Dear Assessment Listserv Members,

As some you may know, several years ago the BEST (the original Basic
English Skills Test) oral interview section and literacy skills section
were replaced by BEST Plus and BEST Literacy respectively. 

BEST Plus tests not only the full range of NRS levels, including basic
survival skills, but it also fully covers the 11 Student Performance
Levels from 0 (no proficiency whatsoever) through SPL 10 (native like
proficiency). As Kay mentions, BEST Plus comes in two formats, the
computer adaptive version and the semi-adaptive print-based version. The
innovative nature of the computer-adaptive version of BEST Plus allows
it to serve multiple uses for everything from initial placement to
longer term tracking of proficiency gains.

For a short (3 minute) general overview of these assessments, please
see: http://www.cal.org/bestplus/demo.html. 

As the test developer of BEST Plus we always appreciate the opportunity
to provide additional information. To find out more about the uses of
BEST Plus and BEST Literacy, including cost of administration and
training requirements, we encourage you to visit our website
(www.cal.org)or contact User Support available toll free at 866-845-2378
Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm ET.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing what others have to say.

 

Daniel Lieberson 
Center for Applied Linguistics 

DLieberson at cal.org

www.cal.org

 

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov 
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Sent: Tue Oct 20 22:13:14 2009
Subject: [Assessment 2236] Adult Basic Oral Survival English Skills - a
test? 

To Whom it May Concern:

I need a brief oral assessment vehicle that will answer - yes or no -
that an adult for whom English is not his/her first language has gained
Basic Oral English Survival Skills. I am trying to please non-ESOL
superiors, hence the impossible request. What is the best thing out
there? Would it be CAL's BEST test - short form, which I know is an old
standard, or is there a better, more recently created vehicle? How about
the ESLOA from Reader's Press? I'm familiar with the BEST, but never
used the ESLOA. Thank you for any help or advice anyone can give.
---
Diana Siemer
ESOL Program Coordinator
410-522-2668
dsiemer at cc-md.org

 

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