Recently, we discussed the rollout of the CLA+, a competency-based assessment for universities to measure their students’ critical thinking skills at a given point in their education. What does it mean for a test to be competency-based?
While most traditional standardized tests that students take throughout their educational careers measure what knowledge they have gained in a school year or course, competency-based tests do not require testers to learn any content. Instead, it measures their ability to evaluate arguments and recommendations, data, and scientific experiments. The organizations behind the CLA+ and similar exams advocate for this type of testing to measure the core analysis skills that will allow them to be successful in any future career path.
Take this sample CLA+ performance prompt:
SCENARIO
Leila Jainson is running for reelection as the mayor of Stoneville. Mayor Jainson’s opponent in this contest is Dr. Carl Greer. Dr. Greer is a member of the Stoneville City Council. During a recent TV interview about cell phone use, Dr. Greer claimed that these phones interfered with people’s ability to operate a motorized vehicle and caused vehicle-related accidents in Stoneville. Dr. Greer said that reducing cell phone usage while driving motorized vehicles would lower the city’s vehicle-related accident rate. To support this argument, Dr. Greer presented a chart that compared the percentage of drivers who use cell phones while driving to the number of vehicle-related accidents. Dr. Greer based this chart on cell phone use and community data tables that were provided by the Stoneville Police Department and government population counts.
TASK
Your job is to evaluate Dr. Greer’s claims. To do so, please answer the question that follows, using the supporting documents provided (labeled A and B). Your answers should include the appropriate or relevant evidence (drawn from documents A and B) necessary to support your position.
The test-taker is then presented with three sets of data: two tables on vehicular accidents statistics and demographic characteristics of the town in question, and the chart used by Dr. Greer to support his argument. She does not need to have any prior background in the topic at hand; she is evaluated solely on how well she can integrate information from multiple sources to critique the logic presented, and how well she can express her analysis in writing.
These are actually the same skills that are tested in various ways in all of the most common graduate-level entrance exams: the GRE, the GMAT, and the LSAT all test argument-analysis skills in essay and multiple choice formats. Advanced degree programs such as those from law school and business school require students to constantly evaluate cases, writing, and the relevance and importance of new information, so strong critical thinking skills are a must. Admissions committees for these programs thus see competency-based tests as predictive of how well applicants will perform in graduate school. So while this may seem like an odd or difficult thing for a standardized exam to measure, it is in fact quite commonplace, and the abilities tested are certainly useful to any college student or graduate, not just those pursing an advanced degree!
