BEST Plus Scoring Recalibration -11/5/09

As the publisher of BEST Plus, the Center for Applied Linguistics would like to remind BEST Plus program and test administrators of the importance of periodic scoring recalibration. The reliability of test scores hinges on scoring accuracy. Therefore, periodic scoring recalibration is a good practice in standardized oral proficiency testing.

Several options are available to check test administrators' adherence to the BEST Plus Scoring Rubric.
1. Test administrators should review their Test Administrator Guide before each round of testing. This includes reading over Sections II (Test Administration Procedures) and III (Scoring BEST Plus), and reviewing the BEST Plus Scoring Rubric and the Language Complexity Reference Sheet.
2. When feasible, test administrators may get together in a small group to conduct a consensus scoring activity.
3. The BEST Plus Scoring Refresher Toolkit expressly designed for recalibrating BEST Plus scoring, may be used. (For more information on the Toolkit, please visit http://calstore.cal.org/Sstore/detail.aspx?ID=335. Note that this product can only be purchased by program administrators.)

If you or your test administrators have any questions about scoring BEST Plus or recalibration, contact our user support line at 1-866-845-BEST (2378) or via e-mail at best-plus@cal.org Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM EST.  

In addition, adult ESL practitioners may also be interested in the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Network Web site (http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/). The CAELA Network provides information and resources focusing on high-quality professional development for educators working with adult English language learners and makes research findings and evidence-based resources available to practitioners across the nation that work with this population. You can download many resources, including the latest research-to-practice brief, Managing Programs for Adults Learning English. This brief is the third in a series written specifically to address issues relevant to program managers whose programs serve adults learning English. The complete series and many other resources are available free online.
Please forward this e-mail to other adult ESL practitioners, especially BEST Plus test administrators.

NEW User Support Hours - 5/20/09

Please observe that the new user support hours are Monday-Friday 10am-6pm EST (effective June 1, 2009). User support staff can be reached at 866-845-BEST (2378).

BEST Plus and BEST Literacy Overview Video - 10/30/08

View a three-minute Flash video presentation of CAL's Adult ESL Assessments, BEST Plus and BEST Literacy. The video gives a brief overview of both assessments and includes several authentic interview clips demonstrating the use of BEST Plus.

New CAL Digest:
Effects of Instructional Hours and Intensity of Instruction on NRS Level Gain in Listening and Speaking - 12/18/07

This digest reports on a study examining the relationship between the number of ESL instructional hours and intensity of ESL instruction with the progress of adult English language learners in listening and speaking in English, as measured by the oral proficiency assessment BEST Plus. Download a free copy of this new publication.

Score Management Software enhancement now available - 10/24/07

An enhanced version of the BEST Plus Score Management Software (SMS) is now available. If you have the February 2005 or earlier version of the Score Management Software (included on the maroon Best Plus Test CD in your BEST Plus Test Administrator Guide received at training) installed on your computer, you can download and install the new enhancement free of charge. Learn more.

Network Version of BEST Plus - 05/07/07

Many programs, large and small, have their computers set up on a network to allow easy and fast access to information from any computer on the network. To make BEST Plus easier to administer, the Center for Applied Linguistics has created a networked version. This means that all test administrators connected to the same network can access the BEST Plus software and save student files to a central shared file. The networked version eliminates the need for each test administrator to use the maroon BEST Plus test CD, keep track of test administrations on each computer, use the test transfer program, and merge student lists from multiple sources. Programs that pilot tested this new version find it easy to use and time saving.
Because every program has a different network configuration, this software must be customized. The cost of the BEST Plus network version is $1,000 and includes the software and technical support to ensure its proper installation and functionality on your server.

To learn more about the network version, download our fact sheet.

BEST Plus and Windows Vista - 05/07/07

Please visit our FAQ page for information on how to run BEST Plus on Windows Vista.

BEST Plus Scoring Refresher Toolkit is Now Available - 11/01/06

CAL has developed a scoring recalibration toolkit to improve and enhance test administrator scoring accuracy and reliability for programs that use BEST Plus. The Scoring Refresher Toolkit is a complete package that includes everything needed to recalibrate the scoring of previously trained test administrators: videos with practice clips and scoring activities, a manual to guide programs through the entire scoring refresher process, and separate workbooks with perforated activity sheets for test administrators who participate in the scoring recalibration training. Learn more.

Click here to download an order form for the Toolkit materials or visit the CAL Store online.

Use of Raw Score Tables in Print-Based BEST Plus Back Cover - 09/01/06

When using the print-based version of BEST Plus, only the complete score report (obtained by entering the raw scores from each Examinee Test Booklet into the Score Management Software on the BEST Plus Test CD) can be used for official accountability and reporting purposes.

The tables that are found in the back cover of each Examinee Test Booklet are not meant to serve as a substitute for this data entry. They are provided for rough, on-the-spot placement necessities only. Because of the algorhythm included in the design of BEST Plus, these tables are not precise, nor are the raw scores from the three different forms (A,B, and C) directly comparable. Only scale scores, found in the complete score report, can be compared across all three forms.

A complimentary scoring administration is automatically credited to your account by CAL staff for each print-based Examinee Test Booklet you purchase. This allows you to enter your raw scores into the Test CD and obtain a complete score report for each purchased booklet. Please visit our online activation page to activate your print-based scoring administrations or call 1-866-845-BEST (2378) for any additional assistance.

Activate Your BEST Plus Test Administrations Online - 08/01/06

Trained test administrators may activate their purchased test administrations online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To use the automated system, visit our online activation page. To login, a test administrator must provide their email address, customer number and password.

All programs should have recieved their unique customer number. Please call CAL toll-free at 1-866-845-BEST(2378) if you need assistance in obtaining your customer number or experience any difficulties in using the online activation process.

Update to the Test Administrator Guide - 07/08/06

To reflect the NRS changes that took place on July 1, 2006, CAL has updated Section III of the Test Administrator Guide to incorporate those changes. Please call BEST Plus User Support at 1-866-845-BEST (2378), option 1, or email best-plus@cal.org to request your complimentary copy of the updated Section III materials.

Update on NRS Changes - 5/01/06

Score ranges for all CAL adult ESL assessments have been realigned to match the revised NRS descriptors and SPLs. Download our fact sheet.

home  +   introduction  +  advantages  +  FAQ  +   getting started   +  order form

guides + test transfer program + announcements + join our mailing list

order products  +  activate administrations + scoring refresher toolkit

score management software enhancement + video demonstration

For more information about BEST Plus or training workshops,
call 1-866-845-BEST or send an email to BEST Plus.

Shop for additional CAL testing products online 24 hours a day
at the CALstore calstore.cal.org

The development of BEST Plus was funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education, Contract # ED-00-CO-0130.