Beyond the Big Test: Noncognitive Assessment in Higher Education (Jossey Bass Higher & Adult Education Series) - Hardcover

Sedlacek, William E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787960209 ISBN 13: 9780787960209

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2004

Synopsis

William E. Sedlacek--one of the nation's leading authorities on the topic of noncognitive assessment--challenges the use of the SAT and other standardized tests as the sole assessment tool for college and university admissions. In Beyond the Big Test, Sedlacek presents a noncognitive assessment method that can be used in concert with the standardized tests. This assessment measures what students know by evaluating what they can do and how they deal with a wide range of problems in different contexts. Beyond the Big Test is filled with examples of assessment tools and illustrative case studies that clearly show how educators have used this innovative method to:* Select a class diverse on dimensions of race, gender, and culture in a practical, legal, and ethical way* Teach a diverse class employing techniques that reach all students* Counsel and advise students in ways that consider their culture, race, and gender* Award financial aid to students with potential who do not necessarily have the highest grades and test scores* Assess the readiness of an institution to educate and provide services for a diverse student body

About this title

Review

With a fresh and integrated approach, Sedlacek s book seeks to improve the evaluation process for all students, especially non–traditional students in higher education
Norbert S. Hill, Jr., executive director, American Indian Graduate Center, Oneida

William E. Sedlacek has devoted his career to assessment of diverse populations using cognitive and noncognitive variables. He again provides the profession with important information based on his programmatic research and that of others. I recommend the book for assessment professionals.
Patricia B. Elmore, associate dean for administrative services and professor, College of Education and Human Services and professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, College of Education and Human Services, Southern Illinois University, and editor, Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development

This book should be required reading for all college personnel involved with admissions, recruitment, retention, and assessment.
John V. Fraire, dean, admission, Western Michigan Univer isty

This must–read book emphasizes the use of noncognitive variables in admissions, teaching, advisement, and program evaluation, shifting the paradigm from an overdependency on the SAT and other big tests in higher education.
Shirley Hune, professor and associate dean, Graduate Programs, Graduate Division, University of California, Los Angeles

Sedlacek has made a very significant contribution to scholarship on non–cognitive predictors of the admissibility and performance of students of color in postsecondary education and to higher education policy. Readers should pay special attention to the chapter on the conceptual and research foundations for these critical noncognitive measures.
William T. Trent, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Sociology, University of Illinois

In this thought provoking book William Sedlacek not only accentuates the point that noncognitive variables can and should be used by college admissions offices, as they are better predictors of success among nontraditional college students, but he suggests ways that they can be used in advising, counseling, designing and evaluating programs and teaching. In my judgment, this book is a must–read for colleges and universities interested in diversifying their student bodies and improving the overall quality of campus life.
Donald Brown, director, AHANA Program, Boston College

From the Back Cover

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

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0787960209
• ISBN 13: 9780787960209
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288