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Adult and Community Learning Services

Planning for BEST Plus Assessment Implementation, FY05

We would like to provide you with information to help you plan for implementing the BEST Plus assessment July 1, 2004. Please share this information with your staff. In order to be ready by July 1, 2004, we encourage you to begin planning now. Programs will need to begin entering BEST Plus scores for reporting educational gain beginning July 1.

I. Can I Roll Over BEST Test Scores After July 1st?

The BEST test scores and the BEST Plus scores do not correlate, so programs will no longer be able to enter BEST test scores after June 30. In other words, you will need to post-test students in the BEST test this fiscal year, and that will be the last time Massachusetts uses the BEST test. Beginning July 1, you'll need to pre-test all students in the BEST Plus. Unlike last year, no previous scores will be rolled over in SMARTT.

II. What Information Do I Need as I Plan for the BEST Plus?

• Programs will need to have 2 staff trained (minimum) to administer the BEST Plus beginning July 1, 2004 for FY05.

• Programs with summer classes will have first priority at the trainings scheduled. Each SABES regional office is in the process of scheduling trainings in May-June for program staff who need to be ready to assess learners in July. Your regional Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator is aware of which programs have summer classes, and she/he will contact you directly to schedule training for your staff. SABES is also in the process of scheduling trainings for programs whose classes begin in September.

• Best Plus trainings are 6 hours, not including lunch (most trainings will be 9 am-4 pm). Some trainings may be offered as two evening sessions or offered on a Saturday. After the training, program staff will be awarded a certificate of completion, and be required to administer 10 BEST Plus "practice" administrations before they use the test to report student educational gain. The practice administrations cannot be used as actual student scores in SMARTT.

• Staff attending the BEST Plus training will receive all they need to administer and score the test upon completion of the training. Each staff member trained will receive their own Test Administration Guide (including the rubric and test administration directions) and a CD to run the test.

III. How does the BEST Plus Work?

• As in the current BEST test, the test administrator asks the learner a series of questions, and scores the learner's responses, but the difference is that BEST Plus uses a computer to do so. The test administrator sits facing the computer screen, which prompts the administrator as the test goes along. The learner sits at a right angle to the test administrator, and doesn't see the computer screen.

• Prompted by the computer screen, the test administrator asks the learner a question, listens to his/her response, uses a rubric to score the response, and enters the scores into the computer. The computer then selects the next test question, choosing questions most appropriate for the examinee's demonstrated ability level.

• When the computer has enough information to determine the learner's SPL level based on the scores entered, the computer prompts the test administrator that the test is finished. The test administrator then can print out a score report and go over it immediately with the learner. The program can also simply store the data on the hard drive for retrieval later.

• You can print out individual student score reports. Score reports can then be given to your data entry staff person to enter manually into SMARTT.

• If you would like more information on the BEST Plus, please go to the website of the test developer, the Center for Applied Linguistics, at www.best-plus.net

IV. Suggestions for Planning to Implement the BEST Plus July 1

Before you begin testing students, you will want to determine:

1. The estimated number of students which you will be assessing with the BEST Plus
2. The number of staff you will need to administer the BEST Plus
3. The number of computers, and which computers you will use for testing

V. Which Students should take the BEST Plus?

Any student SPL 2 and above may take the BEST Plus or the REEP. This is a change in policy. Students at SPL 0-1.9 must take the BEST Plus.

VI. Which Staff Should Administer the BEST Plus?

In order to plan for how many staff to administer the BEST Plus, please consider the following:

• All BEST Plus test administrators must complete the full training and 10 practice administrations before giving the BEST Plus to students.

• The BEST Plus is administered individually to one student at a time, using either a PC or laptop computer.

• If you plan to test a number of individual students simultaneously, each test administrator will need a separate computer.

• The BEST Plus test administration costs $1.00 per test and for this reason, you may want to think about which students get the BEST Plus test, and which will get the REEP.

• Teachers may not administer or score their own students. This is our ESE policy and also the recommendation of the BEST Plus test developer, the Center for Applied Linguistics.

• In determining number of staff, we recommend you think first about the current number of staff that you have actually administering the BEST assessments now. Then apply your current BEST assessment plan/strategy to the necessity of administering the test via a computer. For example, how many BEST tests do you administer simultaneously to students now? You will need that number of test administrators to be each testing one student at a time on one computer.

• Like any testing situation, test administrators will need a location for testing that is quiet and free of distractions. This might be an office, or space that contains a PC, or could be a location to which you can bring a laptop (e.g., an empty classroom) to test the student.

VII. What Computer Requirements Do I Need to Run the BEST Plus?

To help you determine what equipment you already have, and what you might need, below are listed the requirements for computer hardware. If you have access to an IT staff person, please discuss this information with him/her.

Optional Equipment

• A turntable (e.g., a "Lazy Susan"): Each BEST Plus test includes at least one question in which the examinee has to view a picture on the screen and respond to the picture, so it is necessary to be able to turn the computer so the examinee can see it. Some test administrators find a turntable helpful in moving the computer to show learners a picture-related question to respond to during the test; others decided they didn't need it.

• A flat screen monitor, if using a PC on an office desk: Some of the pilot sites used their office PCs effectively for test administration, but had difficulty moving the monitor so students can see it for a picture question. They found large monitors collided with the other items on their desk, and thought a flat screen monitor would help alleviate this problem.

• A laptop lock (or place to store laptops securely when not in use): If you will be testing a series of learners, you may wish to purchase a lock to secure the laptop to your location.

VIII. What Else Should I know about how the BEST Plus runs on a Computer?

• Each computer to be used for BEST Plus testing must be activated by a test administrator. Test administrators must contact the Center for Applied Linguistics (the test developer) to register themselves, the computer they will use, and to access a specific number of test administrations.

• The BEST Plus software is not and cannot be installed on a computer. It runs automatically from the CD drive. BEST Plus does not use the Internet.

IX. How are Testing Information and Student Scores Saved?

• Scores and other data on each student tested will be saved to the computer in which the CD was installed, not to the CD. Since the scores and any unused test administrations are stored on that computer's hard drive, we recommend program directors think carefully about how many staff will need to test students at the same time, to ensure you have enough computers. For this reason, Program Directors might want to be judicious about how many staff you plan to be testers, if computers or space is limited.

• The CD will save text files to the hard drive, such as class lists and student scores, and which staff member administered a particular assessment.

• Programs will be responsible for backing up BEST Plus data from test administrations.

X. What Else Will I Have to Help Me Answer Questions in the Future?

• We are developing a list of "Frequently Asked Questions" about computer equipment and how the BEST Plus uses the computer. It will be listed on the ACLS website.

• A BEST Plus Policy and Procedures document reiterating these and other points will be out shortly also. Your SABES Curriculum and Assessment Coordinators can also answer your questions, as can the BEST Plus trainer when he/she conducts training for program staff.

If you have any questions now, please contact Jane Schwerdtfeger at janes@doe.mass.edu. By submitting your questions in writing via email, I can post them on the FAQ if appropriate so all can benefit.

Thank you so much for your continued hard work in providing adult learners in Massachusetts the best possible education opportunities.