Winter 2017 Issue Available

Winter 2017 Issue is available in flipbook and PDF format   |   

The contributions presented in this issue of Research & Practice in Assessment demonstrate important advancements in the practice and scholarship of assessment.

The Winter 2017 issue of RPA includes five peer-reviewed articles that exhibit the importance of data-informed practices as well as the importance of attitudes and approaches toward assessment. Using readily available data from IPEDS, Myers and Myers examine the impact of dual enrollment credit on graduation rates. Fuller and Lane present an analysis of the Student Affairs Survey of Assessment Culture, a measure of assessment cultures within divisions of student affairs. The importance of clearly defining terminology in assessment practices is exemplified by Gansemer-Topf, Downey, and Genschel through their work in operationalizing “academic undermatching” in college selection. Stevenson, Finan, and Martel also study assessment climate using a developmental approach. Roberts, Nardone, and Bridges examine writing proficiency by gender and race to determine if differences exist.
Lau reviews Real-Time Student Assessment: Meeting the Imperative for Improved Time to Degree, Closing the Opportunity Gap, and Assuring Student Competencies for the 21st Century Needs, by Peggy Maki, a text that challenges faculty and practitioners to utilize real-time assessment techniques to improve learning and development in real-time.

This issue also includes three Notes in Brief exemplifying impressive assessment practices. Smith, Finney, and Fulcher provide readers with actionable steps for incorporating implementation fidelity in their own assessment practice. Steinke and Fitch demonstrate a method for addressing the challenge of bias when assessing student work. Welch, Karpen, Cross, and LeBlanc examine practical uses of Bloom’s Taxonomy in assessment work. I hope you find the scholarship in this issue will advance your own assessment efforts.

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