Technology Supported Systems in Scde: Myth Versus Reality

The College of Education Assessment Infrastructure Survey was developed and administered to 1011 institutions over a 12-month period ending April 2007. The survey examined the capacity of university-based teacher preparation programs to respond to the growing and increasingly complex data management requirements that accompanies assessment and accountability edicts. The summarized responses of 266 institutions (26%) confirmed that education units have responded to accreditation and accountability mandates, though none have relied solely on the institutional-level infrastructure. This has resulted in the implementation of a variety of assessment systems that vary widely in sophistication and cost. The qualitative responses of 52 institutions highlighted the major benefits and challenges encountered with the implementation and use of these assessment systems. The dominant 3 benefits reported were improved communication with internal and external stakeholders, data-supported program improvements, and data-supported assessment improvements. The top 3 reported challenges were responding to increasing and complex assessment requirements coupled with inadequate resources, inadequate assessment systems, and the loss of professionalism that comes with responding to external mandates.