I'm most interested in learning what assessments are out there and being used in Adult Education to assess the College and Career Readiness Standards. We are currently using TABE to assess adult students which is not as high level as the CCR Standards. So I am making an assumption that assessment will change in VT after our professional development with CCR and implimentation of the standards is more in depth.
I would like to hear from those using other assessments assessing CCR Standards and your thoughts of the assessments.
Comments
Hello Michelle and others,
As many of you know new assessments aligned to the US Department of Education's College and Career Readiness Standards are dependent on the posting of the final OCTAE NRS regulations that are expected in January. After the Regulations become final test publishers can finish the development of new test forms and complete the standard setting and alignment studies required to apply for NRS approval. As part of the draft Regulations released earlier this year test publishers will be able to apply for NRS approval starting October 1, 2016. Once applications are received the US Dept of Education will begin the process of reviewing the new assessments for approval to use under the new WIOA reporting system.
With many programs already introducing the new CCR standards into their programs we have released free formative assessments in out TABE Online system to help fill the gap of where TABE 9/10 is today and where TABE 11/12 will be once approved under the new WIOA regulations. These free formative tests (Testlets) are all new content written specifically to the new CCR standards and they are separate from the TABE 9/10 test you might be using for reporting purposes today. The TABE Testlets are available to anyone using the TABE Online system. To learn more about the Testlets please go to www.ctb.com/tabetestlets.
For programs that are using TABE 9/10 in the paper test format we have also published an alignment study of the current TABE test items and where they specifically connect with the new common core standards. This alignment was done prior to the release of the CCR Standards but many programs have found it useful in linking back a students skills to the new standard. This alignment report can be found at: http://ctbassessments.com/pdfs/TABE910_Alignment2CCSS.pdf
If anyone has any specific questions on the new free TABE Formative Testlets or the development of TABE 11/12 please contact me via phone or email.
Thank you,
Mike Johnson
National Adult Education Manager,
Data Recognition Corporation - CTB
630-995-6712
mike.johnson@ctb.com
Hello colleagues, Naturally, many of us are interested in Michelle's question about alignment of assessments to the CCRS. We know that developing assessments takes time, so we'll have to wait and see what ends up getting developed and then approved. We heard from Mike about some TABE tools that are available from CTB/McGraw-Hill for use in the interim. I am wondering if anything can be added about TABE CLAS-E.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, Assessment CoP
Hello Michelle and all, I want to point you to the paper <Developing Next Generation Assessments for Adult Education> shared by Ronna Spacone in the CCRS CoP, which "presents a summary of a discussion on two topics: 1. Approaches to assessments for accountability in adult education and 2. Characteristics and approaches for next generation assessments. The paper is also posted on the National Reporting System website at: www.nrsweb.org."
Discussions have begun about this important issue. Thanks for your question, Michelle.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, Assessment CoP
CASAS is currently developing a new Reading and Math test series for ABE/ASE and Adult ESL learners that will be strongly aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCR) for Adult Education. The full range of ability levels described in the CCR Standards will be covered, from Beginning Literacy to High Advanced for transition to post-secondary training. The new test series will measure the rigorous academic language and skills contained in the CCR Standards. Test content will continue to be based on the CASAS Competencies to be relevant to the interests and needs of adult learners, including an emphasis on employment-related topics required by WIOA. These new assessments will be computer-delivered, including on tablets, and also available in the paper test format.
This test development process is linked to the publication of revised National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Level (EFL) Descriptors by the US Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE). The revised EFL descriptors are needed in order to complete content alignment and standard setting studies for the new test series. Revised EFLs for ABE/ASE are expected to be released by OCTAE in January 2016. CASAS intends to submit the new test series for ABE/ASE learners for review by OCTAE on October 1, 2016 which is the first possible NRS submission date. The time frame for OCTAE’s publication of revised EFL Descriptors for ESL, and subsequent submission by CASAS for ESL learners are not yet known.
Since 2013 when the CCR Standards for Adult Education were published, CASAS has convened several panels of expert ABE/ASE and Adult ESL practitioners to guide development of test items with respect to appropriateness of ability level and content, and alignment to the CCR Standards. Since 2014, CASAS has been field testing new items within operational test forms in eTests Online; this will continue through 2015.
In the next few months of 2015, CASAS plans to field test items in full-length forms that will take approximately one hour, with results provided in terms of the number of items answered correctly. These field test forms can be used as formative assessments to monitor learner progress mid-way through the Fall term. We are currently recruiting local ABE/ASE and ESL programs to participate, in particular programs that have begun to implement the CCR Standards in instruction. In addition to field testing learners, we invite local program instructors to review and comment on field test items that might appear in the new test series. This provides an opportunity to see the direction CASAS is headed in the new series, and to have real input into development. Incentives will be provided. If your program is interested in participating in field testing or other test development research studies in 2016, please complete a short survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CASAS-reading-math and contact Andrea Shields at 800-255-1036, ext. 143.
For the past two years, CASAS has been working with adult education practitioners to revise the CASAS Reading Content Standards to make them more strongly aligned to the new CASAS Reading test series and to the CCR Standards for Adult Education. They will be released shortly, and will be available on the CASAS website (www.casas.org).
For information about test development of the new CASAS test series, contact Linda Taylor at 800-255-1036, ext. 186 or at ltaylor@casas.org.