Even as the Internet and i-devices have changed so many parts of people's lives, educational testing has not changed substantially in decades. Though researchers and educators have for years raised ample concerns about existing tests, assessments have barely evolved. Further, despite years of expanded testing and greater school accountability,…

As testing has taken on a more significant role in the college admission process and, more recently, in K-12 education through the increasing popularity of high-stakes testing, so have the urgency of questions surrounding test preparation initiatives, through both private and educational ventures and school-sponsored preparation programs. This…

The Maricopa Community College District's (MCCD's) Commission on Student Assessment and Initial Course Placement was formed to assess the current status of student assessment for initial course placement across the district, to review the available instruments that assess student skills for placement, to discover what other community college…

This book analyzes and discusses what is currently known about the benefits and costs of assessment programs for institutions of higher education. It is designed to provide a framework that can be applied by both institutional and state-level academic administrators as they consider which kinds of assessment approaches best fit their own needs and…

Reports on a study to determine the extent to which higher education institutions do or do not have policies requiring the collection of outcomes data; how useful chairs of economic departments perceive these measures to be; and whether or not institutions plan to enhance their assessment efforts in the future. (CFR)

Three types of evaluation methods are discussed in terms of their use in evaluating both cognitive and affective learning in developmental programs: standardized tests; criterion-referenced tests; and naturalistic inquiries. Section I looks at the complexities of learning and the inherent difficulties in judging the quality and quantity of what is…

Laredo Junior College (LJC) is a comprehensive community college in Texas, serving a student population that is 93% Hispanic and 61% female. In response to evidence that LJC was not adequately preparing students with the basic and academic skills needed to transfer, LJC expanded and restructured its assessment, placement, and remediation programs.…

In fall 1985, a study was conducted by the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education to analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of community college assessment programs throughout the state. Each community college in the state randomly selected 100 students whose basic skills had been assessed and who had enrolled in…

This assessment of the second year of the South Carolina Education Improvement Act of 1984 presents an analysis of information in six areas important to improving education. This trend information can be used to determine whether proposed benefits of the act are being realized. The first chapter reviews trends in student test scores and other…