ABSTRACT: Scott Jaschik's report "Fresh Approach to Accountability"
on the higher-education assessment plans of the National Association
of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) is discussed,
along with the pro-NASULGC-plan response by Charles Miller, Chair of
the U.S. Dept. of Education's (USDE's) "Commission on the Future of
Higher Education," and the anti-NASULGC-plan response of Peg Miller,
Director of the National Forum on College-Level Learning (NFCLL). The
top-down summative-assessment approaches of the USDE, NASULGC, and
NFCLL are contrasted with bottom-up formative-assessment approach of
the physics-education reform effort.
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Scott Jaschik (2006) in a recent "Inside Higher Ed" report "Fresh
Approach to Accountability," wrote [bracketed by lines "JJJJJJJJJ. .
. ."; my inserts at ". . .[....]. . . "; my CAPS]:
JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
An association of public research universities is studying the
possibility of creating a new, voluntary system to define and measure
the outcomes of undergraduate education, in a way that would allow
for public comparisons of similar institutions.
The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant
Colleges . . .[NASULGC <http://www.nasulgc.org/>]. . . - a group of
more than 200 public research universities, including flagship
institutions in every state - is floating this idea as a federal
panel on the future of higher education has become increasingly
critical of the way the government and colleges assure their quality.
Leaders of the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of
Higher Education [see e.g., Lederman (2006a,b) and USDE (2005)] have
for months been scaring colleges with talk of using new national
tests to assure quality. . .[see e.g. Lederman (2006b)]. . . . And
just last week, the panel infuriated accreditors when it released a
report suggesting that the regional system of accrediting colleges be
replaced . . .[see e.g. Lederman (2006c)]. . . with a national one.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sally Mason, provost of Purdue University and chair of the NASULGC
group that has worked on this idea, said that she sees the idea as a
natural outgrowth of how she and her counterparts at other
institutions are constantly considering how they can improve programs
and their institutions.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A range of metrics - already collected in some form by most
institutions - could be used in the system that universities may
create, she said. MASON CITED DATA ON GRADUATION RATES, ADMISSIONS,
APPLICATIONS, STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND FACULTY DEMOGRAPHICS.
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Inside Higher Ed facilitates short online responses to their articles
in a "Comments" section below each article. Two responses are of
particular interest:
1. Charles Miller, former University of Texas regent, now Chair of
the Dept. of Education's "Commission on the Future of Higher
Education" wrote:
"Dr. McPherson and NASULGC are to be strongly commended for their
leadership in developing an accountability system appropriate for the
academic institutions involved and also for the students and the
public. This effort has obviously been underway for some time. The
public will surely be served even more as we are able to watch its
development."
2. On the other hand, Margaret (Peg) Miller (2006) Director of the
National Forum on College-Level Learning (NFCLL)
<http://www.teach.virginia.edu/centers/collegelevellearning/> wrote
[my CAPS]:
"I'm disappointed that NASULGC is seems to be interested in
describing 'the skills and knowledge that students bring to college'
but evidently not the ones they leave with. While it's considering
publishing 'data on graduation rates, admissions, applications,
student demographics and faculty demographics,' THE OBVIOUS OMISSION
OF EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING SUGGESTS THAT THEY HAVEN'T HEARD THE
CLEAR MESSAGE THAT'S BEEN COMING FROM THE STATES AND THE FEDS FOR
ABOUT 20 YEARS: THAT THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT OUR GRADUATES KNOW AND
CAN DO."
Well said, Peg Miller!
I shall forbear dwelling on another approach to assessing and
improving student learning in higher education - see "The Physics
Education Reform Effort: A Possible Model for Higher Education" [Hake
(2005)]. This *formative* assessment, bottom-up approach by faculty
disciplinary experts contrasts with the *summative* assessment,
top-down approach advocated by:
(a) Charles Miller (2006b) and the U.S. Dept. of Education [Lederman
(2006b)]; and
(b) University administrators and psychometricians - see e.g.,
NASULGC, NFCLL, Richard Hersh (2005), and Klein et al. (2005).
Hersh, R.H. 2005. "What Does College Teach? It's time to put an end
to 'faith-based' acceptance of higher education's quality," Atlantic
Monthly 296(4): 140-143, November; freely online to
(a) subscribers of the Atlantic Monthly at <http://tinyurl.com/dwss8>, and
(b) (with hot-linked academic references) to educators at
<http://tinyurl.com/9nqon> (scroll to the APPENDIX). See also Hersh &
Merrow (2005). Hersh is co-director of the Collegiate Learning
Assessment Project <http://www.cae.org/content/pro_collegiate.htm>,
lauded by Charles Miller (2006b).
Hersh R.H. & J. Merrow, eds. 2005. "Declining by Degrees: Higher
Education at Risk." Palgrave Macmillan. Amazon.com information at
<http://tinyurl.com/bvcf4>.
Klein, S.P., G.D. Kuh, M.Chun, L. Hamilton, & R. Shavelson. 2005. "An
Approach to Measuring Cognitive Outcomes Across Higher Education
Institutions." Research in Higher Education 46(3): 251-276; online at
<http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/SEAL/> //"Papers from Ongoing Research"
scroll to "Higher Education," where "//" means "click on."
Lederman, D. 2006b. "No College Left Behind?" Inside Higher Ed, 15
February, online at
<http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/02/15/testing>. Lederman
wrote: "[Charles] Miller is advocating 'testing' of what students
learn while in college. Details - on what measures to use, how to
present the information and, perhaps most importantly, whether the
testing would be encouraged or mandated - are few at this point,
though Miller pointed the way in a memo. . .[Miller (2006b)]. . . he
sent last month to commission members and in some of his public
comments. The bottom line: He believes that effective tools for
measuring student learning now exist, and that instituting an
accountability system that measures and reports student learning is
essential, for higher education and for society. 'We need to assure
that the American public understand through access to sufficient
information, particularly in the area of student learning, what they
are getting for their investment in a college education,' Miller
wrote in his memo." See also Lederman (2006a).
USDE. 2005. U.S. Dept. of Education, "Secretary Spellings Announces
New Commission on the Future of Higher Education," press release
online at
<http://tinyurl.com/cxgfz>: "Spellings noted that the achievement gap
is closing and test scores are rising among our nation's younger
students, due largely to the high standards and accountability
measures called for by the "No Child Left Behind Act." More and more
students are going to graduate ready for the challenges of college,
she said, and we must make sure our higher education system is
accessible and affordable for all these students."
Wiggins, G. 1990. "The Truth May Make You Free, But the Test May Keep
You Imprisoned: Toward Assessment Worthy of the Liberal Arts," AAHE
Assessment Forum: 17-31; online at the Mathematical Association of
America (MAA) project "Supporting Assessment in Undergraduate
Mathematics" (SAUM) at
<http://www.maa.org/saum/> / "Getting Started With Assessment" where
"/" means "click on," or download directly at
<http://www.maa.org/saum/articles/wiggins_appendix.html>.