In response to impending federal legislation that would make it mandatory for all four-year accredited institutions of higher education in the United States to administer a standardized exit test, the Experimental College hosted a discussion in the Coolidge Room last night to brainstorm ways that Tufts could respond.
A handout from the event, which was entitled "No Jumbo Left Behind: Assessment and Accountability at Tufts," defined the objective for the large group of students, faculty and staff in attendance.
"Put simply, your goal for the evening is to help us begin the process of responding to the challenges set forth by the National Collegiate Competency Examination (NCoCo), an exit test currently in its pilot phase and soon to be required for graduation at all accredited four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S.," the handout read.
The test is beyond being a mere possibility at this point, according to Steve Cohen, a lecturer of education who served as a facilitator of the evening's discussion. "This is actually something real to think about," he said.
The National Collegiate Competency Examination Board, the subsidiary agency of the U.S. Department of Education that is developing NCoCo, also plans to give schools the opportunity to design their own exams to take its place.
The evening's discussion centered around what a Tufts-designed test might look like.
Prior to the event, questions from a sample GMAT exam were displayed around the room. The questions covered a range of topics, from multiplying and dividing fractions to identifying pronouns and antecedents.
Several students commented that the questions reminded them of standardized tests taken in high school.
Once the attendees had sat down at assigned tables, Cohen asked them to consider the sample questions, asking them if the information from the questions was something they had learned in college, whether it was information they thought college students should know, and whether it was something a student should be denied an undergraduate degree for not knowing.
In small groups, the attendees brainstormed answers to these problems. Some argued that the prospect of developing a test that all Tufts students could take would be impossible because of the diversity of their studies, while others attempted to highlight certain pieces of knowledge that should be expected of all Tufts graduates.
"Walking around and listening to the conversations going on, I noticed a paranoia," Cohen said, referring to discussion participants' skepticism toward the idea of a standardized collegiate exam.
Much of what Cohen called "paranoia" was founded in the proposed punitive measures of the impending legislation. "If a school does not agree [to administer NCoCo or design its own test], it will stand to lose all federal funding, direct and indirect, including but not limited to: financial aid, investments and research grants," said the event's handout.
For Tufts, this could mean losing millions of dollars each year, according to Robyn Gittleman, director of the ExCollege. "It would be very hard to just cut the string," she said.
After several hours of conversation, the worries had subsided for some. Several ideas began to solidify among the conversation groups.
One strategy, proposed by Nancy Wilson, associate dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, would be to develop a mandatory portfolio requirement.
Such a portfolio might include general requirements like an essay comparing two competing theories on a single problem. The portfolio could be an amalgamation of work that the student had done over his or her years at college, so as to avoid placing the burden of a new project right before graduation.
In conclusion, Cohen stressed that the conversation about assessment and accountability at Tufts is not over. A committee of the ExCollege plans to continue considering this issue so as to prepare Tufts for any legislation that is passed in the immediate future.
