Learning Site for Teachers > Learning Resources for Teachers > Effective Assessment > ABE/GED
Self-Directed Learning for
ABE/GED Assessment Practices
The resources and links below are
divided into 7 categories with a brief annotation for each one. However,
there is much overlap between many of the sites and each one may have
information on ABE/GED assessment in more than one of the seven topic
area.
I. General Assessment Information
II. The National Reporting System
III. Formal (Standardized) Assessments
IV. Informal (Alternative) Assessments
V. Testing Accommodations and Testing Tips
VI. Articles and Publications on ABE/GED Assessments
VII. Professional Organizations Focusing on ABE/GED Assessment
Suggestions for use:
(1) proceed through some of the sites that offer general assessment
information to get a basic understanding of the history of assessment in
ABE/GED; (2) use the NRS section to become familiar with the framework for
national reporting. Remember that the Georgia Department of Technical and
Adult Education has prepared a Policy and Procedures manual that is
specific for the state of Georgia. (3) in the sections on formal and
informal testing, review the differences and consider the advantages and
disadvantages of each; (4) the journals and books listed under Articles
and Publications are offered as resources to gain more in-depth
information about ABE/GED assessment; (5) use the section on professional
organizations as a resource for all aspects of assessment.
I. GENERAL INFORMATION ON ASSESSMENT IN ABE/GED
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
"The 2003 National Assessment
of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative assessment of
literacy among adults (age 16 and older) residing in households and prisons
in the United States."
Stitch, T.
G. (Adult Literacy in the United States: A compendium of Quantitative Data
and Interpretive Coments. William B. Armstrong San Diego Community College
District. San Diego, CA.
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/adlitus/adlitus.pdf
"Includes extensive
quantitative data on the assessment of adult literacy skills and programs
ranging from World War I (1917) up to the present."
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II. THE NATIONAL REPORTING SYSTEM
NRS Implementation Guidelines
http://www.nrsonline.org/reference/index.html
This site
contains NRS Implementation Guidelines. It is divided into four chapters:
History and Overview of the NRS; NRS Measure Definitions and Data Collection
Methods; The NRS Data Collection Process; and Quality Control and
Reporting.
Adult and
Community Learning Services: Questions and Answers Regarding ABE Assessment
http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/news/2000/assess/assessmentQA11-8-00.html#
This site
poses questions from Massachusetts practitioners on the implementation of
NRS assessment guidelines.
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III. FORMAL ASSESSMENT IN ABE/GED
Types of
Standardized Tests
Stitch, T. G. (1999). Testing
and Accountability in Adult Literacy Education. Focus on Workplace Literacy
Resources for Program Design, Assessment, Testing, & Evaluation. CA.
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/sticht/testing/page60.htm
"Abstract:
Types of Standardized Tests. Scores on standardized tests do
not have much meaning in and of themselves. If a learner correctly answers
60 percent of items on some standardized test, it is not clear what that
means in the absence of other information that helps us interpret the
score."
Test bank
http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/MC_Test_Bank.htm
"This
Test Bank lists many assessments that are suitable to use with adults. It is
organized alphabetically by test name and check marks are placed in the
appropriate box to show if a component is assessed by the test."
Standardized Tests: Their Use and Misuse
http://literacynet.org/icans/chapter02/tests.html
"Say
test to nearly anyone-student, teacher, administrator-and the face
clouds over. Beyond the simple fact that testing by its very nature tends to
intimidate, there is good reason for this reaction. Indeed, in recent years
the entire subject of testing and assessment has come into intense scrutiny
at all levels of education from the lower schools on up. In adult literacy
the issue has assumed particular relevance."
The TABE
http://www.sabes.org/assessment/tabe.htm
A
comprehensive description of the TABE which includes: an overview; using the
locator test; administering the TABE; Determining When to Re-test; Testing
Accommodations; and Additional Testing Tips.
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IV. INFORMAL ASSESSMENT IN ABE/GED
Assessing Adult Learners Through Project-Based Learning Instruction
http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/newsletr/sep98/sep98g.htm
This describes project-based learning and assessment and how these are
incorporated into students' instruction through a portfolio system which
incorporates both tradition and alternative methods.
Improving Performance, Reporting Results: The Guide to Using the EFF Read
with Understanding Assessment Prototype
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/PDF/RWU_Assessment.pdf
This 2004 publication provides an assessment framework for adult education
programs across the countries that are using the 16 Equipped for the Future
(EFF) standards.
Authentic Accountability
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/AleAccountability
This site offers an archived discussion of accountability and
"authentic
accountability" (Eckert and Bell, 2004) in adult literacy education. From
the Adult Literacy Education Wiki (ALEWiki).
Authentic Assessment Toolbox
http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm
A
"how-to hypertext on creating authentic tasks, rubrics and standards for
measuring and improving student learning."
Coalition
of Essential Schools - Authentic Assessment
http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/resources/query/q/1017?x-r=runnew
This website provides a collection of articles and resources
"focused on the benefits and requirements of authentic assessment."
Contested ground: performance accountability in adult basic education
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=656
"This policy paper
lays out key issues in performance accountability and presents
recommendations for policy and action."
Crafting curricula aims for instructionally supportive assessment
http://education.umn.edu/nceo/Presentations/CraftingCurricula.pdf
This article analyzes how "state curriculum can be optimally
configured to foster instructionally supportive assessment."
EFF Hot Topics: An Introduction to the Ten-Step Cycle as an Important
Learning Tool for You
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/PDF/EFF_HOT_020604.pdf
"The ten-step
cycle conveys the ways in which assessment gets integrated throughout the
process of instruction."
Equipped for the Future Assessment Report: EFF/NRS Data Collection Project,
2000-2001
The goal of the project is to enable programs using EFF as a framework for
instruction to report student progress from level to level on the NRS.
Pennsylvania ABLE Administrators Fieldnotes: Learner Assessment for Program
Improvement
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/able/lib/able/fieldnotes03/fn03assess.pdf
This article provides detailed information on fostering "good
procedures for collecting, checking, recording and using standardized
assessment data...(as well as supporting) implementation and use of informal
assessments."
4teachers.org
http://www.4teachers.org/profdev/as.php
"4Teachers.org works to help
you integrate technology into your classroom by offering FREE online tools
and resources. This site helps teachers locate and create ready-to-use Web
lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom calendars. There are also tools for
student use. Discover valuable professional development resources addressing
issues such as equity, ELL, technology planning, and at-risk or
special-needs students."
I've come a long way: Learner-identified outcomes of participation in adult
literacy programs
http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/report13.pdf
"The Learner
Identified Outcomes study brings learners' perspectives to the ongoing
research conversation on outcomes of participation in adult literacy
education."
Outcomes of participation in adult basic education: The importance of
learners' perspective
http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_bingman.pdf
This paper suggests that learners have a different perspective on
performance than the authors of the Workforce Investment Act.
Performance Assessments for Adult Education: Exploring the Measurement
Issues: Report of a Workshop
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309084539/html/
This federal report explores issues in using performance assessments as high
stakes tests, and provides information on how to set quality guidelines for
alternative assessments.
Performance-based assessment: Promoting achievement for English language
learners
http://www.cal.org/resources/news/2002fall/performance.html
A
discussion of the need for assessments that focus on classroom learning.
The Rubric Bank
http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/
rubric_bank.html
"In The Rubric
Bank, you will find a wide variety of performance assessment scoring
rubrics. These rubrics have been used by schools, districts and state
departments of education throughout the country. The Web site also provides
step-by-step directions for developing rubrics."
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V. TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS AND TESTING TIPS
GED
Accommodations for Students with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities
www.readiowa.org/GED_testing/GED_testing.ppt
This
PowerPoint provides descriptions of ADHD and LD and suggests accommodations
that are appropriate for these learners.
Sallie Johnson:
Locator Test for Adult Basic Education
http://www.aelweb.vcu.edu/arpt/johnson1.htm
"Sallie Johnson teaches at the Adult Learning Center located
in Lynchburg’s downtown historic district. She describes a how she reduces
test anxiety for students and how she reports their test results to them.
This is a very friendly reading."
Guidelines for
Inclusive Test Administration
http://www.ctb.com/media/articles/pdfs/general/guidelines_inclusive.pdf
This document, by CTB/McGraw-Hill,
"provides guidelines on the use and appropriate interpretation of the
results of inclusive test administrations. These guidelines are intended to
facilitate the valid interpretation of individual student results and valid
comparisons of year-to-year and group-to-group summary data. Does not
address the range of issues facing LEP students."
Educational Testing
Service: Disabilities and Testing
http://ets.org/disability/index.html
"This site provides information to test
applicants with disabilities who seek approval of reasonable testing
accommodations."
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VI. ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS ON ABE/GED ASSESSMENTS
Testing and
Accountability in Adult Literacy Education
Stitch, T. G. (1999). Testing
and Accountability in Adult Literacy Education. Focus on Workplace Literacy
Resources for Program Design, Assessment, Testing, & Evaluation. CA.
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/sticht/testing/cover.htm
This publication "provides information on the design and
evaluation of workplace literacy programs. It discusses concepts and issues
and provides bibliographic resources for those readers who want to learn
more about how to design, develop and evaluate literacy programs in the
workplace and other contexts."
A Model for evaluating the
Impact of Workplace Literacy Programs
Mikulecky, L. & Lloyd, P.
The Impact of Workplace Literacy Programs: A New Model for Evaluating the
Impact of Workplace Literacy Programs. Indiana University, School of
Education. Bloomington, Indiana. A publication of the National Center on
Adult Literacy – Technical Report: TR93 2, Page 12.
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/report3/rep22a/rep22-12.htm
Abstract: Parallel studies of two workplace literacy
programs at different sites have been used: (1) to develop an impact
assessment model for workplace literacy programs, and (2) to produce data on
the impact of the two quite different workplace literacy programs in the
areas of learner gains, workplace improvements, and literacy-related changes
in learners' families. Assessments in these two workplaces were used to
develop model techniques and instruments for impact assessment...
Documenting
Outcomes for Learners and Their Communities
Bingman, M.
B., Ebert, O., and Bell, B. (2002). Documenting Outcomes for Learners and
Their Communities: A Report on a NCSALL Action Research Project. The
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. Report #20.
Cambridge, MA.
http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/brief20.pdf
"Various national efforts,
particularly the National Reporting System, measure outcomes of adult
education programs, but many questions remain about how local programs might
document outcomes in ways that are immediately useful to students, teachers,
and programs. This study is a response to those questions."
SABES: ABE
License Support
http://www.sabes.org/license/standards/d1.htm
This
resource contains many publications that relate to Massachusetts standards.
However, these publications are significant to ABE/GED professionals in
general.
Learning
Disabilities Training: A New Approach
Assessing
Individual Strengths and Struggles: The Foundation for an Effective
Training Plan
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/ldtrain/88.htm
This
publication discusses: the assessment process; formal
and informal assessments; when a diagnostic formal assessment is
appropriate; the impacts of auditory, visual and/or organizational learning
disabilities; various informal assessment techniques (i.e. observation, work
samples, dynamic assessment); involving learners in the assessment process;
assessing adults' learning disability strengths and struggles in the areas
of reading, writing, spelling, speaking, listening; and mathematics, memory,
visual-spatial and attention; strengths and struggles; two informal
assessment models for learning disabilities; effective assessment practices;
evaluation criteria when selecting assessment tools.
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VII. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND ABE/GED ASSESSMENT
Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse
http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/
"Supports
adult educators' efforts to develop, align, and implement content standards
in English language acquisition (ELA), mathematics, and reading. Includes
how-to-guide and searchable database."
American Council on
Education
http://www.acenet.edu/
Founded in 1918, the American
Council on Education (ACE) is the nation's unifying voice for higher
education. ACE serves as a consensus leader on key higher education issues
and seeks to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program
initiatives.
American Evaluation
Association
http://www.eval.org/
Devoted to the
application and exploration of evaluation in all its forms
Appropriate Use of
High-Stakes Testing in Our Nation's Schools
http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/testing.html
"Testing is an extremely valuable part of
educational assessment, but it is only a part of the formula for quality
learning. When tests are used in high-stakes circumstances, a number of
safeguards must be in place. Because the stakes are so high for so many
students, additional research should begin immediately to learn more about
the intended and unintended consequences of testing in educational decision
making. If tests are going to be used to determine which students will
advance and what subjects schools will teach, it is imperative that we
understand how best to measure student learning and how the use of
high-stakes testing will affect student drop-out rates, graduation rates,
course content, levels of student anxiety, and teaching practices. The
bottom-line question, as yet unanswered, is: What will be the long-term
effect of high-stakes testing on student achievement? Will it enhance or
diminish broad-based learning?"
Association of Test
Publishers
http://www.testpublishers.org/
"Established in 1992, The Association of Test
Publishers is a non-profit organization representing providers of tests and
assessment tools and/or services related to assessment, selection,
screening, certification, licensing, educational or clinical uses."
Assessment LINCS Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
"On-line resources for
practitioners and administrators dealing with learner assessment issues in
adult literacy programs."
CAL Resource Guides
On Line: Resources for ESL Assessment
http://www.cal.org/resources/faqs/rgos/eslassess.html
This site includes
information on digests, books, websites, email discussion groups, and ERIC
documents.
Code of Fair Testing
Practices
http://www.apa.org/science/fairtestcode.html
"The Code of Fair Testing Practices in
Education is a guide for professionals in fulfilling their obligation to
provide and use tests that are fair to all test takers regardless of age,
gender, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, linguistic background, or other personal characteristics."
Code of Professional
Responsibilities in Educational Measurement
http://www.natd.org/Code_of_Professional_Responsibilities.html
"Code of Professional Responsibilities in
Educational Measurement serves as a guide to inform and remind those
involved in educational assessment of their obligations to uphold the
integrity of the manner in which assessments are developed, used, evaluated,
and marketed. Moreover, it is expected that the Code will stimulate
thoughtful discussion of what constitutes professionally responsible
assessment practice at all levels in education."
Educational Testing
Service
http://www.ets.org/
"Educational Testing Service is the world's
largest private educational testing and measurement organization and a
leader in educational research. ETS is a private, nonprofit
organization devoted to educational measurement and research, primarily
through testing. They develop and administer millions of achievement and
admissions tests each year in the U.S. and 180 other countries.
The company serves the needs of individuals, educational institutions, and
government bodies in almost 200 countries. ETS develops and administers more
than 12 million tests worldwide."
Educational Testing
Service: Disabilities and Testing
http://ets.org/disability/index.html
This site "provides
information to test applicants with disabilities who seek approval of
reasonable testing accommodations."
Educational Testing Service (ETS) / Research Division
http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.22f30af61d34e9c39a77b13bc392
1509/?vgnextoid=73b2be3a864f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD
In addition
to information on its own tests, features a research section with articles
on testing, equity and new forms of assessment
EFF Assessment
Resource Collection
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/
"The EFF Assessment
Resource Collection (ARC) contains resources for the adult literacy field to
align curriculum, instruction, assessment and reporting with the EFF Content
Standards."
ERIC: Education
Resources Information Center
http://www.eric.ed.gov/
The ERIC database is
the world's largest education database. Begun in 1966, it is composed of
more than one million bibliographic records. "ERIC's
mission is to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable,
Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research
and information that also meets the requirements of the
Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002.
A fundamental goal for ERIC's future is to increase the availability and
quality of research and information for educators, researchers, and the
general public."
Fair Test: The
National Center for Fair & Open Testing
http://www.fairtest.org
"The National Center
for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) works to end the misuses and flaws of
standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and
schools is fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial."
The GED and Students
with LD and/or ADHD
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/adult/transitions_ged.html
Explains students'
experiences struggling to take the test, and provides clear information on
how to obtain information and help on testing accommodations.
Guidelines for
Inclusive Test Administration
http://www.ctb.com/media/articles/pdfs/general/guidelines_inclusive.pdf
This 2005 document,
by CTB/McGraw-Hill, "provides guidelines on the use and appropriate
interpretation of the results of inclusive test administrations. These
guidelines are intended to facilitate the valid interpretation of individual
student results and valid comparisons of year-to-year and group-to-group
summary data. Does not address the range of issues facing LEP students."
The Joint Committee
on Standards for Educational Evaluation
http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/jc/
This has program,
personnel, and student standards, as well as a listing of related
publications.
The Joint Committee
on Testing Practice
http://www.apa.org/science/jctpweb.html
"The Joint Committee
on Testing Practices (JCTP) was established in 1985 by the American
Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological
Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).
The American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) joined JCTP in 1987. The National
Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the National Association of
Test Directors (NATD) has since joined JCTP, which now consists of ACA, AERA,
APA, ASHA, NASP, NATD, and NCME. According to its bylaws, JCTP provides 'a
means by which professional organizations and test publishers can work
together to improve the use of tests in assessment and appraisal.'"
LINCS Special
Collection in Assessment
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
"The Assessment Special Collection provides
access to quality on-line resources to practitioners and administrators
dealing with learner assessment issues in adult literacy programs."
Literacies is a
Canadian journal published in British Columbia in print and online. An issue
on assessment and accountability will be found at
http://www.literacyjournal.ca/literacies/3-2004/readers_s04.htm
National Assessments
of Adult Literacy
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
The National
Assessments of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative and
continuing assessment of English language literacy skills of American
adults. It seeks to: describe the status of adult literacy in the U.S.;
report on national trends; and identify relationships between literacy and
selected characteristics of adults
National Center on
Educational Outcomes
http://www.education.umn.edu/nceo
"The National Center on Educational Outcomes
provides national leadership in the participation of students with
disabilities in national and state assessments, standards-setting efforts,
and graduation requirements."
National Council on Measurement in Education
http://www.ncme.org/
The mission of NCME
includes: "Encouragement of scholarly efforts to advance the science of
measurement in the field of education: improve measurement instruments and
procedures for their administration, scoring, interpretation, and use; and
improve applications of measurement in assessment of individuals and
evaluations of educational programs. Dissemination of knowledge about
theory, techniques, and instrumentation available for measurement of
educationally relevant human, institutional, and social characteristics:
procedures appropriate to the interpretation and use of such techniques and
instruments; and applications of educational measurement in individual and
group evaluation studies. (Click on publications, then: "ITEMS: The
Instructional Topics in Educational Measurement Series")"
National Reporting
System For Adult Education
http://www.nrsweb.org/
The web site for
information, resources and training relating to the National Reporting
System (NRS).
NIFL National
Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/
Assessment Strategies
and Reading Profiles: research-based assessment practices for the adult
education classroom – an interactive website for adult education
practitioners.
Practical Assessment,
Research, and Evaluation
http://pareonline.net/
"Practical Assessment, Research and
Evaluation (PARE) is an on-line journal supported, in part, by the
Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation at the University of
Maryland, College Park. Its purpose is to provide education professionals
access to refereed articles that can have a positive impact on assessment,
research, evaluation, and teaching practice, especially at the local
education agency (LEA) level."
Reading Assessment
Database for Grades K-12
http://www.sedl.org/reading/rad/chart.html
Every published
reading assessment appropriate for use in Grades K-2 has been summarized in
SEDL's Reading Assessment Database.
Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations
http://www.apa.org/science/ttrr.html
The purpose of the Guidelines and
Expectations is "to inform and to help educate not only test takers, but
also others involved in the testing enterprise so that measurements may be
most validly and appropriately used. This document is intended to encourage
positive and high quality interactions between testing professionals and
test takers."
SABES Assessment
Support Website
http://www.sabes.org/assessment/
"This Web site has been designed to help
program managers, teachers, and other practitioners deal effectively with
the learning gain assessment and reporting requirements in DOE-funded ABE
programs in Massachusetts."
SABES Bibliography -
Assessment and Evaluation
From the Assessment Support Website:
http://www.sabes.org/assessment/assessmentbib.htm
SRI International (Stanford Research Institute)
http://www.sri.com/
"SRI International is an independent,
nonprofit research institute that conducts client-supported research and
development for government agencies, commercial businesses and nonprofit
foundations. SRI is well known, in part, for studying the public policy
areas of education, health, and economic development."
The Standards for
Educational and Psychological Testing
http://www.apa.org/science/standards.html
This provides
information on the content of this textbook, as well as information for
purchase.
West
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
"WestEd is a nonprofit research, development,
and service agency that works with education and other communities to
promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children,
youth, and adults."
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Compiled for the Office of Adult Literacy, Georgia Department of Technical
and Adult Education
by Dr. Liz Dillon-Marable, Education Consultant, under the direction of
Dr. Tom Valentine, Project Director of the University of Georgia Adult
Literacy Technical Assistance Project.