Not enough to graduate college: Now there's an exit exam

[FarCenter]

BOSTON -- Seniors returning to classes at dozens of U.S. colleges and universities have one more hurdle to prepare for this school year: a new standardized test for graduating students intended to give prospective employers a measure of their abilities.

Called Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLA+), the test aims to provide a more objective way to compare the intellectual achievements of graduates of different schools.

"It's another set of information that employers can use to review the applicant," said Robert Keeley, director of assessment services at the Council for Aid to Education, the New York-based nonprofit that has developed the test. "We're looking to equip students to share their scores more readily than they have in the past."
...

Students will be able to incorporate the results of the CLA+ test into their resumes and have the option of sending copies of the reports to potential employers, Keeley said.

The tests could help address the problem of grade inflation, with schools awarding higher grades over the years in an effort to attract and retain students, said Michael Poliakoff, vice president of policy at the nonprofit American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/not-enough-graduate-college-now-theres-exit-exam-8C11006596

[dkf]

1. More teaching to the test. That's just great.

[msongs]

2. just another scam to bloat profits at private testing corporations. nt

[global1]

3. And Who Is Making Money Off This Test?.......nt

[HardTimes99]

5. As Deep Throat told Woodward and Bernstein, "Follow the money." - nt

[Recursion]

7. Given that a "New York based nonprofit" is doing it?

The mere fact that someone, somewhere, makes money is not enough to make a situation bad.

[liberal_at_heart]

4. These bastards never stop. Soon only Harvard elites will be able to get jobs.

[Recursion]

6. I know. God forbid college graduates demonstrate any learning

What's this world coming to?

[frazzled]

8. I don't think many employers even ask to see your college grades

This is just something they probably think they can sell to students who believe they can enhance their job prospects by putting it on their resumes. Little do they know that many businesses don't want to hire the "smart" kids anyway. They want the good ol' boys (or girls), the team players, you know.

[FarCenter]

10. Due to grade inflation, class rank is more important.

GPAs are no longer so meaningful, especially when comparing between schools.

[frazzled]

11. Sorry, but colleges and universities don't do class rankings

The point is, the vast majority of employers may verify that the applicant graduated from the institution listed on the resume, but almost none will ask the applicant to release a transcript to confirm GPA. (And schools may not give out GPA information without consent.) Honestly, they don't give a flying f*ck whether you got a C, B, or A.

This "testing" thing is bull.

[FarCenter]

12. If there is no class rank, then that is more reason for the test.

[Fla_Democrat]

9. I'm willing to bet......

that CLA+ was their second choice. I wonder how long it took them to change Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLAP) to Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLA+).

Maybe the first time someone shouted out... "Hey man, got the results from your CLAP test yet?"

[MineralMan]

13. Hmm. Almost every job I've had has involved testing.

The company administered the tests and used them to help with their hiring decisions. All sorts of tests, not just knowledge-based tests.

I'm seeing this one as a ways companies can bypass that process, using this test to find out whether college graduate candidates for entry level positions bothered to actually learn something during their time at college. I know I'd be interested in that information if I were hiring someone.

SATs, GREs, and many other tests are part of people's lives. Aptitude testing, personality profile testing, certification testing. All sorts of tests are part of life. Even actual performance testing. They provide some sort of look into the person. Companies want to know whether the person they're considering has any chance of actually being able to do the job they're hiring that person to do.

No testing = no knowledge. You can't determine knowledge in an HR interview.

Personally, I've rarely been involved in hiring. A couple of times, I wanted to hire a programmer for my tiny little software company. I did all of the serious coding for my applications myself, but needed someone to write some routines that would save me time and let me focus on usability and overall design.

I didn't use any sort of formal testing. Instead, my test was to pay the person at the rate I'd be paying and ask that they do a brief project that was at about the difficulty level the work would involve. It was a timed test. The time it took was important. It was also a test of how clean the person's code was and whether there was a basic understanding of decent coding practices. It was also a test of whether the person understood how to use shortcuts built into an operating system to simplify the programming job. It wasn't a difficult test at all.

I took the test myself, so I'd have some sort of benchmark of how long the process should take.

It was very informative. I ended up not hiring anyone, and went back to doing all of the coding myself. Very disappointing.

[Vashta Nerada]

14. So...how much are colleges earning to force students to take these tests?

Because grades in classes aren't good enough, right?



According to the justification for the testing, I didn't earn my 4.0 GPA because the grades were inflated. Never mind that I spent countless hours studying with little sleep. No. That didn't help me get a 4.0. Not one bit.

[FarCenter]

15. With a 4.0/4.0 you are probably good to go

unless you were at one of those schools that awards 4.25 points for an A+ and you actually have a 4.0/4.25.