The Politics of Assessment: Context, Culture, and Timing

1
The Politics of Assessment Context, Culture, and
Timing

• Kathy Angeletti, University of Maryland-College
  Park
• Richard Ribb, The University of Texas at Austin

2
Introductions

• Speakers
• Kathy Angeletti and Richard Ribb
• Terms
• Politics, Culture, Context and Timing
• Topics
• Federal/regional, State, Institutional and
  Local/departmental

3
Politics

• Redistribution of Power
• Resources
• Personnel
• Money
• Status

Culture

• Practices and Principles
• Threatened SOP

4
Context

• Origin
• Stakeholders

Timing

• External
• Internal

5
Federal

• Department of Education Report
• Standardization
• Accountability

Regional

• Accreditation
• Pressure
• Opportunities

6
State

• Board of Regents
• Accountability
• Graduation Rates
• Auditing
• Legislature
• Standardization
• Admissions Criteria

7
Institutional

• Historical Forces
• Curriculum Reform
• Implications
• Campus Resistance
• Personalities
• Autonomies

8
Local/Departmental

• Departmental Resistance
• History
• Solution
• Student Division Wariness
• Reasons
• Answers

9
Tips

• 1. Take advantage of the swelling chorus about
  accountability be pro-active instead of
  re-active. Anticipate, dont retaliate.
• 2. Frame the debate about assessment in your
  terms ceding the terms of engagement and
  operative language leads to political loss. Get
  the best data first.
• 3. Do your best and dont look back look around
  for external and internal challenges and
  opportunities. Embrace the politics of
  assessment.