Measuring Noncognitive Variables Improving Admissions Success and Retention for Underrepresented Students 1st Edition by William Sedlacek, David Kalsbeek ISBN 9781620362570 1620362570

A Guide for Academic and Higher Education Professionals

1. The Innovation Process

Five-Stage Proactive Innovation Model

Stage 1: Recognition of a Specific Problem

Stage 2: Invention of a Creative Solution or Novel Idea That Helps Address a Problem or Seize an Opportunity

Stage 3: Development of an Innovation by Creating Practical, Actionable Plans and Guidelines

Stage 4: Implementation of an Innovation to Produce Real Examples of Changed Practice, Testing the Innovation to See How It Compares to Existing Solutions

Stage 5: Diffusion of Successful Innovations: Taking Them to Scale and Leading to Wider Adoption Outside the Original Setting

Adopting the Innovation

Characteristic 1: Relative Advantage: How Is the Innovation Better Than That Currently Employed?

Characteristic 2: Compatibility: Does the Innovation Fit With the Procedures and Style Currently Used?

Characteristic 3: Simplicity or Complexity: Is the Innovation Easy or Difficult to Use?

Characteristic 4: Trialability: Can the Innovation Be Empirically Tested?

Characteristic 5: Observability: Are the Results of the Innovation Visible to All?

2. Traditional Admissions Measures

Attributes That Determine Students’ Success in Higher Education

Courses

Grades

Interviews

Letters of Recommendation

Portfolio Assessments

Essays

Application Reviews

Tests

Aptitude Tests Versus Achievement Tests: The Curious Case of the Indestructible Straw Person

The GRE

Why Use Tests at All?

Test-Optional Programs

Keeping Up With Change

3. Noncognitive Measures

Legal Issues and Noncognitive Variables

Measuring Noncognitive Variables

The Noncognitive Questionnaire

Summary of NCQ Methodology

Criticisms of Noncognitive Variable Assessment Methodology

4. Self-Concept and Realistic Self-Appraisal

Self-Concept

Realistic Self-Appraisal

5. Understands and Knows How to Navigate the System and Racism

What Is Racism?

Racism and Terminology

Let’s Avoid the Topic: The N-Word

Additional Examples of Racism in Education

Models for Handling Racism

Sedlacek–Brooks Model

Helms Model

Racism and Men of Color: Facing the System

African American Men

Latinos: Other Forms of Racism

Asian/Pacific Islander American Men

Native American Men

I Am Not a Man of Color; Why Should I Care?

Christian Privilege

The Role of Faculty and Staff in Handling Racist Incidents

Women and Sexism

Women of Color and Sexism

Sexist Messages and Behaviors in Higher Education

6. Long-Term Goals, Strong Support Person, Leadership, Community, and Nontraditional Learning

Long-Term Goals

Strong Support Person

Leadership

Community

Nontraditional Learning

7. Additional Measures of Diversity

Diversity Research

Situational Attitude Scale

Creating SAS Situations

Constructing Multiple SAS Forms

Summary of SAS Methodology

Cultural Attitudes and Climate Survey

Conducting a Campus Climate Assessment

How Results Will Be Used

Collaborations and Realism: Keys to Success

Dissemination and Follow-Up

Universal Diverse Orientation

Perceptual Mapping

Methodological Advantages of Perceptual Mapping

Thurstone Equal-Appearing Intervals

Advantages and Disadvantages of Equal-Appearing Intervals

8. The Waves of Change Find Many Shores

Professional Groups

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

Association of American Medical Colleges

Colleges and Universities With Religious Affiliations

Brigham Young University

Madonna University

Goshen College

DePaul University

University of St. Thomas

Johnson C. Smith University

Secondary School Programs

Secondary School Admission Test Board

Phillips Exeter Academy

Inver Hills Community College

YES Prep Public Schools

Douglas County Performance Learning Center

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Big Picture Learning

Los Angeles BPL High School

LaFayette BPL

Chegg

Eagle Rock School and Development Center

Fight Your Math Phobia Course

Foundations

Washington State Achievers

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

Colleges and Universities

Southern Illinois University

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Washington State University Vancouver

Oregon State University

Texas A&M University

University of North Carolina Conference

North Carolina State University

University of Puget Sound

Montgomery College

Central New Mexico Community College

Professional Schools

University of Maryland School of Medicine

University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Fiji School of Medicine

North Carolina State University–Tuskegee University

East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine

Additional Organizations and Programs Using Noncognitive Variables

U.S. Dream Academy

9. The Future

Exhibit 1 Description of Noncognitive Variables With Reliability Estimates of Scale Scores

Appendix A1 Scoring System for Noncognitive Variables on Interviews and Essays

Appendix A2 Example Cases for Training Raters in Evaluating Admissions or Financial Aid Applications

Noncognitive Variable Scoring System

Appendix B1 Noncognitive Items That Can Be Employed in Interview, Short-Answer, Essay, or Application Review Formats

Noncognitive Variable Scoring System

Variable 1: Positive Self-Concept

Variable 2: Realistic Self-Appraisal

Variable 3: Understands and Knows how to Navigate the System and Racism

Variable 4: Prefers Long-Range Goals to Short-Term or Immediate Needs

Variable 5: Availability of Strong Support Person

Variable 6: Successful Leadership Experience

Variable 7: Demonstrated Community Service

Variable 8: Knowledge Acquired in or About a Field (Nontraditional Learning)

Appendix B2 Noncognitive Items in Likert (Agree–Disagree) Formats

Variable 1: Positive Self-Concept

Variable 2: Realistic Self-Appraisal

Variable 3: Understands and Knows how to Navigate the System and Racism

Variable 4: Prefers Long-Range Goals to Short-Term or Immediate Needs

Variable 5: Availability of Strong Support Person

Variable 6: Successful Leadership Experience

Variable 7: Demonstrated Community Service

Variable 8: Knowledge Acquired in or about a Field (Nontraditional Learning)

Appendix B3 Noncognitive Items in Multiple-Choice Formats

Multiple-Choice Items

Variable 1: Positive Self-Concept

Variable 2: Realistic Self-Appraisal

Variable 3: Understands and Knows How to Navigate the System and Racism

Variable 4: Prefers Long-Range Goals to Short-Term or Immediate Needs

Variable 5: Person

Variable 6:

Variable 7: Demonstrated Community Service

Variable 8: Knowledge Acquired in or About a Field (Nontraditional Learning)

Appendix C: Universal Diverse Orientation (UDO) Scale–Short Form

Appendix D: Example Behaviors for Evaluating University Police Officers

Appendix E: Principles of Interviewing for Noncognitive Variable Diagnosis

References

Index