2008 Woodie Awards
Standardized testing for undergrads raises concerns, provost says
Ryan Ogren
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Members of the federal Commission on the Future of Higher Education are currently looking into the possibility of a standardized testing system for U.S. colleges similar to the ones currently used in high schools across the nation.
The commission, a 19-member board appointed last fall by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, is charged with studying ways to improve the nation's colleges and universities.
Charles Miller, commission chairman and former head of the University of Texas Board Of Regents, wrote in a memo to other committee members that, "What is clearly lacking is a nationwide system for comparative performance purposes, using standard formats."
The effort is aimed at holding institutions accountable for educating students through a system of tests to be administered before graduation to all undergraduates.
A similar testing system has been attempted in the past at different universities-such as those within the University of Texas system-with mixed results. The debate still has not reached the UW System, however.
Stephanie Lundberg, press secretary for U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), said that Kind has yet to be formally introduced to the initiative. Kind is a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The mention of the program was not without concern, however.
"Rep. Kind would be cautious about instituting a 'one size fits all' standard that might not accurately measure the breadth of learning that goes on at the higher education level", Lundberg said.
Many people feel that the degree programs are already functioning adequately.
"The UW-System is one of the finest public education systems in the country, with a great amount of institutional transparency", Lundberg said.
There is also some concern over how the system would apply to private and other non-state universities.
According to Rita Cheng, UWM provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, there has not been a discussion in the UW System regarding the proposed testing but she noted that there has been a large amount of discussion at both the campus and system level about the need to assess student learning.
"I feel strongly that rather than having a standardized test, it is much more important for us to have our own unique, discipline-specific assessments of student learning across the university," Cheng said.
The current accountability practices at UWM include an accreditation process, peer review, testing projects and capstone experiences.
"We have both campus accreditation and specific school and college and program accreditation processes," Cheng said. "We also do program reviews internally on all of our 152 degree programs.
"It's a system of self-regulation and peer regulation."
The process does have its problems, one of which is the trouble of maintaining a unique and competitive curriculum while having to prepare students for a standardized test.
"I would have concerns about what we wouldn't be able to accomplish in our programs if we were asked to focus on a standardized test," Cheng said.
Every school and college has different assessment measures currently in place. If it's determined that an area is in need of improvement, then the individual schools and colleges adjust their curriculum and courses to address that concern.
"I think that's much more effective than teaching to a particular test," Cheng said.
The provost stressed that there should be institution-specific assessments that are unique to the curriculum as opposed to having the primary emphasis on standardized testing.
"The educational outcome in each major is different," Cheng said. "The learning outcomes are different, but I do believe it's important for us to know what we're trying to achieve in a four year baccalaureate degree in a particular field and then to assess whether or not the students that we graduate have a set of skills and knowledge to be successful in the world.
"I'm all for accountability and I'm all for student learning, but a standardized test tries to narrow down something that's pretty complex," Cheng said.
The commission has until August of 2006 to decide on the measure.
"If it's mandated we will do it, but I think the downside is that there will be something lost in the education process," Cheng said.