizes the following key areas to inform an institutional action plan:

• Data: Sharing an institution-wide snapshot with two years of disaggregated data on Latino, and all, enrollment, retention, and completion;
• Practice: Describing institutional strategies and corresponding evidence-based practices and/or programs in enrollment, retention, and completion that are aligned to the institutional data and demonstrate impact on Latino, and all, student success; and,
• Leadership: Highlighting institutional commitment and intentionality to SERVE Latino, and all, students while fulfilling the institution’s mission and strategy as well as creating an institutional culture where Latino, and all, students thrive.

What is the purpose of the SSITA?

SSITA helps prepare institutions for their journey to more intentionally serve Latino, and all, students and build campus support among faculty, staff, and administrative leaders. SSITA facilitates institutional opportunities to:

• Identify preliminary data, evidence-based practices, and leadership efforts that can inform a more student-centered approach to Latino, and all, student success;
• Conduct a self-analysis to identify institutional successes, challenges and gaps to intentionally SERVE Latino students while intentionally serving all students; and,
• Initiate a preliminary plan of action for further development of institutional resources, commitment, and strategies as part of a community of common cause for Latino, and all, student success.

What is the background of the SSITA?

SSITA is a streamlined version of the Seal of Excelencia institutional assessment tool. To fulfill Excelencia’s mission of accelerating Latino student success in higher education, Excelencia established the Seal of Excelencia. The Seal is a rigorous, data-driven certification framework that requires institutions to show intentionality and measurable results for student success. Institutions earn this standard of excellence through an intentional alignment of data, evidence-based practices, and leadership, all resulting in students’ educational and economic success.

What Excelencia support can an institution access beyond the SSITA?

To support and reinforce institutional capacity to intentionally serve Latino, and all, students, Excelencia has created a capacity building strategy to meet institutions where they are in their transformation journey. Our capacity building opportunities offer institutional teams the content, guidance, time, space and tools that further their efforts to intentionally align data, evidence-based practices, and leadership as a community of learners and practice committed to intentionally serve Latino, and all, students.

Where can we access aditional information on the SSITA?

Institutions can find additional information on the SSITA by consulting our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and our Planning Checklist. You may also contact our Institutional Capacity Team via email at InstCapacity@EdExcelencia.org.