CATESOL and Placement Tests

For me, the CATESOL conference is a great place to catch up with teaching and workplace ESL friends from across the state. I want to thank everyone who attended my workshops. One trend I heard over and over was bringing contract education into existing agencies to maximize the funding dollars. Collaboration is one of our keys to success.

In my workshop, “Problem Solving and Communications Skills,” I focused on my recent curriculum development for construction, shipyards and hospitality. I described how I write stories based on interviews and data collection. Then I develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and grammar activities around the story. This form of story telling is based on Paulo Freire’s literacy theory of using problems and stories to teach literacy. Near the end of the workshop, questions came up about appraisals and placements. I’ll use the rest of this post to describe how I approach placement in workplace ESL.

Placement design is especially important in the success of any workplace ESL program. I recommend coordinating a mobile One-Stop for placement tests. To accommodate workers various schedules, mobile One-Stops can be organized at several sites (i.e. construction and hotels), or during different shifts (i.e. shipyards). Schedule at least 2 hours to complete the placement tests. I like to use CASAS standardized, multiple choice assessments. (I was an employee and national trainer for CASAS 1997-2001.) CASAS (http://www.casas.org/) is widely recognized, is relatively easy to administer, and the standardized CASAS scores can be used for state and federal funding reports. CASAS requires Implementation training before purchase and implementation. If you're not already trained to use CASAS tests, you can participate in an Implementation Training at the CASAS annual conference in June in San Diego, CA or arrange for a customized training. As always with language assessments, maintain security of the tests and test results. Be sure the test results are used to inform instruction only. Consult with CASAS and/or an attorney to confirm how test results can and cannot be used in a workplace.

For the mobile One-Stops I use a secure assessment kit in a plastic file box which includes CASAS Workforce Learning System (WLS) 230 forms, CASAS ESL 20 forms, answer sheets, oral interview answer sheets and lined paper for the dictation, pencils, and overhead transparencies of answer sheets if we ever had a large group that required a group demonstration for completing the forms. First, I administer the 2 sentence dictation according to the ESL Appraisal Manual directions. Then, my assessment aides and I immediately pick up the dictations, skim and scan them to identify any literacy students. If we find a beginning literacy student, they get CASAS Form 27 which is a consumable beginning literacy test. All other students take the reading portion of the WLS form 230. (In some industries such as construction, we also administer the Math portion of the WLS form 230.) We also collect demographic information: number of years of education and highest degree earned. While students are taking the reading test, we prepare the oral assessments. After students finish the reading test, they participate in a one on one interview oral appraisal. The CASAS ESL oral appraisal can be done quickly, in 3 to 5 minutes.

After I collect scores and demographics, I organize them in a Excel worksheet. One of my placement goal’s is to maximize the learners’ fluency by avoiding a multi-level class and by providing instruction at a focused range. Although I use standardized and informal assessments, placement is an art that requires reviewing the multiple measures along with the employees’ background information. I consult with my team and we create benchmarks and place learners for maximizing their learning experience. For example, in one program, employees whose scores were below CASAS Reading 210 were advised to join a local adult education ESL course to learn basic literacy. Employees whose scores were between CASAS Reading 210 – 235 were invited to join the customized VESL modules. Employees who scored above 235 were invited to join a Career Ladders course.

Coordinating placement tests requires a significant time investment from all parties, but it is an indispensable stage of successful workplace ESL implementation. Give yourself plenty of time to make these arrangements, at least two months, to identify the days, locations, and times to do these mobile One-Stops. It’s worth the extra effort.