In his 1988 article, Nathaniel Jackson inspired NACAC with four objectives to meet the challenge of leading the charge in minority students access. In this article, the author discusses three more that he believes will challenge colleges in the decades ahead: (1) Focus on the Public Good; (2) Honor Transparency; and (3) Measure Collective Success.…

How should one think about assessment in general education--or what is sometimes called liberal education--in the pluralistic environment of American higher education? Generalizations about longitudinal collegiate assessment are difficult, not least because of the remarkable range of four-year institutions and the students who attend them.…

It is shown that the Angoff and bookmarking cut scores are examples of true score equating that in the real world must be applied to observed scores. In the context of defining minimal competency, the percentage "failed" by such methods is a function of the length of the measuring instrument. It is argued that this length is largely…

The paper considers the appropriate and inappropriate use of estimated true scores for normative comparisons and concludes that for normative interpretations of individual scores and class averages, the use of estimated true scores or average estimated true scores is not recommended. (Author/DB)

Basic issues in criterion-referenced measurement are addressed. In section II, issues involved in determining what a person does and can do are considered. A preliminary analysis of "can" is given which shows that there are several important senses of "can". In section III, results of an analysis of "ability" are…

Two criteria are discussed for determining cutting scores on a predictor variable for identifying cases of likely child abuse--utility maximizing and error minimizing. Utility maximizing is the preferable criterion, as it optimizes the balance between the costs of incorrect decisions and the benefits of correct decisions. (Author/JDD)