That is so very kind of you to say! But your post does give me the chance to say…there’s more I would add to that methodology!
I think when I was trying to come up with that original methodology, I was primarily trying to use data that is either already available or could easily be. I think that the retention and graduation rates as compared to expected are included in the Washington Monthly’s rankings. Forbes offers financial health grades. I think Forbes also includes a reputation factor based on employer surveys, though I don’t know which employers are getting it. College Board probably has data on the grad test scores, though there might need to be some coordination to see how it would compare to expected scores based on the student profiles. And schools would need to be more open about disclosing some of the data they already have (like percentage passing licensing certifications).
So, what would I add?
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is a test some colleges give to its incoming freshmen and graduating seniors. It “measures critical thinking, reasoning, writing, and problem solving”* rather than particular subjects like history, biology, etc (164). Unfortunately, although many colleges have students take the CLA, there aren’t many that share the results. In a study from 2005 to 2009, “36% of the students managed to graduate from college without learning much of anything” (164). Having all colleges collect and share this data would be wonderful in my dream methodology. Perhaps the feds could make it a requirement for any schools that have students receiving Pell grants or federal loans?
Also, there’s the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) which would be another addition to the academics portion. It’s a survey that students respond to regarding “academic rigor, interactions with professors, and active and collaborative learning.” Getting high marks from students for these areas would also be a boost to the academics portion and give some kind of a measure on instructional quality.
*Quotes are from the second edition of Lynn O’Shaughnessy’s The College Solution