Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Considers World-Wide College Assessment Standard

Angela Januzzi

September 19, 2007 

Despite an opposing argument from the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, the movement towards a common standardized measurement of college performance still continues.  Here in the United States since this summer, there have been several colleges and universities working towards a common website, planned to display a standardized system of providing school statistics to students.

However, the trend is also spreading elsewhere, as demonstrated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s recent study of university and college policy makers. In that time, there has been talk of an international system of evaluation for school quality. A paper released last fall from the group titled “PISA for Higher Education” argued that, “A direct way of measuring the learning outcomes of institutions across the globe, could provide member governments with a powerful instrument to judge the effectiveness and international competitiveness of their higher education institutions …in ways that better reflect the multiple aims and contributions of tertiary education to society.” 

While there is no legislation pending yet to create such an international school calibration, higher education should be prepared to participate in such unified systems of evaluation should these events move forward. 

Source: Lederman, Doug. “A Worldwide Test for Higher Education?” www.insidehighered.com. Posted: September 19, 2007.