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. Threats to the validity of the collegiate learning assessment. Collegiate learning assessment introduction performance. The collegiate learning assessment rand corporation. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a standardized testing initiative in united states higher educational evaluation and assessment. The test goes beyond a multiplechoice format and poses realworld performance tasks. The cla offers a valueadded, constructedresponse approach to the assessment of higher order skills, such as critical thinking and written communication. Evidence of student learning office of university assessment. For more information see the student guide pdf or the practice assessment pdf. Collegiate learning assessment about kalamazoo college. 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.
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 the collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning. Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education. 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 spellings commission report and the collegiate learning. Collegiate learning assessment cla concord university. Collegiate learning assessment cla, a measure of critical thinking valueadded at. The collegiate learning assessments criterionsampling approach. Collegiate learning assessment cla the collegiate learning assessment cla is implemented each semester, in hopes of assessing student learning outcomes. Campus level assessment evidence direct assessment methods.
The spellings commission report and the collegiate. Update on the assessment of undergraduate learning outcomes. Uk core 2014 composition and communication and citizenship. It discusses the most significant initiatives over the past decade to develop objective, valid, and reliable assessment tools and presents stateof. 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. Assessment cla and the measure of academic proficiency and progress.
Learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning. Adapting and validating the collegiate learning assessment. A set of further reflections on improving teaching, learning, and assessment 303 there will undoubtedly be uneven development. The cla performance assessments grow out of a rich paperandpencil testing paradigm. Learning assessment cla or college and work readiness. 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. Collegiate learning assessment cla, a measure of critical thinking value added at. 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. Pdf a serious flaw in the collegiate learning assessment cla. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and written. Collegiate learning assessment cla frequently asked questions. This information is derived from tests that are administered to all or a sample of the. 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. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a performance assessment of college students critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and problem solving and written communication skills.
Multistate collaborative msc 20152016 participation results pdf. A set of further reflections on improving teaching. Collegiate learning assessment report excerpt from the. 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. 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. Threats to the validity of the collegiate learning. This study was aimed at determining the external validity of the. 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. The commission specifically identified the collegiate learning. The cla was developed to measure undergraduates learning in particular their ability to think critically, reason analytically, solve problems, and communicate clearly.
The cla focuses on a set of common areas that comprise what is central to most notions of collegiate education. Collegiate learning assessment cla frequently asked. This report illustrates how institutions can set their own standards on the cla using a method that is appropriate for the clas unique characteristics. 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. Collegiate learning assessment dons reports and reflections.
The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, open ended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking. Collegiate learning assessment institutional reports. The themes of leadership, partnership, shared values, wellbeing, social. Adapting and validating the collegiate learning assessment to. Collegiate learning assessment cla reports cal state.
Purpose of the college learning assessment the collegiate learning assessment cla is a performancebased test that focuses on three elements of collegiate education. 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 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. Collegiate learning assessment morgan state university.
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 computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and. The collegiate learning assessment ford policy forum 2008. Collegiate learning assessment cla institutional research. The performance of kalamazoo college students firstyears and seniors on the collegiate learning assessment has remained consistently strong. The collegiate learning assessment cla is a computer administered, openended as opposed to multiplechoice test of analytic reasoning, criti cal thinking, problem solving, and. It was developed, and continues to be developed, by a nonprofit, grantsupported organization dedicated to improving the. A flaw in the collegiate learning assessment test 391 cation cae claim it measures, viz. It was developed, and continues to be developed, by a nonprofit, grantsupported organization dedicated to improving the quality of u. Assessment of learning outcomes in higher education cross. The collegiate learning assessment ford policy forum. 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 innovative approach to assessing our institutions contribution to student learning and the value added by our institution.
California state university, stanislaus collegiate learning. The collegiate learning assessment is probably the only national, performancebased assessment of higher education student learning in the u. Using the collegiate learning assessment cla to inform. The collegiate learning assessment stanford university. Cla is now joined by the ets proficiency profile and acts caap multiple choice tests that also measure. Assessing businessplanning competence using the collegiate learning assessment as a prototype richard j. The measure uses act scores as the estimate of incoming ability, and gauges progress in thinking against this beginning point. This task presents a realworld situation in which an issue, problem, or conflict is identified. Cla is a national effort to assess the quality of undergraduate educ ation by directly measuring studentlearning outcomes. 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. The collegiate learning assessment cla is an openended assessment that measures your critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication skills. California state university, stanislaus collegiate. These are learning outcomes espoused by all higher.
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. Cla measures are designed to simulate complex, ambiguous situations that every successful college graduate may face in the future. It is important, then, that the underlying logic and measurement. 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. The article also provided a link to results from 68 institutions. Cal poly, san luis obisipo wasc interim report, march 2015. Developed by a group of academics with the council for aid to education cae, the cla assesses. 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 assessment focuses on the institution or on programs within an institution. 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.
It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affect students futures. Pdf the collegiate learning assessment researchgate. Exploring the relationship between the collegiate learning. The purpose of this assessment is to help bgsu gauge its performance in helping students develop. 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.
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