Assessing Student Abilities and Enhancing Value Added in Higher Education for Disadvantaged Students: Evidence from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point

高等教育机构面临着一系列共同的挑战：评估申请人的能力，选择最适合机构使命的人，促进多样性，灌输知识，并将毕业生安置在生产性职业中。这项研究提供了方法，以帮助高校评估他们如何应对这些挑战，也帮助他们变得更有效。调查人员研究美国军事学院在西点（USMA）。USMA是研究这些问题的绝佳场所，原因有几个：USMA授予一系列学术专业的学位，与许多学院和大学提供的学位相当。USMA对申请人的能力进行全面评估。同样，衡量学生学习过程中取得的进步的标准比其他学术机构获得的标准更全面。最后，对毕业生职业成就的评估得到了加强，因为服务学院的毕业生最初都为同一雇主工作。有了这些全面的数据，该项目评估了目前的做法，并制定了政策，以吸引，留住和提高弱势学生的表现。这项研究不仅对USMA有价值，而且对寻求提高我国高校效率的研究人员和政策制定者也有价值。所有高校都面临着共同的挑战：评估申请人的能力，决定录取哪一所，促进多样性，灌输知识，并将毕业生安置在生产性职业中。这些活动的责任通常分散在不同的行政和教学单位之间，几乎没有协调。调查人员对这些活动进行了综合分析，研究对象是一所精选的大学，即西点美国军事学院。USMA提供一系列与其他本科院校相当的专业。它对申请人进行全面评估，并对学生在大学期间的表现进行全面评估，采取的措施比其他学术机构更为广泛。它保留了许多群组的这些衡量标准以及职业业绩的衡量标准。该项目评估了大学在多大程度上缩小了人口统计学群体之间的成就差距。这项研究的特点相关的技能和估计的入学，自然减员和成就的模型。调查人员研究了录取和保留政策的潜在变化，这些政策可能会提高成绩，毕业率和职业成功，特别强调改善弱势群体接受高等教育的机会和成功。

Institutions of higher education confront a common set of challenges: assessing the capabilities of applicants and selecting those best suited to the mission of the institution, fostering diversity, inculcating knowledge, and placing graduates in productive careers. This research provides methods to help colleges and universities evaluate how well they are meeting these challenges and also help them become more effective. The investigators study the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA). The USMA is an excellent setting to study these issues for several reasons: The USMA awards degrees in a range of academic majors comparable to those offered in many colleges and universities. The USMA undertakes comprehensive assessment of capabilities of applicants. Likewise, the measures of progress made over the course of a student's studies are more comprehensive than those obtained by other academic institutions. Finally, assessment of career accomplishments of graduates is enhanced by the fact that the graduates of the service academies all initially work for the same employer. With this comprehensive data, this project assesses current practices and prescribes policies to attract, retain, and improve performance of disadvantaged students. This research will be valuable not only to USMA but also to researchers and policy makers seeking to improve the effectiveness of our nation's colleges and universities.All colleges and universities confront common challenges: assessing capabilities of applicants, deciding which to admit, fostering diversity, inculcating knowledge, and placing graduates in productive careers. Responsibility for these activities is typically dispersed, with little coordination, across different administrative and teaching units. The investigators undertake an integrated analysis of these activities for a selective college, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The USMA offers a range of majors comparable to that of other undergraduate institutions. It undertakes comprehensive assessments of applicants and comprehensive assessments of performance as students progress through college, obtaining more extensive measures than are obtained by other academic institutions. It has retained these measures for a large number of cohorts as well as measures of career performance. This project assesses the extent to which achievement gaps across demographic groups are narrowed by the college. This research characterizes the relevant dimensions of skills and estimates a model of admission, attrition, and achievement. The investigators examine potential changes in admission and retention policies that may improve achievement, graduation rates, and career success, with particular emphasis on improving access and success in higher education by disadvantaged groups.