The Inter-Institutional Committees for the Evaluation of Higher Education (CIEES) conducted the first external evaluation visit to an upper secondary education institution, marking the beginning of a historic process for evaluation and continuous improvement at this educational level.
High School No. 3 of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL) was the first of the 29 schools in the system that will be evaluated by CIEES, as part of an institutional strategy aimed at strengthening academic quality from the foundations of student education.
The visit formally initiated the evaluation processes of the UANL Upper Secondary Education System, with the participation of its institutional authorities.
Representing CIEES were Dr. Rocío Llarena de Thierry, Executive Member of the Institutional Evaluation Committee; Dr. Joel Humberto Ávila Ontiveros, peer evaluator; and Mr. Víctor Pérez Landa, institutional advisor. Additionally, peer evaluators Mtro. Juan Carlos Limón López and Mtra. Elsa María Fueyo Hernández joined virtually.
This visit inaugurates a new phase in which CIEES expand their work to the upper secondary level, integrating it with higher education quality processes, particularly within university systems such as that of UANL.
An evaluation focused on management, teaching, and continuous improvement
The evaluation carried out by the CIEES Institutional Evaluation Committee is based on a model that supports institutions as strategic partners, helping them strengthen management, enhance decision-making, and consolidate a culture of continuous improvement.
For this first visit, the specific evaluation framework developed for upper secondary education institutions was applied. The external review made it possible to contrast, deepen, and validate the institutional self-evaluation, resulting in findings, recommendations, and development perspectives.
This comprehensive analysis enabled the identification of strengths and areas of opportunity that directly contribute to the academic and organizational strengthening of the school.
The initiation of these evaluations represents a significant step forward for quality assurance in education in Mexico, by formally incorporating external evaluation at the upper secondary level within university systems.
For UANL, this process strengthens institutional management and aligns the work of its preparatory schools with the university’s mission and vision, integrating its educational levels under a unified quality strategy.
For the evaluated institutions, this exercise provides:
- Institutional self-awareness
- Clear documentation of processes
- Identification of areas of opportunity
- Expert recommendations
- Solid foundations for continuous improvement
Towards a more articulated and robust educational system
With this first evaluation, CIEES reinforce their commitment to promoting the articulation between upper secondary and higher education as a strategic axis to develop students with solid, coherent, and success-oriented academic pathways.
This process not only opens the door for the remaining preparatory schools of UANL, but also positions CIEES as a national benchmark in the external evaluation of educational institutions throughout the entire student educational trajectory.