Since 1986, Eastern New Mexico University has, through objective testing, assessed students’ learning in general education. Since 1993, the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) testing instrument, which is designed to be given to students at the end of their sophomore year, has been used. The CAAP, which at Eastern is typically completed by students at the rising junior status (between 55 and 65 credit hours completed) yields scale scores for writing, reading, mathematics, science reasoning, and critical thinking. The CAAP scores are compared to a national normative sample of college sophomores.

This issue of DATAWave sets forth the aggregate scale scores achieved by the 183 Eastern students completing the CAAP administered on October 29, 1997, in each of the five tested areas, including sub-scale scores in writing, reading, and mathematics. Bar graphs are used to demonstrate the relationship of the scores of Eastern’s students to the national norm.

The self-reported demographics of the Eastern students completing the Fall 1997 CAAP are also provided.

Students’ Self-reported
Demographics

Reported Age

Although completing the CAAP is a requirement for most degree seeking students at Eastern, it is recognized that motivation for effort in completing the test is affected by the fact that the examined students understand that the test scores are not matched to individuals, but are only used in the aggregate for institutional assessment. That factor is accounted for by a feature of the CAAP whereby the self-reported performance effort of each examined student is factored into the scale scoring in five categories in which the highest level of self-reported effort is recorded as "tried my best" and the lowest is "gave no effort." "No responses" to the self-reporting are also a categorized factor. The self-reported performance efforts of Eastern students completing the CAAP in the Fall of 1997 are reported numerically at the end of this DATAWave.

                                                                                                                Larry N. Smith, J.D.,
                                                                                                            Planning Associate

The CAAP Writing Test measures students' understanding of standard written English in usage/mechanics (punctuation, grammar, sentence stucture) and rhetorical skills (strategy, organization, style).

The CAAP Reading Test measures students' comprehension as a product of referring, reasoning, and generalizing.  The test items require the student to derive meaning from several texts by
1) referring to what is explicitly stated;
2) reasoning to determine implicit meaning; and
3) drawing conclusions, comparisons, and generalizations beyond the text.

The CAAP Mathematics Test is designed to measure students' proficiency and mathematical reason.  The test assesses students' proficiency in solving mathematical problems encountered in most post-secondary curricula, emphasizing quantitative reasoning rather than the memorizaton of formulas.  The content areas include pre-, elementary, intermediate, and advanced algebra; coordinated geometry; trigonometry; and introductory calculus.

The CAAP Science Reasoning Test is designed to measure students' skills in scientific reasoning. The contents of the science reasoning tests are drawn from biology, chemistry, physics, and the physical sciences (e.g., geology, astronomy, meteorology).  The test emphasizes scientific reasoning skills rather that recalling scientific content or being highly skill in mathematics or reading.

The CAAP Critacal Thinking Test is designed to measure students' skills in clarifying, analyzing, evaluating, and extending arguments.

Students’ Self-reported Performance Effort

	Writing Skills	Reading	Mathematics	Science  Reasoning	Critical    Thinking
Tried my best	107	75	66	49	85
Gave moderate effort	64	71	70	76	70
Gave little effort	8	28	40	38	20
Gave no effort	0	4	3	10	6
No response	4	5	4	10	6

Assessment Resource Office, Station 9
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales, NM 88130