Beyond the Big Test: Noncognitive Assessment in Higher Education

PRAISE FOR BEYOND THE BIG TEST "The examples provided in the book powerfully illustrate the potential that institutions have to translate concepts into action." – Larry D. Roper , vice provost for student affairs, Oregon State University "William Sedlacek shows the weaknesses in traditional SAT–type tests and provides alternative ways of evaluating students for college programs. If historically white colleges are to break with their racist climates and practices, faculty, administrators, and staff must heed Sedlacek’s sage remedies, which are grounded in solid field research." – Joe Feagin , graduate research professor, Department of Sociology, University of Florida "William Sedlacek identifies the eight noncognitive variables that extensive research has shown are the missing components of a comprehensive, fair, and impartial measure of a student’s likelihood for success in college. The book shows how these noncognitive measures can be used in selecting a diverse and talented student body and how they can be used in counseling, academic advising, student affairs programs, and research." – Gregory S. Blimling , vice chancellor for student development and professor of human development and psychological counseling, Appalachian State University, and editor, Journal of College Student Development

Preface. The Author. 1. The Big Test . . . and an Alternative Approach. 2. Going Beyond the Big Test. 3. Reliability, Validity, and Diversity. 4. Noncognitive Assessment Model. 5. Admissions and Financial Aid: Traditional and Nontraditional Measures. 6. Teaching a Diverse Student Body Successfully. 7. Advising and Counseling with Noncognitive Variables. 8. Evaluating and Designing Campus Programs with Noncognitive Variables. 9. Conclusions and Recommendations. Appendices. 1. Examples of the Situational Attitude Scale. 2. Basic Noncognitive Questionnaire with Scoring and Administration Information. 3. Norms Using Noncognitive Questionnaire Scoring Key. 4. Two Alternate Forms of the Noncognitive Questionnaire and Scoring Instructions. 5. Short Answer Noncognitive Assessment Form. 6. Principles of Interviewing for Noncognitive Variable Diagnosis. 7. Interview Questions Employed in Campus Site Visits (Lilly Endowment Evaluation). 8. Example Cases for Training Raters in Evaluating Admissions or Financial Aid Applications. 9. Online References for Racism Class. 10. Racism Course Rating Form. 11. Protocol for Interracial Interaction Study. 12. Campus Climate Survey (University of Maryland Diversity Survey). References. Name Index. Subject Index.

William E. Sedlacek is professor of counseling and personnel services in the College of Education and assistant director of the Counseling Center, both at the University of Maryland. He has authored more than one hundred articles on the topic of noncognitive assessment and is one of the leading authorities in the field.