Strategies for Scaling Multiple Measures Assessment: Lessons from Arkansas

By Hollie Daniels Sarica | February 2025

This brief focuses on multiple measures assessment (MMA) implementation in the state of Arkansas, where a decentralized governance model grants colleges considerable autonomy in determining their assessment and placement policies. Despite strong evidence supporting MMA, challenges remain for its widespread adoption. As the higher education landscape evolves, it is crucial to address challenges to MMA implementation and to provide strategies for states, systems, and colleges to adopt more effective placement practices to promote student success and equitable access to college-level coursework. To that end, drawing on work that took place in Arkansas by state-level staff at Arkansas Community Colleges, the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, and several Arkansas colleges, this brief describes the process of adopting MMA in the state and presents five state-focused strategies for the scaling of MMA. Throughout the brief, readers will find examples and resources, such as CAPR’s research-based toolkit, which may be helpful for those who want to design new or improve existing MMA systems.