[Assessment] Testing repliesMarie Cora marie.cora at hotspurpartners.comWed Nov 23 10:24:50 EST 2005
Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all. Thanks for all the interesting questions, comments, and replies regarding the 2 topics "When to test?" and "Testing in small programs". I read that discussion with much interest. It was really nice to hear from some of you who have not posted to the List before - thank you!! I have some further questions and comments as well. GED: First, I wonder if anyone can speak further to some of the GED related comments and questions (although the resources that one person provided were great, so thanks for that). I would also like to know more about people's experience with the criteria for administering the Practice Tests, and also in terms of equating TABE and GED. I have heard that some programs struggle to get students to take the TABE post-test once those students have started focusing on the GED because they see no reason to complete the TABE (but this then affects the data that the program can collect in terms of measuring student progress). We don't discuss GED issues enough here, and I would like to see some change in this. Are there other GED questions/concerns that folks have? BEST Plus: Next, can anyone else comment on administering BEST Plus to large numbers of students? I am under the impression that the new computerized version really helps with this issue. Does anyone have experiences they can share in terms of this? Is it a matter of time? Or access to computers? Or scheduling logistics? Attendance: One person commented that they have a difficulty with students in terms of class start time, and that students filter in at all times during the allotted class schedule. I have heard that programs are starting to move away from Open Enrollment (which is a different issue) because this also causes disruptions in terms of the smooth delivery of curriculum and instruction. What do folks do in terms of students arriving late to class? I read with some emotion the other day in the Boston Globe, that in some high schools, classrooms (and even the school itself) lock out any student who arrives late. That's high school, not ABE. But I thought of that article when I read the person's post. I admit that I would be frustrated with this issue for the adult students who DO get there on time and are ready to work. It seems unfair for them to have to deal with this issue as well. Opportunities for outside practice: One post noted that some students excel because of their experiences outside of the classroom. I guess that's why in K-12 and traditional college educations, we get homework and if fortunate enough, study abroad. But the challenges inherent in ABE/ESOL often do not allow for assigning homework - although it seems a shame to be unable to take advantage of the fact that our students are already in an English-speaking country (regardless if they live in communities where they can easily avoid using English). Does anyone have examples, experiences, ideas to share on giving homework, or assignments to be completed outside of the class? Does it work out? What kinds of stuff do you ask your students to do? If you do this, how do you find activities/tasks that you feel confident your students will actually try to pursue? Class schedules: A couple of people commented on how they shifted their class offerings from fewer hours per week and longer sessions, to more hours per week and shorter sessions. I tried to find a resource (but failed.so far) that I read a few years ago that discussed research in this area and supports the notion that more intensive programs in shorter chunks are indeed more effective in terms of student retention and educational gain. Can anyone give us more examples of this type of shifting of your schedules? Does anyone know of a resource that discusses this? I will keep looking for the one I have - cuz I know it's in one of my piles somewhere. I keep thinking of NCSALL when thinking of this research. Using data for program improvement: I always love to read/hear about programs analyzing their program/student test data in order to improve their instructional or program practice. This is one of the single most powerful tools a program (and teacher!) can have to make what they do better. It's also one of the most infrequently employed, although I feel like this is a rising trend. If you have good stories to tell about using your data for program or instructional improvement, please do share with us! Test/Re-test guidelines: In terms of when to re-test, 30/40 hours indeed seems very low - and thanks to the person for providing the guideline from CASAS on re-test (which was about 80 hours I think - did you note that there is a minimum of 45 hours? Are there particular instances when one would re-test after so few hours?). I tried a bit to find the exact numbers for re-test on BEST Plus (but I think it's also 80 hours) and gave up for now - does anyone have that info handy? I think TABE is also around the same number of hours - there seems to be a standard around how much instruction is needed before you can see educational gain with a student. Is that right? Here is the link for the SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support) Assessment Support Website that has info on tests and guidelines for testing. You can find some pretty good suggestions there around these issues. http://www.sabes.org/assessment/index.htm Thanks and I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday. marie cora Moderator, The National Institute for Literacy Assessment Discussion List, and Coordinator/Developer LINCS Assessment Special Collection at http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
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