Advocate Online

Yes, when professors make use of good assessment techniques, students learn better.
Patricia A. Allison *

When teachers work to more clearly identify and define student goals on course, departmental, and program levels, they develop a greater understanding of the desired student outcome.

With a clear definition of this outcome in mind, teachers bring about greater student learning through changes in the learning environment, improved curricula, and improvements in teaching methods.

Effective student assessment involves not only identifying the desired student outcomes, but also developing appropriate assessment measures or methods. A comprehensive student assessment program should include measures of achievement in courses, within programs, and on a college-wide basis.

We should communicate the desired outcomes and develop measures to help students attain them. In doing so, we can help students to become more successful, confident, and motivated. Schools should emphasize general education outcomes as well as individual program goal attainment by developing a variety of assessment techniques to measure achievement.

Although formal quantitative methods such as standardized tests can be used to some extent, other qualitative measures such as portfolios, interviews, juried selection, and performance are excellent indicators of student achievement in other arenas.

Effective student assessment is based on the premise that data collected will produce information that can be used to make improvements in teaching and learning. The final step in the assessment process should be that of using the data to bring about these improvements. Assessment can indeed be used to help students learn better.

*Patricia A. Allison is professor of administrative assistant technology and division chairperson at Dodge City Community College. She is a past president and member of the DCCC NEA. She also serves as the chairperson of the college's student assessment committee.

No, the emphasis should be on strategies that help students learn-not how to measure learning.
Susan Dole *

It's fine to have high standards. It's even fine to have real assessment. But the commitment to helping students meet the standards has to be at least as strong as—if not stronger than—the assessment tool that measures if they get there. Remember the old adage: You don't fatten up the pig by weighing it.

A student's ability to learn and pace of learning is influenced by so many factors—preparation in high school and before, the student's own learning style, pressures outside of school that students have to deal with. Students also respond differently to pressure in the classroom. Some students respond well under pressure—they study harder and achieve better grades. Other students respond better to nurturing and have mental blocks during high-pressure testing.

Then there are students with special needs. These students come to college with education plans that meet the needs of high school. But many hours of individual work with a counselor may be needed to adapt this plan to one that helps the student meet the rigorous requirements of a college curriculum.

And what do we do with the data we get from these assessment activities? Testing gives the keepers of the keys to the academic kingdom an excuse to deny certain students access. Not surprisingly, most of us can guess who those students will be without looking at any test results. Our colleges aren't giving underprepared students the resources to learn what they need to learn to meet our standards. The more this happens, the more deserving but underprepared students are being pushed out of higher education.

We need many different ways to get our students to the finish line. I'm not sure most assessment efforts take this into account.

*Susan Dole is a counselor with 22 years of service at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the immediate past president and a member of the Massachusetts Community College Council.