Assessment in American Higher Education. Issues and Contexts.

Overview & Synopsis

Emerging and traditional forms of assessment in U.S. higher education are considered in this collection of five conference papers from the 1985 National Conference on Assessment in Higher Education. Included are a foreword by Education Secretary William J. Bennett and concluding remarks by Clifford Adelman. Paper titles and authors are as follows: "The Growing Interest in Measuring the Educational Achievement of College Students" (Terry W. Hartle); "Assessing Outcomes in Higher Education" (John Harris); "The Costs of Assessment" (Peter T. Ewell, Dennis P. Jones); "Assessment in Higher Education: To Serve the Learner" (Georgine Loacker, Lucy Cromwell, Kathleen O'Brien); and "Assessment in Career-Oriented Education" (Sandra E. Elman, Ernest A. Lynton). The papers include descriptions of different testing programs and the sponsoring organization's address and phone number. Assessment programs and cost estimates for four types of colleges are also covered: a small, private liberal arts college; a major public research university; a regional, comprehensive, public university; and a mid-sized community college. The conclusion briefly considers the role of judgment in culture and language as a theoretical ground for thinking about assessment. Key issues implicit in the papers are also identified, and a 48-item bibliography of technical and theoretical references is provided. (SW)