Dear Assessment Listserv Members,
A couple weeks ago, there was some discussion about administering BEST
Plus to large groups of students, and on the number of instructional
hours needed before re-testing. Marie asked me to respond to the entire
list. Below are the original questions and then my responses. If you
have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me via phone or
email.

Sincerely,
Breana Abbott Bayraktar
BEST Plus Training and Operations Manager
Center for Applied Linguistics
(202) 355-1563
breana at cal.org



ORIGINAL QUESTION:
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?

RESPONSE:
 We have found that successful use of BEST Plus with large numbers of
students requires planning in terms of providing a sufficient number of
computers, training enough test administrators, and considering
logistical concerns. On average, BEST Plus takes from 5 to 20 minutes to
administer, with most examinees falling in the 7 to 12 minute range.
Naturally, examinees with higher-proficiency take more time to test, and
examinees with lower proficiency take less time to test. BEST Plus, like
the BEST Oral Interview, is a one-on-one assessment of oral English
ability. It is not group-administered. BEST Plus has been successfully
implemented in many large programs across the country; feedback that we
have received indicates that even large programs benefit from BEST Plus'
ability to measure students' progress, place students, and report scores
to the NRS. 

One of the key points to address when using BEST Plus is the use of
computers. Will your program be using the print-based or
computer-adaptive version? Even when using the print version, it is
necessary to enter the scores into the software program to get the final
scale score which can be used for reporting purposes. Many programs have
set aside specific computers to only be used for testing. Sometimes this
is a desktop computer, but often it is a laptop. Since the technical
requirements for BEST Plus are not advanced (basically, any computer
with a CD-Rom drive using Windows 95 or higher will work), there is no
need to have brand-new or sophisticated computers. 

As with any assessment, appropriate space and amount of time for testing
(a computer or table if administering print-based) is needed. Staffing
considerations include needing test administrators and possibly someone
who is tech-savvy to manage tests and test data. In terms of test
administrators, programs need to consider their program's rate of
teacher turnover, since most test administrators are presumably
teachers, when deciding on how many test administrators to train. Some
programs may need to plan for a 10% teacher turnover or more by either
planning on having a training session each year or by having a state
trainer available to train one or two people at a time. BEST Plus does
recommend that teachers not test their own students. 

One final thing to think about is who you will be testing. Many programs
test all of their students with BEST Plus upon entry into the program
and then again at program-determined intervals. Some programs test only
certain populations with BEST Plus, perhaps only the students for whom
the program receives state or federal funding, or students in a specific
class (classes focusing on the development of listening and speaking
skills) or certain levels. 
Choosing and implementing an assessment is never a decision made
lightly, but we hope that these suggestions help to make that choice
easier. If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to
contact us at best-plus at cal.org or to visit our Web site at
www.best-plus.net. 



ORIGINAL QUESTION: 
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.

RESPONSE:
Because program-related factors such as intensity of instruction, class
size, teacher training and experience, and appropriate curricula and
materials will affect language learning proficiency gains, programs
should consider these factors when determining timing for pre- and
post-testing. There should be 60 hours minimum between pre- and
post-testing, but 80-100 hours is strongly recommended. If the hours for
a course of instruction exceed the recommended number of hours,
post-testing may take place at the end of the instructional session.

BEST Plus is currently conducting a research study to examine the impact
of varying levels of instructional hours and programs on gains as
reported with BEST Plus. We anticipate having the results of this study
available in late 2006. For more information, please contact us at
best-plus at cal.org. 



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at dev.nifl.gov
[mailto:assessment-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 10:25 AM
To: assessment at dev.nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment] Testing replies

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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