Beyond the Big Test

William E. Sedlacek--one of the nation's leading authorities on the topic of noncognitive assessment--challenges the use of the SAT and other standardized tests as the sole assessment tool for college and university admissions. In Beyond the Big Test, Sedlacek presents a noncognitive assessment method that can be used in concert with the standardized tests. This assessment measures what students know by evaluating what they can do and how they deal with a wide range of problems in different contexts. Beyond the Big Test is filled with examples of assessment tools and illustrative case studies that clearly show how educators have used this innovative method to: * Select a class diverse on dimensions of race, gender, and culture in a practical, legal, and ethical way * Teach a diverse class employing techniques that reach all students * Counsel and advise students in ways that consider their culture, race, and gender * Award financial aid to students with potential who do not necessarily have the highest grades and test scores * Assess the readiness of an institution to educate and provide services for a diverse student body

Preface. The Author. 1. The Big Test . . . and an Alternative Approach. 2. Going Beyond the Big Test. 3. Reliability, Validity, and Diversity. 4. Noncognitive Assessment Model. 5. Admissions and Financial Aid: Traditional and Nontraditional Measures. 6. Teaching a Diverse Student Body Successfully. 7. Advising and Counseling with Noncognitive Variables. 8. Evaluating and Designing Campus Programs with Noncognitive Variables. 9. Conclusions and Recommendations. Appendices. 1. Examples of the Situational Attitude Scale. 2. Basic Noncognitive Questionnaire with Scoring and Administration Information. 3. Norms Using Noncognitive Questionnaire Scoring Key. 4. Two Alternate Forms of the Noncognitive Questionnaire and Scoring Instructions. 5. Short Answer Noncognitive Assessment Form. 6. Principles of Interviewing for Noncognitive Variable Diagnosis. 7. Interview Questions Employed in Campus Site Visits (Lilly Endowment Evaluation). 8. Example Cases for Training Raters in Evaluating Admissions or Financial Aid Applications. 9. Online References for Racism Class. 10. Racism Course Rating Form. 11. Protocol for Interracial Interaction Study. 12. Campus Climate Survey (University of Maryland Diversity Survey). References. Name Index. Subject Index.