[AAACE-NLA] NIFL: Teach the Parent, Reach the Child

Mon Feb 9 12:32:31 EST 2004

We looked at the level of each TABE test and the level of the material covered by the test, the grade equivalent score results, and the standard scores. (We are using the survey form.)  I realize grade equivalents are not the best, but they are what makes sense to non-educators (and in most cases our funders are non-educators).  Our "system" puts some meaning into a score as well as makes sure that teachers are more aware of what material they are using, what would be a reasonable goal for a student (short- and long-term), and requires that the teacher really pay attention to what is happening with the assessments.  This is just one way that assessment can inform instruction.  Teachers are encouraged to use an item analysis and/or the diagnostic profile correlated to each test.  

-Miriam Kroeger
Education Program Specialist
Arizona

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of Ira
Yankwitt
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 9:10 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE; National
Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: RE: [AAACE-NLA] NIFL: Teach the Parent, Reach the Child

We're trying to do something similar in New York around identifying "out of
range" (i.e., "unreliable") scores.  Have other states done something
similar?  Miriam, how did you, or anyone else on the list who has done
this, decide what scores were "out of range"?

At 03:02 PM 2/4/04 -0700, Kroeger, Miriam wrote:
>
>In Arizona we have refined the TABE to identify "out of range scores"
related  to the scale score AND to the level of the test.  In that way a
630 on a Level E Reading would be out of range.  If one used the NRS scale
scores - this student would be an ASE II (High Adult Secondary Ed).
Anxiety in taking the test and/or in the results can be alleviated by the
environment and, of course, by the teacher.   Helping the learner identify
what he/she already knows, as well as what he needs to work on relieves a
lot of anxiety, and often is a turning point for a learner.  It is
important that teachers understand what the scores and the levels mean and
correlate them with the appropriate instruction and materials.  Don't start
someone in GED if he/she has difficulty handling simplified text; start the
learner out with the highest possibility of success, and let him be
challenged to go(grow) further.  
>
>-Miriam Kroeger
>Education Program Specialist
>Arizona
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
>[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of Art
>LaChance
>Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 7:16 AM
>To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
>Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] NIFL: Teach the Parent, Reach the Child
>
>
>Just a thought on how we've adapted our processes to ease that "test
>anxiety" felt by virtually all our adult students, especially when they're
>confronted with the inimitable and terribly insensitive TABE.
>One of the things we adopted after the requirement that all students have an
>initial assessment was that we dropped the "Grade Level" scoring indicators.
>It IS somewhat of an ego crusher to learn that you are 35 yrs old and your
>math skills are at a 4th grade 3rd month (4.3) level.  So we dropped the
>decimal point from the scoring report when we debrief the student on their
>test scores.  Therefore the scores achieved on the TABE don't associate with
>anything the student is familiar with, like a 0-100 score reference or
>"pass/fail".  For our purposes the A TABE for instance has a high score of
>129 and anything over a 100 is an indicator that the student is ready for
>GED Practice testing.  The E tabe has a high of 69 etc etc.  This is
>presented to the student informally and the pass/fail issue is downplayed as
>a top priority so that the "test" simply comes out as an assessment of what
>the student has learned, not what they haven't learned.
>But of course for reporting purposes all staff understand where the decimal
>point belongs, so we solve both issues easily.
>
>
>Art
>
>
>Art LaChance
>Gilmer Learning Center
>Ellijay, GA
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: <AndresMuro at aol.com>
>To: "National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE"
><aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 11:48 AM
>Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] NIFL: Teach the Parent, Reach the Child
>
>
>> For what is worth, we have a Spanish GED program for migrant
>workers/families. The people that enroll have anywhere from 4th grade to
>11th grade education in Mexico. We do not give them an entry level
>assesment. We let them start when they come and let the teachers figure out
>how they are performing. After several weeks, or months, we give them the
>GED assesment that is in the GED textbook. The teacher decides when it is ap
>propriate to assess them. The assesment is done very informally to give the
>teacher and student feedback of how they will do in the actual test. I have
>been and continue to be a passionate hater of the TABE.
>>
>> Anyways, the point is that our program has a very high retention and
>completion rate and the students don't face intimidating barriers when they
>come in. The person with the least education that got her GED had a 4th
>grade education.
>>
>> Andres
>>
>> In a message dated 2/3/2004 9:10:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>arthur at ellijay.com writes:
>>
>> >
>> > Thanks Elsa,
>> >
>> > As part of a practitioner inquiry project several years ago with UGA I
>> > interviewed 20 adult literacy students.  Some were mandated attendance
>via
>> > Dept of Labor and most were voluntary.  As the participants were
>randomly
>> > selected over a four week period from all areas of this program they
>covered
>> > all literacy levels.  My interest was to see how many adult students had
>> > experienced a head injury as a child that may have led to decline in
>early
>> > school performance.  What I found was minimal head injury - but what
>emerged
>> > from the taped interviews was 100% of them had experienced a strong
>negative
>> > emotional experience in the early grade levels that apparently had
>strong
>> > effect on school performance.  Most surprising was that almost all of
>the
>> > situations reported by the students related directly to initial program
>> > entry TABE assessment.  Meaning that the students initial TABE
>assessment
>> > grade level scores related to the emotional impact time factor
>experienced
>> > by that student to within a year or two.  My assumption at that time
>which
>> > has been reinforced throughout the years via consistent investigation is
>> > that children in particular home and school environments who must deal
>with
>> > issues such as: divorce of parents, death of close relatives, abusive
>> > parents or siblings, strong negative influence from peers and teachers
>at
>> > school, etc etc and were/are unable to resolve the influence because
>they
>> > lacked the opportunity for understanding, become/became disconnected
>from
>> > the classroom and were unable to keep up with the progress of
>curriculum.
>> > They miss the salient points and fall farther and farther behind
>ultimately
>> > showing up as a "failure" either in one or two subject areas or the
>entire
>> > curriculum within, say three years.  By this time the emotional
>experience
>> > is covered up and no causal factor can be easily identified.  I believe
>in
>> > critical cases the immediate response to such situations may show up as
>a
>> > chain of behavioral influence tied directly to the fight/flight response
>> > which fits neatly in the diagnosis of ADD, ADHD, LD.  And most certainly
>> > such behaviors will show up as anomalies in brain function due to the
>fact
>> > that they are internally generated and create their own set of chemical
>> > responses there.
>> > I know beyond a shadow that there are certain conditions brought on by
>> > genetic factors that will lead to like conditions because I have worked
>> > intimately with those folks in a rehabilitation environment but I
>personally
>> > believe that the above is more likely the most common situation than
>not.
>> >
>> > Art
>> >
>> >
>> > Art LaChance
>> > Gilmer Learning Center
>> > Ellijay, GA
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --- Original Message ----- 
>> > From: "Elsa Auerbach" <elsa.auerbach at umb.edu>
>> > To: <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>> > Sent: Monday, February 02, 2004 7:48 PM
>> > Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] NIFL: Teach the Parent, Reach the Child
>> >
>> >
>> > > Yes, there was a Harvard study that Catherine Snow & Laurie Hemphill
>were
>> > > involved in (in the early nineties -- sorry I don't have a reference
>> > handy)
>> > > that showed that up to grade three, various home factors (NOT just
>parents
>> > > being involved with homework) made a difference in children's
>acquisition
>> > of
>> > > literacy, but after grade three/four, the literacy environment of the
>> > > classroom overrode (trumped) home factors.  Obviously this is grossly
>> > > oversimplified but it's worth looking at for those who are interested.
>The
>> > > part that I found most interesting at the time was that the parental
>> > factors
>> > > included things like the extent to which the parents took care of
>their
>> > own
>> > > needs, parental outings, etc.  It was a range of factors rather than
>> > single
>> > > factors like parents reading to kids or parents helping with homework.
>> > >
>> > > Elsa Auerbach
>> > > On 2/2/04 11:36 AM, "AWilder106 at aol.com" <AWilder106 at aol.com> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > Art, Margery,
>> > > >
>> > > > I'm really confused, here.
>> > > >
>> > > > When I was a school teacher I did not want parents involved in
>homework,
>> > in
>> > > > teaching their children.  If I were  working with the child I wanted
>to
>> > know I
>> > > > was working with the child, not a parental overlay.  I also made
>home
>> > visits
>> > > > to families if they couldn't come to school for conferences, we
>talked
>> > about
>> > > > parental values, what they wanted for their children, my role in
>their
>> > > > children's lives.
>> > > >
>> > > > Now that I'm in adult literacy, and read about mother's level of
>> > education
>> > > > reflected in child's progress in school I am baffled.  I can accept
>it,
>> > but it
>> > > > looks to me  that the school (or program) has no effect on the
>child,
>> > child is
>> > > > just passed through the system.
>> > > >
>> > > > Is there anything between theory and practice that shows parental
>> > effects on
>> > > > child literacy as the child grows?  As  parental literacy increases?
>I
>> > know
>> > > > of one study, but there needs to be a stronger linkage.
>> > > >
>> > > > I apologize ahead of time, because I know I am only seeing a piece
>of
>> > the
>> > > > puzzle, but Art's experience resonated with my own experience, and
>I'd
>> > sure
>> > > > like to hear from others.
>> > > >
>> > > > Thanks,
>> > > >
>> > > > Andrea
>> > > > _______________________________________________
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>> > > > http://literacytent.org
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > > _______________________________________________
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>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> > http://literacytent.org
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> go here: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/art.html
>>
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Ira Yankwitt
Director of Adult Literacy Services
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
(212) 803-3356
iray at lacnyc.org
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