by Lisa M. Pettis
features assistant

Dr. Helene Sherman, chairperson of the Assessment Program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, urges seniors to take the assessment test seriously.

"There's no harm in trying to do their best," Sherman said.

Since the fall of 1987, UM-St. Louis, along with other schools, has been required by the University of Missouri Board of Curators and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to administer this test to all graduating seniors. This multiple choice test measures the proficiency of students in general education and does not affect the prospective graduate's GPA or prevent them from graduating based on their score.

According to Sherman, the UM-St. Louis Assessment Office looks bad because of the lack of participation of graduating seniors in the assessment process.

Ray Balbes, board member of the Assessment Program, points out that the pressure is not on the students.

"We're not testing the students," Balbes said.

On the contrary, the test is an indicator of whether UM-St. Louis is providing a quality education to its students.

Sherman stated that the scores on these assessment exams are recorded in the North Central Report, along with other Missouri universities in a particular region. In comparison, scores obtained from UM-St. Louis graduating seniors are low.

"It appears as though we are not affecting the quality of education," Sherman said.

Sherman, along with fellow board members, Balbes, Wilbur Simon, Pat Freed, and J. Piers Rawling work hard to make the assessment exam "user-friendly."

Board members recognize the responsibilities of graduating seniorsÑmajor field exams, final papers or performancesÑand have opted to administer the 40-minute exam rather than the two hour exam. Members of the department have also gone as far as to travel to St. Charles, Jefferson City, and Rolla to administer the assessment exam.

In addition, the Assessment Office provides a pamphlet which lists the content of the exam.

Students who have completed more than 105 hours of college credit are eligible to sit for the exam. The Assessment Office sends postcards to eligible students.

An allotted time has been set for the exam, and during this time, students must remain in the testing center. According to board members, however, students leave when the time is up without making a serious effort to complete the exam.

"There needs to be some kind of self-pride," Simon said.

Freed stated that the reputation of the students is at stake when applying for jobs or admission to graduate programs. Also, the reputation of the University and the students who will attend UM-St. Louis in the future is affected.

"They're investing in their children's future," Freed said.

Testing information is published in the UM-St. Louis Schedule of Courses and on the UM-St. Louis web page at www.umsl.edu/services/cad/amenthp.htm. Students unable to attend these scheduled dates can elect to take the exam in the Assessment Center for a $5.00 fee. Call 516-6396 to schedule an individual sitting for the exam.