WEST PLAINS, Mo. – For the 17th consecutive year, students at Missouri State University-West Plains have scored at or above the national average in all categories of the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) examination, university officials announced.

Results of the test, which is administered nationwide to graduates of two-year degree programs, were recently released for 2012 graduates and show Missouri State-West Plains students scored at or above the national mean score in all five categories of the examination.  Those categories include writing skills, mathematics, reading, critical thinking and science reasoning.

“The outstanding performance of our students on this test year after year shows that our academic program is one of the best values in higher education in terms of quality and cost,” said Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew Bennett.

“It is significant that the CAAP results for our campus have consistently exceeded the national norms,” added Mirra Anson, director of developmental education programs at Missouri State-West Plains.  “This means that at Missouri State University-West Plains, our academic programs go above and beyond expectations to provide students with a high quality academic experience.”

Results of the testing show Missouri State-West Plains students posted a 63.8 mean score in writing compared to the national average of 61.5.  In math, their mean score was 56.5 compared to the national mean of 56.1.  In reading, Missouri State-West Plains students had a 62.2 mean score in reading compared to the national average of 60.1, and in critical thinking, they posted a 62.1 mean score compared to 60.6 nationally.  In science, students posted a 60.6 mean score compared to 59.2 nationally.

Students’ participation in this outcome assessment program is important in understanding the quality of the education they receive at the university, Anson said.  “The CAAP assessment is the measurement of the students’ achievement levels on both a group and an individual basis,” she explained.

“It lets us compare our students with the national norms to determine the strengths and weaknesses of our general education program.”

Area residents interested in learning more about the academic programs available at Missouri State-West Plains can call the admissions office at 417-255-7955 or visit the campus’ website at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu.