Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 172 - Department of Career Education
Rule 172.00.06-001 - Adult Education Program Policies

Subject: Standardized Testing Instruments

POLICY: The following state-approved standardized tests will be utilized for pre-test, post-test, and continued student assessment for adult education students: Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE, Forms 7-8, and Forms 9-10); Basic English Skills Test, (BEST Plus, BEST Oral Interview, and BEST Literacy Skills Test); and Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS, Life Skills Assessment). Other NRS/DAEL-approved standardized testing instruments may be used with the written approval of the Deputy Director of Adult Education. Different forms of the same test will be used for the pre-test and the post-test. Local programs will pre-test and place all students into an educational functioning level (EFL) at intake or shortly after intake, within the first 12 hours of instruction. In order to check for EFL advancement, post-tests will be administered to students after a minimum of 60 hours and a maximum of 100 hours of instruction, and prior to exiting the program. Programs may assess individual learners who indicate they are leaving the program before the scheduled post-test time to maximize collection of paired test data.

INFORMATION/RATIONALE: The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 establishes accountability requirements that states develop outcome-based performance standards for adult education programs. The levels of performance will be expressed in an objective, quantifiable, and measurable form and will show the progress of the state toward continuously improving in performance.

Time frames for the test administration are required by the United States Department of Education Division of Adult Education and Literacy.