By Jennifer Eisenberg
March 2020
In the field of education, evaluation is essential. You may be the most beloved instructor in school, but you must have skills to measure how well you have taught. If teachers don’t test, how will they know if they have been successful? The application of evaluation or measurement or testing of students has alway been done in classrooms. Today, teachers benefit from centuries of the best practices. The schools reviewed below offer masters degrees in knowing and utilizing these particular best practices.
Working educators who wish to advance their careers and to better serve the needs of their students will welcome the following scrutiny of masters degrees in the field of evaluation. Especially welcome, however, will be the fact that each of these degrees can be studied online. While you fulfill your day-to-day obligations in your own classroom, you will not need to travel to yet another classroom for your own education. Online degrees, as you may already know, most often use the same faculty for online teaching as for that done face-to-face. Your online degree will not contain any reference to the fact that you earned it online.
In addition to the boost to your performance as a teacher, an advanced degree in the teaching field sometimes pays for itself quickly in the form of a higher paycheck. With a master’s degree, you can expect to earn, on average, $2,760 more in your first year of teaching than you did with only a bachelor’s degree (www.nctq.org).
CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) and NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation) are now known as the single entity, CAEP. The national median earnings six years after graduation is $33,028 (niche.com).
Data used in ranking the schools in this list come from several sources, including the schools themselves and/or as stated in this review. Where ties occur in points, extra weight is given to lower tuition costs.
Rating and Ranking Methodology
Hourly Tuition
- Hourly Out of State Rate $500 and Below : 5 points
- Hourly Out of State Rate $600 and Below : 4 points
- Hourly Out of State Rate $700 and Below: 3 points
- Hourly Out of State Rate $800 and Below: 2 points
- Hourly Out of State Rate $1,000 and Below : 1 point
Median Earnings Six Years After Graduation
- Between $50K and $55K: 5 points
- Between $45K and $49,999: 4 points
- Between $40K and $44,999: 3 points
- Between $35K and $39,999: 2 points
- Between $30K and $34,999: 1 point
Student to Faculty Ratio
- 15:1 or fewer: 5 points
- 20:1 or fewer: 4 points
- 25:1 or fewer: 3 points
- 30:1 or fewer: 2 points
- 40:1 or fewer: 1 point
Graduation Rate
- 67% to 100%: 3 points
- 34% through 66%: 2 points
- 1 through 33%: 1 point
Regional Accreditation – 5 points
CAEP Accreditation – 5 points
#1 – Kent State University
Kent, Ohio
Online MEd in Evaluation and Measurement
Regional Accreditation: Yes
Hourly Tuition Rate: $546
CAEP/NCATE Accreditation: Yes
Student to Faculty Ratio: 20:1
Graduation Rate: 58%
Median Earnings Six Years After Graduation: $38,000
Points: 22
Website
Kent State University features an online master of education degree that specializes in producing evaluation and measurement specialists. The 30 unit of instruction degree is available online, on campus and through a hybrid approach of the two. The Kent State University MEd in evaluation and measurement online can be pursued part time (four years to completion) or full time (two years to completion). Applicants should be prepared with a current graduate level standardized test score, a writing sample, a professional portfolio, and letters of reference.
#2 – Missouri Western State University
St Joseph, Missouri
Online Master of Applied Science in Assessment
Regional Accreditation: Yes
Hourly Tuition Rate: $436
CAEP/NCATE Accreditation: Yes
Student to Faculty Ratio: 16:1
Graduation Rate: 29%
Median Earnings Six Years After Graduation: $34,400
Points: 21
Website
Missouri Western State University offers a 33 credit hour, 100% online master of applied science in assessment that is a concentration in K-12 cross-categorical special education. Core requirements are these courses: research development and literature analysis; master educational experience I & II; or capstone. Concentration courses include the following: fundamentals of autism spectrum disorder and assessment; assessment and the identification features process; and advanced methods, differentiation, and instruction. A current teaching license is not needed for acceptance into Missouri Western State University’s online master of applied science in assessment program, but this program will not lead to such a license.
#3 – University of Mary
Bismarck, North Dakota
MEd in Curriculum and Instruction, Assessment
Regional Accreditation: Yes
Hourly Tuition Rate: $540
CAEP/NCATE Accreditation: No
Student to Faculty Ratio: 14:1
Graduation Rate: 54%
Median Earnings Six Years After Graduation: $48,000
Points: 20
Website
The University of Mary has a 100% online, 32-33 credit hour master of education, curriculum, instruction, and assessment degree that can be completed in as few as two years. You may transfer in up to one-third of the credits needed. Options are thesis or portfolio, and you also choose to complete an emphasis in one of eight content areas at the same time you pursue this degree. Application to the master of education, curriculum, instruction, and assessment program requires transcripts showing a minimum 3.0 GPA, two references, and resume with proof of professional experience. University of Mary is grounded in Christian, Catholic, and Benedictine values.
#4 – University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
MEd in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment Online
Regional Accreditation: Yes
Hourly Tuition Rate: $793
CAEP/NCATE Accreditation: No
Student to Faculty Ratio: 19:1
Graduation Rate: 57%
Median Earnings Six Years After Graduation: $54,300
Points: 18
Website
The University of Illinois Chicago master of education in measurement, evaluation, statistics and assessment online follows an eight-course sequence, for a total of 32 hours. The curriculum includes the following courses: advanced analysis of variance in inquiry in educational research; rating scale and questionnaire design and analysis; and hierarchical linear models. The program offers a waiver to qualified students on the required GRE score for admission. Additionally, the University of Illinois Chicago’s online MEd in measurement, evaluation, statistics and assessment requires a goals statement and three letters of recommendation with the admissions packet.
