Guidelines for Program Assessment: Plan for Revision
What is your plan for revision of criteria, measures and methods?
Successful assessment plans are driven by two calendars:
- one that develops assessments for each goal separately. For example, one successful assessment plan with separate goals might put the development or review of assessments on a phased calendar.
- one that describes the year-to-year operation of the assessments. For example, a successful assessment plan might use an academic calendar with tasks identified for each month.
Example: Putting the development or review of assessments on a phased calendar
| Goals | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | X | ||
| 2. | X | ||
| 3. | X | ||
| 4. | X | ||
| 5. | X | ||
| 6. | X |
Example: Set up task calendars for the developing and implementing the assessments
| Academic Year | Planning and Development Cycle |
|---|---|
| September | Set or review purpose(s) |
| October | Set of review goals |
| November | Identify learning that fulfills goals |
| December | Determine criteria to measure goals |
| January | Select multiple measures |
| February | Formulate implementation plan |
| March | Select and invite pilot student group |
| April | Administer assessment |
| May | Review and evaluate data |
| June | Link curriculum and assessment data |
| July | Revise goals, methods and measures |
| August | Develop a reporting plan |
Experience with conducting an assessment and in using assessment information
will suggest needed updating and revisions.
Example: Create a planning calendar for developing the
assessments.
From your experience conducting assessments, you might decide to use
a planning calendar that would include the tasks and the point in the student's
college career when the assessment would be made.
| Task | Entry | Midpoint | Exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set or review purpose(s) | |||
| Set or review goals | |||
| Identify learning that fulfills goals | |||
| Determine criteria to measure goals | |||
| Select multiple measures | |||
| Formulate implementation plan | |||
| Select and invite pilot student group | |||
| Administer assessment | |||
| Review and evaluate data | |||
| Link curriculum and assessment data | |||
| Revise goals, methods and measures | |||
| Develop a reporting plan |
Example: Create a budget for each goal to be assessed.
Once you have established a planning calendar, you might want to identify
fixed and variable costs associated with each step in the assessment process.
| Task | Fixed Costs | Variable Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Set or review purpose(s) | 2 hr x 1 mtg x 6 member committee | |
| Set or review goals | 2 hr x 3 mtg x 6 member committee | Survey of 100 selected faculty |
| Identify learning that fulfills goals | 2 hr x 3 mtg x 6 member committee | Purchase sample measures |
| Determine criteria to measure goals | Costs of invitations, tests, survey, follow-up | |
| Select multiple measures | ||
| Formulate implementation plan | ||
| Select and invite pilot student group | ||
| Administer assessment | ||
| Review and evaluate data | ||
| Program reform | ||
| Professional development | ||
| Public reporting |
- Are costs identified for each step in the process of developing and implementing the assessment?
- Are imbedded costs (such as faculty time in a meeting or conference) kept separate from new costs (such as travel to a meeting or purchasing assessment instruments)?
