Assessment

Assessment is the process of providing evidence regarding the quality of teaching and student learning in educational institutions. Recognizing that there is an existing national and international climate that requires public accountability and is focused on high-stakes tests and their results, it has become necessary for teachers and students to respond appropriately in order to demonstrate not only the requisite skills but also skills beyond those currently tested with multiple-choice questions. Individual students are now expected to demonstrate the additional ability to reflect and to further develop analytical, adaptive, and innovative skills.

Educational reform, educational change, and school improvement have been studied from a variety of angles and multiple methodological approaches for more than 25 years. However, many questions remain regarding effective ways to achieve and measure desired results in schools, including improvements in student learning and achievement that are documented through assessment and the resulting data. The results are then used as one means to define institutional quality, effectiveness, and relevance of student learning experiences to the institution's mission and to students' opportunities to achieve personal success while also fulfilling their responsibilities within a very diverse society.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has had a significant impact on PreK–12 schools—an impact that is also being felt in institutions of higher education that prepare educators; the spotlight is on students and their learning. Notably, student achievement in reading and mathematics is assessed each year beginning in Grade 3. Not only has NCLB focused increased attention on summative assessment results, but it has also multiplied public expectations and interest in the annual reports of states, districts, and schools on students' success in meeting identified achievement targets; reinforcing a belief in assessment and related results as a school improvement tool. It is additionally important to note that formative assessment options which occur more frequently have the possibility of impacting daily, weekly, or monthly instruction and are potentially more sensitive to ongoing classroom instruction.

For institutions of higher education, pressures to demonstrate positive assessment results come in a variety of forms and from many places. In addition to the attention and focus on PreK–12 student learning, there is related interest in the quality of educators and their preparation programs. Additional interested parties include accreditors (i.e., the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education or the Teacher Education Accreditation Council), along with local, state, and federal governments, and education agencies.

In the current, very demanding standards-based atmosphere, it is expected that all students will learn and that their teachers will effectively facilitate and partner with students in a shared responsibility for that learning. It is further anticipated that assessments and accountability systems will challenge students to provide evidence of needed skills, given the contemporary competitive landscape. The resulting evidence may include the use of data collected and analyzed regarding students and their learning of intended outcomes along with information to guide educators regarding potential needed improvements in teaching, student learning, and within the institution. It is additionally expected that collected evidence will encourage institutions to consider what learning outcomes students are achieving and how those outcomes are aligned and appropriate with regard to institutional mission and vision.

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