Assessing Learning at Shepherd |
Establishing a Culture of Commitment |
Assessment Tests Spring 2007 Update: The MAPP & CLA Tests
Shepherd University has utilized several nationally certified standardized assessment measures to gain a better understanding of issues related to student learning. This March, for the second consecutive year, the CTL administered both the CLA and the MAPP tests to students.
The CLA test (Collegiate Learning Assessment) measures critical thinking skills and is given to entering freshmen during the fall semester and exiting seniors during the spring. We tested 86 seniors this March and will use the results to compare with seniors tested last spring and freshmen tested in the fall 2006 and 2007 semesters. The goal is to chart progress and compare student proficiency on a national level for students both entering and exiting our institution.
The MAPP Test (Measure of Academic Progress & Proficiency) is given to sophomore students each year and tests students on general areas of academic study. 100 sophomore students participated in this test this March and their results will be compared with sophomore scores from 2006.
A special thanks to our students and test proctors: John Adams, Gordon DeMeritt, Shannon Holliday, Judi McIntyre, Laura Renninger, John Sheridan & Rhonda Smith. Students taking these tests were provided with coupons to area businesses and $25 gift cards to the Shepherd University Bookstore.
Below we've described these two tests in further detail.
THE MAPP TEST
MAPP stands for “Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress.” It is a standardized measure of college-level reading, mathematics, writing, and critical thinking in the context of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The exam is designed by the Education Testing Service, or ETS. According to ETS, “The MAPP test is designed for colleges and universities to assess their general education outcomes, so they may improve the quality of instruction and learning. It focuses on the academic skills developed through general education courses, rather than on the knowledge acquired about the subjects taught in these courses.” The MAPP is a multiple choice exam.
The test was most recently administered in March of 2007 to 100 randomly selected sophomores (students who have completed between 25 and 56 semester hours of work). The abbreviated (40-minute) paper and pencil version of the test was given in a proctored setting.
THE CLA TEST
CLA stands for Collegiate Learning Assessment. The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is an innovative approach to assessing the institution’s contribution to student learning and is developed by CAE with the RAND Corporation. Its’ measures are designed to simulate complex, ambiguous situations that every successful college graduate may one day face. Students are asked to analyze complex material and provide written responses. The CLA measures are uniquely designed to test for reasoning and communications skills that most agree should be one outcome of a college education.
In order to assess the institution in a cross-sectional manner, we test a sample of first-year students in the fall and a sample of seniors in the spring. We receive reports that look at how our freshman class compares to other CLA participants (adjusted for SAT or ACT scores). After testing seniors in the spring, we receive a full Institutional Report that evaluates our schools “value-added” on a comparative basis. Testing every year allows us to measure for effects of changes in curriculum and compare the results nationally. This March, 86 senior students participated in the CLA test. When we are notified of our results we will compare this data with scores from testing of Shepherd freshmen and seniors in 2006.
We value accessibility! If you have any questions about these data we have collected thus far, please contact us. We’ll be happy to discuss these measures with you.