Focused Report

Comprehensive Standard 3.5.1

The institution identifies college-level general education competencies and the extent to which graduates have attained them.

Off-Site Committee Finding

The On-Site Committee should look for direct measures of general education competencies to substantiate that graduates have obtained these competencies.

Albany State University's Response

Direct measures of the extent to which graduates of Albany State University have attained college level general education competencies are documented through the University System of Georgia Regents' Reading Test, the University System of Georgia Regents' Essay Test, and the Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress.

All students earning a baccalaureate degree from Albany State University must possess minimum levels of reading and writing proficiency as measured by the Regents' Test [1] [2] . No student may graduate without earning a passing score on both the Reading and the Essay portions of the test.

The Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress (MAPP) was administered to seniors by the University in 2007 to measure the extent to which Albany State University students attain college level competencies in critical thinking, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences as well as reading and writing [3] . The results of the assessment displayed in the table below indicated that ASU seniors scored below the national mean for Master's (Comprehensive) Colleges and Universities in all areas. The ASU Core Curriculum Evaluation Committee determined that test administration processes may have compromised the results [4] and requested a list of recommendations for improved validity of results [5] . The next administration of the MAPP is scheduled for Spring Semester 2009.

Supporting Documentation

[1] Regents Testing Program Policy

[2] Overview of the Regents Test

[3] Description of the MAPP

[4] Core Curriculum Committee Minutes, July 23, 2008

[5] Assessment Recommendations, July 24, 2007