Stopping the Buck

This is a unique, state-by-state look at two decades of progress and practices in higher education assessment. Specially selected from the archives of the award-winning journal Assessment Update, the articles gathered together in Stopping the Buck offer readers a unique opportunity to take a deep, historical look at outcomes assessment in higher education as it has evolved over the past several decades. Written by Peter Ewell, author of the pioneering work in the field, it tracks, on a state-by-state basis, progress, trends, and practices in outcomes assessment among institutions of higher learning since the 1990s, a time when diminished funding and increased demand for accountability shifted the focus to performance indicators and institutional comparisons. It examines the evolution of higher education assessment in the 1990s, with special attention given to the emergence of pay-for-performance in many states, and the various reasons why it failed in most cases. It chronicles the rise of regional and national initiatives and the concomitant diminishment of state authority in assessment. It offers the author's informed conclusions and forecasts on the current and future state of assessment to provides policymakers with valuable insights to help them with the decisions they face, now and in the years ahead. Both sobering and hopeful, Stopping the Buck provides readers with invaluable information and guidance on specific areas of assessment-gathered together for the first time in a single, easy-reference format.