College Academic Performance and External Assessment: Has the Relationship Changed?

Abstract

Growing political pressure from state governments along with strong endorsement of accrediting organizations has led many colleges and universities to adopt formal assessment programs. These programs include internal and external instruments; former including measures generated by the institution, latter a test administered by an outside organization. This research compares internal and external assessments at one institution and how they have changed over time. We find reasonable close relationship between internal and external assessments in the early years of this period became weaker in the later years. Widening gap between the internal and external assessment outcomes comes is due to a growing difference in how student characteristics affect each assessment outcome.