The Future of College Assessment

In a time of growing public anxiety about higher education prices and student debt, colleges and universities are facing unprecedented pressure to show results. As Congress moves to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, major testing companies are offering a solution: A new generation of standardized assessments designed to measure the critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and communication skills that graduates need to prosper. Are these tests ready to meet the high expectations being put upon them? How can college professors use assessments to improve the quality of their teaching and ensure that faculty continue to define academic standards in academe?

On March 28th, New America will host a provocative discussion of these and other issues, featuring a new white paper by Purdue University scholar Fredrik deBoer. Moderated by New America’s education policy program director, Kevin Carey, the discussion will also include:

Alberto Acerada, Senior Director of Business Development and Global Education at ETS. A former faculty member and administrator at institutions including Arizona State University, Acereda has led the development of HEIghten, the new ETS college outcomes assessment suite.

Roger Benjamin, President of the Council for Aid to Education, publisher of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+), one of the most prominent and widely-used assessments of collegiate skills.