Assessment PrinciplesAssessment Principles

John J. Clementson

Augustana College

Assessment In PracticeAssessment In Practice

• Banta, T., Lund, J., Black, K., &Oberlander, F.

• Putting Principles to Work on College Campuses

Principle OnePrinciple One

• Assessment begins with educational values

• (A vehicle for educational improvement)

• What do we value?• Do we have a strong mission

statement?– (Knowledge base)

Principle TwoPrinciple Two

• Assessment is most effective when it reflects an understanding of learning as multidimensional, integrated, and revealed in performance over time.

AssessmentAssessment

• Assessment programs reflect imaginative &creative aspects of learning…not only to measure the breadth and depth of learning…but also contributes to the ongoing spirit of inquiry and growth.

Learning Occurs at 3 LevelsLearning Occurs at 3 Levels

• “Core Content”- facts, skills, competencies.

• “Integrative Reasoning”- processing knowledge into application.

• “Attitudes and Dispositions”

• Assessment works best when the programs it seeks to improve have clear, explicitly stated purposes.

Principle FourPrinciple Four

• Assessment requires attention to outcomes, but also and equally to the experiences that lead to those outcomes.

Principle 5 Assessment EvolvesPrinciple 5 Assessment Evolves

• Assessment works best when it is ongoing, not episodic.

• This may mean tracking a cohort of students;it may mean collecting samples semester after semester.

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6. A Collaborative Endeavor6. A Collaborative Endeavor

• Assessment fosters wider improvement when representatives from across the community are involved.

7. Making Data Meaningful7. Making Data Meaningful

• Assessment makes a difference when it begins with issues of use and illuminates questions that people really care about.

8. What to do with the data? 8. What to do with the data?

• Application of assessment data needs to be systematic and intentional.

• Assessment should become part of the fabric of any decision making process

9. Accountability-The train is 9. Accountability-The train is leaving the stationleaving the station• Through

assessment, educators meet responsibilities to students and to the institution.

• We must inform the Augie community about our students and our work.

Principle TenPrinciple Ten

• Assessment is most effective when undertaken in an environment that is receptive, supportive, and enabling