Thank you for the great dialogue on standardized assessment.  Bob
Bickerton says "...this July 1st we will be transitioning from using the
TABE (we held our noses for 2 years) to a MAPT, a brand new ABE online
test we developed in partnership with the U.Mass Center for Educational
Assessment
-- a portion of which is computer adaptive."  

May I ask if this test -- the MAPT -- is available to other states to
purchase?  I understand that there was a large investment made so I
would expect that there would be a cost for others to use it, if in fact
it is found to meet the needs of programs outside Massachusetts.  It
seems we should also adopt the curriculum standards that the MAPT is
correlated to.  Anyway, just wondering about how to access this
instrument rather than reinventing. 

Thank you.
Barbara Arguedas
ABE Director
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, NM


-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 7:03 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 397] FW: [AAACE-NLA] testing

Dear Colleagues,

I thought you would find this email exchange of interest.  The following
response to both Janet's and Hal's posts comes from Bob Bickerton.
(Read from the bottom up to get the thread in the correct order!).

Thoughts?  Comments?  Is your state satisfied with the elements that
make up its accountability system?  Is anyone else developing their own
assessments?  How do we hold onto the good purpose of standardization
("level the playing field") and improve how we (or test publishers)
understand the scope of content as well as test design?  Do you find
that our present landscape of tests and testing "adds value" or not?
What do you think?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
______________________________________


Dear Colleagues,

Janet's question is key as are the observations from Hal Beder's study.
There is an aspect of this conversation that I hope will be explored and
vetted on this list and that is:  Under what circumstances does testing
have/add value, to what extent, and what other measures must accompany
the
value that testing (may) bring?

My concern is that the volume of criticism of standardized testing leads
some (many?) to a conclusion that there is no such thing as "added
value" by
such testing.  I disagree.

Much of the criticism of standardized testing is right on target.  Many
such
tests are poorly designed.  Perhaps even worse, many standardized tests,
whether well or poorly designed, are used for purposes for which they
were
not designed and are not appropriate for.  Complicating this second
point is
that many test marketers are all to ready to blur the line between what
is
and is not an appropriate use of the test -- for them, testing ethics
come
second after profits.

When I started as an adult educator (some 35 years ago) I was an adamant
opponent of standardized testing -- primarily based on what I had heard
in
the media, re, test bias -- particularly when used on African American
and
other "minority" populations.  There was already some pressure back then
to
use standardized tests so I decided the learn everything I could about
the
"enemy" so I could push back with "facts" rather than just my opinions
and
my emotional response.  While teaching (part time in 3 different
programs) I
completed four semesters of relatively advanced statistics and two
courses
in tests and measures.  What I learned is that it isn't as clear cut as
I
had thought.  I have continued to read the research and study the pros
and
cons of standardized testing (I highly recommend reading the "Standards
for
Educational and Psychological Testing," AERA, APA, NCME) and have
concluded
that it is possible to develop and conduct standardized testing that
adds
real value, but that it is extraordinarily difficult (and expensive) to
do
so.  

In response to all the problems we were aware of with the TABE and other
standardized tests in Massachusetts, we entered into a partnership with
the
REEP program in Arlington, VA to adapt their ESOL writing assessment to
our
purposes, helped field test and ultimately adopted the BEST+ for ESOL
oral
assessment, and this July 1st we will be transitioning from using the
TABE
(we held our noses for 2 years) to a MAPT, a brand new ABE online test
we
developed in partnership with the U.Mass Center for Educational
Assessment
-- a portion of which is computer adaptive.  We've invested a lot of
time
and money (including hundreds of adult educators and thousands of
students)
to align this test with the learning standards in our curriculum
frameworks
(more than 5 years in the making and based on the work of hundreds of
adult
educators), to pilot the test getting reams of feedback from teachers
and
students including many face-to-face interviews and real time
observations,
and we believe the test we begin implementing in a few days WILL add
value
to the teaching and learning process as well as provide more valid,
reliable, fair and legitimate data for our state's ABE performance
accountability system.  I've copied Jane Schwerdtfeger because she's
labored
tirelessly in the office -- but even more in the field with our
colleagues
to help us reach this point.  Thank you Jane!

Each state will approach these issues differently -- and for the most
part,
this can be good.  What I believe we shouldn't do is:
1.  Accept the claims of test publishers.  It's the test users
responsibility to determine how appropriate a test is for the intended
use.
2.  Write off all standardized tests as bad and hope they'll just go
away --
or spend hours commiserating when they don't.  We can use our time
better
than that.

[NOTE:  the "Standards" referenced above took 10 years of debate among
AERA,
APA and NCME during the very time when criticisms of standardized
testing
were at their peak.  Many of those involved in the debate had very
strong
reservations about the quality of many standardized tests and how they
were
often misused.  The standards are designed to address these very
issues.]

take care,
bob bickerton, MA associate commissioner of education and come 7/1/06
past
chair of NCSDAE/NAEPDC (welcome back to the chair role to Israel Mendoza
of
WA) and former MA state director of adult education (3 cheers for Anne
Serino, MA SDAE!).  

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of Janet
Isserlis
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 9:14 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] testing


AND

what do the tests actually test?

Janet Isserlis



> From: Jon Steinberg <jons at lacnyc.org>

> Reply-To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE

>> Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:48:37 -0400

> 

> Re: Adult Literacy Assessment

> Another NCSALL publication, "Lessons from NCSALL's Outcomes and

Impacts

> Study" by Hal Beder in FOB (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=386) summarizes

an

> analysis of 17 studies of adult literacy programs. This article notes

> that although standardized tests showed little evidence of progress,

> most learners asserted that they had made significant gains. Beder

> offers various hypotheses that might explain this discrepancy. At a

> minimum, his analysis should make us wary of asserting that

> disappointing test results accurately measure the effectiveness of

adult

> education programs even though the students in them are so convinced

> they are learning that they attend class week after week, often

despite

> great obstacles. As Marx (Groucho) said, "Who are you going to

believe,

> me or your own eyes?"

> 


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