August 28, 2013

College Exit Exams: Future Prerequisite?

Aug. 28, 2013 at 08:00 AM | By Rachel DiCaro Metscher | Comment Count

This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that 200 U.S. colleges would take a new test that could prove more important to their future. The test is called the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and it used to assess the ability of the test taker to synthesis information.

The CLA is part of a movement to find new ways to assess the skills of graduates. According to the article, employers say grades can be misleading and, as a result, have grown skeptical of college credentials. The test is scored on a 1600-point scale and will measure areas such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning, document literacy, writing, and communications. The fee to take CLA is $35 but most of the schools participating in the program are picking up the cost. Earlier adopters of the test range from the University of Texas system, Flagler College (FL), and Marshall University (WV).

Most interesting of all, CLA+ is open to anyone—whether they are graduating from a four-year university or have completed a series of MOOCs— and students are allowed to show their scores to prospective employers.

The question of credit currency isn’t new. Jeff Selingo discussed the debate of currency at length in his recent book, (Un)Bounded. To me the issue is not grades, but credentials. Who should be the dispenser of credentials? For decades, colleges and universities were the only dispenser of this type of credential currency. Now, with other online massive courses entering the market the question of who dispenses credentials is in question.

As a student, I wouldn’t be too concerned. Ultimately, your degree coupled with practical experience like internships and part-time work in your intended field is to help get your foot in the door. It is up to you to covey your value to your future employer. Taking another test is a supplement, not a prerequisite.