高等教育评估模式的选择:美国的经验及启示

The Choice of an Appropriate Higher Education Assessment Model:American Experiences and Its Inspiration

通过对美国高等教育选择评估模式时考虑的主要因素的分析,认为美国评估高等教育提供者和学生的基本模式有四种;在选择评估模式时通常需要考虑评估的目的、评估机构的权威性、资源水平、管理的集中化、系统内教育提供者的多样性及系统的复杂性等因素;不同评估模式对于上述因素具有各自不同的适用性;每一种模式都有其优缺点,最好的模式取决于评估的背景。借鉴美国经验,指出中国在选择高等教育评估模式时应综合考虑上述多种因素以及系统内部的有利条件与限制因素,所选的模式应与教育提供者的具体活动、评估者的目的以及提供者与评估者之间的关系等特征相匹配,并且评估需要政府、高校、中介机构、学生家长等多方利益相关者的共同参与。

Based on the analysis of the factors that are most important to consider in deciding on an appropriate model for US assessment, the paper concludes that the assessment approaches of US higher education can be classified into four basic models; there are six main factors to consider in choosing an approach to assessing higher education： purpose of assessment, level of authority, level of resources, centralization of operations, system of heterogeneity, and system of complexity. The applicability to the factors differs from different models. Each approach has its own strengths and weak- nesses, and the best approach depends on the context of the assessment. Thus, when an assessor chooses the assessment approach in China, various factors should be taken into account; the constraints and opportunities should both be consid- ered, and the model selected should match well in the provider＇s activities, the assessor＇s purpose, and the nature of the relationship between the provider and assessor; the stakeholders of assessment should make joint efforts to improve the higher education assessment system.