1 ASSESSMENT & REPORTING MDCD ASSESSMENTS

2 Assessments CASAS BEST BESTEL WORK KEYS AMES ABLE SLOSSON TABE

3 GOALS Overview tests in field Recommendations

4 NRS & MAERS  Federal Law Requirements-the National Reporting System (NRS) Electronic student reporting system Student and Program characteristics Outcome measures  Michigan’s System is- The Michigan Adult Education Reporting System (MAERS) Web-based database to store records and produce reports

5 Outcomes & Performance Standards  Examples of Outcome Measures  Goals Employment related-obtain, improve and retain HSC & GED Completion Enter postsecondary education and training

6 Key Terms  Educational Functioning Level  Educational scale to measure gains  Six levels for both ABE and ESL  Gains-complete or advance a level Measure by assessments (pre-& post) HSC is exception-credits toward diploma 1 EFL=2 grade levels

7 Educational Functioning Levels-A B E  Beginning ABE Literacy  Beginning Basic Education  Low Intermediate Basic Education  High Intermediate Basic Education  Low Adult Secondary Education  High Adult Secondary Education

8 EFLs-ESL  Beginning ESL Literacy  Beginning ESL  Low Intermediate ESL  High Intermediate ESL  Low Advanced ESL  High Advanced ESL

9 ABE Levels Nonwork/Work Goal Beginning ABE Beg. Basic Education Slosson-lower 3 ABLE-all CASAS (employability)- lowest 3 Low Intermed. High Intermed. CASAS (employability)- all TABE-all Slosson-lowest3 Low ASE High ASE WorkKeys-on scale WorkKeys- highest 3

10 ESL Levels Nonwork/Work Goal Beg. ESL Literacy Beg. ESL BEST Oral-all/Written- 5 levels Low Intermed. ESL High Intermed. ESL BESTEL- highest 3 Low Adv. ESL High Adv. ESL CASAS (Life skills)-all CASAS (Life skills)-all

11 Issues  Test and Instruction should match.  If use more than one assessment use lowest level for-  Level at entry  Level at completion

12 Issues  The BEST, BESTEL and CASAS tests-only MDCD-approved ESL test instruments. Students who place on Low Advanced EFL on the Literacy BEST pre-test will need to post-test at 74 points or > in order to demonstrate EFL gain. Programs using BEST as only ESL test instrument will not be able to test students at the High Adv. EFL on the Literacy test-BEST does not measure literacy skills at this level.

13 Issues  BEST measures word recognition skills.  BESTEL measures sentence-level reading skills. BESTEL approved at upper 3 levels to address limitations of Literacy BEST at High Advanced level. Inappropriate test instrument for lower-level students. If student is pre-tested with BESTEL & scores < 40, they must be retested using BEST or CASAS.

14 “ Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” Single assessment measures are not adequate to document program outcomes. Assessment should be selected or developed based on learner goals, program goals, and the priority competencies that give learners the power to achieve goals. Programs must ensure that assessment results are meaningful and accessible to learners charting progress toward goals, teachers planning instruction, educators working to improve their programs, and to funding sources looking for accountability. Several options and choices are available to programs for meeting their assessment needs and for reporting outcomes. Collaboration, dialogue, and information sharing are crucial.

15 Freidrich Nietzsche once said, “Whatever does not destroy me makes me stronger.” In the spirit of such courageous optimism, I will offer a short introduction to the assessment tests on the approved list of MDCD. Take a deep breath, relax, and remember the sage words of Nietzche.

16 CASAS Employability Competency System (ABE)  ECS appraisals-initial assessment instrument.  Provide information on learner’s basic functional literacy skills in reading & math in an employability context.  Includes 2 sections: Reading-25 questions, 25 minutes. Math-20 questions, 25 minutes.  Results place students into levels A-D of pre- tests.  Appraisals not used for pre-or post-testing.

17 CASAS ECS (ABE)  Basic Skills Assessment in employability.  Measures learner’s ability to apply basic skills.  Integrates assessment with curriculum & instruction.  All tests serve as pre- and post-tests.  After instruction progress measured with post-test.  Reading & Math: level A-D (2 forms of each level).  No time limit. 1 Hr.

18 CASAS Life Skills Assessment (ESL)  Integrates assessment with curriculum & instruction.  Identifies basic skills in reading and listening.  Assesses learning gains.  ESL Appraisal used to select appropriate pre- test to administer.  Reading-20questions, 20 min.  Writing-2 dictated sentences.  Speaking/Listening-6 item oral interview.  Listening Comp.(ESL).

19 CASAS Life Skills Assessment (ESL)  Beginning Literacy Reading Assessment  Assesses reading ability of students with limited literacy skills. 2 forms 2 sections : literacy enabling (decoding) skills & life skills.  Reading: levels A-D  2 forms  No time limit. 1 Hr.  All tests serve as pre- and post-test.  Listening Comp. levels A-C.

20 Functions of Assessment and Instruction (CASAS)  Place-Learners given appraisal to determine appropriate program/instructional level & identify pre-test.  Diagnose-Learners take survey pre-test.  Instruct-Instruction & informal assessment occur.  Monitor-After interval, learners given post- test based on pre-test scores.

21 BEST Oral Test  Oral interview section  Individually administered, face-to- face interview.  15 min. per examinee  Consists of simulated real-life listening comprehension and speaking tasks.  Forms B& C  Tasks include:  Telling time  Asking for directions  Following directions  Counting money  Verifying change  Conversing socially  Elementary reading and writing tasks

22 BEST Literacy Skills  May be administered in 1 hr.  Individually or in group  Reading tasks include:  Dates on calendar  Labels on food & clothing  Bulletin announcements  Newspaper want ads  Writing tasks include:  Addressing an envelope  Writing a rent check  Filling out an application form  Writing a short passage  Forms B& C

23 BEST  Training Video & Guide include:  History of BEST  Scoring  Test administration  SPLs (student performance levels)  Scoring sheets  Answer keys  BEST Plus (Computer-Assisted BEST)  Face-to-face oral interview  Administrator enters scores in computer.  A different set of questions generated for pre-and post- testing.

24 BESTEL (Better Edition of Structure Tests-English Language)  Places students into low-beginning to advanced levels.  In MI the MAERS system only allows testing of 3 highest EFLs: > or = 40 (53%).  75 items-4 forms.  3 choice multiple choice.  Each form has 25 items. from beginning level, 25 from intermediate, and 25 from advanced.  BESTEL tests grammar & structural meaning.  45 min. to administer.

25 WORK KEYS  Reading for information (RFI)  Applied Mathematics (AM)  Writing (W)  Locating Information (LI)  Comprehensive employability skills assessment tool from ACT.  Measures progress. 4 criterion-referenced assessments. Assesses attainment of work-readiness.

26 WORK KEYS After completion of the scoring process, a set of standard reports is generated.  WIN (Worldwide Interactive Network) Instruction Solution for WORK KEYS. Computer-based Specifically designed for WORK KEYS system. Embedded assessments for ongoing analysis of skills attainment & predicting success.  State of MI recognizes WORK KEYS as alternative assessment for MI merit award.

27 WORKKEYS  Applied Mathematics (Paper)  Measures skill in applying mathematical reasoning to work- related problems, using methods of calculation that occur in the workplace.  Locating Information (Paper)  Measures skill in using information in workplace graphics, such as diagrams, floor plans, tables, forms, graphs, charts, & instrument gauges.  Locate, insert, & summarize info.

28 WORKKEYS  Passages based on demands at work: memos, bulletins, notices, letters, policy manuals & gov. regulations & understanding instructions.  Reading for Info. (Paper)  Measures skills in reading.  Writing (Audio)  Measures skills in writing work-related messages. Examinee listens to audio taped messages from customers, coworkers, or suppliers & composes written messages based on what they heard.

29 AMES (Adult Measures of Essential Skills) Measures reading, writing, arithmetic, information, & resource skills. Test questions based on experiences adults are likely to encounter at home, work & in the community. Norm-referenced, multiple-choice test. No longer available for purchase. Each level has 2 forms to accommodate pre- and post-testing. Levels B-E can be administered individually or in groups. Locator provided to determine level of test- 20-min.

30 AMES  SCORING  Hand-scored, machine scored, or computer scored.  LEVEL B-119 items, 2 hours to complete.  LEVEL C-123 items, 2 hours to complete.  LEVEL D-123 items, 2 hours to complete.  LEVEL E-123 items, 2 hours to complete.

31 ABLE Tests at all 6 EFLs in Reading & Math. Tests learners for vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, number operations, & problem solving. 3 levels corresponding to grades 1-4, 5-8, & equivalent forms at each level for pre-and post- testing. Locator available to match learner’s skill level to appropriate test level.

32 SLOSSON ORAL READING TEST-REVISED (SORT-R3)  Quick estimate of student’s level of word recognition, word calling, or reading level.  200 words in ascending order of difficulty in groups of 20 words.  Grade equivalents & standard scores are determined from tables in Appendix of Manual.

33 TESTS of ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (TABE)  Forms 7/8 Level L-Grade Level E-Grade Level M-Grade Level D-Grade Level A-Grade  Forms 5/6 Level E-Grade Level M-Grade Level D-Grade Level A-Grade

34 TABE  Locator tests  TABE 5/6: 2 locators- 1 for mathematics & 1 for reading/language.  TABE 7/8: 3 locators- 1 each for reading, mathematics, & language. Helps choose correct level of TABE (Easy, Medium, Difficult, Advanced). 35 min. to administer. Can not be used for pre-test or post-test  Total Battery  2 Hr. 34 min. to administer.  Survey  1 Hr. 17 min. to administer.  Level L  35 min. to administer.

35 TABE  Student’s performance on TABE 7/8, Levels D or A, is predictor of how well they will do on GED.  2 forms at each level for pre-& post-testing.  Allow minimum of 6 months between testing if using same form.  TABE-PC  All questions from Locator Tests through all levels & forms of TABE.  Tests scored instantly  Pre- & Post-test reports  TABE 5/6 published Phasing out 5/6

36 TABE  TABE 7/8 published TABE 7/8 continues to meet MI needs.  Norm-referenced Scores change on TABE from 1 release to another. Important to pre-post test with 5/6, 7/8 or 9/10.  TABE 9/10: Provides updated content. Matches national standards for adult skills. Matches 2000 update of GED.

37 TABE  TABE 9/10 Level L-Grade Level E-Grade Level M-Grade Level D-Grade Level A-Grade  Locator- 37 min. to administer.  Survey-90 min. to administer.  Complete Battery-2 Hr., 59 Min.  Published 2003.

38 ASSESSMENT “When it comes to the future, there are 3 kinds of people-those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

39 RECOMMENDATIONS CASAS (Life Skills)  Use as ESL test instrument: It measures listening & reading skills across all 6 EFLs & has test forms at each proficiency level.  MDCD (Adult Education) assist in facilitation of CASAS training.

40 RECOMMENDATIONS CASAS (Employability) & TABE  Administer CASAS Employability & TABE for assessment of ABE levels (non-work goals). Both assessments measure skills across all 6 EFLs.  Administer CASAS Employability for work- related goals. In future use for all 6 EFLs as on NRS.  Administer Work Keys for work-related goals at 3 highest EFLs. Consider phasing out for ABE

41 PRICE: CASAS TABE 7 & 8 Initial CostESL Appraisal: Manual & tape-$60 Booklets (25)-$68 Answer Sheets (25)-$30 Beg. Lit. (25)-$38 (2 forms)- (consumable) Reading A-D (25)-$68 (2 forms) Answer sheets (100)-$48 Listening Comp. A-C (25)-$75 (2 forms) Training-$3,000 TABE Locator (25)-$52 Level L (25)-$43 (2 forms)-(consumable) Complete battery E,M,D,A (25)-$92 (2 forms) Answer sheets: Locator (25)-$32.50 Reading (25)-$32.50 Math (25)-$32.50 Language (25)-$32.50 Annual Cost ESL Appraisal answer sheets (25)-$35 Beg. Lit. (25)-$38 (2 forms)- (consumable) Answer sheets (100)-for Reading A-D Listening Comp. (25)-$75 (2 forms) Level L (25)-$43 (2 forms) Answer sheets: Locator (25)-$32.50 Reading (25)-$32.50 Math (25)-$32.50 Language (25)-$32.50

42 Questions?