ETS on Microcredentials and Learning Outcome Assessment Suites

ETS on Microcredentials and Learning Outcome Assessment Suites 2016 Groningen Declaration Meeting May 18 , 2016 David G. Payne, Ph. D. Vice President and COO 3/17/2018

What we will cover today ETS and the assessment of learning Microcredentials for higher education and beyond Our assessment suite for generic SLOs PRESENT ETS´S MICRO-CREDENTIALS INITIATIVE FOR LEARNING OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS 2

Evolution of ETS SLO Assessments 1. High Stakes: Admissions to Graduate and Professional Programs • GRE General Test • GRE Subject Tests 2. Low Stakes: Institutional Uses (Accountability and Improving Institutional Effectiveness) • ETS Proficiency Profile • ETS Major Field Tests • ETS i. Skills 3. Medium Stakes (V 1. 0): Institutional Uses PLUS Student Certificates • ETS Proficiency Profile • ETS i. Skills 3

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Evolution of ETS SLO Assessments 1. High Stakes: Admissions to Graduate and Professional Programs 2. Low Stakes: Institutional Uses – Accountability and Improvement 3. Medium Stakes (v 1. 0): Institutional Uses PLUS Student Certificate • ETS Proficiency Profile • ETS i. Skills 4. Medium Stakes (v 2. 0): Institutional Uses PLUS Student Microcredentials • ETS HEIghten Assessments • Institutional and Comparative Data for HEI’s • Secure Digital Credential for Test Takers 7

HEIghten. TM Critical Thinking Civic Competency & Engagement Written Communication Quantitative Literacy Intercultural Competency & Diversity 8

HEIghten Built on a comprehensive review of existing national and international frameworks Published research reports for each of the 6 modules Built on input from over 200 HEIs Very clear construct definitions, given the multidimensional nature of these skills TM A research driven and scientific design process It employs innovative item types while ensuring its psychometric quality Modules offer great flexibility: each can be completed in a class-period: 45 minutes Highest industry standards Contextualized to real-world scenarios Each module comes with a micro-credential 9

Research Reports 10

Critical Thinking Framework evaluating evidence and its use analytic understanding implications and consequences argument analysis synthetic understanding causation and explanation analytic and synthetic developing sound and valid arguments 11

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ETS-Groningen • ETS has identified micro-credentials as an emerging disruptor with far reaching implications for individual learners, for the larger employment landscape and in particular for higher education. • This relates to the initiatives that the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN) is supporting in terms of creating a robust digital student data portability system. • It is aligned with ETS´s mission to help advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments. • Our ETS suite of micro-credentials are digital representations of an assessment that measures general education skills at the university level. • They align with the GDN in the goal of serving the academic and professional mobility needs of citizens world wide. 14

Thank you! dpayne@ets. org www. ets. org/heighten 15