Consulting Services: Assessment Topics:

Assessment using Standardized Tests

Using standardized tests is one way of assessing general education skill development.  During the period 1998 to 2002 ACT's CAAP were used to gather information on the general education skills development at College of DuPage.

Designing assessment to make effective use of standardized tests
bullet Assessing General Education Using a Standardized Test: Challenges and Successful Solutions.  A reprint of an articles from Assessment Update, November-December 2000, Vol. 12, Number 6. Jan A. Geesaman, Peter T. Klassen, Russell J. Watson.
 
bullet Getting Real: Implementing General Education Assessment that Works.  A reprint of an article from Academic Exchange, Spring 2001 discussing College of DuPage's successful implementation of a standardized testing approach to assessing general education skills.  It discusses sampling, motivation, and using feedback as keys to successful institutional level outcomes assessment.  Peter T. Klassen and Russell J. Watson.
 
bullet Successful Testing Summary is a comparison of specific implementation responses for standardized testing process at College of DuPage and the challenges frequently found at other institutions trying to use standardized testing.
Articulating student learning outcomes and assessment tools
bullet Considering Course and Faculty Interaction with Student Competencies in General Education Skills Across the Curriculum: An Asynchronous Workbook is a summary of the findings from a web-based survey with links to part of the report.  The survey was used prior to implementation of CAAP testing as a way to link general education goals with faculty goals and pedagogical activity. 
bullet Summary of questions used in asynchronous workbook
 
bullet Table of contents of the asynchronous workbook

 

Example of research report and public summary from general education testing using standardized testing
bullet A summary of the General Education Skills Development distributed to the college.  
Summary - General Education Skills Development pdf
Summary - General Education Skills Development MS Word
bullet General Education Skills Development: An Analysis of Students' General Education Skills Development at College of DuPage Utilizing Three Years of CAAP Testing - 1999,2001.   The research report of a three year project to analyze general education skill development using reference norms, value added, and skills development models of analysis.  Peter T. Klassen, Primary researcher and author.  This full report is available in pdf and MSWord formats.  Use the link to the right if you need a pdf plug in.
General Education Skills Development pdf
General Education Skills Development MS Word
Standardized tests for assessment
bullet The Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) from ACT is a postsecondary assessment program designed to help institutions measure the academic achievement levels of their students in selected core academic skills.
 
bullet College BASE from the Assessment Resource Center, University of Missouri-Columbia is a criterion-referenced academic achievement examination, evaluates knowledge and skills in English, mathematics, science, and social studies, usually after a student completes a college-level core curriculum.
bullet The Academic Profile from ETS measures college-level reading, critical thinking, writing, and mathematics in the context of material from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
bullet Major Field Tests are end-of-major examinations in 14 disciplines to be used by undergraduate institutions for outcomes assessment. Scores, sub-scores, and assessment indicators are provided to each department administering the tests. The tests are based on the GRE Subject Tests and are jointly sponsored by ETS and the GRE Board.