Katrina, Lynn, et al.

The GED practice test in my view tries to mirror the actual GED test and can hence be seen more as a "certification" level test than a "progress" level test; the latter is more appropriate to measure pre-post gain.

CASAS, through a multi-state study a couple of years ago, established probabilities of passing the entire GED test for students scoring in the low and high adult secondary levels on CASAS progress tests. This study is published on the CASAS web site. This has provided objective information for programs to use the practice test strategically. Instead of administering the practice test to a student who insists on taking the GED but where the program has no baseline information on a person's reading/math abilities, this data allows program staff to inform students about their performance on the CASAS scale at entry and advise them better about when to take the practice test. For those students progressing through the CASAS/NRS functioning levels from ABE to ASE, this data allows a pre-post test score to guide the decision of when to administer the practice test or parts of it.

With respect to a student's readiness for postsecondary environments based on their performance on NRS levels, CASAS is currently in the midst of correlating student performance on the CASAS scale to probabilities of success on postsecondary entrance exams, again through a multi-state study. The general feedback we are getting from postsecondary institutions is that recent adult education graduates are experiencing difficulties with their entrance criteria and are ending up in developmental education. CT is piloting several transition programs in partnership with the New England Literacy Resource Center to ensure that all graduates have the skills to succeed in a postsecondary environment. I believe the new WIA will explicitly emphasize this point as well.


>From the workforce preparation angle, clearly many of our students are working or need to continue working upon exit from our systems, even if they choose to continue some postsecondary education/training. I believe that adult education should be about preparing students not just for the diploma, but also for what lies after the diploma i.e. life, work, postsecondary, etc. From the standpoint of an assessment correlated to industry expectations, the CASAS Workforce Skills Certification system does provide criteria to determine student readiness for entry level jobs in certain occupational clusters.


Ajit


Ajit Gopalakrishnan
Education Consultant
Connecticut Department of Education
25 Industrial Park Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Tel: (860) 807-2125
Fax: (860) 807-2062
ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at dev.nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 7:51 PM
To: <The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Question - When to test?

Good evening everyone. I've had an interesting question come up lately from an instructor. "How do I know when to test my students?"

They were asking in relation to the GED first of all. I got to thinking about it, got to asking other ppl in my department and learned, a lot of people have very different ideas. According to a memo from the state level - we're told it's "ok" , "recommended" or desired to give a student the Practice Test if they have scored at least the 9.0 level on the TABE. The implication is a student takes the placement test, is assigned to a class and simply because his/her TABE Scores are at the 9.0 level - they are then "ready" to take the GED Practice Test. Granted, there is a clause that says "if the student doesn't pass the practice test, they're to be referred back to the classroom for additional work/practice."

There are no other "guidelines" at the state level regarding when or how to give a practice test in terms of the GED. The way I'm told it's supposed to work is if they score at 9.0 or above on say the TABE Reading area, they're to be given the Practice Test for SS, SCI and Reading. If they're not at the 9.0 level then of course it's recommended that they do some kind of class work to show that they can or cannot or have or have not learned what they are lacking in.

I was curious as to how other instructors or test administrators etc,  determine the criteria for administering the GED Practice Test?  Does anyone have written policies or guidelines in place within their program to help instructors determine if a student is ready or not? 

Also, how ready for post secondary education is a student that only has a TABE of 9.0 and maybe average to slightly above average GED Scores (say b/w 450-500 or even lower 410-470) ?   

I thought the goal was to help students attain academic success - if all they are ever given is a "test" do they really know success and do they really  "learn"?   How "equivalent" is the GED at that point - to the education a student would have attained in a classroom environment?  

Does anyone else equate TABE levels with readiness to pass the GED Practice Test or the GED itself?

I know there are a lot of questions but the feedback will be appreciated.

Regards

Katrina Hinson





We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are
pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are
different colors...but they all have to learn to live in
the same box.

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