[AAACE-NLA] query on assessment

[Marie Cora]

Hi George and everyone,
 
I'm not that familiar with the Voyager series so I can't comment myself,
but you're right:  I'll post your query on the Assessment Discussion
List and see what subscribers have to say.  
 
There's one thing you noted below that I think is really interesting to
pursue:  how you might be able to use both of these tools without the
'overkill' piece happening.  The trick would be not to invalidate either
of these assessments in doing so.  
 
I most-likely will not cross-post responses from my List - I encourage
anyone interested to subscribe to the Assessment List to follow along
(George, I think you are already subscribed).  But for others:  it's
easy and you have several options if you don't want to stay on the List
after:  you can simply unsubscribe; or you can go to the archives and
read any messages that get posted if you don't want to subscribe.
 
Good luck with this George, and I'll be really interested to see how you
end up fixing it all up.
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
Subscribe and/or Read the Archives at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Assessment
 
 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of
gdemetrion at msn.com
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 6:34 PM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAAC
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] query on assessment
 
Colleagues,
 
Next fall our program will be implementing the New Readers Press Voyager
series.  This includes a placement assessment that looks like it could
also be used as a pre and post test, similar, perhaps to the LVA created
Read Test.  Currently, in addition to the CASAS pre and post we have
used the DAR for a few years.  In many respects the Voyager Placement is
similar to the DAR, though it has two advantages over it:  the reading
passages are more authentic to adult experience and comprehension
questions are built in even at the lowest levels.
 
>From a purely program perspective I can see several advantages of using
the Voyager over the DAR; as the basis to place students in the
respective groups, to better tie assessment and instruction; the adult
themes of the reading passages, and the emphasis on comprehension at all
levels.  It is a better indicator of our balanced or integrative
approach to literacy whereas the DAR, originated by Jean Chall, is much
more geared to word identification and word meaning
 
Ideally, one could use both.  Practically speaking it would be overkill
whether at intake or at some other time, considering also that our
students take the pre and post CASAS on an annual basis.
 
Here's the question, which, perhaps Marie might also place on the
assessment list--what would be lost and gained by doing so?
 
My take is that what is lost is a well respected assessment in the DAR
that might garner a certain level of public credibility that a
curriculum-based placement test, not designed for a pre and post, but
which could easily fit within such a use.  The gain is a more
authentic-based assessment  based on the curriculum in use.
 
If we were not using CASAS or some other widely recognized assessment I
would be more reluctant to pull the DAR out, which has served us well,
notwithstanding its perhaps overemphasis on phonemic analysis and word
identification.  However, since we do have CASAS, also an assessment at
best only partially tied to our curriculum focus I am inclined to make
the shift, though I am very much seeking the collective wisdom of the
field.
 
I would say, write to me of line, except I think he issue is important
and relevant enough for list-based discusion.
 
George Demetrion
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