As the American educational system undergoes more and more scrutiny – perhaps as a result of nationwide achievement and assessment goals such as No Child Left Behind – proper evaluation and assessment of student achievement is becoming more and more crucial. Well-developed evaluation procedures to assess student achievement are fair, valid, coherent and well-researched. The public at large does not know much about this important administrative work in the education field until there is a crisis that prompts government and the education system to question an assessment's merit. This is where a degree in assessment and evaluation could help.
Assessment and Evaluation Online Colleges
While this is not a very common degree, assessment and evaluation degrees can be obtained at schools and universities across the country. Traditionally, both master's degrees and doctoral degrees in assessment and evaluation are offered. Online assessment and evaluation degrees can be obtained at select universities. The master's degree is traditionally a two-year program that prepares graduates for leadership positions in the field. Classes include integrative design and evaluation, learning theory, methods and instruments for assessment, and more. One such online degree currently available is the Master's of Education in Educational Assessment and Evaluation. The goal of this particular program is to help students broaden their methods of evaluation and to fit these into their other evaluative processes. Other online graduate programs that could also provide you with insight into the field include those in curriculum, instruction, methods and teaching.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not keep specific data for assessment and evaluation professionals, but does list a mean annual wage of $89,990 for education administrators at the primary and secondary level as of May 2010 and $96,680 at the post-secondary level. Between 2008 and 2018, the BLS predicts job growth of 8 percent in the education administration field. However, this could result in the creation of some 37,000 new jobs during this time. The BLS predicts that the job outlook should be excellent due to the high number of educators who are retiring and increased numbers in student enrollment. Many teachers make the shift from in-classroom teaching to the administrative side by going into assessment and evaluation once they have completed a master's degree. Those with undergraduate degrees in education could be particularly well-suited for these positions, as they have seen the results and effects of policies in real-life situations. There are other occupations that could be suitable for those who like this field. Some such related occupations include those for instructional coordinators, who work to improve the quality of student education, as well as human resource positions and administration service management occupations. All three of these fields are expected to have job growth at or above average, 2008-2018, according to the BLS.