Frequently Asked Questions
Categories:
Getting Started
Test Administrator Training
Ordering Materials
Activating Tests
Online Activation
Semi-adaptive Print-based Version
Administration and Scoring
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Do I have to use the same registration number every time I test that student?
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What if the examinee doesn't know what is going on in a picture cue?
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Can I end the test myself if I think it has gone on long enough?
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What are appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities?
Score Management Software
Technical Support
Trainer Certification
What is the password for the red BEST Plus Test CD?
The password is mexico.
What do I use for a student's registration number?
The registration number is whatever your program uses to track students. It can be a birth date, testing date, social security number, etc.
When entering a registration number into BEST Plus, please limit it to no more than 9 characters (spaces count as characters) and do not use any non-alphanumeric characters except for space, period ( . ), hyphen ( - ), apostrophe ( ' ), or underscore ( _ ) in any data field in BEST Plus (Student Name, Registration Number, Class, Test Administrator, Site). Standard A through Z alphabet (upper or lower case) and 0 through 9 digit use is recommended. Accented characters should not be used.
Do I have to use the same registration number every time I test that student?
No. You should follow the system your program has in place for tracking students.
When should a test question be skipped?
The option to skip a question should be used only in rare circumstances. For example, if a question causes a student extreme distress or is inappropriate for a specific student, the question can be skipped by not scoring and clicking on "Next question". When the "Finish scoring" question comes up, click on, "Skip this question and go on the next one" and continue after the student has regained composure. Skipping a question will not affect the final score and should only be done sparingly.
However, it is important to remember two things. First, there are no right or wrong answers to the questions and prompts so do not skip a question simply because you think a student might not participate in a particular activity. For example, students who do not drive should still be presented with items that pertain to driving. One of the questions may be, "Do you like driving in [Washington]?" The examinee can answer, "I don't drive" and the response can still be scored. The next question may ask about driving conditions, which the examinee could answer based on his or her experience as a passenger.
Second, if you are using the semi-adaptive print-based version of BEST Plus, you have a limited number of questions available. Skipping more than one question on the print-based test will lead to inaccurate scores.
If an examinee answers the question correctly in a language other than English, what score do I give?
In order to standardize scoring procedures and be fair to all examinees, a score of 0 is to be given for an examinee response in a language other than English. Examinees can be prompted once with "English, please." to remind them to respond in English. If they respond in English, that response should be scored appropriately (and if as they had not responded in another language).
What if the examinee doesn't know what is going on in a picture cue?
Score the examinee according to what they are able to produce. They don't have to be able to name the exact action going on in the picture or mention anything about the topic. Simple descriptions or lists of items in the picture will suffice. The picture cue questions are designed only to elicit words, phrases, and simple sentences (e.g. Subject-Verb-Object).
What if the examinee doesn't understand the prompt "Tell me about this picture," can I say "What do you see in the picture"?
No. A question may be repeated once but it should not be rephrased in any way. If a student still does not understand the prompt after one repetition, score all areas "0" and move on to the next question.
Rephrasing the question changes the difficulty of the item and can invalidate your results.
If an examinee scores a 0 in Listening Comprehension, can I still give a score for Language Complexity and Communication?
No. A score of 0 in Listening Comprehension is automatically a score of 0 in Language Complexity and Communication. The computer-adaptive version does this automatically. Test administrators using the semi-adaptive print-based version must circle 0 for each component of the rubric in the test booklet.
Can I end the test myself if I think it has gone on long enough?
No. It invalidates the test if you end it prematurely.
What are appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities?
The purpose of BEST Plus is to obtain a measure of listening and speaking in English. Permissible accommodations related to BEST Plus include the use of hearing aids or the use of eyeglasses and magnifying glasses to enlarge the image for the picture cue questions. BEST Plus is not designed to assess the communicative language skills of hearing- or speech-impaired students, nor should it be used with visually impaired students, as some of the questions depend on a photographic stimulus.
It is not an appropriate accommodation for a BEST Plus test administrator to allow an examinee to read the on-screen prompts as BEST Plus is a listening and speaking test, not a reading test.
Can I get more help in fine-tuning my scoring?
Yes. The BEST Plus Scoring Refresher Toolkit is available for use by both groups and individual test administrators to practice and refine their scoring skills learned in the initial training workshop. Click here to learn more about the Toolkit.
How can I go back and view score reports?
You can always view, save, and print score reports using the Score Management Software, under the "Manage Students" tab.
