HOW IS EDUCATIONAL GAINS TESTING SCHEDULED?
WHO GETS TESTED and WITH WHAT TEST: Our students at the lower level are focusing more on speaking and listening, so they are given the BEST Plus; because the BEST Plus tends to “top out” about SPL 6, students in our higher levels are given the REEP test. When these tests were first employed in 2004, we needed to test EVERY student in order to get a pre-score with the new tests. Now the scores of returning students roll over, so we need to test far fewer people. There are three categories of student who need to be tested: We test students new to the program; we also test returning students who lack a post-test from the previous semester (due to absence, etc.); lastly, we need to give the REEP test to students who are moving up to higher levels, moving beyond the BEST Plus’s upper limit. WHEN TO TEST: We run a two-semester model, which allows us to apply the same pre- and post-testing schedules program wide. We test in September and November, and in February and May. We give students a f