TABE CLAS-E – Q & A
Greetings Program Managers:
TABE CLAS-E assessment and training will be available to programs interested, as a result for programs that are having issues with other assessment companies. Coordination for TABE-CLAS-E training will be forthcoming and will include NRS requirements and policies in collaboration with Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), RAENs, and AEPP. DRC has agreed to pilot the TABE-CLAS-E assessment for programs already using TABE and has provided AEPP with a list of those programs. For confirmation, if you are on the DRC list or have additional questions, please contact your RAEN or Regional Manager.
For programs that do not currently use TABE, please follow up with your RAEN and provide the items listed below on an Excel spreadsheet. DRC is working with AEPP to make assessments available to funded programs.
- Program Name, region, and funding
- Estimate the number of students to be assessed
- Based on your funding and student population served, indicate the lowest and highest proficiency level
From DRC:
I have attached a list of all NY programs that have active TABE 11/12 Online testing accounts. Ideally any of the programs that are on the list that are willing to pilot TABE CLAS-E Online now to provide NYSED feedback DRC can activate either Forms A/B or C/D in their accounts immediately at no cost to the state or program. Theses existing programs are already familiar with the DRC Online portal and the same processes they use for TABE are used for CLAS-E within the portal. We would be happy to provide some overview webinars to get programs oriented.
If there are programs not on the list of active Online sites that would like to pilot the paper version of CLAS-E A/B I would need to collect some more information about how many potential students might be tested and if a rough estimate if the group of students are lower or higher proficiency so that I can estimate what paper materials would be needed.
*Questions credited to ASISTS and answered by DRC:
Does TABE-CLAS-E go up to NRS level 6 for ESL?
- Yes, TABE CLAS-E does cover NRS Level 6. One of the requirements that OCTAE asked of us when CLAS-E was initially going through NRS approval was to make sure a student could test into Level 6 and also test out if Level 6. Each content area has an exit score from Level 6.
Are the tests online only or is there a paper and/or offline version?
- All DRC assessments are available Online and in Paper versions. This includes TABE CLAS- E A/B and C/D as well as TABE 13/14.
BEST Plus is primarily an oral test, but the TABE-CLAS-E seems more comprehensive in that it seems to have a reading, listening, writing and speaking tests, at least for the C and D forms coming out now. Do providers usually buy all four versions and is the Listening test most comparable to the BEST Plus test?
- Yes, CLAS-E A/B and C/D have separate test for Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. In the paper version the test booklet contains all four tests. For the Online testing programs purchase test tokens that can be used on any content area. CLAS-E Reading and Listening are most similar to other TABE tests as straightforward multiple-choice tests. Listening does require the Listening parts to be played from CD, Audio or on the computer with headphones. Writing and Speaking are different in that they have Constructed Response items that require a Rubric to score. Scoring can be done locally by staff with the Rubric or by DRC Score Services for an additional cost. DRC scoring is only available for Online tests.
Can either one of the tests (reading, listening, etc.) be used in isolation or do they all have to be used?
- Yes, all four content areas have NRS approval and can be used independently.
Will DRC provide TABE CLAS-E training and adapt it to NRS requirements and policies?
- Yes, we can facilitate either in person or web-based trainings that can include state policy components. We will also have a free online certification option similar to the one we have for TABE 11/12 that is posted on our website at. https://tabetest.com/tabe-1112-certification- process/
About the test itself, it seems like there are multiple forms of the test. If there are multiple forms, can you pre and post on the same form or do you have to alternate forms?
- Like TABE Forms 11&12 that have the levels E, M, D, A. TABE CLAS-E has Forms A&B with Level 1,2,3,4. Also, all processes that are used for TABE are followed for CLAS-E. A pre test of 11M is usually post tested with 12M unless the student did very well on the pre test and needs to be move to a Level D to allow for a scale score increase that moved to a higher NRS level. This is the same with CLAS-E, a pre-test on 1A would usually be post-tested on 1B.
- For TABE Pretesting on 11 or 12 and post testing on the new forms 13 or 14 is not allowed and the same goes for pretesting on CLAS-E A or B can not then post test on C or D.
It looks like the forms A/B are expiring and C/D will not be ready to use until July. (Please confirm that the A/B versions would be available for programs until July 2025)
- Correct Both 11/12 and A/B expire on June 30th 2025.
- CLAS-E C/D Online launched in September and the paper version will be available in March.
- TABE 13/14 Online will launch the January 20th and the paper version will be available in March.