Last modified: Friday, February 17, 2006 11:51 PM EST Testing may go on to college By Jim Hand/Sun Chronicle Staff The trend toward requiring school students to take stan dardized assessment tests like the MCAS may soon make its way to colleges and universities. A federal commission appointed by the U.S. Depart ment of Education is seriously considering the requirement. Commission members said the tests would hold colleges accountable and allow stu dents and parents to better compare schools. Leading the charge is com mission Chairman Charles Miller, who helped institute standardized testing at Texas colleges and universities when he was chairman of the board of regents. The proposal has not yet been formalized, and Miller has been quoted as say ing the requirement could take many forms. But, local educators said they foresee problems with the plan. Judith Gill, chancellor of the state board of higher educa tion, said she agrees with the goals of the commission, but not necessarily through testing. `` I believe there needs to be greater emphasis in higher education on student learning outcomes, and I support cur riculum assessment. `` But, standardized tests are not the answer. Appropriate assessment tools must be developed by faculty, not by an academic testing company,'' she said in a statement. Barbara Brittingham of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges said institutes of higher learning are too diverse to be judged by a single standard. Different schools have dif ferent programs and goals. Some are highly specialized, while others are broad-based, she said. Requiring the same test of a large, comprehensive schools like the University of Massa chusetts at Amherst, and a small, specialized institute like Berklee School of Music makes no sense, she said. The same applies when comparing a two-year community college with a four-year university, she said. Standardized testing at the high school level might make sense, she said, because many people agree that all high school students should learn certain things. But, students go to college for different reasons and study different things. Jacob Ludes, executive director of the association, said he believes part of the motivation toward the test is a political bias among some in Washington against higher education, especially elite colleges. He said he knows from his lobbying efforts on Capital Hill that some in government have personal grudges against those schools. Ludes also said testing could have the unfortunate effect of discouraging colleges from admitting students from disadvantaged backgrounds out of fear they will do poorly on the tests. Nancy Kleniewski, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Bridgewater State College, said she also doubts the usefulness of `` a single yard stick'' to judge colleges. Kleniewski said she understands the desire for accountability in higher education, and that is why Bridgewater and other schools are working on their own standards. `` I think colleges and universities have the same objective this institution does: demonstrate student learning. `` We want to know how effective we are,'' she said. Bridgewater looks at things like student results on teacher licensing exams, senior-year projects and research papers, and portfolios, she said. She said Brittingham's organization -- which accredits colleges -- set a mandate 10 years ago for schools to define goals and demonstrate how those goals are being met. Brittingham said colleges should do a better job of giving out information parents and students can use to assess the schools. For instance, she said, if a student is interested in eventually attending graduate school, he or she should be able to find out the track record colleges have for getting their students into graduate schools. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has said that choosing a college is one of the most expensive decisions a person makes. She said students and parents are entitled to information about how effective a college is in educating its students to make the right decision. Kleniewski and Brittingham said they know momentum is building for some type of assessment measurement and they are trying to react in advance. `` We hear the drum beat,'' Brittingham said.