Sleeping in On Assessment Day—Can I Still Graduate?

October 25, 2007

By Christa Graham

“No class! It’s Assessment Day!” Each semester MBU students see these announcements, and they start planning how to spend their day off. Whether they plan to sleep all day or to have a TV show marathon, students usually do not plan to come to MBU to take a test. However, this is exactly the reason for Assessment Day, which was Oct. 10 this semester.

The good news is that most students will only have to take two tests. For the rest of the semesters, students can roam free on Assessment Day.

So, why do students have to take tests, and what in the world are these tests for? Dr. Mary Bagley, the coordinator of student testing, gives the answers. On Assessment days, MBU requires midlevel students (having 55-70 hours) to take the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) exam. This test tracks the students’ scores in comparison to their ACT test scores in order to see if the students have improved. This test only has to be taken one time. Students who have transferred to MBU from another college are not required to take the CAAP test.

The other tests given on assessment days are the Major Field Tests. These tests are for the seniors graduating that semester. These tests evaluate the students’ learning in order to make improvements on MBU’s academic programs. Seniors only have to take one of these tests, but which test they take depends on their major.

Many students do not know if they are supposed to take these tests or when they are to take the exams. “We give the tests twice – once during the day and once during the night,” said Bagley. Before the testing day, MBU sends out a letter to all of the students required to take the test (scheduled on that day). Another way students can see if they are required to attend is to call the testing center beforehand to see if their names are on the list.

It is very important that the required students come to take the tests. “MBU spends thousands of dollars on the testing materials,” said Bagley. Every time there is an inadequate amount of student participation, MBU loses hundreds of dollars.

The students who do not participate have to pay the consequences as well. Absent students are charged a fee for the unused test, but the testing is free for students if taken on time. Also a hold is placed on the students’ accounts until the students can make the test up in the following semester.

Athletic students feel the brunt of this consequence because they could possibly be suspended from playing on their team until the next semester when they make up the test. If the absent student is planning to graduate, there is a hold placed on the student’s diploma until he or she takes the test.

So before you plan to sleep in on the next Assessment Day, remember to make sure you are not on the list to take an exam! For more information, contact Alexandria Dilworth at 314-392-2364 or Dr. Mary Bagley at 314-392-2310.

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