Graduate Assessment: Core Competencies/Quantitative Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning is used to determine how well the student possesses the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to apply numbers and mathematics to effectively deal with common problems and issues; can use numerical, geometric and measurement data and concepts, mathematical skills, and principles of mathematical reasoning to draw logical conclusions and make well-reasoned decisions.

              Southside Virginia community College, at the direction of the VCCS began testing graduates during the spring of 2004 and continued to test graduates in the spring of 2005 and the spring of 2006.  The report that follows provides a comparison and discussion of the 2004 and 2005 results of the Southside Virginia Community College graduates who participated in the Quantitative Reasoning Core Competency Assessment.  Southside Virginia Community College during the 2004 and 2005 testing required that all graduates take this assessment.  Other colleges within the VCCS, however, in some cases elected to administer the test to only associate degree students.  During the spring of 2006 Southside Virginia community College elected to administer the test to one-half of those students graduating with an Associate in Arts and Science Degree and to one-half of those students graduating in the RN Program.  The 2006 results have not been analyzed yet, but will be and will be compared to the 2004 and 2005 results.

              All results in this report are compared to the VCCS results obtained during 2004.  No additional testing results have been given by the VCCS for the system averages since 2004.

Spring 2004 Results

              During the spring of 2004, a total of 109 SVCC graduating students took the Quantitative Reasoning Graduate Assessment Test.  Of  these, 29 were students receiving an AA&S Degree, 59 were receiving an AAS Degree, and 21 were receiving a Certificate.  As indicated in Table 1 below, those students receiving an AA&S Degree had a mean score higher than the VCCS average and the % that scored proficient (a score of 11) was comparable to the VCCS average.  The students receiving an AAS Degree and a Certificate scored below the VCCS average mean score.

TABLE 1

A Comparison of SVCC Results with VCCS System Results, 2004

Spring 2005

              During the spring of 2005 a total of 98 students took the Quantitative Reasoning Graduate Assessment Test.  Of the total number of students taking the test only 2 were receiving a certificate and only 9 were receiving an AAS Degree, the remaining 87 were receiving an AA&S Degree.  Because of the small numbers of students in the Certificate and AAS groups, only the results of those students graduating with an AA&S Degree are compared with the VCCS average.  As shown in Table 2 below the mean score for this group of students was a little below the VCCS average.  At the same time a greater percentage of those SVCC students showed proficiency than the VCCS average.

TABLE 2

Comparison of SVCC Results with the VCCS Results, 2005

Summary

              In general those SVCC students receiving an AA&S Degree perform on the Quantitative Reasoning Core Competency Graduate Assessment Test as well as the VCCS average.