Transcript Forming a State College Testing Association – Why and How

Forming a State College Testing
Association – Why and How
Presented by
Janet Martindale, Eastern Wyoming College
Margo H. Perry, Casper College
Where is Wyoming?
Diverse Geography
Challenges
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97,914 square miles, 9th largest state in area
563,626 population (2010 Census)
91% of land is classified as rural
Estimated population of antelope is greater
than the human population
Only One University
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University of Wyoming
Land-grant university
Located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on
Wyoming's high Laramie Plains
An elevation of 7,200 feet, between the
Laramie and Snowy Range mountains
Serves approximately 13,000 students
Seven Community Colleges
• Limited to seven by state statute
• Governed by the Wyoming Community College
Commission
• Common course numbering
Casper College
• Established in 1945 as Wyoming's first junior
college
• Located in Casper, the geographic center of
Wyoming
• Campus consists of 28 buildings on more than
200 acres
• Serves approximately 5000 students
Outreach Centers – None
Central Wyoming College
• Founded in 1966 by a county-wide vote
• Located near the confluence of the Big and
Little Wind Rivers in Riverton
• Home of Wyoming PBS, the state's only public
broadcasting station
• Serves approximately 2300 students
Central Wyoming College - Outreach Centers in Jackson, Lander,
Thermopolis, Dubois, and the Wind River Reservation
Eastern Wyoming College College
• Established 1948 as an extension of the
University of Wyoming
• In 1956 became an independent college
• Located near the Nebraska border
• Serves approximately 1500 students
Eastern Wyoming College Outreach Centers –
Chugwater, Douglas, Glendo, Glenrock, Guernsey,
Hulett, LaGrange, Lusk, Moorcroft, Newcastle,
Sundance, Wheatland, Upton
Laramie County Community College
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Established in 1968
Located in Cheyenne
Campus on 271 acres with 22 buildings
Serves approximately 4,500 students
Laramie County Community College – Outreach Centers
in Laramie, F. E. Warren Air Force Base and Pine Bluffs
Northwest Community College
• Established 1946 as an extension of the
University of Wyoming
• 1953 is became an independent college
• Located in Powell, 70 miles from Yellowstone
• Serves approximately 2200 students
Northwest Community College
Outreach Centers – Cody, Worland
Sheridan College
• Founded in 1948 as the Northeast Agricultural
Junior College
• Located in the northeast corner of the state
• Serves approximately 4000 students
Outreach Centers - Gillette, Kaycee, Wright, Buffalo
Western Wyoming Community College
• Established in 1959
• Located in the Rock Springs, the southwestern
part of the state
• Serves approximately 1800 students
Outreach Center – Green River
What We Wanted to Achieve
• Bring testing personnel together to discuss
issues that affect our institutions
• Create a state organization to enhance
communications between colleges
• Standardize testing practices within the
colleges
• Support distance education within the state
Wyoming Distance Education
Consortium
• Standing advisory committee for the council
of Academic Vice Presidents of the Wyoming
Community College Commission
• Representatives from all seven Wyoming
community colleges and the University of
Wyoming
• Coordinates distance education opportunities
which are cost-effective and innovative
NCTA Grant
• Applied for an NCTA grant to fund
– Travel to and from the conference
– Lodging for one night for the participants
– Meals for the participants
– Miscellaneous items, such as printing and mailing
costs
Research
• Contacted NCTA members from other state
organizations
• Compiled information on how these groups
were organized
• Acquired copies of mission statements and bylaws to use as examples
Association
name
Arizona
Association of
College Testing
Administrators
(AZACTA)
Florida
Association of
College Test
Administrators
(FACTA)
Georgia College
Testing
Association
(GCTA)
Kentucky
Maryland
College Testing
Association
(MCTA)
Purpose
Newly formed organization. By-laws and mission are
being developed.
The mission of the Florida Association of College Test
Administrators (FACTA) is to enhance professional
growth and communication among test administrators
employed by regionally accredited postsecondary
institutions in the State of Florida. FACTA actively
advocates and supports the National College Testing
Association's (NCTA) Professional Standards and
Guidelines. Our mission is accomplished by working in
partnerships with the Florida Department of Education
(FLDOE), the Florida Board of Governors (BOG),
Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF),
and testing agencies while keeping the needs of the
employee's institution at the center of decision making.
Web site: http://factatesting.org/
Enhance professional testing practices; provide
opportunities for professional development; advance
collaboration among testing professionals, testing
companies and state policy making agencies; provide
support activities for information, training and resources.
Web site
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/testing/gc
ta.html
Informal group with no formal organization.
To foster collaboration and information exchange; to
provide professional development opportunities; to
identify and monitor statewide mandates; to disseminate
information relevant to Maryland college testing
personnel; to serve as a professional resource and
Government
Meetings
Membership
Past President,
President, PresidentElect, Treasurer
Finance, Secretary,
multiple committees.
President,
Immediate Past
President, PresidentElect, Secretary,
Treasurer,
Membership
Registrar. Other
positions and
committees, as
needed.
Two meetings
a year, April
and October.
No dues at this time. Have
applied for non-profit
status.
Two meetings
annually, one
in the winter
and one in the
fall.
Institutional, individual,
emeritus, and business
memberships. Membership
dues apply.
Governing board (711 members),
Officers: President,
Vice-President,
President Elect, and
Secretary/Treasurer;
various committees.
2-day yearly
Institutional or individual.
conference.
Membership dues apply;
Governing
formal application process.
board meetings
more often, as
needed.
No officers. Three
individuals arrange
meetings.
Officers: President,
Past President, VicePresident, President
Elect, Treasurer,
Secretary.
Once a year.
No membership dues.
Four quarterly
meetings
including two
executive
sessions and
Institutional only, with one
voting representative from
each institution.
Association
name
Maryland
College Testing
Association
(MCTA)
Purpose
Government
Meetings
Membership
To foster collaboration and information exchange; to
provide professional development opportunities; to
identify and monitor statewide mandates; to
disseminate information relevant to Maryland college
testing personnel; to serve as a professional resource
and advocate.
Officers: President,
Past President,
Vice-President,
President Elect,
Treasurer,
Secretary.
Institutional only,
with one voting
representative from
each institution.
New Jersey
Test
Administrators
Special Interest
Group (NJ
TASIG)
Open, honest, and productive discussions concerning
best practice issues and policies, test implementation,
testing instruments, professional standards and
guidelines, etc. etc. as they pertain to testing and
placement in higher education.
2 Co-chairs
More informal
format.
Four quarterly
meetings
including two
executive
sessions and
one annual
conference.
Twice a year
meetings with
mostly an
educational
agenda.
Oklahoma
Association of
College Testing
Personnel
(OACTP)
In the process of updating/revising the mission and
by-laws.
President,
President-Elect,
Treasurer,
Secretary,
Historian,
Webmaster,
various other
committees.
Web site: http://oactp.org
Twice a year,
one-day
conference in
the spring and
a two-day
conference in
the fall.
Individuals
responsible for the
testing &
placement
programs at their
institutions, but
there are no formal
requirements for
membership. No
membership dues;
no formal
application
process.
No membership
dues. Instead,
participants are
charged a fee to
attend the
conferences.
Association
name
South Carolina
Purpose
Informal group with no by-laws, mission statement, etc.
Government
Meetings
Membership
Selected a
Secretary/President.
No set times
for meetings.
Individuals only. No
membership dues.
Officers: President,
Secretary,
Immediate Past
President, Treasurer,
President Elect,
Parliamentarian,
Historian, various
committees.
Annual
conference.
Active (individual,
institutional or
corporate), emeritus,
affiliate and student
membership types.
Web site: www.coastal.edu/scta
Texas
Association of
Collegiate
Testing
Personnel
The Texas Association of Collegiate Testing Personnel:
Promotes, implements, and evaluates standards for
professional practice, disseminates information relevant to
professional concerns of test administrators and personnel
through conferences, workshops, printed materials and
other media, promotes the application of high standards I
the development, selection, evaluation, administration,
and utilization of tests, promotes continuing education in
testing and assessment topics that will extend the
knowledge and competency of members of the
association, strives to foster public understanding of the
value, role, limitations, of testing and assessment
programs as they are applied in Texas colleges and
universities.
Web site: http://www.tactp.org
Accomplishments
One representative from each of the community
colleges and one from the University of Wyoming met
at Casper College on April 20-21
Agenda
Conference Agenda
Wyoming College Testing Association
Friday, April 20, 2012
1:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Welcome: Janet Martindale/Margo Perry
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
National College Testing Association
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Presentations by each participant
3:00 – 3: 15 p.m.
Break
3:15 – 4:00 p.m.
Setting goals for the WY College Testing Association
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Check-in at hotel
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Dinner
Saturday, April 21, 2012
7:30 – 8:15 a.m.
Breakfast at the hotel
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Preparing a WY College Testing Association Mission Statement
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Break
10:15 – Noon
Developing by-laws for the WY College Testing Association
Noon – 1 p.m.
Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Wrap-up
Mission Statement
Mission: To promote testing integrity, communication, collaboration, and community
access and support, in accordance with the standards set by the National College
Testing Association.
Purpose:
1. Enhance professional testing practices;
2. Provide opportunities for professional development;
3. Advance collaboration among testing professionals, testing companies and
state policy making agencies; and
4. Provide support activities and technical assistance for information sharing, best
practice resources, and program enhancement efforts.
Membership is open to all Wyoming college personnel interested in learning and
applying best practices for test administration.
WyoCTA recommends college testing centers waive test administration fees for
distance learning classes delivered by any Wyoming college.
Future Conference
• To be held at Central Wyoming College in
Riverton
• Spring 2013
Web Site
• To be hosted by Casper College
• Included links to all of the other colleges
Listserv
• To be hosted by Casper College
• To include all testing personnel from the
colleges, including those at Outreach Centers
Issues
• Budget cuts
• Lack of central testing centers
• New IT at Casper College
Future Plans
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Implement Web site and listserv
Meet again in 2013
Increase membership in the state organization
Promote NCTA membership
Checklist – Before Meeting
1. Seek other interested test administrators
2. Gain administrative approval at your
institution
3. Contact NCTA State or Regional
representative to find more information
4. Apply for an NCTA grant, if necessary
Checklist – Before Meeting
5.
6.
7.
8.
Set convenient date and time for meeting
Invite other testing personnel
Include a tentative agenda
Explore resources
Checklist – At the meeting
9. Determine purpose of organization
10.Choose formal or informal organization
11.Set up ways to communicate
12.Schedule a future meeting
Questions?