Assessment Policy

1
Assessment Policy

• South Carolinas
• 2006-2008 Assessment Policy
• for Adult Education Professionals

2
NRS Assessment Guidance

• Local adult education programs must assess
  students using standardized pre-post assessments
  to report educational gain for the National
  Reporting System (NRS). To promote the validity
  and reliability of these assessment data, the
  Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL)
  requires each state to submit annually a written
  assessment policy. The policy is to describe the
  assessments local programs are to use, when local
  programs are to administer pre-posttests,
  training requirements for assessments and
  assessment administration and reporting
  requirements. State implementation of effective
  assessment policies will result in high quality
  assessment data from local programs.
• . . . taken from the DAELs State Assessment
  Policy Guidance on the NRS website
  www.nrsweb.org.

3
General Policy

• All learners who enter adult education programs
  must be assigned an Educational Functioning Level
  (EFL) in accordance with NRS guidelines.
• In order to accomplish this task, it is necessary
  to assess the learners with testing instruments
  and procedures that ensure an accurate
  representation of their placement on an
  educational continuum.

4
General Policy

• Upon assessment, if a learner is functioning at
  different levels, the lowest functioning level
  should be the basis for initial NRS placement.

5
General Policy

• To determine gain, learners are to be assessed
  again once they have received between 30-60 hours
  of instruction or at the end of a regularly
  scheduled class session.

6
General Policy

• If more than one post-test is administered, the
  latest assessment should be used to determine
  advancement.
• An advance or completion is recorded if,
  according to a subsequent assessment, the learner
  has skills corresponding to one or more levels
  higher than the incoming level in the areas
  initially used for placement.
• The lowest functioning level should again be used
  to make this determination.

7
General Policy

• Standardized testing procedures provided by the
  South Carolina Department of Education must be
  used during assessment.

8
General Policy

• Test administrators and program directors must
  attend assessment training provided by the Office
  of Adult and Community Education in order to
  administer any NRS required assessment.

9
General Policy

• All program directors must have a certificate on
  file verifying that they and their test
  administrator have completed the required
  training.
• The certificate must be available for review
  during SDE on-site monitoring visits and/or
  during formal program evaluations.

10
General Policy

• Each adult education program must establish and
  publish an assessment schedule indicating the
  days, evenings and times assessment will be
  conducted.
• Pre and post tests required by NRS must be
  administered during these assessment times or as
  arranged by the test administrator with a
  particular class.

11
Policy for ABE and ASE

• Adult Basic Education (ABE) learners and Adult
  Secondary Education (ASE) learners must be
  assessed at intake.
• Test results are to be used for placement into
  the appropriate instructional program and for
  assigning an appropriate educational functioning
  level.

12
Policy for ABE and ASE

• The TABE Complete Battery is the required
  assessment instrument.
• All five TABE tests (Reading, Mathematics
  Computation, Applied Mathematics, Language, and
  Spelling) or any combination thereof may be
  administered depending on the learners
  educational goal and the area(s) in which
  instruction will be focused.

13
Policy for ABE and ASE

• Adult education programs may use TABE Forms 7 8
  or Forms 9 10.
• No forms of TABE lower than 7 8 are allowable.
• Use the TABE locator test to determine the
  appropriate level of TABE (E, M, D, or A) to
  administer.

14
Policy for ABE and ASE

• In compliance with NRS, all ABE/ASE learners must
  be pre and post-tested using the TABE test, and
  scale scores must be reported in the LACES data
  system.

15
Policy for ABE and ASE

• For learners with disabilities, follow
  CTB/McGraw-Hills recommended guidelines for
  inclusiveness and accommodation in test
  administration.
• These guidelines are contained in the
  publication, Guidelines for Inclusive Test
  Administration. If however, a learner lacks
  sufficient skills to be validly assessed with
  TABE, the learners file must contain
  documentation stating that he/she could not be
  assessed.

16
Policy for ABE and ASE

• The same level of TABE must be used to pre and
  post-test a learner, except when a learner
  pre-tests near the top of a levels range.
• For example, if a learner took TABE, M/7 as a
  pre-test and scored a 9.4 grade equivalent, he
  should take TABE D/7 or 8 as the post-test
  because 9.9 is the highest a learner can score on
  TABE, Level M.

17
Policy for ABE and ASE

• Alternate TABE forms must be used when
  post-testing to prevent the learner from becoming
  too familiar with a particular tests content.
• For example, if Form 7 is administered as a
  pre-test, Form 8 should be administered as a
  post-test.

18
Policy for ABE and ASE

• On TABE, gain can be calculated using the reading
  score, the math computation score, the math
  applications score, the total math score, or the
  language score.
• Use the scale score for calculating all total
  scores, and use the grade equivalent when
  calculating individual test scores such as math
  computation or math applications.

19
Policy for ESL

• All ESL learners must be assessed for placement
  within 5 days of their entrance into an
  instructional ESL program.

20
Policy for ESL

• All ESL learners must be pre and post-tested,
  using alternate test forms, in order to document
  educational gains.
• Educational gains are defined as advancement from
  one functioning level to the next.

21
Policy for ESL

• The state approved ESL assessment is the Oral
  BEST.
• Either the Short Form or Forms B/C of the Oral
  Interview section of BEST can be used for
  pre-testing however, only Forms B/C can be used
  for post-testing.
• After September 30, 2006, Oral BEST materials
  will no longer be available for purchase
  however, programs will continue to use the Oral
  BEST for the 2006-2007 school year. A new
  assessment instrument will be selected for use in
  2007-2008.

22
Policy for ESL

• The Oral BEST must be administered one on one.
• Assign educational functioning levels based on
  the NRS Measures Table. See Appendix B.

23
Policy for Workplace Literacy

• TABE is the assessment to be administered for
  workplace literacy programs.
• The following WorkKeys assessments may be used
  for Para-Professional testing needed for
  compliance with the No Child Left Behind
  legislation Reading for Information, Writing,
  and Applied Mathematics.

24
Policy for Workplace Literacy

• The following WorkKeys assessments are used for
  the South Carolina Career Readiness Certification
  Program
• Reading for Information
• Applied Mathematics
• Locating Information

25
Policy for Workplace Literacy

• Standardized testing procedures are to be
  followed when administering WorkKeys.
• WorkKeys scale scores, when obtained, may be used
  for the purpose of assigning an appropriate
  educational functioning level.
• If WorkKeys is used as a pre-test for NRS, an
  alternate test form must be used for post-testing.

26
Policy for Workplace Literacy

• In cases where a TABE test has also been
  administered, the TABE test may be used for
  purposes of assigning an educational functioning
  level.
• TABE testing procedures as indicated for ABE/ASE
  learners would be followed.

27
Policy Work-Based Project Learners

• Work-based project learners are learners who are
  enrolled in an instructional or training course
  that has at least 12 hours and no more than 30
  hours of scheduled instruction.

28
Policy Work-Based Project Learners

• Work-based project courses must be designed to
  teach work-based literacy skills (reading,
  writing, numeracy, computer literacy, speaking
  and listening).
• The skills the student is to learn, as well as
  the method of assessing these skills and the
  standards for achievement, must be explicitly
  stated prior to beginning the course.

29
Policy Work-Based Project Learners

• To count as having completed that activity, the
  learner must demonstrate achievement of the
  skills at the level of the agreed upon standard.
• All state-approved work-based project learner
  courses are listed under the SC Training and
  Resource Centers page on the www.scraetac.org
  website. These are the only courses that can be
  used for the work-based project learner category.

30
Policy Work-Based Project Learners

• CASAS ECS Appraisal 130 is the required
  assessment instrument for state-approved
  work-based project learner courses.
• Only students who score below the twelfth grade
  level (12.9) on either the math or reading
  section may be counted for reimbursement through
  an adult education program.

31
Policy Work-Based Project Learners

• Work-based project learners should have achieve
  work-based project learner goal as their primary
  goal for attending.
• Work-based project learners are not assigned an
  educational functioning level and no additional
  outcomes are collected on those learners.

32
Policy for Computer Literacy

• Assessment and placement of computer literacy
  students is accomplished by using the South
  Carolina Computer Literacy Assessment Checklist.
• This checklist is used for both pre and
  post-testing. See Appendix I in the South
  Carolina Assessment Policy manual for further
  instructions.

33
Policy for GED Practice Test

• The Official GED Practice Test should be used for
  the following purposes only
• To determine a candidates readiness to take the
  full-length GED tests.
• To provide practice in taking tests under
  standardized testing conditions.
• To reduce anxiety by increasing the candidates
  familiarity with the types of questions found on
  the GED tests.
• . . . taken from the Official GED Practice Test
  Administrators
• Manual published by Steck-Vaughn

34
Policy for GED Practice Test

• Standardized testing procedures are to be
  followed when administering the Official GED
  Practice Test.
• The Official GED Practice Test should only be
  administered after an initial skills assessment
  with TABE has been completed.

35
Policy Unacceptable Methods of Assessment

• Standardized assessments may not be administered
  in the same room and/or at the same time that
  regular classroom instruction is being delivered.
  
• Assessment must be an activity unto itself.
• No one can administer TABE, Oral BEST, or
  WorkKeys assessments who has not successfully
  completed the states assessment training.

36
Policy Unacceptable Methods of Assessment

• Programs cannot give the TABE without first
  determining what level of TABE a learner must
  take.
• The Official GED Practice Test may not be used to
  assign educational functioning levels or to
  document pre and post-test gains for NRS.

37
Policy Unacceptable Methods of Assessment

• The Official GED Practice Test should not be
  administered to individuals who are known to be
  deficient in educational preparation and who may
  be discouraged from pursuing further education as
  a result of the testing experience.
• . . . taken from the Official GED Practice Test
  Administrators Manual
• published by Steck-Vaughn

38
Policy Unacceptable Methods of Assessment

• The Official GED Practice Test should not be
  given repeatedly to the same individual as a way
  of preparing for the full-length GED tests or for
  diagnostic purposes to identify areas of
  weakness.
• . . . taken from the Official GED Practice
  Test Administrators Manual
• published by Steck-Vaughn

39
Policy Accommodations in the Testing Process

• Adult Education policy clearly expects programs
  to evaluate and test all adult program
  participants. Federal and state laws stipulate
  that eligible students be provided with
  appropriate accommodations during the testing
  process.
• As adult educators, we are expected to provide
  testing accommodations to those adult
  participants who quality for these procedures.

40
Policy Accommodations in the Testing Process

• The publishers of the tests listed in the policy
  manual call for an inclusive assessment process
  and offer guidelines for providing accommodations
  based on recent research. Educators and test
  administrators are cautioned to follow the
  guidelines offered by the test publishers.
• The assessment process may be impacted by the
  accommodation(s) that is provided, and therefore,
  should be carefully controlled and documented.