State Assessment Policy Guidance

Transcription

1 A Prject f the U.S. Department f Educatin State Assessment Plicy Guidance Revised January 6, 2011 Lcal adult educatin prgrams must assess students using standardized pre- pst assessments t reprt educatinal gain measures fr the Natinal Reprting System (NRS). T prmte the validity and reliability f these assessment data, the Divisin f Adult Educatin and Literacy (DAEL) requires each state t submit annually a written assessment plicy. The plicy is t describe the assessments lcal prgrams are t use, when lcal prgrams are t administer pre- and psttests, training requirements fr assessments and assessment administratin and reprting requirements. State implementatin f effective assessment plicies will result in high quality assessment data frm lcal prgrams. State assessment plicies vary widely in cntent and sme states have mitted critical features f gd assessment frm their written plicies. T imprve unifrmity and quality f assessment plicies, these State Assessment Plicy Guidelines describe t states the essential cmpnents f an effective plicy. The Guidelines include the cntent that DAEL requires and will use t evaluate the quality f state plicy and is rganized in three parts. 1. Intrductin and Cntext, includes an verview, summary, and the need fr and purpses f the plicy in the state cntext; 2. General Requirements, defines the students t be assessed, assessments permitted and training requirements; and 3. Guidelines n Each Assessment, explains the prcedures fr administering and reprting results f each assessment the state allws. State plicies have als differed widely in their frmat. States may fllw the rganizatin used in this dcument r they may use anther frmat and rganizatin f their plicy, whichever best meets state needs. DAEL will accept any frmat and rganizatin f states assessment plicy, as lng as it cntains the basic elements described here. 1. Setting the State Cntext The plicy shuld include a sectin with a basic verview f the plicy, a summary f NRS requirements and accuntability issues specific t yur state. It shuld describe the need fr the plicy, yur state s apprach t assessment and purpses and 1

2 uses f assessment data within the state. It will als help lcal staff accept and implement the plicy if they understand basic issues f validity and reliability and differences between assessment fr instructin and assessment fr accuntability. Als describe here any unique cnditins within the state that affect the plicy. Belw are ther suggestins fr tpics t include t set the state cntext. A. Need fr Assessment Plicy Present yur state and NRS requirements fr assessment that emphasize the need fr valid and reliable assessments fr measuring achievement f literacy and language skills fr adult students, tied t NRS levels. Nte the imprtance f assessment data and hw yur state uses it, particularly in light f NRS requirements and state perfrmance standards. It is advisable t prvide definitins f validity and reliability and t nte the imprtance f valid and reliable assessment as an accurate way t measure student prgress. Pints t make include the need fr unifrm implementatin f plicy t allw fr cmparability acrss prgrams within the state. Such cmparability is especially needed if yur state ties funding t NRS and ther utcmes. Sund plicy helps ensure this standardizatin. If yur state has dne any analyses r studies related t the reliability, validity and apprpriateness f state required assessments, describe any findings r studies that affect state plicy and prcedures. B. Purpses and Uses f Assessment Prgrams shuld use assessments fr instructinal purpses and it may be helpful t lcal staff t distinguish between the uses f assessment fr this purpse and fr accuntability. Addressing this issue may help allay teacher cncerns abut standardized assessment and is als an pprtunity t stress the imprtance f assessment in instructin. In this light, it is advisable t encurage prgrams t supplement assessment fr accuntability with instructinal-based assessment, accrding t yur state s plicy. C. Summary and Overview A brief summary f the assessment plicy including a list f the assessments allwed fr types f students, pre-pst testing times, scring and alignment with NRS levels, t prvide a cncise reference. D. Resurces fr Infrmatin and Assistance Prviding cntact infrmatin fr assistance will assist lcal prgram staff that have questins r require clarificatin. Revised January 6,

3 2. General Assessment Requirements The assessment plicy shuld cntain a sectin r sectins that describe the general plicies that apply t all assessments. Yu shuld define which students t assess, list the assessments that are permitted, describe reprting prcedures, general training fr test administratin and accmmdatin requirements fr assessing students with disabilities. A. Students t be Assessed The plicy shuld include a statement requiring that all students in the state adult educatin prgram will be assessed with state designated assessments. All students that will be included in the state s NRS data submissin must be tested. Exceptins may be made fr students wh are unable t understand r respnd t the test due t lw literacy r English prficiency r due t disability. Hwever, prgrams must prvide sme alternative assessment fr such students, as explained belw in the sectin n special ppulatins. B. Assessments Permitted List all assessments allwed fr NRS reprting. These assessments must meet NRS requirements: Be apprpriate fr measuring literacy and language develpment f adult students, Have standardized administratin and scring prcedures, Have alternate, equivalent, frms fr pre-psttesting, and Have evidence linking them t NRS educatinal functining level. List each test the state allws lcal prgrams t use fr NRS reprting. Describe each test, including its name, the subject areas it assesses and the types f students fr which it is apprpriate. Assessments shuld match the apprpriate skill areas that are the fcus f instructin fr the student. Designate a unifrm time when a pretest is t be given. This time shuld be at intake r as sn as pssible thereafter. If the assessment has a lcatr r ther placement test assciated with it (fr example, the TABE), that test shuld be administered first and the results f the placement test used t infrm the frm r difficulty level f the pretest t be administered. The plicy shuld als define a reasnable time when prgrams are t administer a new pretest t students wh have stpped-ut by nt been attending fr several mnths (e.g., 90 days r mre). Describe ther assessment requirements applicable t yur state that may nt be required fr the NRS, such as requirements fr the percentage f students that must be bth pre- and psttested. Revised January 6,

4 C. Training fr Administering Assessments Describe training plicies fr each assessment used in the state. All training fr each assessment shuld be cnducted by a qualified trainer, wh has been certified t train fr the assessment. The plicy shuld address: Whether the state r lcal staff (r bth) will be respnsible fr training. Which staff and hw many staff frm prgrams shuld be trained. When training is t be cnducted; and Prcedures fr nging training fr new staff and t refresh skills f previusly trained staff. Describe requirements fr prgrams t keep a recrd f all persns trained fr each assessment and recrd wh cnducted the training. D. Accmmdating fr Students with Disabilities r Other Special Needs Describe the prcedures fr identifying students wh require accmmdatins and prcedures fr administering assessments t them. List and describe the apprpriate dcumentatin that lcal prgram staff must use t identify students requiring accmmdatin (e.g., IEP, dctr s reprt, diagnsis, referral frm apprpriate agency). List the apprpriate accmmdatins, prcedures and test frms designated fr the apprpriate disability by the test publisher, fr each test used in the state. 3. Guidelines fr Each Assessment The plicy must cntain detailed infrmatin t lcal prgrams n hw staff is t administer each assessment apprved by the state. The infrmatin must include administratin prcedures, scring prcedures, hw assessment scres are linked t NRS levels bth fr initial and fllw-up assessment, psttest time and training requirements fr each assessment. The guidelines belw summarize the generic infrmatin that the plicy shuld include fr each f the assessments that the state uses. The state shuld als include quality cntrl guidelines fr lcal prgrams t fllw t ensure that the assessment is administered prperly. Infrmatin t Be Included fr Each Assessment The descriptin f students fr whm the assessment is apprpriate (e.g., ESL students, lw-level ABE students). The student ppulatin shuld be ne fr which the test was develped. The alternate frms f the test that are t be used fr pre- and psttesting. Revised January 6,

5 Whether a lcatr r ther pre-placement assessment r prcedures are t be used prir t administering the actual assessment. If the assessment has subtests in mre than ne area, the apprpriate test fr each ppulatin must be described, alng with prcedures fr determining which subtest t use n each type f student. Training requirements fr administering the assessment. Time when psttesting shuld ccur, either by calendar date r instructinal hurs. Test publisher guidelines shuld be cnsulted when setting this time. Please see the attached recmmended psttest times fr the assessments mst cmmnly used in the NRS. Instructins n hw t use scale scres frm the assessments t place students int NRS educatinal functining levels and determine whether students have cmpleted levels. Quality Cntrl Prcedures The plicy shuld guide lcal prgram prcedures fr ensuring the quality f assessment data by describing the fllwing: Time when testing data shuld be entered int the prgram data base. Quality cntrl prcedures (e.g., reprt frm MIS r self-assessment evaluatin tl) that allw the prgram directr r ther apprpriate staff t verify that crrect assessment prcedures have been fllwed. Purchasing prcedures fr each assessment. Revised January 6,

6 Test Name ACT/ WrkKeys Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Literacy BEST Plus Recmmended Timeframes fr Pre- and Psttesting Adult Educatin Assessments Recmmended Pre- and Pst-testing Timeframes We typically recmmend that the student be invlved in regular instructin that is ffered by the institutin. This wuld amunt t a semester r quarter curse. 60 hurs minimum; hurs recmmended If the hurs fr a curse f instructin exceed the recmmended number f hurs, pst-testing may mst apprpriately take place at the end f the instructinal sessin. Because prgram-related factrs such as intensity f instructin, class size, teacher training and experience, and use f apprpriate curricula and materials will affect language learning prficiency gains, prgrams shuld cnsider these factrs when determining timing fr pre- and pst-testing. Cntact/Ntes Barb Ciha Placement Prgrams barb.ciha@act.rg Frank Finamre BEST Plus Prject Manager Center fr Applied Linguistics frank@cal.rg, Revised January 6,

7 Test Name Recmmended Pre- and Pst-testing Timeframes CASAS 40 hurs minimum; hurs recmmended Allw exceptins fr curses with different schedules and intensity, e.g., allw mre time fr curses that meet infrequently r nt intensively and fr very intensive curses wait lnger than the recmmended number f hurs t pst-test. Cntact/Ntes Frm Linda Taylr, Directr f Assessment Develpment, CASAS, , ext. 186, ltaylr@casas.rg, Prgrams ffering high intensity curses (e.g., class meets mre than 15 hurs per week) may chse t test at the end f a semester, term, quarter, r ther substantial blck f instructin, even thugh the instructinal interventin is mre than 100 hurs f instructin. Prgrams ffering lw intensity curses with less than 70 hurs in a semester, quarter, term, r ther blck f instructin, may chse t pst-test at the end f the instructinal perid. Prgrams may chse t assess students wh indicate they are leaving the prgram befre the scheduled pst-test time, t maximize cllectin f paired test data. Revised January 6,

8 Test Name TABE, Frms 9 and 10 Recmmended Pre- and Pst-testing Timeframes CTB/McGraw-Hill recmmends hurs f instructin when testing with an alternate frm (ie. 9M t 10M) fr students that test int NRS Levels 1-4 (ABE) with a minimum f 40 hurs. Fr students testing int NRS Levels 5 and 6 (ASE Lw and High) hurs f instructin is recmmended. If the pre- and psttest are fr with the same level and use the same frm: 120 hurs. CTB/McGraw-Hill suggests the pre- and pst-test guidelines as best practices recmmendatins based upn practitiner feedback. The purpse fr assessing with TABE 9 & 10 r TABE CLAS-E will als have an impact n the implementatin f these recmmendatins. CTB discurages randm and frequent testing as it will nt present valid gain scres and culd create a practice effect, thus prducing questinable r spurius scres. Instructinal interventin between testing perids is strngly recmmended t maximize gain. Prper use f the Lcatr Test as a determinant f apprpriate cntent level testing is als strngly recmmended and is an integral part f the testing prcess. Cntact/Ntes Mike Jhnsn Prduct Manager, Adult Assessment Prducts CTB/McGraw-Hill michaeld_jhnsn@ctb.cm Revised January 6,

9 Test Name TABE CLAS-E Wnderlic GAIN Test Recmmended Pre- and Pst-testing Timeframes Fr alternate frm testing, CTB recmmends hurs f instructin (i.e., A2 t B2) with a minimum f 50 hurs. Fr same frm testing CTB recmmends hurs f instructin (i.e., A2 t A2). CTB discurages randm and frequent testing as it will nt present valid gain scres and culd create a practice effect, thus prducing questinable r spurius scres. Instructinal interventin between testing perids is strngly recmmended t maximize gain. Prper use f the Lcatr Test as a determinant f apprpriate cntent level testing is als strngly recmmended and is an integral part f the testing prcess. There are tw equivalent frms f each GAIN test fr English and math: Frm A & Frm B. Wnderlic recmmends pst-testing fr skills gain after a minimum f 60 hurs f training. The pst-test must invlve an alternative frm frm the pre-test t met NRS requirements. A prgress test befre the minimum hurs shuld be n the same frm as the pre-test. Retesting must fllw NRS prcedural requirements, and is defined in the GAIN Administratr s Guide. Cntact/Ntes Mike Jhnsn Prduct Manager, Adult Assessment Prducts CTB/McGraw-Hill michaeld_jhnsn@ctb.cm Bradley Olufs, Directr f Adult Basic Educatin and Wrkfrce, Wnderlic. Inc bradley.lufs@wnderlic.cm Bill Walker, Directr Adult Educatin, Wnderlic, Inc. Bill.Walker@Wnderlic.cm, Revised January 6,

10 Test Name Massachusetts Adult Prficiency test (MAPT) Recmmended Pre- and Pst-testing Timeframes 65 hurs minimum and nt less than tw mnths after pretesting. Cntact/Ntes Stephen Sireci, Center fr Educatinal Assessment Schl f Educatin, University f Massachusetts (413) sireci@acad.umass.edu Revised January 6,