[Bestplus] FW: Updates on Adult ESL Assessments from CAL

Wed Mar 14 16:48:38 EDT 2007

Hi, everyone, this has some great info in it, including CAL is beginning a
List Serve! (Please don't judge the sentence structure of this email--ug)
Thanks,
Jane
-----Original Message-----
From: BEST-PLUS [mailto:best-plus at cal.org]
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 5:26 PM
To: Jane Schwerdtfeger
Subject: Updates on Adult ESL Assessments from CAL

OLE_LINK1The Adult ESL Assessment Team and CAL would like to keep you up to
date on information and resources that you may find of interest.  In this
e-mail, you will find information on the following:

?      Upcoming Conferences

?      Updates on BEST PLUS and BEST Literacy

?      Other online resources available from CAL

If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact our
user support line at 1-866-845-BEST (2378) or via e-mail at
<mailto:best-plus at cal.org> best-plus at cal.org. 

Upcoming Conference

TESOL 

Staff from the Adult ESL Assessment Team, along with other CAL
representatives, will be attending the upcoming TESOL 2007 conference in
Seattle. We invite you to visit us at the CAL Booth (#201). The attached
flyer provides details on presentations by CAL staff and resources and
information available at our booth.

COABE

CAL staff will be attending the COABE conference in Philadelphia and will
present three adult ESL- related sessions.  

Tuesday 10:15-11:30 am -- Tools and Resources for Adult ESL

Tuesday 4:15 -5:30 pm - Applying Test Data to Classroom Practice

Wednesday 11:00 -12:15 pm - Using Adult ESL Content Standards to Improve
Instruction          

Updates on BEST PLUS and BEST Literacy

Information about BEST Plus Trainings

As a reminder, please inform CAL user support staff of any BEST Plus
trainings you are planning to hold at least three weeks prior to the
scheduled training by sending an e-mail to  <mailto:best-plus at cal.org>
best-plus at cal.org or by calling 866-845-2378.  Information about when
training is scheduled, either initial or refresher training, allows us to
ensure that we have sufficient quantities of training materials on hand,
assist in scheduling co-training opportunities for trainers in training, and
field questions that come in to our user support line.

New Electronic Discussion List for BEST Plus Trainers

BEST Plus trainers and trainers-in-training are invited to join a moderated
electronic discussion list. The purpose of the list is to provide a
structured forum for BEST Plus trainers to ask questions and share ideas
about BEST Plus test administration, scoring, and training/refreshing of
test administrators. The discussion list will be facilitated by CAL staff
Sarah Young and Michelle Ueland. Each month, information on a relevant topic
will be introduced by the facilitators and can be discussed by list
participants. List participants will also be able to pose questions about
BEST Plus, language proficiency assessment, ESL instruction, and other
related topics as they arise. All BEST Plus trainers and
trainers-in-training will automatically be signed up for this list and will
receive an introduction email with details. We strongly encourage all
trainers and trainers-in-training to participate in this list as long as
they maintain an active status. Questions about the list can be sent to
<mailto:owner-bptrainer at caltalk.cal.org> owner-bptrainer at caltalk.cal.org.

Online Test Activations 

Many programs and test administrators are now activating tests online. In
fact, over 50% of all activations since June, 2006, have now been done
online! Each program administrator received detailed information on how to
use our online system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. BEST Plus Trainers are
encouraged to advise test administrators that they can now activate their
BEST Plus test administrations online by accessing our Web site at
<http://www.best-plus.net/> www.best-plus.net and then clicking on Activate
BEST Plus Administrations.

BEST Plus Scoring Refresher Toolkit

The BEST Plus Scoring Refresher Toolkit has now been used by many programs,
and the feedback to date has been very positive. The Toolkit is designed to
strengthen the accuracy of scoring that test administrators learn in the
initial training workshop. If you would like more information about the
Toolkit, please visit OLE_LINK4OLE_LINK5
<http://www.cal.org/bestplus/toolkit.html>
http://www.cal.org/bestplus/toolkit.html.

Using BEST Literacy

Programs that have transitioned from using BEST to BEST Literacy are
encouraged to visit our Web site at
<http://www.cal.org/topics/ta/bestliteracyfaqs.html>
http://www.cal.org/topics/ta/bestliteracyfaqs.html  to view an expanded list
of frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you have any additional questions,
please contact our user support staff at  <mailto:best-literacy at cal.org>
best-literacy at cal.org or call 866-845-2378.

Other Online Resources from CAL

CAL is a private, nonprofit organization working to improve communication
through better understanding of language and culture. Our Web site (
<http://www.cal.org/> www.cal.org) provides a wealth of information on and
access to many free resources. The following links may be of particular
interest:

Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA):
<http://www.cal.org/caela> http://www.cal.org/caela -- Resources include
briefs on a wide range of topics in adult ESL education and research.

Literacy Education:  <http://www.cal.org/topics/le/>
http://www.cal.org/topics/le/ -- Resources include the report from the
National Literacy Panel and a report on adolescents learning English as a
second language.

Refugee Concerns:  <http://www.cal.org/topics/rc/>
http://www.cal.org/topics/rc/  -- Resources include information about
refugee populations coming to the United States and selected profiles. 

*********************************************************************

You are receiving this e-mail message because you are either a BEST Plus
trainer or a state-level administrator in a state that uses BEST Plus or
BEST Literacy. 

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