Student Assessment Policy - Instructional Systems Policy and Procedures

  1. Back to Policies and Procedures Page
  1. Purpose
    1. Student assessment at the Davis Technical College (College) is undertaken in accordance with all institutional and accreditation policies and procedures. This document clarifies the roles, responsibilities, and processes of assessment development, delivery, grading, and assessment security at the College.
  2. References
    1. College Employer Advisory Team Policy
    2. College Student Code of Conduct Policy
    3. College Student Records Policy
    4. Council on Occupational Education Handbook of Accreditation
  3. Definitions
    1. Competencies – The specialized knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for successful performance relating to a specific occupation.
    2. Competency Test – A group of questions and/or tasks to which a student responds to produce a quantitative representation of the student’s knowledge, skill and/or performance in a specific occupational area.
    3. Course – Specific subject matter comprising part of a program for which instruction is offered within a specified time.
  4. Policy
    1. A systematic, objective, and equitable method of evaluating student achievement will be based on required competencies and will be used to measure student learning objectives.
    2. Assessment methods will reflect established professional and practice competencies and may include online practice tests, computer or competency-based tests, projects, demonstrations, case studies, or a combination of test methods.
    3. Criteria for passing or failing an assessment will be predetermined, consistent, and communicated to the student in the curriculum and will include information regarding remediation, reassessment, or dismissal.
    4. Student assessments will be administered at appropriate intervals of the course and will be structured to encourage student interaction, reinforce learning, monitor learning progress, and provide feedback to students on their performance.
    5. Final assessments will exist for every course in a program.
    6. Faculty will design student assessments to include the use of resources that would be available for use in industry or as stated in industry certification or licensing exams.
    7. Student Assessment Security
      1. Faculty will provide assessment security.
        1. Closed-book, written assessments will be proctored by faculty or an independent proctor to ensure student work is completed independent of outside assistance.
        2. Faculty will ensure the testing environment isstructured to minimize the potential for cheating. When space allows, classrooms should have a designated testing area, so faculty are aware when a student is testing.
        3. Faculty will enforce the College Student Code of Conduct.
        4. The number of personnel with access to assessments will be limited.
        5. For written tests, test banks should be used and will include sufficient questions to allow for multiple versions of the test. This ensures that students reattempting an exam are being evaluated for their content knowledge, not their ability to memorize answers.
        6. Faculty will properly dispose of all assessments, regardless of form, that are no longer in use.
    8. Administering Student Assessments
      1. Student assessments will be administered on campus as designated in the curriculum. Any assessments taken off-campus should be remotely proctored.
      2. Faculty will ensure that students understand the instructions before beginning the assessment. Instructions should include:
        1. Information about how access codes will be entered by faculty to ensure they are aware of students who are testing.
        2. Any test time limits that apply.
        3. Attempts allowed: Only one attempt should be allowed for module exams and final exams. Students should check in with a faculty member before taking another attempt. Faculty should provide review and extra practice to the student before each attempt. Low stakes practice exams prior to a first attempt are beneficial and should be implemented where needed.
        4. Any special instructions for completion of the assessment.
        5. Materials and/or equipment needed for the evaluation.
        6. Proper handling of test interruptions(i.e., broken pencils, restroom needs, other personal emergencies).
        7. Limitations of faculty/proctor assistance (i.e., definitions, rewording questions).
        8. Any applicable safety instructions.
        9. Any parts of the assessment that are weighted.
        10. Required levels for passing.
    9. Grading Student Assessments
      1. Faculty are responsible for evaluating student demonstration of competency and results of course assessments.
      2. Faculty will grade assessments as soon as possible after completion of the assessment and provide feedback that will help students understand what they missed and/or how to improve their performance.
        1. Scoring of assessments will be impartial.
        2. Knowledge assessments will be graded with a predetermined grade level denoting the pass level.
        3. Skills assessments will be graded on a pass/fail basis. The minimum percentage acceptable as a “pass” will be predetermined and communicated to the student.
        4. For competency assessments, performance criteria and grading standards will be clearly outlined for students in the curriculum using rubrics.
Policy migration in progress

Davis Tech is in the process of migrating our policies from PDF to HTML format to conform to Title II (ADA) requirements. During this transition period, the latest approved version of the policy is available (below) in pdf format, but may contain ADA Compliance errors.

Printable PDF

Effective Date: 23 October 2023

  • Approvals and Notes
  • President’s Council Approval: 23 October 2023
  • Revised : 21 October 2023
  • President’s Council Approval: 8 August 2022
  • Revised : 21 July 2022
  • President’s Council Approval: 12 April 2018
  • Revised : 12 February 2018
  • Originally approved : 24 April 2008