This article charts the influence of American accreditation policies on postsecondary arts education practices. Some commentators suggest that accreditation is a standards- and evidence-based process. I argue that trust is at the center of concerns about assessment in higher education, especially in the arts. The purpose of this article is to provide to policy makers and arts administrators some recommendations for ways trust might be engendered between and within educational units responsible for collecting data for institutional accreditation.