Edward Roeber, PhD - Michigan Assessment Consortium

When Assessment and Accountability Come Knocking, Should Higher Ed Answer the Door? Lessons Learning from K-12 for Higher Education (March 2013) (43 min.) LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1) Identify the lessons learned from K-12 assessment and accountability. 2) Describe the implications of K-12 assessment and accountability for higher education. 3) Explain the rationale and methods for rebalancing K-12 assessment. 4) Discuss how balanced assessment might be achieved in higher education. ABSTRACT: This is an introductory-level presentation. Assessment in K-12 education has been a dominant force for accountability, school improvement, and instructional change for over three decades. During this time, assessment purposes and methods have changed, and the impacts of such assessments on instruction and student learning have changed as well. What lessons can be learned from these assessment designs, especially those that seek to promote a more balanced approach to assessment (balancing summative with formative measures)? How might these impact higher education? BIOGRAPHY: Edward Roeber currently serves as Assessment Director of the Michigan Assessment Consortium. He was the Senior Assessment Policy Advisor with the WIDA Consortium/WCER at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. In this role, he advised states on improving English proficiency assessments, how to include English learners (ELs) in their academic assessment programs, how to improve the assessment of English proficiency for ELs, and assuring that ELs are included in educational reform efforts at the state and national levels. Before assuming this position in the fall 2012, Dr. Roeber was an adjunct Professor, Measurement and Quantitative Methods, in the Michigan State University College of Education, East Lansing, MI. In this capacity, he taught courses on educational measurement, worked to improve the assessment skills of prospective and current educators, conducted research on how teachers learn to use formative assessment strategies, and provided additional support for faculty and students on assessment.