Education A Washington Roundup

National Accountability Plan Proposed for Higher Education

By Lynn Olson — July 25, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

“A Culture of Evidence: Postsecondary Assessment and Learning Outcomes” is posted by ETS.

A report released last week by the Princeton, N.J.-based Educational Testing Service proposes a national system for assessing student learning during college, amid widespread calls for clearer accountability in higher education.

A national commission on higher education is expected to call for better measures of student learning in a report this fall.

The ETS report, “A Culture of Evidence: Postsecondary Assessment and Learning Outcomes,” proposes giving a set of common measures, focused on workplace-readiness and general skills, to a sample of students within each higher education institution, much like the National Assessment of Educational Progress in K-12 education, for which the ETS is a primary contractor.

The report, which is online at www.ets.org, suggests that the six regional postsecondary accrediting agencies be charged with integrating a national system of assessing student learning into their ongoing reviews of institutions.

A version of this article appeared in the July 26, 2006 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
A Tale of Two School Districts: Forecasting Enrollment
Forecasting enrollment is hard. Here’s how two different districts are navigating times of change with data that considers the whole picture.
Content provided by Zonda Education
Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Strategies to Create a Culture of Reading in Schools
Join this free virtual event to learn how teachers and school district leaders ensure students are reading enough.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Families & the Community Webinar
Beyond the Classroom: Extending High-Quality Instruction Into the Home
Your curriculum doesn't have to stop at the classroom door. See how two districts bring families into PreK–3 learning.
Content provided by TalkingPoints

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The Education Wisdom Our Readers Keep Revisiting: Top 10
These opinion blog posts and essays have made a lasting impression on readers.
1 min read
Trendy halftone collage cutout elements. Laptop, rising arrow chart, gears, handshake, watch, magnifier. Idea, teamwork, brainstorming and success concept Modern retro vector illustration
Cristina Gaidau/iStock
Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read