At the request of governing boards and legislatures, increasing numbers of state colleges and universities are using "value-added" tests and surveys to measure student learning in college. The measures compare academic achievement and student analytical skills before and after certain periods of college study, usually using standardized…

Educators are studying Northeast Missouri State University's "value-added" assessment programs, designed to measure how students are progressing in gaining specific intellectual skills. Its main feature is a series of tests that all students must take on entering the university and at the end of the sophomore year. (MLW)

At a conference sponsored by the Oklahoma governor and state legislature, educators and politicians met to define goals for the college system. Colleges were urged to: meet the needs of nontraditional, older students, increase involvement with the public schools, recruit minority faculty, and better educate those involved in governance. (MLW)

While some states are adopting uniform, statewide testing of college students to assess learning, most are relying on a wide variety of testing programs designed and administered by individual institutions. (MSE)

Bad economic times and the election of a staunchly conservative governor have forced Wisconsin university officials and government leaders into controversy over the future of the University of Wisconsin System. (MSE)

Tight state budgets and regional economic difficulties have prompted a sharp drop in the rate that state appropriations for higher education have increased over the past two years. New England fares well while farm and oil states suffer. (MLW)

Colleges must make radical changes in their structure, values, hiring practices, and the way they treat students if they want to attract more minority students and professors. Faculty members are given little incentive to work with minority students. (MLW)

Bergen Community College, Middlesex County College, and Union County College are setting up (1) counseling programs to help welfare recipients determine their job interests and skills, (2) job-training courses, and (3) day-care centers for participants children. (MLW)

An overhaul of the welfare system, under which welfare recipients may enroll in job-training programs at community colleges and for-profit trade schools, is discussed. The new bill would provide money to the states for education and job training. The program is designed to make welfare a temporary support system. (MLW)

Governor Schaefer of Maryland declared that higher education would be the top priority this year. His major proposal was to bring the 13 four-year colleges and universities under the governance of a single board, while limiting the power of the statewide coordinating board and eliminating single campus boards. (MLW)

Proposed taxes and bans on college business activities grow out of criticism from the owners of small businesses that colleges and other non-profit organizations abuse their tax-exempt status to compete with tax-paying companies by selling certain items. (MLW)

The California Legislature approved a bill to reform the state's community-college system by transferring most of the Legislature's power over the colleges to the state board that coordinates their governance. The bill also makes major changes in the colleges financing, the courses they offer, and the tenure process. (MLW)

The Supreme Court has ruled that statistical evidence about the effects of an employer's policies can be used to prove discrimination in situations where a variety of imprecise criteria are used. The decision is applicable to faculty salary and tenure disputes. (MSE)

In a period of rapid enrollment growth, cities in which University of California campuses reside are waging a noisy campaign to demand an end to campus expansion, either by adding a campus or keeping enrollments down. The university remains committed to offering a place to all qualifying students. (MSE)

Widespread reports of substantial tuition increases have generated an atmosphere of crisis, but state colleges are reassuring parents that the costs affect relatively few people and are illogically affecting state tuition policies. (MSE)