The Assessment Center works diligently to ensure students receive quality information and assessment/placement services in a setting that is friendly and non-judgmental. The Assessment Center is responsible for establishing student basic skill placement levels in reading, English, math and English as a Second Language (ESL) through the administration of assessments w/multiple measures, evaluation of transcripts, test scores and degrees from other institutions. Testing accommodations are provided for students with disabilities and non-native speakers, including an English as a Second Language assessment for placement into ESL courses. Prerequisites for Reading, English, Math, Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses are communicated to students and staff and electronically enforced through the evaluation of transcripts from other colleges. Computerized placement files are maintained and linked to registration within Colleague. An interpretation of placement levels and course eligibility are provided to students as part of the College’s pre-enrollment activities. Statistical research data is generated and disseminated to instructional and Student Services staff for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of the College programs and curriculum planning. The Center adheres to the NCTA Professional Standards Guidelines and has achieved National College Testing Association’s (NCTA) Test Center Certification.
The Center administers over 4,500 placement tests per year at on and off campus (Chico and Glenn County Centers) sites. Expansion of the Reg2Go Program which involves administering the BSA on site for the participating high schools (currently 38 high schools), providing test accommodations for an increased number of students with special needs (e.g., students with disabilities, ESL students, and international students). The Center workload has expanded by the quantity of transcripts and test scores necesitating an evaluation by the Assessment Center (4,000 evaluations annually). Additionally, an evaluation of the chemistry and biology requirements for a selection of biology and chemistry courses are being conducted by the Assessment Center with other instructional departments seeking a comparable service starting in fall 2016.
COMPASS Test Units.
ACT's COMPASS is the District's Assessment Instrument for placement into Reading, English & Math curriculum. The $22,000 funding augmentation for COMPASS test units is needed to administer about $4,500 assessment tests each year. Currently units have been purchased through spring 2016.
2 Federal Work Study students. These were hired under SSSP for 2015-2016 rather than under Federal Work Study.
Student assistants provide customer service and test proctoring during the fall and sping semesters. Additionally, they provide information to new students about pre-enrollment requirements and prerequisite enforcement.
2 Student Assistants. These students were hired under SSSP funds.
Student assistants provide customer service and test proctoring support during the fall and spring semesters. Additionally, they provide information to new students about pre-enrollment requirements and prerequisite enforcement.
Seasonal Student Assistants. This was funded from SSSP.
To provide customer service and test proctoring support during January, June, July and August .
Office Supplies and Materials.
Operating Budget for office materials, supplies, maintenance costs, travel.
60 Microsoft Surface Tablets.
The Microsoft Surface Tablets will replace the 60 Dell Netbooks that are used to administer the assessments at the high schools. These tablets will also be used in during Orientation and Counseling sessions as part of Reg2Go.
Personnel. The request in the 2015-2016 Unit Plan was to allow the 2 60% Special Programs Clerks to work 30 hours during peak seasonal periords. This request was re requested in fall 2015 to convert these positions to 100%. The original request was for 6,000. The new request in fall 2015 totalled $50,000 for this conversion.
These positions started in December 2015. They will support the piloting of the Common Assessment and Multiple Measure Assessment Project. Additionally, these positions will support the additional enforcement of prerequisites starting for fall 2016.
The Assessment Office Student Learning Outcome is:
- SLO: Students will know the purpose of the BSA before taking the Assessment
- Target Population: All students who need to complete the BSA
- What behaviors do students demonstrate when this outcome is achieved:
- Less anxiety, appear at ease, greater confidence, indicate that they had studied and are well prepared, bring a photo ID, take appropriate amount of time on the assessment, reviewed test directions on assessment characteristics, understand how assessment results are being used.
Current Data collected:
Data has been collected for this SLO using an orientation survey. There is a question on the survey asking students: "after communicating with the Assessment Office, I have a better understanding of the purpose of the assessment". Students have historically reported that 38% of students strongly agree with this statement and 50% agree with this statement. Overall 88% of students indicate that they "have a better understanding of the purpose of the assessment".
Summary of Actions and Recommendations based on this data:
Although this data seems to indicate that students understand the purpose of the assessment, anectodal information from students, counselors, faculty and staff indicate that students are still very confused about the purpose of the assessment. The Assessment Office plans on surveying students throughout spring 2016 on specific behaviors related to their understanding. This data will be collected and disagregated by test location (Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn County Center, Reg2Go high schools) and by certain student types (high school, College Connection, International).
Based on the initial data collected by using the orientation survey, the following interventions were implemented in 2015:
- Provided a detailed hand out for high school counselors on the purpose of the assessment which they can share with their high school students
- Developed and mailed a postcard with information about the assessment prior to high school students taking the assessment at their high school
- Collaborated with high school faculty and counelors to create a Math Boot Camp for students to better understand the purpose of the assessments and better prepare students for a retest
- Started working on developing an assessment preparation multimedia presentation for students to review before the assessment.
The Assessment Office provides direct and indirect support to the following student achievement standards:
- Course Success (Overall, Transfer, Basic Skills): The Assessment Office establishes placement in Reading, English and Math and supports these departments by appropriately placing students into their curriculum and enforcing prerequisites. Additionally, the Assessment Office establishes basic skills placement levels for students to better understand how their skills relate to other courses they will be taking for GE and their major. The Assessment/placement of students is validated every six years to ensure that students are appropriately placed.
- Persistence: The Assessment Office supports Focused Peristance by communicating course eligibility in Reading, English and Math and supporting students' understanding of prerequisites for specific disciplines.
- Degrees: The Assessment Office communicates with students, staff, and faculty regarding issues related to transfer requirements, associates degree requirements, and competency requirements.
- Developmental Strand Completion: The Assessment Office communicates with faculty about where students are being placed in Reading, English and Math so the appropriate distribution of courses in each level can be scheduled around student demand. Additionally, Assessment coordinates the student prerequisite challenge process and supports students' ability to retest on the assessment to place higher.
The Assessment Office supports the Strategic Plan and Direction in the followoing ways:
- Collaboaring effectively with K12 to set appropriate expectations and align curriculum and prepare students for success: The Assessment Office works collaboratively with 38 local high schools to ensure that students prepare for the asssessment; adminsiter the assessment at the high school campus; and communicate assessment results prior to orientation.
- Place students effectively/appropriately, advise them, effectively and ensure student education plans: The Assessment Office strives to work closely with the LEAD, English and Math departments to develop a placement model (including multiple measures) that appropriately places students into their courses. This information is integrated into the orientation process so student are aware of their placement when they complete a student educational plan. Assessment staff also evaluate documents from other colleges to establish placement for students who are transfering to Butte College from another institution. Additionally, Butte College is a pilot school for field testing the Common Assessment (CCAssess) content assessments and technology platform and for the Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP).
- Evaluate Standards and Goals of Course Success, Retention and Degree Achievement: The Assessment Office is committed to collaborating with IT, Research & Planning and academic departments to support the goals for course success, retention and degree achievement through prerequiste planning and placement reform.
- Improve Student Services for online & off campus sites: The Assessment Office supports online students by coordinating remote testing at other colleges for online students taking courses at Butte College. Additionally, Assessment staff administer the assessment (BSA) on a regular schedule at both the Chico and Glenn County Centers to support students taking courses at those locations.
- Implementing Degree Audit and Educational Planning Tools: The Assessment Office plays a kew role in the enforcement of the District's prerequisites. All prerequisites will need to be enforced at the time of registration for these planning tools to be effective for students transfering to Butte College from another institution. The Assessment Office coordinates the challenge process for students meeting the prerequiste at other institutions or through prior learning assessments.
- Improve access, success and completion of targeted student populations through the implementation of the Student Equity Plan: The Assessment Office is supporting the Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP), intended to support more accurate placements and reduce disproportionate impact for the groups specified in the Student Equity Plan.
The following Program Review recommendations were made in 2010 related to the Assessment Office:
- It is recommended that the two Special Programs Clerks be converted from 60% to 100%: This was accomplished in fall 2015 through an augmentation from SSSP. These two 60% positions became 100% starting December 1, 2015.
- It is recommended that the Assessment Office team explore a contract with Chico State to hire interns for assistance in testing, proctoring, review and evaluation: Starting in 2013, the Assessment Office hired interns through CSU, Chico's Masters in Social Science program. These interns have been hired for the spring term to support Reg2Go testing at the high schools.
- It is recommended that the Assessment Team collaborate with other departments to evaluate transcripts to support the enforcement of other prerequisites: The Admissions and Records Office is in the planning stages to evaluate transripts to create equivalencies that can be utilized into Degree Audit and Student Educational Planning Tools. Assessment staff has been involved in the development of this process.
- It is recommended that additional laptops/netbooks be purchased for testing at remote locations: Microsoft Surface Pro 3s were orderred in December 2015 to replace the Dell netbooks.
The Assessment Office has the following goals for 2016-2017:
- Develop strategies to reduce test anxiety (provide a more postive environment) for students coming into the Assessment Office for testing.
- Create a multi-media presentation/video assessment preparation video
- Develop outreach and promotional materials for high school students to help them prepare for and understand the assessment and educate them on the benefits of taking the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests for college credit.
- Implement the Multiple Measures Assessment Pilot (MMAP) to more accurately place students into Reading, English and Math and reduce disproportional impact
- Pilot and Implement the Common Assessment (CCCAssess) integrating multiple measures.
- Develop a new Assessment Printout by reengineering the XBSR
- Support the implementation of the District's prerequisites.
- Redisgn the Assessment Office website
- Continue to develop opportunities for Staff Development
Strategy 1 - Pilot and Implementation of the Common Assessment (CCCAssess)
Butte College is a pilot college for the Common Assessment Initiative (CAI). Throughout 2016-2017 a variety of test development processes and test piloting will occur, with the formal pilot testing occuring in spring and fall of 2016. The pilot testing and test development stages will lead towards the adoption of the Common Assessment for Butte College by spring 2017.
During this time, the Assessment Center staff will provide input into the test development process, as well as technology platform to administer this new test - both computer and paper and pencil based testing. Placement methods will be developed utilizing multiple measures during spring and fall of 2016.
The Common Assessment Initiative (CAI) is a required component of the Student Success and Support Programs (SSSP) for state funding. The purpose of the CAI is to improve placement processes for new students, provide test portability between community colleges and reduce the costs for assessment testing throughout California Community Colleges. Since Butte College is a pilot school for the CAI, the district will be one of the 1st adopters of the new common assessment instruments and will play a critical role in the development of the test instruments and the technology interface.
Strategy 2 - Redesign the Assessment Printout
Improve the layout and accuracy of the customized assessment printout (XBSR). The XBSR (Basic Skills Report) will need to be reprogrammed to include the data from the new Common Assessment and multiple measures. New scoring logic and placement messages will need to be developed that are mapped to Butte College's curriculum based on the new placement methodology. Additionally, there is a desire to improve the portal's version of the assessment printout, which is based on the logic of the XBSR. The goal is to provide students more timely access to their placement results through MyBC and improve the interpretation materials so students can better understand their performance on the assessment or their placement by other methods.
The Assessment Basic Skills Report (XBSR) is the primary way for students to access and understand their placement results. This customized report includes initial placement information (e.g., score, course eligibility, test date) and gets updated as students complete coursework in English, Math and Reading. The goal is to ensure this report's accuracy and provide multiple ways to deliver this report through the Assessment Center and electronically through MyBC.
Strategy 3 - Develop Assessment Preparation Strategy
Using data from the SLO survey administered during the spring 2016 term, Assessment will develop an Assessment Preparation strategy that supports students understanding of the purpose of the Basic Skills Assessment. This will include developing a video and materials for the website, create workshops and paper materials for distribution to students. Overall, the goal is to reduce test anxiety and provide a more positive experience for students who need to complete their assessment.
There is a growing need to provide new students with more meaningful information about both the purpose of the assessment and study materials so students are better prepared for the BSA. With the implementation of the Common Assessment, as well as the statewide Educational Planning Initiative student portal, there will be some new ways to create study materials and test preparation materials to support new students prior to taking the BSA. The SLO survey will provide specific information on student needs and what strategies to focus our efforts.
The desire is to reach out to specific populations of students who are disproportionatley impacted by the current placement processes. Specific target groups inlcude Foster Youth, Veterans and English Language learners in our service area and at the local high schools.
Strategy 4 - Improve the Assessment Website
The Assesment Center website needs to include better test preparation materials, more specific information about Prerequisites, and the District's Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Exemption policies. Additionally, the Center needs to develop specific marketing materials (Facebook, borchures, flyers, etc.) to guide students to the website for additional information and services.
New students have historically, used our website to view the testing schedule and access study guides for the BSA. With the addition of more prerequisites and evaluation of documents and tests for college credit (AP and CLEP), the Assessment website needs to provide updated and accurate information for students. Additional marketing materials (e.g., brochures, flyers, Facebook) need to be developed to provide similar information in different formats (paper and electronic), to compliment the website information. The goal is to better balance electronically mediated communications with face to face services.
Strategy 5 - Support the Implementation of Additional Prerequisites
Currently, the College enforces prerequisites (at the time of registration) for Reading, English, Math and some Biology and Chemistry courses. Additional prerequistes are scheduled to have similar enforcement processes for Fall 2016. Assessment staff will continue to evaluate unofficial documents for either course substitutions and/or challenges, as well as conduct the disenrollment processes for the College. This will result in an increase in the overall evaluation of documents to meet prerequisites and greater coordination with faculty, Admissions and Records and Counseling to ensure that the enforcement of prerequisites is being done in a fair and consistent manner.
The District has a desire to enforce all prerequistes that are established through the Curriculum Committee process. Currently, the Assessment Center evaluates documents and coordinates with students and counselors to communicate appropriate prerequisites for identified courses. Enforcing additional prerequisites for Fall 2016 will increase the overall volume of documents necessiting an evaluation and increase the collaboration with faculty to coordinate prerequisite substitutions and challenges.
Strategy 6 - Integrate Multiple Measures into Assessment
Butte College is a pilot college for the Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP). The goal of this project is to identify and validate multiple measures that can be integrated with the CCCAssess to better place students into the Reading, English and Math curriculum.
There is significant research that suggests that the integration of an assessment with validated multiple measures can dramatically improve the placement of students into Reading, English and Math curriculum. Using a student's high school performance (e.g., GPA, grade in last English and Math course) can both improve placement outcomes, create more equitable placement models and can reduce disproportionate impact for groups identified by the Student Equity Plan.
Strategy 7 - Develop Promotional Materials
During 2016-2017, the Assessment Office will support a variety of statewide and District goals including the Common Assessment (CCCAssess), Multiple Measures (MMAP), enforcement of prerequisites, and outreach to high schools. The Assessment Office intends to develop materials for outreach and promotion and to inform students about these processes. This will require Assessment to contract with an outside agency to develop these materials.
The implementation of the Common Assessment (CCCAssess), the Multiple Measures Assessment Project, prerequisites and high school outreach are critical parts of the Strategic Direction and have significant impact on SSSP and Student Equity goals.
Strategy 8 - Staff Development
Staff Development is essential to effectively implementing these goals. The goal is to have Assessment Staff attand statewide conferences and professional development trainings related to CCCAssess and Multiple Measures, in addition to the National College Testing Association (NCTA) national conference.
Staff development is critical to supporting staff in their implementation of best practices. These activities allow staff to improve services to students and support District and statewide outcomes.
The follwoing non-financial resources are being requested:
$366,530 - District
$138,000 - Categorical (SSSP) (Classified Assessment Technician), Student Assistants, Operational Budget)
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Assessment | Operating Expenses | 12-262-709-709-1-632001 | 54511 | $7,000.00 | $0.00 |
| COMPASS Test Units | Costs for the use of 2nd part test instrument is based on the number of units administered in one year or until the Common Assessment is available for use in Spring 2016. |
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| 2 | Assessment | Personnel | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 52368 | $0.00 | $34,000.00 |
| 5 Student Assistants | To provide customer service and test proctoring support during the fall ans spring semesters. Assessment hired 2 student assistants from SSSP funds for 2014-2015. |
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| 3 | Assessment | Personnel | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 52368 | $0.00 | $17,000.00 |
| Seasonal Student Assistants | To provide customer service and test proctoring support during January, June, July and Auguest when FWS funds are not available. |
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| 4 | Operating Expenses | Operating Expenses | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 54500 | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Operating budget for copying, office materials and supplies. |
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| 5 | Assessment | Personnel | $0.00 | $37,000.00 | ||
| This position would be funded from Student Equity to support strategies related to improving assessment/placement of students and reducing/eliminating disproportionate impact. These strategies include, better use of multiple measures, supporting math boot camps, improving messaging to basic skills students, and developing assessment preparation materials. |
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| 6 | Assessment | Operating Expenses | $2,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Promotional and Outreach materials | These are one-time funds that would be used to support the Student Equity personnel request and would be used to develop assessment prep materials, assessment prep video and targeted communications to specific groups of students identified in the Student Equity Plan. |
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| 7 | Assessment | Operating Expenses | 12.262.709.1.632001 | 55200 | $6,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Professional Development, travel and conference | This augmentation will provide staff an opportunity to attend the NCTA National Conference and the CCCAA statewide conference. Additionally, these funds will support travel costs that support services at the Glenn County Center and Chico Center locations and other off campus locations. |
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| 8 | Assessment | Equipment | 12-239-709-1-632001 | 56411 | $7,500.00 | $0.00 |
| 5 Computer Workstations | Laptops are used for test administration with Assistive Technology at the high schools in addition to specialized testing administration sessions. Laptops are also used at check-in for START during July, August and January. |
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