An interesting paper by Fredrik deBoer, a lecturer at Purdue, writing for the think tank, New America, examines the rise of assessment in K-12 and higher education.  He notes that K-12 education is populated with a plethora of standardized tests, while universities and colleges tend to operate as independent silos.  He argues that higher education’s use of standardized tests, developed by outside testing firms, should be approached with caution.  At the very least, the tests should be subjected to external validation.  He writes, “Researchers must vet these instruments to determine how well they work, and what the potential unforeseen consequences are of these types of assessments, for the good of all involved.”  More from InsideHigherEd.