Together, these four items prevent constructive change in the academic world. Assessment by itself is not a Big Rock. It helps us focus on Big Rocks through both qualitative and quantitative mechanisms. Assessment is not a mysterious micropsychometric activity available only to those entering some mystical state of grace. When the department chairperson parachutes into your classroom to observe your day of teaching for the annual report, that is not assessment and, moreover, it's not good evaluation either.
Assessment points toward things that somebody values.
It raises expectations. We as professors know the same thing when annual reports come due or when PMT papers are requested. Expectations exist about things that will be on the test. Stewards of assessment programs should be aware of their resources and use them with sensitivity and care. Identify those that require a disciplinary specialist for interpretation and those that would be meaningful to a disciplinary layperson.