SACS Reaffirmation
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Assessment : 2006 - 2007 : Educational Support :
Testing Center
1 Goals 3 Objectives 3 Indicators 3 Criteria 3 Findings 3 Actions
GOAL: Promote Quality Testing Services
| Objective | Provide A Quality Facility | |
| Provide a facility conducive to a quality testing environment which will be clean, comfortable, quiet, aesthetically-pleasing, and user-friendly. Associated Goals: Promote Quality Testing Services |
| Indicator | Provide A Quality Facility  Survey students and visitors about their satisfaction with the Testing Center facilities by using the Testing Center Evaluation Form. |
| Criteria | Quality Facility Provide comfortable seating, quality equipment, and a distraction-free, clean, testing facility. Provide a sufficient amount of testing equipment and testing opportunities to meet the needs of examinees. The Center should receive 90% of the evaluation results from students and visitors indicating Agree or Strongly Agree in the "experiences while testing" section of the Testing Center Evaluation Form. |
| Finding | Quality Facility The Testing Center tries to provide a sufficient amount of space for a quality testing facility. It has a reception desk, appropriate seating in the waiting area, and enough lockers with individual keys for all examinees. It also provides the following: two private offices, one for the Testing Center Coordinator and an office for an Assistant Coordinator (when needed and funded); a kitchen area for the staff; a secured file room for storing national and state standardized tests, as well as a testing server, office document scanner, and confidential office files; and two testing rooms (with a total of 16 computers) for administering computer and/or paper/pencil exams. The Center has received excellent ratings from students and visitors, as indicated from the Testing Center Evaluation Form. The one room the Center does not have is a workroom for the copier, shredder, additional file cabinets and other office equipment and sufficient space to organize testing materials for large testing situations. The Center offers tests five days per week (Monday - Friday) at two testing times (8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.). Results from the Testing Center Evaluation Form reveal that the Testing Center received a rating of 97%-100% satisfaction on all questions relating to the quality of the Testing Center facility. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Quality Facility Look for additional space and/or a different location that would allow for growth and a more effective work environment. |
GOAL: Promote Quality Testing Services
| Objective | Provide A Variety Of Tests | |
| Provide a variety of tests offered through our office by contacting testing companies and/or other colleges or universities to inquire about what tests are available and which ones would best suit the needs of our audience. Associated Goals: Promote Quality Testing Services |
| Indicator | Provide A Variety Of Tests Compare the inventory of tests offered by the Testing Center to those tests required by the students and the general public. |
| Criteria | Variety of Tests Provide at least one test in each area for students to demonstrate remedial competence, college readiness, and course placement. Also provide upper classmen with tests required for those applying for professional or graduate schools and provide tests for licensure and/or certification for various professional programs. Increase our test offerings by at least one test per year. |
| Finding | Variety of Tests The Testing Center offers the Accuplacer, Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA), and THEA Quick test for students required to demonstrate remedial competence; the ACT, SAT, and ACT Residual tests are administered for college readiness; and the College Level Exam Program (CLEP) and DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST) exams are administered for course placement. For upperclassmen, the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), Miller Analogies Test (MAT) and Graduate Admissions Examination (GRE) Subject Tests are administered for some graduate schools. The Texas Commision on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE), Texas Examination for Educators in Texas (TExES), and Texas Oral Proficiency Test (TOPT) exams are administered for the certification of jailers, peace officers, and teachers. The Testing Center also offers exams for other colleges/universities and other business/professional agencies. The Testing Center is constantly assessing the needs of the students in reference to required exams needed for their academic and professional growth and will continue to add tests as needed. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Variety of Tests Continue to expand the variety of tests administered as demand requires and purchase required software and equipment as needed. |
GOAL: Promote Quality Testing Services
| Objective | Provide Quality Staff And Service | |
| Provide qualified staff that will provide outstanding customer service by being friendly, courteous, responsible, informative, accurate, and supportive. Associated Goals: Promote Quality Testing Services |
| Indicator | Provide Quality Staff And Service Survey students and visitors about their satisfaction with the staff and services by utilizing the Testing Center Evaluation Form and by using the Human Resources annual merit review process. |
| Criteria | Quality Staff and Service Complete 100 percent of annual staff evaluations by June 1 using information gathered from the Annual Merit Review Form and the Testing Center Evaluation Form. Staff should receive Above Average or Excellent ratings from the Testing Center Coordinator in all areas of performance and service and 90% or above on the evaluations being returned from students and visitors with an Agree or Strongly Agree rating in the "personal service received" section of the Testing Center Evaluation Form. |
| Finding | Quality Staff and Service The Testing Center Coordinator hires qualified professional staff. The hiring process consists of a review of qualified applications and personal interviews. The employees are also reviewed over a six-month probationary period to examine their work skills, ethics, and conduct. A Testing Center Evaluation Form measures the professionalism of the staff as observed and experienced by examinees and visitors to the Center. A review of the Testing Center Evaluation Form and the annual merit review forms concludes that the staff have all received an Above Average or Excellent rating in all areas of performance and service from the Testing Center Coordinator. Also, the results from the Testing Center Evaluation Form revealed that the staff received 99%-100% of students and visitors rating an Agree to Strongly Agree in all questions pertaining to service received from the staff. Additional staff may be needed as the University continues to grow and the demand for additional testing increases. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Quality Staff and Service Hire additional staff, as needed, to accommodate office growth, workload, and demand. |