Assessment Policy

1
Assessment Policy

• Welcome to the training for South Carolinas
  09-10 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 Adult Education learners must be assigned an
  Educational Functioning Level (EFL)
• In order to assign learners to the correct EFL
  they must be assessed using approved testing
  instruments

4
General Policy

• The National Reporting System (NRS) identifies 12
  EFLs
• 6 Levels at Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• Beginning ABE Literacy
• Beginning Basic Education
• Low Intermediate Basic Education
• High Intermediate Basic Education
• Low Adult Secondary Education
• High Adult Secondary Education
• 6 Levels at English as a Second Language (ESL)

5
General Policy

• Each functioning level addresses standards and
  competencies
• Adults must demonstrate skills at level in order
  to move up

6
Educational Functioning Level Table
7
(No Transcript)
8
General Policy

• All learners must be assessed at intake or prior
  to receiving 12 hours of instruction.

9
General Policy

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

10
General Policy

• To determine whether students have advanced one
  or more levels, learners are to be assessed again
  according to the test publishers recommended
  timeframes for post-testing.

11
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.

12
General Policy

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

13
General Policy

• Test administrators, program directors and
  coordinators must complete training on the SC
  Assessment Policy annually.
• Training to administer specific assessments
  (TABE, WorkKeys) must be updated when changes
  occur or as indicated in the Specific Assessment
  Policy.

14
General Policy

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

15
General Policy

• Each adult education program must establish and
  publish an assessment schedule indicating when
  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.

16
General Policy

• The state has set a minimum goal percentage for
  adult learners receiving both a pre- and
  post-test of 60.
• However, programs should make every attempt to
  pre- and post-test ALL enrolled participants.

17
General Policy

• With the exception of High Adult Secondary
  students, learners are to be post-tested after
  they have received 60-100 hours of instruction.
• ABE/ASE
• ESL Students
• For classes less than 60 hours, post-assessment
  will be done at the end of the instructional
  unit.

18
General Policy

• Examples of Instructional Units
• WorkKeys targeted instruction classes
• Fast Track GED classes
• Some managed enrollment programs
• HSAP Preparation classes
• Paraprofessional Preparation classes
• High School Diploma ½ unit courses

19
General Policy

• Hours spent in orientation and assessment count
  toward students total attendance hours.
• Contact or attendance hours are hours of
  instruction or instructional activity the learner
  receives from the program.
• Instructional activity activity designed to
  promote student learning in the program
  curriculum, such as classroom instruction,
  assessment, tutoring or participation in a
  learning lab.

20
General Policy

• In compliance with the NRS, all assessment data
  (pre- and post-)must be entered into the LACES
  Data system within six weeks of test
  administration.
• All other data (course enrollment and attendance)
  should be entered on a monthly basis as a
  minimum.
• The regional and state level LACES Coordinators
  will monitor input dates quarterly using LACES
  reports and data.

21
General Policy Updates

• All program directors must
• participate in LACES training as provided by
  state staff during bi-annual directors meetings
  or other specialized training
• utilize local data for program planning and
  improvement
• provide annual training for teachers and other
  local staff in data collection procedures and the
  use of data.

22
General 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.

23
General Policy Accommodations in the Testing
Process

• During the intake process, programs must make
  every effort to identify students who will need
  accommodations during assessment
• Acceptable documentation includes
• Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• 504 Plan
• Other
• Self-identification

24
General 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) provided, and therefore, should
  be carefully controlled and documented.

25
General Policy Accommodations in the Testing
Process

• Local programs have the responsibility to provide
  reasonable accommodations.
• Local programs may not deny or prevent access to
  services based on a learners disability.
• Depending on the age of the student, the local
  program may be required to absorb the costs
  related to the accommodations.

26
Policy for ABE and ASE

• Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult Secondary
  Education (ASE) learners must be assessed at
  intake or prior to receiving 12 hours of
  instruction.
• Test results are to be used for placement into
  the appropriate instructional program and for
  assigning an appropriate educational functioning
  level.

27
Policy for ABE and ASE

• The Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Complete
  Battery (vs. Survey) 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.

28
Policy for ABE and ASE

• Adult education programs must use TABE Forms 9
  10.
• Use the TABE Locator test to determine the
  appropriate level of TABE (E, M, D, or A) to
  administer.

29
Policy for ABE and ASE

• Learners who present themselves as non-readers
  may be evaluated with the TABE Word List.
• Follow the publishers guidelines to determine
  whether to administer the TABE Locator or TABE
  Level L (Literacy).

30
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/9 as a
  pre-test and scored a 9.4 grade equivalent, he
  should take TABE D/9 or 10 as the post-test
  because 9.9 is the highest a learner can score on
  TABE, Level M.

31
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 9 is administered as a
  pre-test, Form 10 should be administered as a
  post-test.

32
Policy for ABE and ASE

• On TABE, gain can be calculated using the reading
  score, the math computation score, the applied
  math score, the total math score, or the language
  score.
• On TABE, level advancement (gain) can be
  calculated using the scale score for any content
  area test.
• Scale scores obtained in one content area should
  not be compared to scale scores in another
  content area because separate scales were
  developed for each TABE 9 10 content area.

33
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.

34
Policy for ABE and ASE

• WorkKeys can be used to assign an Educational
  Functioning Level when a Silver Career Readiness
  holder comes from a One Stop with a goal of
  upgrading.
• WorkKeys scores must be no more than 6 months
  old.
• Scale Score Reading for Information (75-78)
• Scale Score Applied Mathematics (75-77)
• Director must verify that standardized testing
  procedures were followed by the One Stop

35
Policy for ESL

• The state approved ESL assessment is the BEST
  Plus.
• BEST Literacy, Forms B, C, D may be used with
  students who have some reading and writing
  ability.

36
Policy for ESL

• All ESL learners must be assessed for placement
  prior to receiving 12 hours of instruction.
• Test results are to be used for assigning an
  appropriate educational functioning level.
• The six ESL Educational Functioning Levels are
• Beginning ESL Literacy
• Low Beginning ESL
• High Beginning ESL
• Low Intermediate ESL
• High Intermediate ESL
• Advanced ESL

37
Policy for ESL
38
Policy for ESL

• All ESL learners must be pre- and post-tested
  with BEST Plus and/or BEST Literacy, using
  alternate forms to document educational gains.
• Educational gains are defined as advancement from
  one functioning level to the next.

39
Policy for ESL

• ESL students who score the maximum scores allowed
  by NRS regulations on BEST Plus and BEST Literacy
  will be tested with TABE Locator and then
  assessed with the appropriate form of TABE.
• These students will be considered as ABE students
  not ESL students.
• The BEST Literacy assessment cannot be used as an
  exit criteria for ESL students. LACES data must
  reflect that ESL students scored the highest
  acceptable NRS scores on BEST Plus.

40
Policy for ESL

• All trained BEST Plus test administrators must
  complete the BEST Plus Scoring Refresher within 6
  weeks to 3 months of their original BEST Plus
  Training.
• All BEST Plus test administrators must score in
  the Acceptable category in all areas of the
  Scoring Refresher to maintain their testing
  certification.
• BEST Plus test administrators may repeat Scoring
  Refresher trainings as needed to improve skills
  or refresh scoring techniques.

41
Policy for ESL

• BEST Plus must be administered one-on-one, using
  the computer adaptive or print version.
• BEST Literacy may be administered to a group or
  to an individual.

42
Policy for ESL

• Learners are to be post-tested after they have
  received a minimum of 60 hours of instruction and
  a maximum of 80-100 hours of instruction.

43
Policy for ESL

• Program and test administrators may provide
  accommodations in test administration procedures
  or in the testing environment for individuals
  with disabilities, provided the accommodation
  does not compromise the purpose of the test.
• Testing environment accommodations may include
  frequent breaks or individual administration of
  BEST Literacy.

44
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.

45
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

46
Policy for Workplace Literacy

• Standardized testing procedures are to be
  followed when administering WorkKeys
• If WorkKeys is used as a pre-test for NRS, an
  alternate test form must be used for post-testing.

47
Policy for Workplace Literacy

• In cases where a TABE test has also been
  administered, the TABE test should be used for
  purposes of assigning an educational functioning
  level.
• TABE testing procedures as indicated for ABE/ASE
  learners would be followed.
• Accommodations may be offered for students taking
  the WorkKeys assessments. Follow ACTs policies
  as outlined in the WorkKeys Test Coordinators
  Manual.

48
Policy for GED Official 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

49
Policy for GED Official 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.
• The Official GED Practice Test may not be used to
  assign educational functioning levels or to
  document pre- and post-test gains for NRS.

50
Policy for GED Official Practice Test

• 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

51
Policy for GED Official Practice Test

• If a student has been approved for modifications
  on the full-length GED tests, these same
  modifications may be used with the Official
  Practice tests.
• For example, if a student has been approved for
  time and a half on the full-length GED tests,
  providing this accommodation on the OPT will
  provide the candidate with a better understanding
  of the amount of time allowed and help the
  candidate budget time on each question more
  efficiently.

52
Policy for Distance Education

• Distance Education is formal learning activity
  where students and teachers are separated by
  geography, time or both for the majority of the
  instructional period (more than 50).

53
Policy for Distance Education

• Distance learners must have at least 12 contact
  hours on-site through face-to-face instruction.
• Program Orientation
• Pre-assessment
• One-on-one counseling with goal identification
• Determination of distance learning compatibility
• Observation of student ability to access and work
  in curriculum
• Additional contact hours can be a combination of
  actual contact and contact through telephone,
  video, teleconference or online communication.

54
Policy for Distance Education

• The following courses are approved as distance
  education courses
• South Carolina Virtual School Courses including
  HSAP curriculum
• GED Online
• Pre-GED Online
• ITTS
• WIN for WorkKeys

55
Policy for Distance Education

• To determine distance learning compatibility
• SORT (Student Online Readiness Tool)
• Free
• Quizzes to determine technology experience,
  access to tools, study habits, etc.

56
Policy for Distance Education

• Programs will report actual and proxy contact
  hours of time students spend on distance learning
  activities.
• Distance learning hours will be recorded by using
  the curriculums reports and hours submitted
  according to local program procedures.

57
Policy for Distance Education

• Distance learners should be pre- and post-tested
  with TABE through face-to-face interaction with a
  trained test administrator.
• Distance learners are to be post-tested after the
  same amount of instructional time as traditional
  ABE students (60-100 hours).

58
Student Retention

• Ideas to motivate and support online students
• Provide prompt feedback
• Maintain regular email correspondence
• Provide telephone office hours
• Send an e-card to encourage and praise
  accomplishments
• Call students who have not been active for a
  period of time
• Provide completion certificates for
  pre-determined units of work

59
Policy for Correctional Education

• Homework hours spent in correctional education
  may be counted as attendance hours under the
  following conditions
• The teacher assigns a predetermined fixed number
  of hours of credit for each assignment.
• The teacher must also determine the extent to
  which the assignment was completed or attempted.
• Homework hours will be recorded in LACES as an
  instruction type.

60
Process for Goal Setting

• Goal setting for the NRS is an integral part of
  the education process.
• Goals provide a benchmark by which programs and
  students can assess their progress.
• Programs must have established, student-centered
  intake and goal setting procedures.

61
Process for Goal Setting

• Programs must have written procedures in place
  for orienting students and to help them set goals
  for instruction that are both realistic and
  attainable within the program year.

62
Process for Goal Setting

• Students should have a personal goal and an NRS
  Goal
• For NRS purposes, programs must make a
  distinction between a students personal goal and
  his/her NRS goal
• Personal goals are determined by the student
  during the intake interview if the goal is not
  attainable within the school year this goal is
  not considered the NRS goal
• Programs must use the students actual assessment
  results to determine the NRS goal.
• NRS goals do not need to be discussed with a
  student since it does not impact the student in
  any way.

63
Process for Goal Setting

• The five NRS core measures which can be
  considered for NRS goals are as follows
• Educational Gain
• Entered Employment
• Retained Employment
• Obtain a Secondary Credential
• Entered Postsecondary Education or Training
• Progress toward reaching these goals is reported
  on NRS Tables 4, 4B, 4C, 5, 5A, 10

64
Process for Goal Setting

• At intake, programs must also keep records of the
  following items
• Demographic Measures such as Ethnicity, Gender,
  Age
• Student Status Measures such as Labor Force
  Status (employed, unemployed), public assistance
  status, disability status, rural residency status
• Student Status Measures also include
• Learner Reasons or Goals for Attending such as
  obtaining as job, retaining a job, obtain
  citizenship status

65
Process for Goal Setting

• Student Participation Measures recorded include
• Contact Hours
• Program Enrollment Type
• The NRS also allows for Optional Secondary
  Outcome Measures which include the following
• Employment Measures
• Community Measures
• Family Measures

66
Procedures for Standardized Testing

• All testing materials must be kept secure and in
  good condition.
• Programs must provide a comfortable, quiet and
  adequately lit environment for testing.
• Standardized tests should be timed and the script
  provided by the manufacturer should be read.

67
Procedures for Standardized Testing

• Test administrators should walk around the room
  during test times to ensure that students are
  marking answers in the correct manner and place.
• They should also ensure no talking or sharing of
  answers.
• Test Administrators must remain in the room at
  all times.

68
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, BEST Plus, OPT or
  WorkKeys assessments who has not successfully
  completed the states assessment training.

69
Assessment Policy

• New Assessment Policy for 09-10 School Year
  goes into effect
• September 1, 2009

70
Helpful Resources

• The complete Assessment Policy can be found on
  the www.scraetac.org website (see Administrative
  Resources tab)
• Accommodation information
• TABE - CTB McGraw-Hills Guidelines for
  Inclusive Test Administration can be found at
  http//www.ctb.com/media/articles/pdfs/general/gui
  delines_inclusive.pdf
• WorkKeys - Test Coordinators Manual (contact
  your Training Specialist for a copy)
• BEST Plus and BEST Literacy www.cal.org/bestplus
• SC Virtual Schools
• Elearning.ed.sc.gov click on tabs across top
  for information
• SORT Online Learning Compatibility tool
• http//www.alt.usg.edu/sort/

71
Helpful Resources (continued)

• ITTS - www.wgcontemporary.com/login.html (must
  purchase seats)
• USA Learns www.usalearns.gov
• WIN Software for WorkKeys preparation
  www.workreadysc.com