Assessing Technical Skills Attainment: State of the States

1
Assessing Technical Skills Attainment State of
the States

• A Study Conducted for the
  National Research Center in CTE
• Kenneth C. Gray, Cynthia Pellock, and Sang Hoon
  Bae
• The Pennsylvania State University

2
State Technical Assessment Practices and Thoughts
on a National System

• Why look at state technical assessment
• How states currently measure technical skills
  attainment
• State recommendations for a national approach to
  measuring technical skill attainment

3
Questions About Technical Assessment

• To what extent are states using the authentic
  assessment to measure skill achievement?
• What type of assessment system is desired by
  states i.e. should national technical skill
  assessment examine job readiness, career
  pathways, or occupation-specific skill attainment?

4
The type of performance data that states report
to OVAE varies greatly.
Types of Data Reported by States to OVAE
n 45
5
The type of performance data that states report
to OVAE varies greatly.
n 45
6
Most states collect standards-based data that is
not reported to OVAE.
7
States perceive that cost is the greatest barrier
to standards-based assessment.
94
53
32
18
15
n 45
8
State directors see the purposes of a national
assessment system as program improvement and
credential portability.
36
23
22
19
18
8
4
4
1
9
State directors prefer occupation-specific
assessment.
n 45
10
State directors prefer an industry-based
technical assessment system.
31
30
22
18
12
11
10
10
8
8
6
5
5
4
0
0
11
Summary Issues

• Issues that are similar to academic skill
  assessment
• Considerable diversity across states currently
• Challenges Cost test administration scoring
• Issue unique to technical skill assessment
• Logistics of local technical performance tests

12
Policy Implications

• A system based on national industry standards is
  desirable, but not feasible.
• A system based on the 16 career clusters would be
  flexible enough to meet the two objectives
  preferred by the majority of state directors and
  will provide opportunity to aggregate data.

13
Policy Implications

• States that already have or are creating an
  assessment system would be reluctant to adopt a
  diifferent system unless it were less expensive
  to administer.
• A national system based on the career clusters
  would not preclude local assessment based on
  national industry standards.

14
Policy Implications
Key to acceptance by all states

• Lower assessment administration costs
• Ease of administering the tests at the local level