A Study On Comprehensive Quality Assessment-based Undergraduate Admission Reform In The University Of California System

With the advancement of higher education into the universalization stage,public vision of higher education has shifted from the previous,desiring to receive higher education,to receiving high-quality higher education,and from focusing on the selection role of higher education enrollment test to the nurturing role of promoting students’ personalized development through enrollment test.The admission reform of higher education directly affects the admission and cultivation quality of higher education talents,and the scientific selection of higher education talents needed in the new era is a hot topic to deepen the education evaluation reform.The University of California System,as the highest level research public university in the United States and the world,started to make adaptive adjustments and changes to undergraduate admissions half a century ago,and since the beginning of this century,it has been making efforts to promote the reform of undergraduate admissions based on comprehensive quality evaluation,which has acted as a catalyst to promote China’s college talent selection test to It is of reference value to promote the development of scientific,fair and efficient direction of talent selection test in China’s colleges and universities and to improve the comprehensive quality evaluation system of students,regarding as the reference value on promoting the development of scientific,fair and efficient direction of talent selection test in China’s universities and to improve the comprehensive quality evaluation system of students.The thesis is based on the history of the University of California System’s comprehensive quality assessment-based undergraduate admission reform,and analyzes the UC System’s undergraduate admission reform since the new century,exerting the documentary,comparative method and case study to investigate admission criteria and recruitment and evaluation processes and building a model for undergraduate admissions reform in the University of California system based on the triangle model of higher education.And analyze the controversies and shortcomings of the University of California System’s undergraduate admissions reform by explaining the factors affecting the undergraduate admission of UC System,and provide useful insights into the construction of China’s college admissions model in the era of universal higher education.The thesis is divided into five parts.The first part compares the process of exploring the comprehensive quality assessment-based undergraduate admission reform in the University of California System.In the 1960 s,higher education in the U.S.entered the stage of popularization,and the development goals of higher education and the direction of talent cultivation changed qualitatively.In response to new social needs and the inherent development requirements of higher education,the UC System’s undergraduate admissions model entered an early exploration phase,adjusting its admissions values and enrollment methodsunder the guidance of the State Department of Education.In the 21 st century,the University of California System formally began a comprehensive quality-oriented undergraduate admissions reform,divided into three stages: conception and initiation,accelerated promotion and final implementation of the reform.The second part discusses the values of the University of California System’s comprehensive quality assessment-based undergraduate admission reform.The UC System’s comprehensive quality-based undergraduate admissions reform philosophy focuses on the disadvantaged compensation philosophy,which provides admission program supporting for minority and disadvantaged students,individualized admissions criteria,and improved race-informed admissions systems.A holistic evaluation philosophy that considers academic achievement,personal qualities,and social contribution through both academic and non-academic dimensions in order to select high-caliber applicants who meet the University of California System’s cultivating objectives.The scientific philosophy of procedure,which is in the process of implementing recruitment standards,under the guidance of the legal concept of admissions management and awareness of rules,based on the principle of autonomy of colleges and universities,the selection and evaluation procedures such as individual inspection and collective evaluation are carried out to achieve accurate screening of applicants.The philosophy of categorical admissions means that applicants with different educational backgrounds are given an admissions process that is appropriate to their educational experience and basic academic level in order to ensure that all applicants have a fair and appropriate opportunity for admission.The third part explores the University of California System’s comprehensive quality assessment-based undergraduate admissions criteria in three evaluation dimensions: course performance,personal qualities,and practical activities.By constructing course evaluation criteria which are both process-oriented and quantifiable,the academic level of applicants is considered in depth based on their high school course grades,school rankings,and special academic achievements;the core attention is on the personal qualities of both social and individual from applicants,and the selection of applicants with good citizenship and unique thinking and personality;the emphasis is on the participation of applicants in practical activities.The program is designed to evaluate students in a multifaceted manner by setting criteria for participation in academic extracurricular activities,social activities,and sports and cultural programs.The fourth part discusses the practical application of admissions evaluation criteria in undergraduate admissions from the University of California System’s comprehensive quality assessment-based undergraduate admissions evaluation process.In the course performance evaluation process,the calculation of academic performance points,the setting of minimum academic performance points,and the introduction of specific program reviews break through the traditional one-way evaluation process that relies on standardized test scores to determine learning ability;in the evaluation of personal qualities,students are identified and selected for their sense of responsibility,leadership,autonomy and creativity by conducting Personal Insight Questions,clarifying the purpose of the test and verifying personal experiences;in the evaluation process of practical activities,the authenticity and validity of extracurricular activities provided by students are ensured by specifying the scope and content of practical activities and reviewing the personal data of applicants in a specific way.The paper concludes with an analysis of the factors influencing the undergraduate admissions reform in the University of California system based on the triangular model of higher education,exploring the influence of the interplay of political coordination,market intervention and university development on the choice of value orientation,the formulation of admissions criteria and the setting of the admissions process in the University of California system.Under this model,we also analyze the debates and insights arising from the UC system’s undergraduate admissions reform,including strengthening the examination of process academic performance in the entrance examination,establishing a multi-dimensional evaluation mechanism and collaborating with universities to build a comprehensive evaluation admissions mechanism.