Although the accountability "movement" began more than 20 years ago, the need for institutions of higher education to demonstrate their effectiveness has reached critical importance. Many constituencies - regional and disciplinary accrediting agencies, funding sources, and, most importantly, students and their parents - should be considered stakeholders in the quality of education our institutions provide. But although "accountability" and "assessment" go hand-in-hand, the assessment cycle doesn't end with reporting the results. How do we use results to improve the quality of learning? In this session the use of the ETS Major Field Test and the CLA will be reviewed. We will discuss the integration of standardized tests with existing assessment methods and explain in detail how meaningful analysis and interpretation of the results from standardized assessment instruments can inform programmatic changes and improve learning. The session will also address how teaching, learning and assessment can be aligned, using programs such as the CLA Performance Task Academy.