Hi. I am posting to this list for the first time. Currently I direct an adult literacy program at LaGuardia Community College  in the City University of New York.  We serve primarily an immigrant population and offer classes in basic education, GED and ESL.

We have large numbers of non-native English speakers in our basic education and GED classes.  We have WIA funding and, as you know, are required to administer the TABE test for BE and GED students in reading comprehension in order to measure gain and movement from one NRS level to another.  While our students do quite well on the GED Practice test and subsequently on the actual GED exam, their TABE reading scores are often erratic, and we can have students scoring at 6th and 7th grade on the TABE M and D who take and pass the GED exam after scoring well on the GED Predictor.  I realize that the TABE reading test has its difficulties and it is criticized in NYC (and probably elsewhere) as a measure of progress.  Whatever its limitations may be,  my understanding is that the TABE was normed on native English speakers.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience and/or knowledge of the appropriateness of the TABE for non-native English speakers?