| Wisconsin--
Competency-Based Admissions |
The University of Wisconsin System's Competency-Based Admissions policy was designed to give "diversely prepared" students' an alternative method for admission consideration. |
The University of Wisconsin (UW) System's Competency-Based Admissions (CBA) policy was designed to give admissions officers an alternative method to assess "diversely prepared" students' readiness for admissions at any of the UW System's 13 four-year campuses. In particular, it was developed for use with students from schools with a nontraditional curricular structure or for those whose high school experiences are not easily translated into the course titles and Carnegie units required for admissions. The UW System Board of Regents (BOR) adopted the CBA policy in December of 1997 following a three-year pilot study involving 11 high schools. This policy states that high school officials may elect to prepare a UW System CBA profile in addition to, or in lieu of, a traditional high school transcript.
Before the BOR was willing to adopt this policy, it authorized the CBA Pilot Project to implement and study this procedure with a representative sample of Wisconsin schools. During this project, secondary and postsecondary faculty jointly developed descriptions of competencies in five subject areas: (1) English, (2) mathematics, (3) science, (4) social studies, and (5) foreign languages (University of Wisconsin System Office of Academic Affairs, 1997). In each of the schools, high school faculty were trained in preparing competency ratings for a group of students planning to attend a four-year college upon graduation. All sites used the same 5-point rating scale and a Standardized Reporting Profile (SRP). The SRP lists the content areas mentioned previously--English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign languages--with specific competency areas listed for each one. For example, the English/language arts competency areas include Writing Process, Writing Product, Reading/Literature, and Oral Communications. For each of those areas, faculty members use a scale ranging from 1 to 5 to fill out the profile. A "3" means that the student has reached "Satisfactory Performance"--the minimum level for college preparedness.
During the pilot study, the admissions offices of each UW institution followed a double-blind admission procedure when considering candidates from each of the high schools. Students provided two sets of information in separate applications: a traditional application (including the student's transcript, class rank, ACT test scores, and application for admission) and the CBA (including SRP, ACT test scores, and application for admission). An independent admission decision was made using each of these files. Students deemed admissible under either or both of the processes were granted admission (University of Wisconsin System Office of Academic Affairs, 1997).
Three hundred and fifty-five admissions decisions were made in 1996 and 238 in 1997. Generally, data from the pilot project suggests a high level of agreement between decisions reached with traditional application information and with information from the CBA file. For the 1996-1997 academic year, 67% of the students were admitted by both processes, 12% were denied by both processes, 13% were admitted by traditional measures but denied through CBA, and 8% were admitted by CBA and denied through the traditional process. In 1997-1998, these numbers were 80%, 11%, 7%, and 2% respectively.
Data from the first and second year cohorts have been analyzed, and a number of generalizations have been made about the use of the CBA. Significantly, the competency scores provided by the high school teachers were as effective as traditional transcript data in predicting student outcomes in the first year of college (University of Wisconsin System Office of Academic Affairs, 1998, pp. 2-3).
In 1998, two small-scale studies were undertaken by NCRVE researchers to understand how CBA is being implemented, especially with students who have career-intensive experiences in high school. The first study involved interviewing 30 of the "front-line" implementers of the CBA policy, including high school faculty, high school guidance counselors, and university admission counselors. The second study involved using the CBA for admissions with 38 career-intensive students in one high school.
In the first study, respondents were asked the following questions. A brief synthesis of the responses is given after each question.
For which students is the use of the CBA most appropriate?
High school faculty, guidance counselors, and admissions counselors mentioned using the CBA with students who do poorly on standardized tests, who are "the silent majority" (neither poor performing nor outstanding students), who have improved over time but who still have a low GPA, who "learn by doing," or who have taken a different "track" in high school (not college-preparatory). The CBA may be the most appropriate means for describing these students' competencies, regardless of their educational background or experience.
How is the SRP scored? (asked of faculty members)
In general, faculty told us that they reflected on the students' completed work and gave a score based on the student's proficiency level for the skills within each subject area. This was especially easy for the faculty members who taught in one of the five core academic content areas listed on the SRP. Faculty who teach in other areas (e.g., agriscience, business, fine arts) found it challenging to fit into this schema. Although these faculty members are often asked to provide input on a SRP, they often defer to the core academic teacher's score, even though the students' performance might reflect different levels of competencies in their courses.
What do you look for on the SRP profile to admit a student? (asked of admissions counselors)
The admissions counselors rely on specific criteria based on their individual institution and the level of selectivity they are required to meet. Above all, they focus on admitting students they feel are prepared for college. This issue is particularly challenging in light of the SRP profile format. Should a student who has scores of "3" (the minimum rating for performing college-level work) in all competency domains be admitted automatically? How do the different scholarly expectations at each campus get considered? These and other questions have yet to be fully addressed.
What are your perceptions about the CBA and career-intensive students?
In general, the respondents had strong opinions about the value of vocational/career-oriented experiences for students. Responses to this question depended on the context in which the interviewees placed career-intensive students. Overall, most admissions counselors had a negative perception about students who have spent a significant amount of time in vocational courses or experiences. Such experiences were viewed as "competing" with academics, or taking students away from being "college-prepared." Admissions counselors were highly ambivalent about admitting students who might not succeed because they are not ready for the rigors of academic, college-level work. Teachers, especially those who teach in vocational subjects, challenge the belief that their courses lack rigor. They contend that although these classes are different, they are not necessarily lacking in academic content.
How are the experiences of career-intensive students represented on the SRP?
CBA has potential for students who have been "diversely" prepared only if the content of vocational classes/programs is clearly defined and supports college-preparedness. The only way a student's abilities can be reflected on the SRP is to have faculty from different core and applied learning areas work together to provide input on students' SRPs. In other words, high school faculty mentioned that it is difficult to represent their students in the CBA if, as teachers, they are not directly responsible for courses in the five areas listed on the SRP. These instructors need to negotiate the score with teachers from the academic subjects. Faculty need to work together to make sure that student competencies are reflected on the SRP, regardless of the class or experience from which they developed. This collaboration is a complex challenge for faculty and admissions counselors alike.
Bucky Badger High School
To explore the potential effects of career-intensive courses and programs on the SRP scores, conversations were initiated with the staff and administrators from one of the high schools participating in the CBA pilot study which we will call Bucky Badger High School (BBHS). The guidance counselors were asked if they would assist in compiling information, including SRP ratings, for a set of career-intensive students. To the extent possible, the goal of this small-scale study was to replicate the SRP process with students who had taken a career-intensive program of studies during their first three years of high school. At BBHS, career-intensive students were defined as those who had completed a sequence of courses in one or more of the following areas: agriculture, technology education, business education, community service, or integrated math/science. In the second phase of the study, admissions staff at three campuses of the UW System evaluated the SRPs and related information to make a preliminary determination of each student's admission potential.
Overall, the exercise suggests that carefully planned career-intensive courses, especially those linking academics and science and math-focused technical subjects, can be an avenue for gaining admission to four-year colleges. At BBHS, students who had completed courses in "Integrated Math" and "Integrated Science" were given higher ratings in these core academic areas, especially when they had also taken vocational-technical courses such as agriculture, biotechnology, or technology education. While this pattern of course-taking appears to produce positive outcomes, only a small percentage of students at BBHS had actually taken challenging patterns of high school courses such as these.