Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id hAOG5Gm18583; Mon, 24 Nov 2003 11:05:17 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 11:05:17 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <BBE7958D.8502%lketzenberg@resolutionpictures.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Laurie Ketzenberg <lketzenberg@resolutionpictures.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9648] Re: TABE and Adult LAS for ESL X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 2209 Lines: 50 Melanie, I was required to administer the TABE when running a Vocational ESL program for a cohort of "displaced" mushroom farm workers, most of whom had no formal education beyond elementary school (in Mexico), 12 of whom were not literate in Spanish, their native language. I felt the TABE to be an extremely inappropriate tool for assessing this group, but despite my (and they attorney's) frequent insistence of this, the local Department of Labor mandated (in contract) that it be given quarterly. Moreover, it was the accountant working at the DOL who set arbitrary goals that the students were mandated to achieve in order to proclaim the program a "success." Needless to say, despite much other rich evidence to the contrary (in the form of portfolio assessment, student interviews and other anecdotes), because of the exclusive reliance on the TABE the program was not refunded and the community lost what was considered by many to be an innovative and useful initiative. I'm not sure what the LAS is, but you might want to consider including in your comparison findings which support the bankruptcy of submitting non-native speakers to native speaker tests such as the TABE. In general, I feel the issue of high stakes testing is one which we must sharply take on with those who insist they be given, especially in the context of NCLB. Good luck! Laurie Ketzenberg Temple University > From: "Melanie L. Hamper" <mhamper@marygrove.edu> > Reply-To: nifl-esl@nifl.gov > Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 10:31:39 -0500 (EST) > To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> > Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9646] TABE and Adult LAS for ESL > > Hello Everyone, > My name is Melanie Hamper and this is my first time using the list. I am a > graduate student of TESOL at Madonna University in Livonia, MI. > > I am having difficulty finding anyone who uses the TABE for Adult ESL > programs. If anyone does use the TABE for their program, I would be very > grateful to get your opinions about how useful it is to you. Help!! I am > doing a comparison between the TABE and the Adult LAS for my final project > in Testing/Assessment of ESL students. > > Thank you. > > Melanie > TESOL grad student
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