On assessment

Michael B. Horn, who is associated with the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation posted this blog entry focusing on testing:

http://www.christenseninstitute.org/cisco-networking-academy-provides-clues-for-future-of-testing/

I finally found time to compose my response:

When faced with a malfunctioning system that comprises Cisco devices, I would be grateful for the assistance of one who had passed Cisco’s assessments. I am convinced he or she would have the expertise needed to solve the problems.

I am equally convinced that there are many jobs that require skills and knowledge that cannot be measured in a meaningful way with tests such as I understand are included in the Cisco Networking Academy assessments.

As an educator, I encounter more “wicked” problems than I do tame problems. The wicked problems I encounter are complex and arise from many interconnect and frequently contradictory (and often unknown) causes. If the causes are identified, they are likely to change before a solution can be identified; and in many cases, there is no consensus surrounding the causes (or even existence of the problem) and different people judge the solution differently.

My children are now adults (one has begun his career in management, the other is finishing his undergraduate studies and working and interning in his field of study), and I talk with them about the problems they encounter in their professional lives.  Their experiences confirm my own: The information we can test is a minor part of the knowledge and skill they need and use daily.

It is impossible to quantify with in a valid and reliable manner to what extent testable skills are necessary in work, and of course the answer depends on the nature of the job. I do know that flexibility to manage and solve wicked problems is a common demand placed on my children and me in our professional lives. I hope we keep that in mind as we define what it means to be educated and how we figure out who is educated. If I had to predict, I think we (and our students and their future employers) would be disappointed of we rely solely on Cisco’s model.