A treat for test-taking?
Regents wrestle with incentives to get students to take standardized test
By Brittany Anas (Contact)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Video
CU Students respond to questions regarding the incentives the regents will need to come up with to get them to take yet another test. Watch »
The Camera asked University of Colorado students what kind of incentive they’d expect to take a 90-minute, written standardized test that would help the university measure how much students are learning. Here are some responses:
“In order to take a 90-minute test, I think they’d have to give me a stipend, or some kind of grant ... maybe a couple of hundred, a few hundred dollars.”
— Jarvis Fuller, a senior studying sociology and theater
“If I did well, $100 or $200. If I just took it, $50.”
— David Mirabella, a junior studying integrative physiology
“If they did give incentives, it would have to be for everyone. Not just a drawing because I’d be pretty mad if I didn’t win.”
— Christina Schaeffer, a junior studying integrative physiology
“Give me a scholarship. You want to raise tuition. Alright. I’ll take your standardized test. Help me pay for tuition.”
— Sonja Chacon, a junior studying anthropology
“I think a scholarship is a great idea. As a college student, we’re all kind of broke.”
— Kaylah Braun, a sophomore studying political science
“I think a fair compensation would be $50.”
— Annie Venturo, a senior studying applied math
— Compiled by Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas
STORY TOOLS
RELATED STORIES
More CU & The People's Republic
- Longmont man taking 300-mile bike ride for 80th birthday
- Buff Blotter: July 5
- Boulder boy, 11, to attempt 14 Colorado 14ers in 14 days
Share and Enjoy [?]
The University of Colorado regents on Monday — as part of a discussion about standardized testing — wondered what it would take to cajole enough students to volunteer to take the 90-minute exams.
“A new car?” asked a facetious Pat Hayes, a Republican regent from Aurora.
CU leaders are willing to offer incentives to students who voluntarily take the exam, and ideas include pizza, cash or a chance to win an iPod.
At CU’s Colorado Springs campus, where students already take standardized tests to gauge how much undergraduates learn, test-takers are awarded a $10 gift certificate for campus dining, said Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak.
But outside of the regents’ meeting room on the Boulder campus, and up the street in the University Memorial Center, some students put a higher price tag on taking a test — saying they would expect scholarships to compensate for the time and stress.
The CU regents are scheduled to vote Tuesday on the standardized testing measure, which would be a written exam measuring how proficient students are in areas such as critical thinking, problem solving and communicating. The exams would test a representative group of students, about 100 freshmen and 100 seniors.
In response to questioning about how much the testing program would cost, Michael Poliakoff, CU’s vice president for academic affairs and research, estimated about $20,000 for it to be implemented. But the incentives could be extra. The money for the testing would come from the president’s office, according to the regent proposal.
Roy Wilson, chancellor of CU’s Denver and Health Sciences Center, said an incentive package might not lead to the most representative sampling of students. He said financially needy students would be more compelled to take a test for a $10 stipend than their peers driving luxury cars.
Ultimately, if the measure passes, it will be up to the campuses to determine how best to appeal to students to take the exams.
Comments