A week or two ago, I received a post on the LD list that I subscribe  
to about this topic of "Assessing Non-Cognitive Skills".  I decided to  
join this list just because the term "non-cognitive" was puzzling to  
me and I wanted to see just what "non-cognitive skills" were!  I have  
been "lurking" since the last day or two of the discussion about  
assessing these skills.  I have to say, I am in agreement with many,  
who would rather place these "skills" in the affective domain, and  
that they are underpinnings of learning.  The very difinitions of  
"cognition" and the adjective form "cognitive" , indicate that the  
term relates to the acquisition of knowledge by the use of reasoning,  
intuition or perception.

cog·ni·tion n
1.	the mental faculty or process of acquiring knowledge by the use of  
reasoning, intuition or perception
2.	knowledge that is acquired through processes such as reasoning,  
intuition or perception
cog·ni·tive adj
1.	relating to the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of  
reasoning, intuition, or perception
2.	relating to thought processes

Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All  
rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All  
rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

So... it does seem to me a bit like "scratching a chalkboard" to call  
some of these  "non-cognitive"!   I  would agree that perhaps the  
automatic nervous system, is  not cognitive in that our heart beating,  
breathing, etc. is not "learned".  No knowledge is necessary for it to  
happen, even though it is a brain function.  The other "skills" that  
we are talking about,  to me,  are all components of strategic  
learning.  I think of those components  as Skill ( reading/writing/ 
math-academic skills) Will ( motivation/ attitude, diligence, self- 
discipline, willingness to exert effort..etc.) and Self- Regulation  
( focusing attention, time management, selecting appropriate study  
strategies..etc.).  These, to me are all "cognitive" because they  
relate to the acquisition of knowledge, or learning.

Now.......  Are these  undervalued in reporting ABE outcomes?  perhaps  
so as separate entities, but do they not at least underly the reported  
"academic" outcomes?  Do not motivation and effort, for example,  
underlie "A" grades in school?  I think for the vast majority, they  
do!  The question might be:  how do we assess these, "teach" them,   
and make improvement count with individuals who do NOT achieve the  
"academic skills" ie, reading/wiriting/math, so easily in spite of  
being motivated and putting forth effort?  I know that when I have  
worked with adult welfare recipients, this was "built in" to the  
overall learning environment.  I often would "preach" to students that  
no matter how "proficient" their "skill" was, it would be no good to  
an employer if they  were not at work... or late for work....  
( reliable/ puncutal...... qualities in the domains of "will" and  
"self-regulation"!  )  Certainly, in the "world of work", they are  
VERY important!  I would rather have a reliable employee  whom I can  
train to do a job within the "skill limits" they may have, than an  
employee who has good skills but is never at work...  so they  
certainly SHOULD count!

My question still remains, as pertinent to the list title:  How do we  
assess these?  Certainly, I am always assessing them informally,  
through monitoring attendance, diligence in completing work, observing  
problem solving strategies... etc.  I can tell if a person is  
motivated... and even intuit what might be behind their lack of  
motivation through my own subjective experience as an educator.......  
And.... I agree that  the list of questions posted by Michael and  
Catherine, should be paramount in attempting to assess these  
"qualities".   Are there instruments available to assess these skills  
with normative measures? How do we assess them "separately"  from the  
"academic skills" ? Perhaps this  is all in the domain of  
"psychologists"?  What are some of these assessments?   Are they  
valid  ( measure what they intend to measure)...?    and replicated?

Question #1.... what is the "purpose" of the assessment?  To me the  
primary purpose of assessment is to evaluate the current level of  
functioning in a given area for the purpose of implementing  an  
intervention (if one is needed) to improve the level of functioning.   
Ongoing assessment is to measure improvement on the part of the  
student, and for us as educators, whether or not our teaching methods  
have been effective.


Maureen Carro, MS, ET
Academic Learning Solutions
Alamo, CA
mcarro at lmi.net



On Oct 8, 2009, at 3:24 PM, Catherine B. King wrote:


> Hello Tom:

>

> Your argument proves that, in many cases, we overlook the term, and  

> speak to

> the underlying meaning that we are trying to purvey with the term.   

> I can

> see how an economist might pick up this term, understand what it  

> points to,

> but without thinking about the implications of the term's actual  

> meaning

> with regard to the real and remarkable differences we are speaking

> about--about the complex layers of human meaning and development  

> that we

> teach to and can assess (as you say your research shows in ABE and  

> that is

> ignored in funding circles).

>

> But shouldn't we as professional educators pay close attention to the

> technical terms we use?  And cannot/should not we bring these issues  

> to the

> attention of those in and out of our profession who use them?  (Is  

> this an

> "everyone's doing it" argument, or:  It's a Nobel Prize Winner, so

> everything he says must be right?)

>

> It doesn't make sense because:  For instance, certainly, we (and all

> teachers) are trying to develop our understanding and influence on

> motivation, conscientiousness, etc., etc. --all of those remote human

> developmental issues that are foundational to human learning.  (My  

> K-12

> teachers are always looking at these issues and what the fields are  

> up to in

> their theoretical development of them; and EFF is centered around  

> many of

> these issues.)  The general assumption is that we can influence these

> skills, attitudes, etc.

>

> However, even without the other reasons why not to use this term, on  

> its

> surface, it doesn't make sense to

>

> (1) attempt to TEACH to motivational factors or consciensciousness,  

> etc., or

> to ASSESS them with an aim to change/improve them

>

> (2) while purveying that these skills, etc., are non-cognitive.

>

> If they are non-cognitive, do we have any hope of having an  

> influence on

> them?   Or is the end-run aim to just throw out people who have "low

> non-cognitive skills" from our programs--"it's hopeless, these  

> skills are

> non-cognitive"?

>

> Or perhaps in all of the literature that is out there, we are  

> mistaken to

> think that "cognitive" has nothing to do with "learning"?

>

> Regards,

>

> Catherine King

> Adjunct Instructor

> Department of Education

> National University

> San Diego, CA

>

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: <tsticht at znet.com>

> To: <assessment at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 2:13 PM

> Subject: [Assessment 2197] Re: ROI and Non-Cognitive Measures of  

> Outcomes in

> ABE

>

>

> Catherine King: You said  "My argument is that using that term is  

> not going

> to bolster the argument for (rightly) focusing on such content.  

> Rather, it

> will only help solidify the sense (in the minds of policy-makers)  

> that this

> content is not worthwhile pursuing--it's fuzzy and "touchy-feely,"  

> and if

> its non-cognitive, how can we **know** it or influence it in

> education--which is about learning?"

>

>

> But this is exactly the opposite of what has happened. In my earlier

> messages on the Assessment list I reported that James Heckman, the  

> Nobel

> prize-winning economist was advising the Obama administration  

> regarding the

> ROI on early childhood education and he and his collaborators have  

> been the

> primary instigators of the now widely used term "non-cognitive" in

> reference to education.

>

>

> Then later I reported that the President's Council of Economic  

> Advisors in a

> 2009 report, speaking about the ABE system, stated, "Although  

> "interactive"

> skills, such as effective communication and the ability to work well  

> with

> others, have not traditionally been studied, nor perhaps valued, by

> educators, there is growing awareness of their importance for adult

> success. Researchers have highlighted the growing importance of

> "non-cognitive" skills in the labor market and argue that a range of

> behaviors that reflect "greater student self-awareness, self- 

> monitoring,

> and self-control" are key indicators that students are able to  

> effectively

> learn and succeed in a modern post-secondary environment." (p. 10)

>

>

> So it appears that economists who advise the Obama administration  

> regarding

> policy for education at both the early childhood and adult education  

> levels

> are already using the term "non-cognitive" and in fact they appear  

> to be

> advising educators to value these "skills" more.

>

>

> It is within this policy and research context that I discuss  

> cognitive and

> non-cognitive factors in the education of adults and children. I use  

> Leo

> Lionni's books, not only because they are examples of beautiful art  

> for

> children, but because they bring up important values that illustrate  

> what

> the economic researchers and policy advisors to the President are now

> emphasing as important in education.

>

>

> I am finding all this quite interesting!

>

>

> Tom Sticht

>

>

>

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