Return-Path: <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j9AHlsG03044; Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:47:54 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:47:54 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <20051010174610.36944.qmail@web34712.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:1273] RE: FW: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3792] Re: Computer assessment and adult learners X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Status: O Content-Length: 8310 Lines: 265 Hi Everyone: I'm back, after a hectic week last week, catching up on the email responses to my question about testing via computers in ABE/ESOL. Thanks to those who replied! I'm of the same opinion as you have expressed. However, we still have not heard the voices of those who instruct native born adults with low level literacy skills and English as their *first* language. I'm interested in hearing that group's observations of computerized testing. The reason being, like Gustav stated, on behalf of a second language population, "many of our students are not very skilled with computers and a computer based test might not truly reflect the student's ... skills." How about the learner educated in the U.S.? Is this true of that group of learners, too? How does the learner react when they are "not very skilled with computers"? What do their scores show their reading and writing skills to be? Howard wrote: << ... Some of the comments earlier in the discussion seemed to fear that programs would "force" learners to take CBT or CAT, when that choice would clearly be inappropriate; just as it would be inappropriate to give a learner a pencil-and-paper test if the learner had no experience with reading, multiple-choice testing, bubble sheets, or pencils. I hope neither happens; and if we suspect or see it happens, that we can find a way to stop it, by mentoring or educating practitioners.>> Well, Howard, it's happening. State authorities *are* requiring pencil-and-paper tests of the learners with no experience or little experience with reading. The requirement is leveled at the adult even though they have either exhibited test stress or expressed concern about past testing experiences and have poor relationships with "bubble sheets". No test? No report of numbers to the NRS? No funds. It's happening, Howard. Nancy Hansen --- Howard Dooley <hdooley@riral.org> wrote: > Interesting discussion and comments. My program > also uses the CASAS to > place our ESL students into classes and to assess > progress (for funders and > the NRS), and we find that it is both useful and > practical, particularly in > our large-scale registrations. We use other > measures and assessments to > gather further data that is of value to the > learners, instructors and to > make program improvements. In some classes we use > the listening, some the > reading; we have begun to pilot the workplace > speaking at worksite literacy > classes which are ESOL, and instructors are > reviewing the CASAS functional > writing assessment and comparing it to the REEP to > see what would fit best > with our program structure and learners. > > I recently spoke with Richard Ackermann, the CASAS > staff point person for > CASAS' computerized assessments. CASAS provides > several options for > assessing learners, though the multiple-choice tests > are the most familiar. > Two of the CASAS assessment series, Life and Work & > Employability > Competency, are available as CBT -- which means the > test booklet has been > put onto the computer, no change in items. The > advantage is immediate > scoring and ease of download into an MIS. > > CASAS is currently working on computer adaptive > testing. Richard provides > the following description for us: CASAS is currently > pilot testing computer > adaptive testing (CAT) with a large workforce > development program. The > workforce program is using CAT in reading, math and > listening. A single > administration of a reading, math or listening CAT > is used to both place the > student in the appropriate level of training and > serve as the benchmark > pre-test for measuring gain. A principal advantage > of CAT is that one test > administration serves as both appraisal and > pre-test. A further economy is > that the examinee is administered fewer test items > in a CAT than with paper > and pencil. (Because the assessment "adapts" to each > individual learner.) > CASAS is planning a widespread release of reading > CAT, math CAT and > listening CAT in early summer 2006. > > With advances in technology, there will soon be a > wide variety of assessment > options available to us. As always, we should view > these advances as > expanding our opportunities to match the best method > of assessment to each > of our learners. Some of the comments earlier in > the discussion seemed to > fear that programs would "force" learners to take > CBT or CAT, when that > choice would clearly be inappropriate; just as it > would be inappropriate to > give a learner a pencil-and-paper test if the > learner had no experience with > reading, multiple-choice testing, bubble sheets, or > pencils. I hope neither > happens; and if we suspect or see it happens, that > we can find a way to stop > it, by mentoring or educating practitioners. > > Howard > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: nifl-assessment@nifl.gov > [mailto:nifl-assessment@nifl.gov] On Behalf > Of Gustav Kocsis > Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 9:19 PM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:1265] RE: FW: > [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3792] Re: Computer > assessment and adult learners > > > We would like to see a good and easy to score paper > and pencil test for our > ESL students. We are now using the CASAS and we are > finding that the CASAS > tests are not useful to use to asses an ESL > student's language ability. We > have to register too many students at one time to be > able to use computer > testing such as the BEST PLUS. Many of our students > are not very skilled > with computers and a computer based test might not > truly reflect the > student's English skills. I know of many other large > programs that would be > interested in a valid and reliable paper and pencil > ESL test for NRS > reporting. Is there anything else out there that is > better than CASAS? > > Gustav A. Kocsis > English as a Second Language Coordinator > Adult Basic Education > Santa Fe Community College > 6401 Richards Ave > Santa Fe, NM 87508 > 505-428-1444 > Gkocsis@sfccnm.edu > > > -----Original Message----- > From: nifl-assessment@nifl.gov > [mailto:nifl-assessment@nifl.gov] On Behalf > Of Marie Cora > Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 1:59 PM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:1264] FW: > [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3792] Re: Computer > assessment and adult learners > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: nifl-technology@nifl.gov > [mailto:nifl-technology@nifl.gov] On Behalf > Of ra_duffy@comcast.net > Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 1:16 PM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3792] Re: Computer > assessment and adult learners > > If the purpose is also to assess their computer > skills, I could see > assessing via a computer. However, if a student has > virtually no computer > experience, as many of the older immigrants who are > in our program do not > have, I can not imagine adding this layer on to what > is really trying to be > assessed. > > -- > Ruthann Duffy > ESL Tech Coordinator > Essential Skills Program > Shoreline Community College > 16101 Greenwood Ave N. > Seattle, WA 98133 > > Telephone: 206-533-6624 > email: ra_duffy@comcast.net > http://success.shore.ctc.edu/callab > > > > Hi everyone, > > > > I wanted to prod you all to add your thoughts to > Nancy's questions > from > > the other day regarding testing via computers in > ABE/ESOL. What are > > your thoughts, and what have been your experiences > on this? > > > > I have done a little bit of work using the BEST > Plus with adult > learners > > - but in that case, it is the teacher/test > administrator who actually > is > > using the computer and asking questions of the > test-taker. As an > aside, > > the great thing about this type of computer > testing is that the > software > > program automatically stops you when the student > has reached as far as > > they can go, and it also jumps over questions that > it realizes the > > student will have no problem answering. Thus, you > avoid the > unnecessary > > and sometimes painful process of forcing students > to answer way too > easy > > questions, for example. > > > === message truncated === __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Oct 31 2005 - 09:48:53 EST