The chapter listed four ways that people react to a measurement that affects them: doing what the measurer wanted; doing something slightly different that is measured well; lying; and avoiding being measured. Note which type of behavior you think is being exhibited in each of 1 to 5 below. Also note if there are unintended consequences.

In December, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education asked for public comment on ways it was planning to measure two-year and four-year colleges in the United States.39 The goal is to have a system of ratings of colleges as “high performing,” “low performing,” and “in the middle.” Each college will be judged on: giving access to needy students; affordability after considering scholarships;

and outcomes, “such as graduation and transfer rates, graduate earnings, and advanced degrees of college graduates.” Assume that the Department of Education decides to measure “outcomes” for four-year colleges by the percentage of students who graduate in four years.

1. Schools increase the emphasis they place on advisement and tutoring, to help ensure students take appropriate courses.

2. Schools discourage students from taking internships while in school, since such students are likely to need an extra semester to graduate.

3. Schools take fewer students with low SAT scores. The schools are afraid these students will have a harder time finishing in four years.

4. Schools make it easier to graduate by making their classes and requirements easier.

5. Schools make it harder for their students to transfer to other colleges, since transfers to other colleges do not count as graduations.

6. Schools discontinue their engineering programs, which are normally five-year programs.