Technical College System of Georgia Office of Adult Education As required by the National Reporting System for Adult Education

Before Watching this Presentation FY14 OAE Adult Learner Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual Appendix A – EFL Descriptors Appendix B - GALIS, Goal, and EFL Matrix 2 AP, page 2

Objectives Introduction and Overview General Assessment Requirements Guidelines for BEST Literacy, BEST Plus, GAIN, TABE, TABE CLAS-E and WorkKeys Assessments Distance Education Policy 3

Introduction to the Assessment Policy Manual 4 AP, pages 3-5

Why an Assessment Policy? Federal requirement: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) Guidelines 5 AP, pages 3 – 4

Purposes and Uses of Assessments Student placement Develop rapport with student Analysis of diagnostic information Identify instructional strategies Establish student goals Monitor student progress Certify skill level and program completion 6 AP, page 4

Assessments – ESL and EL/Civics 7 AP, page 6

Assessments – ABE/ASE 8 AP, page 6

Use of Informal Assessments Guide Instruction Monitor Learning Types of Assessments  Teacher-made tests  Unit tests  Portfolios  Performance assessments  Observations 9 AP, page 4

Management Information System GALIS (Georgia Adult Learners Information System)  Store student records  Record assessment scale scores  Track student progress  Generate reports  Document special accommodations  Document training 10

11 General Assessment Requirements AP, page

Students to be Assessed 12 AP, page 6

Maintaining Assessment Records AssessmentDocumentation BEST LiteracyTest book and scoring sheet BEST PlusScore report GAINScore report TABEAnswer sheet and score report TABE CLAS-EAnswer book, writing folio, score report WorkKeysScore report 13 AP, page 6

Pre-testing Students ALL students must be assessed within the first 12 hours of attendance The lowest test level determines placement of the student 14 AP, page 7

Post-testing Students All students who meet the minimum hours of instruction for each assessment must be post-tested These timeframes vary from assessment to assessment 15 AP, page 7

Post-testing Guidelines AssessmentTimeframe BEST Literacy After 60 hours of instruction BEST Plus After 60 hours of instruction GAIN After 60 hours of instruction TABE After 40 hours of instruction (ABE) After 30 hours of instruction (ASE) TABE CLAS-E After 60 hours of instruction WorkKeys After a semester or quarter course 16 AP, page 7

Training Requirements Local providers ensure test administrators receive proper training each fiscal year OAE provides training for: Assessment Policies and NRS General guidelines for assessments BEST Plus and BEST Literacy All training documented in GALIS 17 AP, pages 8-9

Training Guidelines 18 AP, page 8-9

Pre-testing Accommodations Accommodations for:  Low literacy level  Lack of English proficiency  Disabilities Attempts to assess must be documented in student records and GALIS 19 AP, page 6

Baseline Scores 20 BEST LiteracyEnter form attempted/scale score of 0 BEST PlusEnter form attempted/scale score of 88 GAIN: EnglishEnter form attempted/scale score of 200 GAIN: MathEnter form attempted/scale score of 200 TABE 9&10: Level L, ReadingEnter form attempted/scale score of 160 TABE 9&10: Level L, MathEnter form attempted/scale score of 180 TABE CLAS-E: Listening/SpeakingEnter form attempted/scale score of 230 TABE CLAS-E: Reading/WritingEnter form attempted/scale score of 225 AP, page 6

Accommodations Accommodations must be requested Student must submit documentation of disability  Doctor’s Report  Certified Diagnostic Assessment  Individual Education Plan (IEP)  Other clinical records 21 AP, page

Forms of Accommodations May include, but not limited to:  Flexible scheduling and setting  Flexible presentation and responding  Assistive devices Each assessment provides guidance on acceptable accommodations 22 AP, pages

23 Guidelines for Each Assessment AP, pages

BEST Literacy Used with: English as a Second Language (ESL) English Literacy/Civics Reading and writing skills test Administered individually or in groups Print-based test with three forms – B, C, D 24 AP, pages

BEST Literacy Pre-test Pre-test within first 12 hours of instruction Pre-test not valid for placement into Advanced ESL Level (ESL6) 25 AP, page 11

BEST Literacy – Pre-test 26 Administrative Action Pre-test Option #1 Pre-test Option #2 Pre-test Option #3 Do not enter into GALIS. Record pre-test attempt in student permanent record. Use an oral screening tool to determine if student has low oral skills. If so, administer BEST Plus or TABE CLAS-E Listening/ Speaking. Administer GAIN English. GAIN Math is not required unless the student has a math improvement goal. Administer TABE 9/10 Reading and/or Language. TABE Math is not required unless student has a math improvement goal. AP, page 11

BEST Literacy – Post-test Post-test after a minimum of 60 hours of instruction Students pre-tested with BEST Literacy must be post-tested with BEST Literacy 27 AP, page 12

BEST Plus Used with: English as a second language (ESL) English Literacy/Civics Tests Listening Comprehension, Language Complexity, and Communication Administered individually Computer-adaptive or print-based version forms: A, B, C 28 AP, page 14

BEST Plus Pre-test Pre-test within first 12 hours of instruction Pre-test not valid for students who score ESL X (scale scores of 541 and above) 29 AP, page 14

BEST Plus – Pre-test 30 Administrative Action Pre-test Option #1 Pre-test Option #2 Pre-test Option #3 Do not enter into GALIS. Record pre-test attempt in student permanent record. Use a literacy screening tool to determine if student has low literacy skills. If so, administer BEST Literacy or TABE CLAS-E Reading/Writing. Administer GAIN English. GAIN Math is not required unless the student has a math improvement goal. Administer TABE 9/10 Reading and/or Language. TABE Math is not required unless student has a math improvement goal. AP, page 14

BEST Plus – Post-test Post-test after a minimum of 60 hours of instruction Students pre-tested with BEST Plus must be post-tested with BEST Plus 31 AP, page

TABE CLAS-E Used with: English as a second language (ESL) English Literacy/Civics Tests Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing Administered individually or in a group Pencil/Paper test administration Two forms (A, B) and Four levels (1, 2, 3, and 4) 32 AP, page 23

TABE CLAS-E Pre-test Pre-test within first 12 hours of instruction Must administer a minimum of two skill area tests in a particular combination: Listening/Speaking or Reading/Writing 33 AP, page 23

TABE CLAS-E Post-test Post-test after a minimum of 60 hours of instruction Students pre-tested with CLAS-E must be post-tested with CLAS-E. 34 AP, page

Transitioning from ESL to ABE Administer GAIN English or TABE Reading and/or TABE Language Assess in math only if student has a math improvement goal If ABE assessment is administered after an ESL assessment, the student is reported as ESL for the fiscal year 35

GAIN Used with: Adult Basic Education (ABE) Adult Secondary Education (ASE) Two subtests – English and Math Administered individually or in groups Online or paper administration Two forms – A & B 36 AP, page 17

GAIN – Pre-test Pre-test within first 12 hours of instruction Two subtests: English and Math Lowest score is used to determine placement in a level Enter combined scores into GALIS 37 AP, page 17

GAIN – Post-test Post-test after a minimum of 60 hours of instruction Students pre-tested with GAIN must be post-tested with GAIN. Progress Testing is not allowed by local programs funded by OAE 38 AP, page

TABE Used with: Adult Basic Education (ABE) Adult Secondary Education (ASE) Tests silent reading comprehension, math computation, applied math and language Administered individually or groups Two forms – 9 & 10; five levels – L, E, M, D, A Complete Battery or Survey 39 AP, page 20

TABE – Pre-test Pre-test within first 12 hours of instruction Administer TABE Locator to determine pre-test level(s) 40 AP, page 20

TABE – Post-test Adult Basic Education (ABE) students may be post-tested after a minimum of 40 hours of instruction Beginning ABE Literacy (ABE 1) Beginning Basic Education (ABE 2) Low Intermediate Basic Education (ABE 3) High Intermediate Basic Education (ABE 4) 41 AP, page 20

TABE – Post-test Adult Secondary Education (ASE) students may be post-tested after a minimum of 30 hours of instruction Low Adult Secondary Education (ASE 1) High Adult Secondary Education (ASE 2) 42 AP, pages 20

TABE – Post-test Post-testing requires that a different form (9&10) or level (L, E, M, D, A) must be used. Same level (L, E, M, D, A) use alternate form (9&10) Student pre-tests using 9E, post-test using 10E Same form (9&10) use a higher level (L, E, M, D, A) Student pre-tests using form 9M, post-test must be 9D or 9A. Students pre-tested with TABE must be post-tested with TABE 43 AP, page

WorkKeys Tests real-world skills critical to job success Computer-based and print-based versions Administered individually or in groups Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics Scales scores are valid for three NRS functioning levels: High Intermediate Basic Education (ABE 4) Low Adult Secondary Education (ASE 1) High Adult Secondary Education (ASE 2) 44 AP, page 26

WorkKeys – Pre-test Pre-test within first 12 hours of instruction Assessment administered outside adult education program is acceptable 45 AP, page 26

WorkKeys – Post-test WorkKeys recommends that the student be involved in regular instruction that is offered by the institution, such as a semester or quarter course WorkKeys test administrators require waiting 30 days between testing Students pre-tested with WorkKeys must be post-tested with WorkKeys 46 AP, page

Assessment FAQ’s BEST Literacy – page 13 BEST Plus – page 16 GAIN – page 19 TABE – page 22 TABE CLAS-E – page 25 WorkKeys – page 28 47

Quality Control – Local Programs Enter student data in GALIS by the 10 th of the following month Local units conduct on-going data integrity checks  File review and data comparison  Assessment report analysis 48 AP, pages

Quality Control – System Office OAE provides GALIS training sessions Helpdesk and state staff provide technical assistance State staff provide off-site monitoring of data 49 AP, pages

Maintaining Assessment Records AssessmentDocumentation BEST Literacy Test book and scoring sheet BEST Plus Score report GAIN Score report TABE Answer sheet and score report TABE CLAS-E Answer book, writing folio, score report WorkKeys Score report 50 AP, page 30

Test Security Handling test materials  Must be inventoried and kept in locked storage  Must not be copied or reproduced  Must not be used for instruction  Must report missing/damaged items to Program Administrator 51 AP, page 30

Test Security Examinee protocol  Must not be assisted with tests  Answers must not be tampered with  May not leave test site with testing materials Test Administrator  Must not participate in any activity resulting in inaccurate measurement or reporting of scores Testing Violations - Notify Program Admin. 52 AP, page 31

Distance Education 53 AP, pages

Distance Education Students must be assessed under same guidelines as all other adult learners Student data requirements for GALIS are the same 54 AP, pages

Appendix A and B 55

Appendices Appendix A – EFL Descriptors Appendix B – GALIS, Goal and EFL Matrix 56

Technical Assistance Team 57 Office of Adult Education Instructional Services Director Bobby Creech Central/Southeast Georgia Grant Program Support Coordinator Felicia Phelps Metro Atlanta/North Georgia Grant Program Support Coordinator Charita Boles Metro Atlanta/West Georgia Grant Program Support Coordinator Leatricia Williams South/Southwest Georgia Grant Program Support Coordinator Vacant Instructional Services Technical Coordinator Kimberlee Bryant GALIS Helpdesk Data Management Assistant Davida Shelton