The majority of quality assurance indicators required for accreditation under the 2009 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs standards are continuations of concepts presented in various ways in previous versions of the standards. A significant and substantive departure, however, exists in the transition to student learning outcome-based standards for the program areas and the requirement for programs to submit a comprehensive assessment plan. This article places the development of such an outcomes assessment focus within the context of an overall shift in higher education in the United States toward a focus on accountability and outcomes.