red: cultures of assessment (summary)

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RED	College Cultures of Assessment	summary
see summary below
YELLOW	New Directions for Professional Development	summary
GREEN	Changes in Teaching (and Learning)	summary
BLUE	Expectations for Learning: Addressing Student Needs	summary

Discussion Topics
How is assessment fostered at your college today?

How can assessment continue to be part of your college culture for the next few years? The next decade?

How can faculty, administrators, staff, and students, be more involved to sustain college cultures of assessment?

Major themes

Assessment is used and supported throughout the district in a variety of ways.
The issue of assessment raises a multitude of questions and concerns.

Representative Comments

Common final exams in math department. (CGCC)
Institutional level pre- and posttest assessment of critical thinking and communication. (EMCC)
Inside departments - develop rubrics as teams. CASS assessments for student services. (GCC)
Common finals. Multi-dimensional self-esteem assessment. (GWCC)
Assessment week to evaluate levels of basic skills. Nursing - follow-up with employer of graduates. (MCC)
Working on numeracy/writing literacy in all courses. (PCC)
English instructors evaluate writing skills in different classes. (RSCC)
Looking at basic classes - do pre- and posttesting and then data analyzed. (SCC)
SAAC - Student Academic Achievement Committee. (EMCC)
Various committees and re-assessing the assessment plan. (PCC)
General college meetings, etc. (RSCC)
Luncheon twice a year, forums at beginning and end of semester, print results of assessment and share with faculty. (SMCC)
Assessment day.
Consultant and workgroups.
Committees, mail, talk, no pressure at my school.
Assessment, what does that mean?
How do we know, aside from grades, that the student is learning and progressing with skills?
The challenge is to create assessment instruments that are reliable, valid, assess what we want.
Little interest in general on assessment.
Individual assessment more common than standardized, student retention more an issue than objectives.
ASSET test needs to be challenged as it doesnÕt truly measure abilities.
StudentsÕ right to fail.
Need to review pre-requisites for courses.
Danger of too much assessment - everybody must do it the same way.
WhatÕs our product?
Fear level of assessment, especially of faculty.
Some feel it [FEP] is as bogus as previous classroom evaluation.
Will "AIMS" type test be applied by community college?
NCA dictates the culture.
Who should drive assessment vehicles - the top down or the faculty and up - the student, faculty, and administrators?
Quantitative vs. quality? What did student/approach get out of assessment?
One of the challenges is to find district-wide commonality amongst individual colleges.
Critical to provide feedback to institution, faculty, students - put assessment results to good use.
We need to be more aware of [what] Federal laws [are] mandating.
Student evaluations are mostly "fluff" - "Did I like this teacher?" instead of "What did I learn and what will I take from this class?"
More holistic approaches to assessment - learning studies, support systems, personal issues, test-taking, exit interview (of students).
AssessmentÕs here to stay and a necessary component for which we are responsible to - students, governing board, public, taxpayers.
Faculty needs to teach - not administrate. We spend too much time serving administration instead of serving students.