Assessment Standards Still Being Debated
Jonathan Lekstutis
November 20, 2007
Colleges, universities, politicians and college associations are all debating on how educational institutions will report their progress and how much success their programs have had. With the Higher Education Act close to being passed into law, an effort has been made to create a national statement on student learning and assessment.
Many educators who are concerned with the issue have suggested that educational institutions take steps to gather evidence regarding the success of their students in meeting certain goals. They believe that evidence should be used to help compare different educational institutions. These educators strongly believe the task of evaluating colleges should rest with the colleges and universities.
On the other side, there are proponents who want the government to take a larger role in assessing colleges and universities. These people believe accreditors and outside institutions should measure the success of universities and how their programs are helping their students achieve success.