Registration is currently open.
Developed by the RAND Corporation and the Council for Aid to Education (CAE), the CLA+ is an open-ended assessment that allows for a direct measure of student learning in the areas of critical thinking and writing. Beginning in the 2006-2007 academic year, this assessment has been administered to entering freshmen in the fall and graduating seniors in the spring at Stanislaus State.
Institutions use the CLA+ to estimate how much they contribute (value-added) to their students' development of higher order skills -- specifically providing data on several of the Stanislaus State Core Competencies (Written Communication, Creative and Critical Inquiry, and Quantitative Reasoning). CLA+ results are used by the institution to improve teaching and learning.
For the spring administration, each senior who completes the 90 minute exam (the first 100 to register) will receive a gift card. All participating students will also receive an individual score and an explanation of their strengths and weaknesses in terms of analytical/writing ability in comparison to their peers. CLA+ results can also be used to build your resume and share with potential employers.
For more see Why Should I Take the CLA+ (CLA+ Student Guide)?
All senior-level students are eligble to take the exam. Seniors meeting the CLA+ qualifications will receive an email invitation to participate from the Office of Assessment in early March, 2019.
You can also register here!
The CLA will be administered in the Stanislaus State Modern Language Lab (L110H).
If you have any questions about the CLA or your invitation to participate, please email academicprograms@csustan.edu or call 209-667-3082.
As noted in the CLA student guide, the CLA contains two task types: the Performance Task and the Analytic Writing Task. All tasks are open-ended and administered online.
No prior knowledge of any particular field is necessary in order to perform well on the CLA+.
To view past institutional CLA reports, see the Collegiate Learning Assessment Institutional Reports page.
Updated: April 24, 2023