1. 22 May 2012

2. Session Overview Purposes: Provide an overview of the assessment plan for Foundational Studies Discuss Phase I of the assessment plan – assessing writing Introduce using rubrics to assess writing

3. The Compliance Thing Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA) Required report on Assessment of Student Learning – Expectations: 1. “Assessment activities which reflect at least one year of data collection, analysis, and anticipated use of results for all academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level” – one completed assessment cycle 2. an update on assessment for the Foundational Studies program with at least one year of data Activities must be completed by May 2013 for reporting in Fall 2013

4. HLC Academy for Assessment of Student Learning Four-year Academy student learning project: Jan. 2012 – Dec. 2015 Focused on assessment of Foundational Studies learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 10 Learning Outcomes for Foundational Studies

5. Project Overview First phase (Jan 2012 – Dec 2013) focused on SLO 10 – written communication Second phase (Fall 2012 – Fall 2014) focused on SLO 10 – oral communication; data collection Spring 2014 Third phase (Fall 2013 – Fall 2015) focused on SLO 1 – information literacy/problem solving; data collection Spring 2015

6. Phase 1: Assessment of Writing: First-Year and UDIEs Assessment of writing in first-year program English 101 – diagnostic and end of semester – Fall 2012 English 105 and 107 – Spring 2013 rubrics under development by Susan Latta norming session in June 2012

7. Assessment of Writing in the UDIEs SLOs for the UDIEs Will develop a shared rubric for common criteria – each faculty or program can add additional outcomes/traits and performance criteria/scales specific to course or program objectives and outcomes Common outcomes/traits will be consistent with those for first-year writing Specific program or course outcomes added by instructors

8. Timeline for Fall 2012: Develop and Test Rubrics Aug. 2012 – roundtables for rubric development Sept. 2012 - share rubrics for discussion and feedback/modify - training on applying rubrics/norming Sept - Oct. 2012 - roundtables for pilot test of evaluating student artifacts Oct. 2012 - evaluate inter-rater reliability Oct- Nov. 2012 - modify rubrics and conduct second pilot if necessary Dec. 2012 - load rubrics into Blackboard (if available)

9. Timeline for Spring 2013: Data Collection ETS Proficiency Profile: Fall 2012 – first-year students Feb. 2013 – seniors NSSE/FSSE (indirect) – Spring 2013 April – May 2013 – course artifacts

10. Completing Phase I Cycle Summer 2013 - data aggregated and analyzed Fall 2013 - open fora to discuss evidence and consider implications Spring 2014 - open fora to identify needed improvements to enhance student writing Implement changes in 2014-2015

11. Descriptive Rubrics Questions: 1. Is written communication among your program’s student learning outcomes? 2. Do you currently use descriptive rubrics to grade student writing in one or more courses? 3. Do you consider the rubric(s) you use to be an effective and efficient means of evaluating student work? 4. Is the aggregated data from the rubric(s) used as evidence in assessing student achievement of your program’s learning outcomes?

12. What is a rubric, anyway? A scoring/grading guide – aka “primary trait analysis scale” (Walvoord) 1. A matrix that explicitly states the criteria and standards for student work 2. Identifies outcomes and describes levels of performance within each of the traits 3. Makes clear the strengths and weaknesses in student work 4. A grading time-saver The rubric to be used should be shared with the students before they begin work so they will know the criteria on which they will be evaluated.

13. Developing Rubrics 1. Describe the characteristics of a. a superior paper b. an unexceptional but acceptable paper c. a borderline paper d. an unacceptable paper 2. Make a list of the SLOs or traits that will count in the evaluation. 3. For each trait, develop descriptive statements for each of the four (or five or six) points on the scale (performance criteria).

14. Examples of rubrics for evaluating writing Internet resources: Assessment @ ISU

15. Sources consulted Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (Second ed.). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc. Walvoord, B. E. (2004). Assessment clear and simple. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Walvoord, B. E., & Anderson, V. J. (1998). Effective grading: A tool for learning and assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.