CASAS Tests in Order of Difficulty (For Context)

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Teacher Directions: Student Report Cards
Objective: Learners will be able to identify test scores, identify whether they have “gone up” or “gone down” and set appropriate goals to improve, or continue to improve, their test scores.

Background Notes

Learners take the standardized CASAS test every six to eight weeks. This lesson is to help make their progress visible and tangible to them. By doing so, they will also be practicing the skill of “self-management” which is important for making Transitions into the workforce or further education.

CASAS Tests in order of difficulty (for context)

Once a learner gets significantly more than half of the questions correct on one test, or has made a “level gain” on a given test, they are bumped up to the higher test. This is because the learner is more likely to show progress sooner on the next most difficult test. Thus, learners don’t have the experience of “mastering” the material on any given test and often feel the test is too difficult for their level. Additionally, when they first move up to a higher test, they often backslide because there is a learning curve – new vocabulary, sentence structures, etc.

What to tell your learner(s) if they have moved up to a more difficult test and backslid: “You did a good job on the easier test. Now you are taking a harder test. Keep coming to class. Next time or the time after, your score will go up again.”

Materials

Your coordinator will provide you with a copy of the CASAS test(s) that your class takes, as well as an individual Student Report Card for each learner.

At the end of the lesson, you will also find, and need:

• Sample Report Card 1 – The score went up
• Sample Report Card 2 – The score went down
• Test Progress worksheet
• Mingle worksheet (optional)

Warm-up: What helps you learn English?

Create a table on the white board with three large columns. For now, you’ll just use the middle column.

Begin the lesson with the question and a brief (5 minutes) whole-class discussion, What helps you learn English?

Write learners answers in the middle column of the table, and keep them there for reference later on. Example answers include going to school often, speaking English at work, speaking English at the store, reading at home, listening to English on the radio or T.V., etc.

Lesson: The CASAS Test

Step 1: Introduction

Ask learners, “What class are you in?”

Learners respond, “(Beginning).”

Show learners a copy of the CASAS test. Ask, “What is this?”
Learners respond, “The test.”

To provide context for the test, show examples of all the test levels:

27 or 28, 81 or 82, 81X or 82X, 83 or 84, and possibly 185/186.

Draw a staircase on the board to illustrate moving
up in class levels and tests:

Ask questions about which test is harder and which test is easier, eliciting statements such as “The 81 is harder than the 27. The 82 is easier than the 82x. The 81x is the same as the 82x. (Don’t worry too much about perfect grammar here – the point is for learners to understand the concept of some tests being harder than others.)

This will be useful context later if learners’ test scores have dropped because sometimes scores drop because the learner took a harder test.

Step 2: The Report Card: “First and last,” “Up or down”

First and Last

Use a projector to show Sample Report Card 1 – The score went up.

Point to the title, CASAS Reading. Ask students, “What kind of test
is this?”

Students answer, “Reading.”
Confirm or clarify that it’s a reading test. Refer back to the physical
test you were given by your coordinator

Point to the column that says, “First.” Ask them, what is this?”

Answer: This is the first test.

Point to the column that says, “Last.” Ask them, what test is this?

Answer: This is the last test.

Check for comprehension of first and last by following up with questions such as:

“What does first test mean? – the one I took when I started school, or the one I took [yesterday/last week – ask coordinator]?”

“What does last test mean? – the one I took when I started school, or the one I took [yesterday/last week – ask coordinator]?”

Ask, what score was the first tests?

Answer: The first test score was 197.

Ask, what score was the last tests?

Answer: The last test score was 202.

Up or down

On the first practice test, where the score has gone up, have learners
look at the first and the last test scores. Ask, “Did the score go up, or go down?”

Learners should say, “The score went up.” Write those words at the top of the middle column of the table. Ask, “Why did the score go up?” Elicit answers. They may correspond with the answers to “What helps you learn English?” at the beginning of class. Add these new answers to the middle column of the table, with the words, “Maybe s/he” in front. E.g., “Maybe he came to school every day. Maybe she studied at home.”

Next, ask, “What should s/he do next time?” Write this question at the top of the third column. Elicit answers such as, “S/he should keep coming to school every day.” Write those answers in the third column.

Project Sample Report Card 2 – The score went down, and have learners look at the first and the last test scores. Ask, “Did the score go up, or go down?” (Leave this report card on the projector – you’ll use it again in the next step).

Learners should say, “The score went down.” Write those words at the top of the left column of the table.

Ask, “Why did the score go down?” Elicit answers and write them in the left column
on the board, e.g., “Maybe he didn’t come to school every day. Maybe she had a
headache. Maybe the test was harder.”

Next, ask, “What should s/he do next time?” Write this question at the top of the
third column. Elicit answers such as, “S/he come to school every day.” “He should
read English stories.” Write those answers in the third column. By this time, your chart on the board should be complete:

Step 3: Interpreting their own report cards

Distribute the My Test Progress worksheet. Using the report card
where the score went down (still projected from Step 2 above), have learners fill
out the top of the page. They can use the chart on the board for ideas around
“What should s/he do?” But circulate to encourage them to think about an answer,

not just copy it.

Distribute learners’ individual Report Cards to them (your coordinator should
have printed these off for you). Using their own report card, have learners
independently fill out the My Test Progress worksheet. Circulate and correct as needed.

Using the models for reference, have learners find their own first score, their own last score,

and whether the score went up or went down, writing the answers on their sheets.

Have them also identify what they should do. Circulate and prompt them to think of appropriate goals that will help them continue improving (if their test went up) or improve next time (if their test went down). As you circulate, encourage them to think about what would help them, not just to copy suggestions from the board.

Step 4: Pair share or Mingle: Reiterate and state their own goals

Pair Share (if you have less time): Put learners in pairs. Have them ask and answer, “What should you do?” As a whole class, ask two or three learners to share out.

or

Mingle (if you have more time): Hand out the mingle activity (at the end of this lesson).

Model the activity: Ask a learner, “What’s your name?” After s/he answers, point to the appropriate column on the worksheet and ask, “What should I write” (Learners should shout out the learner’s name).

Do the same for the next two questions and columns.

Tell learners, “Now YOU ask the questions and write the answers. Talk to (six) people.”

Exit ticket

Do the “Exit Ticket” activity from the Volunteer Training Manual, p.23, using the question, “What should you do?” as learners leave class or get ready for break.

Sample Report Card 1 – The score went up

Sample Report Card 2 – The score went down

My Test Progress

Example

What was her first score? ______

What was her last score?______

Did the last test go up or down? ______

What should s/he do?

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

------

YOUR tests scores

What was YOUR first score? ______

What was YOUR last score?______

Did the last test go up or down? ______

What should YOU do?

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

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Mingle Directions: Talk to your classmates. Ask the questions. Write the answers.