Yet another indicator of how off-target the testing and levels of ESOL 
are at present.....Robin Lovrien Schwarz, INdpendent Consultant in 
Adult ESOL/ Education and Learning Difficulties.

-----Original Message-----
From: PHCSJean.34425698 at bloglines.com
To: Focusonbasics at NIFL.GOV
Sent: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 9:59 PM
Subject: [FocusOnBasics 629] Diagnostic assessment for lowest literacy 
learners?

Hi all.
Does anyone out there have a test that can be used to measure 
improvement
in the lowest literacy learners? I'm looking at a grant that wants to 
see
learners move from one EFL (educational functioning level) to another 
in the
course of a year. I'm working with pre-literate adult immigrants and 
I'm not
sure that we'll be able to get from Beginning ABE Literacy (no reading) 
to
Beginning Basic Education which is defined as "Individual can read 
simple
material on familiar subjects and comprehend simple and compound 
sentences
in single or linked paragraphs containing a familiar vocabulary; can 
write
simple notes and messages on familiar situations but lacks clarity and 
focus."


When I inquired about it, I was told that I should look to document 
grwoth
with another assessment. TABE is below 367 at this level, CASAS is 200 
and
below and ABLE at 523. Are any of these granular enough to measure a 
difference
at this level? I'm not super familiar with them.

Is there anything else
folks have used with pre-literate students to measure success 
objectively,
yet not have the student "fail" 3/4 of the test to measure growth?
Thanks!

Jean Marrapodi
Providence Assembly of God Learning Center
----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
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