| Evaluation of student writings is sought UT System educators to consider methods 04/13/2001 By Linda K. Wertheimer / The Dallas Morning News The University of Texas System is slowly moving forward with plans to test students on what they know before they graduate and could begin judging writing next spring, UT regents said this week.
A group of English professors, including educators from system universities in Dallas and Arlington, will begin meeting Friday to discuss how to evaluate students' writing.
Professors aren't considering a paper-and-pencil test like the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills for writing. Rather, they might create portfolios of students' writing samples to be judged by independent evaluators, said Raymond Rodrigues, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor for the UT System. Dr. Rodrigues is working with faculty members to design testing methods.
"We're going to talk about whether it's possible to come up with a standard for the entire system," Dr. Rodrigues said. "What we do know is each campus is very different, based on admission standards and the quality and ability of students coming in."
So far, it's not certain if any test would be linked to students' graduation. Regents and professors agree that they want universities to use the measures to track their own progress and teaching quality.
UT regents will decide in August whether to approve whatever plan the professors design. Next school year, another group of professors will focus on how universities could evaluate students' math and critical thinking skills, Dr. Rodrigues said.
The professors' work stems from UT Regent Charles Miller's idea to create an accountability system for higher education, much like the state has done with the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills for public school students.
At their February meeting, regents agreed to the concept of an accountability system but rejected Mr. Miller's idea of a TAAS-like test. Rather, they put the design of a system in the hands of college professors.
Faculty group leaders said they're cooperating with system officials but remain leery about creating uniform measures.
"People teach English and writing in different ways, some with computers, some without," said Robert Nelsen, a writing professor and Faculty Senate president at the University of Texas at Dallas. "You can't come up with one formula that fits all."
Dr. Nelsen, who serves on the UT System's faculty advisory council, said professors' hope is that universities can retain control over the measures they use for students.
Faculty leaders say they oppose the whole concept of standardized tests but acknowledge that Mr. Miller's idea is progressing, said Dr. Betty Travis, chairwoman of the UT System faculty advisory council.
"It didn't do us any good to sit on the sideline and keep saying, 'We don't approve,'" said Dr. Travis, a math professor. "We felt it was going to go ahead anyway with or without us."
Professors intend to push for measures that are the least intrusive for students, she said. Gathering writing samples, for example, would not require students to go through the anxiety of an additional test, she said.
Mr. Miller said it's too early to tell what the final measures will look like.
"This is a step in the right direction, and we'll know over a period of time whether it works," he said.
Mr. Miller said he agreed with professors that the UT System has to make allowances for differences among universities. Evaluating a student's progress from the beginning of college until the end might be one way, he said.
In writing, colleges need to evaluate whether students reach a basic level of competency, he said. That's better than merely awarding degrees based solely on credit hours earned, he said.
Other regents said they support Mr. Miller's attempt to make universities more accountable.
"The issues that tend to be testy are having the grammar-school achievement tests, like the TAAS," said Regent Patrick Oxford. "We have not decided to do any of that. We're working on what shape those tests would take. It's been a taboo subject, and the subject is no longer taboo."
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