Hi- ours is a small non-profit organization, and we do have a large ESL
population.  I like the BEST-Plus oral assessment.

A great many of our learners who are educated in other countries can read
and write English quite well, and it is the oral portion with which they
struggle.

Mary V. Gleason
Executive Director, CC Literacy Council
4044 Greenwood Dr., CC, TX 78416
(361) 857-5896   Fax: 854-5898





>

>

>

> 1.  What is the best assessment tool for ESL adult learners?  I used both

> CASAS language and reading for ESL Learners. I will say though that I

> found that while CASAS measures competencies, it is difficult to separate

> out language skills levels related to the task analysis.

>

> 2.  What is the most widely used assessment tool for them?  CT is a CASAS

> state.

>

> 3.  How much movement from one level to another do your programs see among

> these learners? We did see multiple level jumps, though my most recent job

> was a WIA-funded high-intensit/duration program. As many of you know,

> level jumps don't 'count" in the NRS. in the literacy volunteers program

> level gain was smaller and sometimes nil, but that was for a minimum

> 2/hrs/wk volunteer tutoring. Highly motivated and educated students in

> their own language did better.

>

> Now I use Accuplacer for all university testing, and we have far fewer ESL

> students than we did. Even when we did, the testing was a more informal

> oral interview/writing sample assessment. I've found that while ESL

> students I work with have fewer problems communicating orally,so are not

> easily spotted, they have a terrifically hard time with writing, and

> reading academic-level texts. but then again, that's true for the general

> under-prepared "developmental" population.

>

> Bonnie Odiorne, Ph.D.

> Writing Center Director and Adjunct Professor, Post University, Waterbury,

> CT

>

>

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