ALL ABOUT THE Office of Planning and Assessment

What is the CLA? 1. Developed by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE), the CLA is a 90-minute assessment that measures students’ skills in the areas of:  critical thinking  analytical reasoning  problem solving  written communication 2. Compares freshmen and senior academic achievement. 3. The measures are comparable to other institutions.

How the CLA Works 1. Sample 100 first-year freshmen.  In fall 2009, 100 first-year FSU freshmen participated. 2. Sample 100 graduating seniors.  GOAL for spring 2010: Get 100 seniors to participate 3. The CAE will process the results and send FSU an institutional report in summer First-year Freshmen Graduating Seniors Is the improvement in average student performance between entry and graduation in line with the gains of comparable students at other institutions? Our results will serve as a tool to continually improve student learning at FSU. The CLA Cross-sectional Administration

Why am I being asked to participate? 1. According to our records, you are an FSU senior who plans to graduate within the next 9 months.  To take the CLA, you must be planning to graduate in December 2010 or sooner. 2. You are enrolled in a designated FSU capstone course.  The capstone course serves simply as a recruitment medium for FSU, so capstone enrollment IS NOT a mandatory eligibility requirement.  Students who are graduating within 9 months are still eligible to take the CLA even if they are not currently enrolled in a capstone course.

Aside from contributing to FSU’s assessment efforts: 1. The CLA provides valuable learning opportunities that prepare seniors for real work issues. 2. We are offering participation incentives including… I’d like to help, but what’s in it for me?

… CLA Participation Incentives: $50 Grand Prize: Free $50 gift card to FSU Book Store (One awarded per CLA Administration session) Additional Prizes: Coupons for free food and merchandise at local businesses. (Several awarded at every CLA Administration session) Free Pizza Party Social! Every participating student and instructor is a winner. The event will be scheduled in April 2010.

What should I know to prepare for the CLA? No preparation is needed: You don’t need pencils or calculators, and you don’t have to study for the CLA. Short and Sweet: The CLA can be completed in a single, 45-to-90 minute session. The CLA is administered online and all sessions will be can be conveniently held in Pullen Hall computer labs.

Students sitting for the CLA will perform ONE of the following… Performance Task  Analyze statements and supporting documents to establish a position on an argument or a series of arguments.  (Up to 90 minutes) Make-an-argument  Take a position on an argument and give support.  (Up to 45 minutes) AND Critique-an-argument  Evaluate the reasoning of an argument.  (Up to 45 minutes) Example Tasks for the CLA 1. 2.

CLA Example Question Make-an-argument: Government Funding Prompt: Government funding would be better spent on preventing crime than in dealing with criminals after the fact. Task: Students can argue either side of the position. Students can also argue that both have merit or neither has merit. No penalty is given for the perspective they take; however, they are expected to take a clear position on the issues in the prompt and support it. Students will have up to 45 minutes to complete this task.

What FSU Freshmen thought of the CLA in Fall 2009: “Very user-friendly.” “Gives students the opportunity to dig deeper into an issue and analyze the situation.” “As someone who enjoys science, reading about a 3-eyed catfish was intriguing.” “The test was a good measure of analytical, reasoning and argument skills.” “ Compared to the SATs and ACTs, this was short and sweet.” “Overall, it did challenge my thinking.”

Review the CLA administration calendar on the next slide. SIGN UP for ONE session at the link below: Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 24, Contact us if you have any questions. Contact us Okay, I’m interested. How do I sign up? Seating is limited so please RSVP in advance!

FSU CLA Session Calendar Session Number DateTime 1Monday, March 295pm – 6:30 pm 2Tuesday, March 303pm – 4:30 pm 3Tuesday, March 305pm – 6:30 pm 4Wednesday, March 313pm – 4:30 pm 5Wednesday, March 316pm – 7:30 pm 6Thursday, April 13pm – 4:30 pm 7Thursday, April 16pm – 7:30 pm 8Friday, April 21pm – 2:30 pm All CLA sessions will be held in Pullen Hall 107. $50

THANK YOU! For Supporting this Valuable Student Learning Initiative! LEARN MORE: Click HereClick Here to visit the CLA Web site. QUESTIONS? Click HereClick Here to us. Office of Planning and Assessment SIGN UP! Click HereClick Here to register for a CLA session.