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THE
BEST PLUS ORAL ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TEST |
Programs must use the BEST Plus for ESOL students SPL
2-10 whose primary goal is to improve their speaking and listening skills
and for all ESOL students at SPL 0-1, regardless of their goal.
This page will give you an overview of the BEST Plus
test and the specifics of test administration. You can visit www.cal.org/BESTPlus/ at any time for more information about the BEST Plus.
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OVERVIEW
OF THE BEST PLUS |
The BEST
PLUS is an adaptation of CAL's Basic English Skills Test (BEST) oral
interview. As with the BEST test, BEST Plus is administered
in a face-to-face interview with a student and is designed to assess
the student's interpersonal communication skills using language and
pictures from everyday life. The computer-adaptive version of BEST Plus,
however, is administered and scored using a computer with a CAL-developed
CD. As the test progresses, the computer adjusts questions to the skill
level of the student's responses.
The computer-adaptive
version of the BEST Plus offers a number of advantages to programs and
students:
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Test
administrators won't need to do co-administrations, thereby reducing
time/money constraints and stress on staff.
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There
will be no need to alternate test forms when administering the test
to students because the software gives a different sequence of questions
every time the test is given.
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Compared
to the current BEST test, the questions are more appropriate for a
variety of ESOL students from different countries, of different ages,
abilities, and levels of education.
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BEST
Plus can be used to measure students up to SPL 10, so programs will
have the choice of when to use the REEP or BEST Plus, depending on
their students' and program needs.
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BEST
Plus questions are appropriate for a student's ability and intended
to give the fewest number of test questions needed to determine a
student's test score and proficiency level.
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The
computer generates a score report on each student's test, so administrators
don't need to tally up scores and determine the scale score or SPL.
These score reports can be organized in a variety of ways (by class,
site, and test administrator) and can keep track of pre- and post-tests
for individual students.
- Because
the BEST Plus has such a large item bank, it may be given at intake.
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HOW
BEST PLUS IS ADMINISTERED |
Programs
must first purchase a certain number of test administrations from CAL
by calling in the Registration Key displayed on their computer screen
and receiving in return a Purchase Code, which when entered will allow
the purchased number of administrations.
Teachers may not administer the BEST Plus to their own students. The administrator
sits at a computer and asks the student a series of questions that the
computer presents on the screen. The administrator scores each student
response for Listening Comprehension (on a scale of 0-2), Language Complexity
(0-4), and Communication (0-3) using a scoring rubric. The student sits
at a right angle to the test administrator and doesn't see the computer
screen, except when pictures are displayed for him or her to respond
to.
As scores are entered for the various responses, the computer selects test questions
(from a large item pool) most appropriate for the student's demonstrated
ability level. When the computer has enough information to determine
the student'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
student. The program can also simply store the data on the hard drive
for retrieval later. SABES and DOE have developed a tipsheet to get program's started with score data management. See also CAL's own Quick Reference Guides.
(Use your "Back" button to return to this page.)
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The BEST test scores and the BEST Plus scores do not correlate. Unlike last year,
no previous scores will be carried over in SMARTT, so programs will
need to (a) post-test students in the BEST test by June 30, 2004 and
(b) pre-test students in the BEST Plus beginning July 1, 2004.
Record BEST Plus scale scores in SMARTT, which will convert them to SPL scores
for reporting purposes. At this time, BEST Plus scale scores cannot
be electronically integrated to SMARTT. Score reports must be printed
out and then the data entered manually, after you have set up your FY05
classes. See information on scale score correlations, too.
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GETTING
YOUR STAFF TRAINED |
Programs
will need to have two staff trained (minimum) to administer the BEST Plus
in FY05. SABES will provide trainings throughout 2004-2005. Information
on times and locations of trainings can be found on the SABES calendar,
or by contacting your regional Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator.
Best Plus trainings are 7 hours, including time for lunch. After the training,
program staff will be required to administer 10 BEST Plus "practice
administrations" before they can use the test for official purposes—i.e.,
the practice administrations cannot be used as actual student scores in SMARTT.
Program staff who attend the entire BEST Plus training will receive the following:
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Certificate of Completion
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Proficiency
Form on which to log in their 10 practice administrations
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Test
Administration Guide, including the rubric and directions for test
administration and score data management, and
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2 CDs, one for practice administrations and another that will prepare
computers to admininister tests, run the actual test, and manage data
on test scores.
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WHEN
TO USE BEST PLUS, WHEN TO USE REEP |
Student SPL Level |
Assessment Instrument to Use |
| If student is below SPL 2: |
MUST use the BEST Plus. |
| If student is at SPL 2 or above: |
Use the REEP of the BEST Plus. |
| If a student is interested in working on his/her English writing skills: |
Use the REEP. |
| If a student is interested in working on his/her English speaking skills: |
Use the BEST Plus. |
Here are additional resource links from CAL:
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Computer Feature |
Minimum Requirement |
Notes |
| Laptop or desktop computer |
Required |
Mac users will need to have the latest version of Virtual PC (software) installed. |
| Operating system |
Windows 2000 or later is recommended |
The program will run on Windows 95 and 98, and is compatible with Windows Vista. (Vista installation help.) |
| CD drive |
Required |
BEST Plus runs only from the CD drive. It cannot be installed on the computer. |
| Mouse |
Required |
A mouse is needed for test operations. However, command keys also can be used
for some functions. |
| Hard drive space |
10 megabytes (MB) |
BEST Plus stores data and score reports on hard drive. |
| Computer speed |
100 MHz Pentium |
Slower speeds will not allow the program to run. |
| Computer memory (RAM) |
16 megabytes (MB) |
Less memory will not allow the program to run properly. |
| Computer display |
800 x 600 pixels |
Resolution settiing needed for proper display of BEST Plus screens. |
| Flash drive or network access |
One or the other is required |
A flash drive (aka thumb drive) or network access is needed to transfer data from the
test administration computer to other computers. |
| "Lazy Susan" |
Recommended, not required |
It is easier to turn the computer screen or monitor toward the student when
photographs are displayed for responses. |
| Flat screen monitor for desktop computer |
Recommended, not required |
It is easier to turn this style of desktop monitor toward the student. |
| Laptop lock or secure storage |
Recommended, not required |
Laptops are easily stolen. |
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