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 i8GJ2CR02329; Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:02:12 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:02:12 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <300BEB3101730B459922DE1D3B4AED890116BFB1@hobbes2.cal.org> 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: "Carol Van Duzer" <carol@cal.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:656] RE: BEST Test review X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 3092 Lines: 78 The review of the Basic English Skills Test (BEST) that appears in the most recent edition of the ESL in Adult Education Interest Section E-Newsletter confuses two assessments currently in use in the field-- BEST and BEST Plus. The original BEST, developed in the early 1980s, has two sections: the Oral Interview Section and the Literacy Skills Section. The test reviewed in the article is Form C of the BEST Oral Interview and the validity and reliability data presented relate to this older test. The information regarding cost is related to the BEST Plus. In 2003, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) released an updated version of the Oral Interview, now known as BEST Plus. This comes in two versions: computer-adaptive and semi-adaptive print-based. Both versions are administered as face-to-face oral interviews. The updated BEST Plus reflects advances in the application of new technology to developments in language testing and educational measurement of second language acquisition. BEST Plus assesses communicative ability through the use of questions tied to authentic situations that arise in daily life-at home, at work, and in the community. Each response is evaluated for Comprehension (How well des the examinee under the test item?), Complexity (How well des the examinee organize and elaborate the response?), and Communication (How clearly does the examinee communicate meaning?). Both BEST and BEST Plus are designed for use in the United States with immigrants and refugees who have left their country and come to live in the U.S. Additional information about BEST Plus and BEST can be found on the CAL Web site. For the new BEST Plus go to http://cal.org/bestplus/ For BEST go to http://cal.org/BEST Carol Van Duzer BEST Plus Training Coordinator Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th St. NW Washington, DC 20016 Tel 202-362-0700 Carol@cal.org -----Original Message----- From: nifl-assessment@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-assessment@nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 9:53 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:654] BEST Test review Good morning, afternoon, and evening everyone, I came across a BEST Test review in the latest TESOL Adult Education Interest Section Newsletter. It's Volume 2, Issue 2. I receive the newsletter electronically, but I do believe you must be a TESOL member to receive the publication, so I am unable to forward you the article. (If anyone on the list knows better about this than me, please let us know - if we can share this article here, then we should if possible). I wanted to bring this to your attention at any rate. It appears to be written by an EFL instructor who is in South Korea. On a related note, if you are not familiar with the TESOL Adult Education Interest Section, you can learn some info at: http://www.smace.org/tesol/aeis.html Thanks, marie cora Moderator, NIFL Assessment Discussion List, and Coordinator/Developer LINCS Assessment Special Collection at http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ marie.cora@hotspurpartners.com
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