Book description
A unique, state-by-state look at two decades of progress and
practices in higher education assessment
Specially selected from the archives of the award-winning journal
Assessment Update, the articles gathered together in
Stopping the Buck offer readers a unique opportunity to take
a deep, historical look at outcomes assessment in higher education as
it has evolved over the past several decades. Written by Peter Ewell,
author of the pioneering work in the field, it tracks, on a
state-by-state basis, progress, trends, and practices in outcomes
assessment among institutions of higher learning since the 1990s, a
time when diminished funding and increased demand for accountability
shifted the focus to performance indicators and institutional comparisons.
- Examines the evolution of higher education assessment in the
1990s, with special attention given to the emergence of
pay-for-performance in many states, and the various reasons why it
failed in most cases
- Chronicles the rise of regional and national initiatives and the
concomitant diminishment of state authority in assessment
- Offers the author's informed conclusions and forecasts on the
current and future state of assessment to provides policymakers
with valuable insights to help them with the decisions they face,
now and in the years ahead
Both sobering and hopeful, Stopping the Buck provides readers
with invaluable information and guidance on specific areas of
assessment-gathered together for the first time in a single,
easy-reference format.
Peter T. Ewell, Vice President of the National
Center for Higher Education Management Systems, is a consulting editor
for Assessment Update.
