CAPR MULTIPLE MEASURES ASSESSMENT TOOLKIT
CAPR MULTIPLE MEASURES ASSESSMENT TOOLKIT
Making the Case
The tools in this section will help you develop a plan to communicate with various college constituencies about what MMA is, why you’re reforming placement, and how people in different roles might be affected. Making the case is important because course placement touches many areas of the college and everyone will have to pitch in to make the reform a success.
Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Form a team at the college with representatives from the relevant constituencies
A lead administrator should bring together representatives from admissions, registration, testing, advising/counseling, institutional research, course scheduling, and the English and math faculty as an MMA planning team. Review the Making the Case for Multiple Measures Assessment slides together and discuss why the college is embarking on MMA reform. Set a regular meeting time.
Step 2: Gather the information needed to make data-informed decisions and set a baseline to monitor results
Before deciding on new measures and cut scores for your college, take a look at what recent historical data is available. How many students enroll in college-level courses in math? in English? by demographic subgroups? Have the measures you need been collected before? If not, how will they be collected going forward? Are those measures missing for some groups of students? How will you track these outcomes as placement changes? Review What to Look for in Your Institution’s Data to learn more about what data to collect and how to identify inequities in course placements and pass rates. This data will help you customize the Making the Case for Multiple Measures Assessment slides.
Step 3: Develop a communication plan
Both internal and external stakeholders will need to be informed of the changing placement criteria. Consider what partner high schools, students, advisors or guidance counselors, and institutional faculty and staff need to know about MMA at your college, when you will need to communicate with various groups, and who should lead the engagement work. Review the Developing a Communication Strategy slides with the planning team and create a communications plan. Use the FAQs for Faculty and Staff to prepare for meetings with faculty and advisors so you can address common questions. As you plan and implement your new assessment and placement system using the Implementation Action Plan Template from the next section, check in regularly to ensure everyone has the information they need.
Tools for Making the Case
Slide Deck
Making the Case for Multiple Measures Assessment
Slides to download, customize, and use in meetings with different constituencies at the college that will be involved in implementing multiple measures assessment.
Data Guide
What to Look for in Your Institution’s Data
A brief explainer on data that will help you make the case for MMA and understand its impact on your students and the college.
Slide Deck
Developing a Communication Strategy for Multiple Measures Assessment
Slides to facilitate a discussion with the college’s planning team on communicating the shift to MMA.
FAQs
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Faculty and Staff
Answers to the most common questions that arise when a college decides to use Multiple Measures Assessment for course placement.
Additional Reading
- The Next Phase of Placement Reform: Moving Toward Equity-Centered Practice: A brief with guidance for institutions seeking to design and implement placement systems that generate more equitable outcomes