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[Assessment 1074] Re: TABE TrainingVenu Thelakkat VenuT at lacnyc.orgFri Nov 23 15:22:07 EST 2007
I agree with Miriam that test publishers present easy targets for blame. While I am not overly compelled to defend CTB McGraw Hill, I am not sure about the point being made by John and Bruce. Is it that; - The TABE is a bad standardized test and there are others that are better suited to our purposes? Or is it that - All standardized assessments are bad and should not be part of any system for evaluating program or student performance? Or is the argument that - Standardized assessments should only be part of a more comprehensive evaluation system that includes portfolios, performance-based assessments and teacher observations (this, I believe, is part of the argument David made in a similar thread a few weeks ago) Venu Thelakkat Director of ASISTS/Data Analysis Literacy Assistance Center 32 Broadway, 10th floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 803-3370 venut at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org -----Original Message----- From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of John Gordon Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 2:42 PM To: The Assessment Discussion List Subject: [Assessment 1073] Re: TABE Training I think Bruce was right on the money about the TABE. It's hard not to be cynical about the role of the test publishers. I wonder about the role McGraw Hill has played in getting the TABE adopted, why they keep coming out with new versions every couple of years, etc. Much as I like to think that programs are not letting the tests drive instruction, I'm doubtful. The pressures to show testing outcomes are so intense (high stakes testing for the programs!), I assume many programs devote considerable time to preparing students for the TABE and other tests. I would point out that McGraw-Hill now publishes a series of TABE workbooks. So much for not letting the test drive instruction. I have no idea how many programs around the country use them; I'd be interested to know.... john gordon new york -----Original Message----- From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Kroeger, Miriam Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 11:00 AM To: The Assessment Discussion List Subject: [Assessment 1072] Re: TABE Training OVAE requires that Adult Education programs funded through WIA Title II use "standardized assessment procedures....The procedures must be a standardized test or a standarized poerformance-based assessment with a standardized scoring rubric." (NRS guidelines, pg.22) OVAE is also in the process of "vetting" assessments for approved use in AE programs. With the standarized, reliability and validity requirements, programs have "defaulted" to publishers' tests - thus the overwhelming use of TABE or CASAS. (Other tests that may have previously been used such as ABLE or AMES are no longer published or have not been updated.) We all know that no test is perfect; what we need to know is how to make the best use of the tests that are approved and to not let a test drive the instruction; rather it should help to inform instruction. Given that, do the majority of individuals using the TABE use the resources that are available with it? Someone has suggested that the instructors take the tests. They should at least review them at all the levels. They also need to be aware of the level at which the test items are written. A scale score of 600 on an E level test does not indicate that the student is at an ASE II level. Additionally, the Users Manual for both 7/8 and 9/10 contain item analysis for each question for both the complete and survey. Using these tool appropriately the instructor can get an idea of some of the skills that a student may be weak in. There are even sample lesson plans that demonstrate how a skill could be addressed in instruction. Publishers are not the big bad bogeymen - many of the people who work for them and who develop these materials and resources once worked in the field. They probably get paid more, or heaven forbid - have a full-time job and benefits with a publisher! Perhaps the frustration that many feel is caused by a (seeming?) emphasis on numbers (ed gains) and not enough recognition of the professional judgement of the teacher and student-centered learning. Peace and Blessings to all at this Thanksgiving time -Miriam Kroeger Arizona -----Original Message----- From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Bruce C Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 10:01 AM To: The Assessment Discussion List Subject: [Assessment 1062] Re: TABE Training Hello Assessment List: Here's the bind we have been in forever: The standardized tests like the TABE tell us little about what is really go on, but they are required, easy to administer, and give us a "score." Other assessments--formal and informal--give lots of information about what is really going on but they take too much time and are not considered "valid and reliable" scores. I would discourage people from using the TABE to analyze students' reading abilities. The TABE is not even a great indicator of reading level or progress, and I think any analysis of students' skill sets based on the TABE is really shaky--no matter what the publishers who make tons of money on the TABE say. It takes a lot more time to do one-on-one assessments where you ask students to read something--silently and/or aloud--note their errors and ask them questions about it. But that is definitely worth analyzing. Also, I think the TABE is a particularly bad standardized test. A few comments: --If students scores high on the TABE, they are pretty much guaranteed to be good readers (and a good test takers) --If students scores low on the TABE: they might be poor readers, they might have been tripped up by this bad test: maybe they needed more time to read well maybe they got nervous, maybe they read and understood every bit of the TABE but picked the wrong answers or maybe something else was wrong--they were tired, distracted by something in their personal lives, hungry, or sick. from Bruce Carmel Turning Point Brooklyn NY ________________________________________________________________________ ____________ Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/sports;_ylt=At9_qDKvtAbMuh1G1SQtBI7ntAcJ ------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Assessment mailing list Assessment at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment Email delivered to miriam.kroeger at azed.gov ------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Assessment mailing list Assessment at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment Email delivered to jgordon at fortunesociety.org ------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Assessment mailing list Assessment at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment Email delivered to venut at lacnyc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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