Assessment Plan Workshop Series Part 4 Setting Assessment

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Assessment Plan Workshop Series Part 4: Setting Assessment Benchmarks and Accountability Timeline October 22,

Assessment Plan Workshop Series Part 4: Setting Assessment Benchmarks and Accountability Timeline October 22, 2015 Drs. Summer De. Prow and Topeka Small

Workshop Agenda Quick Review (5 mins) How to set assessment benchmarks (30 minutes) What

Workshop Agenda Quick Review (5 mins) How to set assessment benchmarks (30 minutes) What are they Why are they needed Things to consider when setting benchmarks Caution! Examples Find a team mate (someone you have not teamed up with before) and discuss how you think your discipline/department should approach setting benchmarks… Accountability Timeline(10 -20 mins) What is it Who needs it Why Example Homework and Next Steps

Assessment Benchmarks: What are they? Assessment benchmarks are “clear definitions of what constitutes success”

Assessment Benchmarks: What are they? Assessment benchmarks are “clear definitions of what constitutes success” on an outcome/assignment. A program cannot identify areas of strengths or weaknesses until a clear benchmark has been set. “Defining success means having a clear sense of what is good enough. ” “Numbers have meaning only when they are compared against other numbers” (Suskie, 2015, p. 170).

Assessment Benchmarks: Why are they useful? Communicate expectations for learning Plan instruction Monitor and

Assessment Benchmarks: Why are they useful? Communicate expectations for learning Plan instruction Monitor and evaluate learning Predict future performance http: //datause. cse. ucla. edu/ba_purpose. php

Things to consider when setting Benchmarks: What could benchmarks be based upon? Historical Data

Things to consider when setting Benchmarks: What could benchmarks be based upon? Historical Data External Sources-Peer Institutions, Certification Exam pass rates/Professional standards Value-added perspective Ideas from the group? ?

Cautions for setting benchmarks There apparent dangers of setting the bar too high or

Cautions for setting benchmarks There apparent dangers of setting the bar too high or too low. Be realistic! Course grades should not be used as benchmarks. Benchmarks should be the same across venues, modalities, courses, and programs. The more important the outcome, the more rigorous the target! Do not choose benchmarks arbitrarily. Choose your benchmark based on a perspective that is most meaningful and useful to your discipline; benchmarks could change over time based on what is important to your department/discipline at any given time frame.

Examples of Benchmarks Seventy-five percent of students will score 75% or better on the

Examples of Benchmarks Seventy-five percent of students will score 75% or better on the ethics case study project. One hundred percent of students will score 75% or better on the application of knowledge questions on the final exam. Sixty percent of students will attend at least 3 professional development activities this semester. At least 50% of students will earn an A in the course. Really? !

Team Time Discuss how your department/discipline might approach choosing benchmarks…what’s most meaningful for your

Team Time Discuss how your department/discipline might approach choosing benchmarks…what’s most meaningful for your discipline at this point in time? Might this change over time? What factors might influence changing the benchmark?

Accountability Timeline A structure set in place to identify who is responsible for what

Accountability Timeline A structure set in place to identify who is responsible for what parts of the assessment process at what time; Every department/discipline that has an assessment plan should also have an accountability timeline; It is important for all the obvious reasons ; Things to consider when setting up the accountability timeline: is there a discipline/college assessment committee; who can you count on to be attentive to assessment and student learning; internal deadlines should be set in conjunction with Office of Assessment deadlines; be sensitive to faculty workloads and “busy times. ”

Next Step Homework: complete an accountability timeline for the assessment plan you have been

Next Step Homework: complete an accountability timeline for the assessment plan you have been working on since we began the workshops. Be prepared to defend your decisions. Next session (11/12): Reporting Assessment Results Thank you! Any questions? Suskie, L. (2015). Five dimensions of quality. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.