In the 2002-2003 academic year, a series of roundtable discussions was conducted to explore uses of data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for the improvement of student learning. This paper reports on one roundtable, held in June 2003 in Seattle, Washington. Participants included campus officers responsible for student…

This booklet is a guide to the report on the "Measuring Up" study of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. "Measuring Up" provides a picture of state postsecondary policy and an overall picture of higher education in the states. The report can help states analyze their strengths and weaknesses and evaluate their progress…

An active area in psychometric research is coordinated task design and statistical analysis built around cognitive models. Compared with classical test theory and item response theory, there is often less information from observed data about the measurement-model parameters. On the other hand, there is more information from the grounding…

The social studies curriculum should be assessed continuously to bring in the latest research, trends, and recommendations of experts. A survey of teachers, administrators, parents, and other community members may be conducted to determine preferences for the curriculum. An effort should be made to decide what is in the curriculum and what should…

The Vermont Institute for Science, Math, and Technology (VISMT) and a team of Vermont educators have developed the Vermont Science Assessment in collaboration with CTB/McGraw-Hill. This assessment provides Vermont teachers and school officials with student performance data on scientific understanding as they implement Vermont's Framework of…

A Web-based survey of 25 experts in testing theory and large-scale assessment examined the utility of out-of-level testing for making decisions about students and schools. Survey respondents were given a series of scenarios and asked to judge the degree to which out-of-level testing would affect the reliability and validity of test scores within…

This "Almanac" provides an overview of the external quality review process, its practice and structure, its participating organizations and agencies, and its role in the self-regulation of higher education in the United States. It presents information about all the major participants in external quality review and documents the range and…

This digest discusses reform in U. S. higher education. There have been many reforms in higher education in the United States, and they have been well-documented. Two profiles of recent reform initiatives are offered. One is that of student assessment, a reform movement active since the 1980s that presses all colleges and universities to measure…

This paper from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is a chronological summary of the legislation and regulations adopted from 1987-1990, which govern basic skills instruction in the community colleges. The Seymour Campbell Matriculation Act of 1986 directs the Chancellor to develop a funding formula for matriculation, and…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on assessment. Assessment has been a major trend in higher education over the last 10 years, with the nature of the literature changing significantly over the years. This annotated bibliography groups assessment resources into these categories: (1) general resources; (2) institutional…

A progress map describes the nature of development in an area of learning and thus serves as a frame of reference for monitoring individual growth. An essential feature of a progress map, which is an integral component of Developmental Assessment, is that it describes and illustrates developing competence. The first step in constructing a progress…

This book describes a comprehensive process by which schools and districts can turn piecemeal initiatives to incorporate standards into curriculum into a coherent plan. The book explains how to determine who is to teach and assess each standard and how to create a curriculum and assessment plan. It defines effective practice in linking curriculum…

Learning outcomes and their assessment has given rise to considerable debate as to whether outcomes should be graded or just pass/fail. Assessment models employing learning outcomes have been used for some time in the United Kingdom (UK) in further education programs for example National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and General National…

This book is designed to help teachers raise the academic achievement of their students and improve the social and moral fabric of school life. To accomplish these goals, it explores and develops the relationships among teaching, learning, and assessment, asserting that these elements of school life must be joined seamlessly, and that they cannot…

Three papers from the American Association for Higher Education conference in 1990 are presented. The first, "Streams of Thought about Assessment" by K. Patricia Cross, discusses three strands of interest in assessment aimed at educational improvement. These three movements are: (1) state-level accountability; (2) institutional assessment; and (3)…