Assessment cla and the measure of academic proficiency and progress. A set of further reflections on improving teaching. The cla differs substantiallyin terms of both its philosophical and theoretical underpinningsfrom most learning assessments, such as the measure of academic proficiency and progress mapp and the collegiate assessment of academic progress caap. Assessing businessplanning competence using the collegiate learning assessment as a prototype richard j. Collegiate learning assessment about kalamazoo college. Collegiate learning assessment institutional reports. Collegiate learning assessment morgan state university. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, criti cal thinking, problem solving, and. California state university, stanislaus collegiate. Collegiate learning assessment cla frequently asked questions. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a national effort that provides colleges and universities with information about how well their students are doing with respect to certain learning outcomes that almost all undergraduate institutions strive to achieve.
Using the collegiate learning assessment cla to inform campus planning csula 2007 the collegiate learning assessment cla is a performance assessment of college students critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and problem solving and written communication skills. It was developed, and continues to be developed, by a nonprofit, grantsupported organization dedicated to improving the quality of u. Collegiate learning assessment institutional reports developed by the rand corporation and the council for aid to education cae and launched in the fall of 2000, the cla is a standardized testing initiative that allows for a direct measure of student learning by combining two types of testing components, 1 a set of realworld performance. The purpose of this assessment is to help bgsu gauge its performance in helping students develop. A set of further reflections on improving teaching, learning, and assessment 303 there will undoubtedly be uneven development. Pdf the collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning. It discusses the most significant initiatives over the past decade to develop objective, valid, and reliable assessment tools and presents stateof. This book offers a comprehensive overview of current, innovative approaches to assessing generic and domainspecific learning outcomes in higher education at both national and international levels. This information is derived from tests that are administered to all or a sample of the. The themes of leadership, partnership, shared values, wellbeing, social. Cla is a national effort to assess the quality of undergraduate educ ation by directly measuring studentlearning outcomes. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and.
Threats to the validity of the collegiate learning. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a performance assessment of college students critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and problem solving and written communication skills. Pdf the collegiate learning assessment researchgate. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking. Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education. Evidence of student learning office of university assessment.
Cal poly, san luis obisipo wasc interim report, march 2015. Collegiate learning assessment dons reports and reflections. The collegiate learning assessment the collegiate learning assessment cla attempts to create a valueadded, constructedresponse approach to the assessment critical thinking, problem solving and written communication. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a web administered, valueadded assessment program developed by the council for aid to education cae that measures how an institution as a whole contributes to student development and learning. This report illustrates how institutions can set their own standards on the cla using a method that is appropriate for the clas unique characteristics. Cla is now joined by the ets proficiency profile and acts caap multiple choice tests that also measure. These are learning outcomes espoused by all higher.
Collegiate learning assessment cla concord university. Learning assessment cla or college and work readiness. The assessment focuses on the institution or on programs within an institution. Collegiate learning assessment introduction performance.
The collegiate learning assessment stanford university. Collegiate learning assessment cla reports cal state. Collegiate learning assessment cla frequently asked. Collegiate learning assessment cla institutional research.
Adapting and validating the collegiate learning assessment to. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affect students futures. Update on the assessment of undergraduate learning outcomes. Cla measures are designed to simulate complex, ambiguous situations that every successful college graduate may face in the future. Threats to the validity of the collegiate learning assessment. California state university, stanislaus collegiate learning.
The cla performance assessments grow out of a rich paperandpencil testing paradigm. Collegiate learning assessment cla collegiate learning assessment task diagnostic instrument claptdi confirmatory factor analysis multigroup invariance the test in a logically ordered and increasingly restrictive manner. Pdf a serious flaw in the collegiate learning assessment cla. The collegiate learning assessment is probably the only national, performancebased assessment of higher education student learning in the u. Uk core 2014 composition and communication and citizenship. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a national effort that provides colleges and universities with information about their students performance on tasks that require them to think critically, reason analytically, solve realistic problems, and write clearly. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, criti cal thinking, problem solving, and written communication skills. The admission test series prepares students for entrance examinations into college, graduate and professional school as well as candidates for professional certification and licensure. The standardised test we chose to use was the collegiate learning assessment cla, a proprietary test developed in 2002 by the council for aid to education cae to use realworld problemsolving tasks to measure students criticalthinking skills council for aid to. Using the collegiate learning assessment cla to inform.
The collegiate learning assessment cla is an innovative approach to assessing our institutions contribution to student learning and the value added by our institution. The cla focuses on a set of common areas that comprise what is central to most notions of collegiate education. The spellings commission report and the collegiate learning. The commission specifically identified the collegiate learning. The collegiate learning assessment was administered to firstyear students at kalamazoo college during orientation in the fall of 2005, 2008 and 2012, and to seniors in the spring of 2006, 2009 and 20. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, open ended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking. The collegiate learning assessment performance task diagnostic instrument claptdi is an assessment tool used nationwide in the united states to measure the contribution of an educational institution to learning gained by its students classroom academy, 2008. Collegiate learning assessment cla the collegiate learning assessment cla is implemented each semester, in hopes of assessing student learning outcomes.
Adapting and validating the collegiate learning assessment. The cla offers a valueadded, constructedresponse approach to the assessment of higher order skills, such as critical thinking and written communication the cla is designed to measure an institutions contribution, or valueadded, to the. The performance of kalamazoo college students firstyears and seniors on the collegiate learning assessment has remained consistently strong. The collegiate learning assessment rand corporation. Collegiate learning assessment report excerpt from the. Shavelson stanford university and sk partners, llc 1 abstract the assessment of competence has emerged as a critical issue as nations seek to develop their education systems, work forces, and their citizens capacity for lifelong learning. Collegiate learning assessment performance task example continued please prepare a memo that addresses several questions, including what data support or refute the claim that the type of wing on the swiftair 235 leads to more inflight breakups, what other factors might have contributed to the accident and should be taken into account, and your. The article also provided a link to results from 68 institutions.
The collegiate learning assessment cla is a standardized testing initiative in united states higher educational evaluation and assessment. The standardised test we chose to use was the collegiate learning assessment cla, a proprietary test developed in 2002 by the council for aid to education cae to use real world problemsolving tasks to measure students criticalthinking skills council for aid to. Learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning. The spellings commission report and the collegiate. The collegiate learning assessment ford policy forum.
Early release of measures that are readyperhaps in a pilot formwill help build a user community quickly, which is particularly important in a new venture. The cla offers a valueadded, constructedresponse approach to the assessment of higher order skills, such as critical thinking and written communication. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a standardized testing initiative in united states. Purpose of the college learning assessment the collegiate learning assessment cla is a performancebased test that focuses on three elements of collegiate education. The collegiate learning assessment ford policy forum 2008. A flaw in the collegiate learning assessment test 391 cation cae claim it measures, viz. This task presents a realworld situation in which an issue, problem, or conflict is identified. The collegiate learning assessment the purpose of the cla is to measure not the particular facts students have memorized, but rather how well they have learned to think mathews, 2004. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a measure of how much students critical thinking improves after attending college or university. The collegiate learning assessment cla is an openended assessment that measures your critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication skills.
Multistate collaborative msc 20152016 participation results pdf. For more information see the student guide pdf or the practice assessment pdf. The best example of direct valueadded assessment is the collegiate learning assessment cla, an outgrowth of rands value added assessment initiative vaai that has been available to colleges and universities since spring 2004. Collegiate learning assessment cla in context the performance tasks are designed to measure higher order skills, critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving and writing initially at institution level of analysis. Exploring the relationship between the collegiate learning. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and written. Campus level assessment evidence direct assessment methods. The collegiate learning assessments criterionsampling approach. It was developed, and continues to be developed, by a nonprofit, grantsupported organization dedicated to improving the.
This study was aimed at determining the external validity of the. The test goes beyond a multiplechoice format and poses realworld performance tasks. It is important, then, that the underlying logic and measurement. Collegiate learning assessment cla, a measure of critical thinking valueadded at. Collegiate learning assessment cla, a measure of critical thinking value added at. Developed by a group of academics with the council for aid to education cae, the cla assesses. It uses a valueadded outcome model to examine a college or universitys contribution to student learning which relies on the institution, rather than the individual student, as the primary unit of analysis. The cla was developed to measure undergraduates learning in particular their ability to think critically, reason analytically, solve problems, and communicate clearly.
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