Faculty air concerns about testing

Some MU faculty are concerned about the possible implications of a Senate bill that would require accountability standards for higher education.

Professor Frank Schmidt, chairman of the Intercampus Faculty Council, said such standards could include testing requirements for the state’s colleges and universities, which he said many faculty members at the University of Missouri System’s four campuses oppose. The issue is scheduled to be discussed at today’s meeting of the Intercampus Faculty Council, which begins at 9:30 a.m. in Conference Room 321, University Hall.

Schmidt said the proposed legislation, which is part of a broad higher education bill that includes Gov. Matt Blunt’s plan for the sale of assets held by MOHELA, is being fueled by the interests of politicians, not educators.

“The logistics of how a testing system would be implemented for Missouri undergraduate students is lost in the glib idea about accountability,” Schmidt said. “Accountability seems like a sound ideology, but depending on someone to define that accountability is difficult. Politicians may just believe that whatever the system is, it can be moved around to keep their constituency’s interest.”

MU Faculty Council chairman Rex Campbell said that while most faculty are open to greater accountability, they view the possibility of standardized testing as troubling.

“We’re looking at all kinds of accountability measures,” said Campbell. “The question of whether standard testing would work is very important, but I think it certainly would not occur unless the law mandates it.”

Schmidt and Campbell said the undergraduate programs at the state’s colleges and universities differ and a standard test would not accurately reflect those differences. “We’re certainly trying to advocate any system that attempts to improve the quality of education,” Schmidt said, “but this isn’t it.”

Schmidt and Campbell fear that standardized testing would lead to faculty “teaching to the test” rather than relying on the strengths and expertise of the individual faculty members. This could result in a less enriching learning environment, said Schmidt, who urges legislators to think hard before requiring standardized testing.

“If testing becomes a mandate, it will take time to decide what best defines a sufficient level of understanding,” said Schmidt. “If we rush into this, it will have disastrous consequences.”