1. TABE 11/12Update Data Recognition Corporation/CTB Maxine McCormick

2. 11/11/2018
DRC Overview
Minnesota-based assessment publishing company founded in 1978
11 locations across the country
650 full-time employees and 5,000+ seasonal employees
July 1, 2015 acquired key assets of CTB/McGraw-Hill Education, publisher of the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) since 1967; used by 40,000+ adult basic education students in 43 states
Full-service provider of customized, K–12 assessments
Summative, formative, interim, and benchmark assessments
Multi-mode assessment programs (computer and paper based)
Successfully transitioned numerous states to online assessments
Many of you received s about this, but as of July 1st, 2016, Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) acquired CTB the testing division of McGraw-Hill Education. So, for the last 50 years or so, CTB was part of McGraw-Hill, but as of July 1st we are now with DRC. That doesn’t change too much regarding TABE, and does not interrupt our provision of products and services to our customers. We had started working on the creation of TABE 11/12 with McGraw-Hill and now we are carrying forward with the development, uninterrupted with DRC. This has been a positive move for us as DRC focuses only on assessment so they have a lot more resources to support the TABE development effort. They don’t own a book company like McGraw-Hill, they are not a financial services company like McGraw-Hill owned Standard and Poor’s. They have a singular focus on assessment, so it’s actually a good fit for us to be part of DRC and move forward with our development work on the TABE assessment. Most of you probably are not even aware of DRC as a company. You can certainly look the company up on the internet to learn more about DRC. Most of you probably were probably not aware of CTB. You are aware of the brand “TABE” and hopefully “TASC “ (our high school equivalency assessment) going forward.
Copyright © 2013 CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC.

3. TABE Current Status
TABE 9/10 is approved at least through June of 2019
Testlets are the bridge between the 2014 HSE changes and the new NRS of
More customers still use paper than computer based
TABE CLAS-E approved in 20 states
So today we have TABE 9/10 and it is widely used nationwide. It continues to be federally approved at least through June of From there it’s open ended. It might get extended another year, it might get sunsetted by the NRS. The NRS is not sure of what action they will take in June because the new WIOA regulations aren’t finalized, so they are not have able to provide a final answer yet.
Today we will talk about the TABE Testlets which provide a content bridge between the 2014 HSE changes and the new NRS regulations of We’ll talk about those more in a few minutes.
Oddly, a frequent question we get is are we going to continue to provide a TABE paper/pencil administration option. And the answer to that is “yes” because about 60% of adult education sites are still testing with paper and pencil. At some point down the road the majority of people won’t use paper and pencil, and then we have to make the decision about how long we will continue to support this administration option, but for the foreseeable future, there’s no end in sight for paper and pencil version of TABE.
Adult education nationally is moving at a more accelerated pace to online testing. A number of states have purchased TABE Online licenses that they then push down to the local sites. Kentucky is actually making changes to their assessment policy requiring sites that have internet access to use TABE Online instead of paper and pencil. Alabama is also doing a full-court press to move local sites to TABE Online testing. Georgia is making a push for TABE Online testing, as well as some other states.
TABE CLAS-E for adult ESL students is approved for use in 20 states, and we’ll talk more about the future in CLAS-E later in this presentation.

4. NRS Changes New EFL descriptors considerably more rigorous
Business vs Federal Government Regulations
Final NRS EFL descriptors published in Feb of 2016 – NRS Implementation Guidelines
New EFL descriptors considerably more rigorous
Old descriptors remain in place until Secretary determines otherwise
Final NRS regulations published in July 2016
Rules for all parts of NRS testing/reporting and AEFLA funding
TABE 11/12 application submitted to NRS on Oct. 1, 2016
8-10 month review expected
Available for use in January of 2017 for programs not requiring NRS approval
If we look at the NRS System, they did post the draft regulations for public comments for a period of time in 2015, so if you wanted to, you could have commented. The comment period has closed now.
They also put out for comment the NRS functional levels so you had a chance to comment on those, and they just released, in February, the final version of the NRS functional levels.
If you have not seen these, you may wish to take a look at them – they are published online. The new EFL descriptors for ABE are included in Appendix E of the NRS Implementation Guidelines Document. The new descriptors will not be implemented until the Secretary has determined that there is at least one assessment that is both aligned with the revised descriptors and that is suitable for use in the NRS. Until that time, programs will continue to use the existing NRS educational functioning level descriptors.
If you are interested, I have a document that compares the old descriptors to the new descriptors. I’m happy to that to you.
There are big changes so it is in your interest to become familiar and prepared. If the functional level descriptors in the past for math was a few sentences on what Level 1 math will require, it is now four paragraphs. So the requirements are now much more intensive than what they were under the old NRS regulations. As a point of comparison, think of the way you reacted when you saw the new HSE assessment in early 2014, and that was targeted toward your high performing students- your advanced level students – think of those kinds of changes for your low, beginning level students. The NRS is moving that concept of college and career readiness down to the lower levels.
DRC is allowed to apply for Federal approval on October 1st of At that time, TABE will be a completed product. However, that’s the first chance we get to submit the new TABE aligned to the new regulations. So for the people that are saying “why didn’t DRC submit TABE for approval last year?”, the regulations were not complete – nothing for use to submit to. All we could have done at that point is refresh TABE 9/10 and seek approval for one more year, but its already approved for that year anyway. So there was nothing for us to do under the federal system until October of 2016.
We do have the field test going on now, and some of you are part of that. All of that data will go into our NRS report that we’ll send in on October 1st. We are hopeful that the turn-around time for review of that application is 8-10 months. It may be six months, but it has been as long as 22 months before we got a response back from an application. The 22 months happened when we had to reapply for TABE 9/10 back in 2008, and there was an unusual situation where we had a new president and a new secretary of education. Of course, you know that is happening again this fall. We’ll apply for approval of TABE 11/12 under the current system, but the review will be conducted by psychometricians that the NRS hires, and then that review will be going back to the US DOE with the new staff which will be hired after the president has been inaugurated. The NRS is not anticipating changes in the review process, but you never know - if there is a new president and secretary of education how they will view educational policies. We should be on safe ground because the review process is governed through the WIOA regulations, so they can’t change make drastic changes, but our TABE application may be sent out for additional reviews because people are new and unclear on the process. So in all we are very hopeful and optimistic that TABE 11/12 will be available for use in or around July 1st of We will use the intervening months from October through December to print and stock the test books for ordering. TABE 11/12 will actually be available for use in January of 2017 for programs that do not have to comply with NRS regulations, but for you in NRS funded programs, you have to wait for approval by the NRS. Workforce programs that don’t receive NRS funding from the DOE will have the opportunity to use it as early as January 2017.

5. TABE Plans for 2016 and Beyond
New FREE online formative testlets released in 2015
Aligned to College and Career Readiness Standards
Include new technology enabled items
Available to TABE Online customers
Provides exposure to new CCRS based items
Does not affect TABE scores for NRS reporting
Content areas include Reading, Math, and Language
Testlets are optional and can be used at anytime after initial TABE Online test
So we are proceeding with the development of TABE 11/12, and we are constantly getting questions about what’s going on with TABE 11/12. Many of you have participated in the field testing, and that has generated a lot of interest.
We begin preparing for the new standards last year when we released new TABE Testlets into TABE Online. If you have TABE Online you have access to these free testlets. The items on these testlets were specifically written to measure the new college and career readiness standards for adult education in reading, math and language. You can pick and choose which ones you want to use, if any. The reason these are in TABE Online is because we are field testing the questions and the testlets are fluid - questions come in and out as determined by our research department, so that is why they are not printed. These testlets are outside of the regular TABE tests and are not counted in the scoring of the TABE test, but using them allows you and adult education students to have exposure to the new item types and content focus you will see on TABE 11/12. If you have TABE Online and you don’t see them in your system, it just requires you to refresh your software and they’ll appear in your system and will be available through a drop-down menu. So as long as you’re are using TABE Online you have free access to these testlets. They don’t require NRS approval, they don’t give you scale scores or grade equivalents. They give you percentage correct scores against the standards that they are measuring – the new CCRS- they are purely formative, and they are there to help you better understand the new standards. They can be administered between the pre and post TABE tests, so they can also be considered an interim assessment. They may be used as a quiz. You can use them however you want, or you can choose never to use them. But the resource is there for you because since January of 2014 until now, there has been such a high demand for information to help adjust to the new CCRS. The concept you have to understand is that high school equivalency is a business-not funded by the federal government, while adult education is a government regulated and funded program. So whereas TABE is beholden to what the US DOE will do, high school equivalency is not under regulation and can change whenever it needs to change. So that’s why there is a delay in the publication of TABE 11/12 because we still do not have final regulations from the NRS (but should have them soon).

6. TABE 11&12 Overview Based upon new more rigorous CCR Standards
Stronger link to HSE assessments & career pathway programs
New item types – all machine scored
Multiple correct response
Gridded response
Evidence-based selected-response
New test length
One math test – focused more on applied math
Improved Locator Test design
Reading, Math and Language tests only
Alignment to all 3 HSE exams
Still reviewing options – predication vs readiness score
Links to 9/10
Links to instructional resources from publishers
So TABE 11/12, as I said earlier we are doing the field testing now, if you are not part of the field testing it is not too late. There are still chances to be part of that if you want to. There is compensation for both the test center and the students that choose to participate.
We’ve talked about the new standards and everybody is aware of the new college and career readiness standards- that’s what the new version of TABE is based upon. That will allow us to have links to other programs. It will allow us to have better linkings into high school equivalency tests and better linkings into career pathway programs that are all following the new standards.
One of the big changes we are working on for TABE is that the current version (9/10) has a long form and a short form - the Complete Battery and the Survey. This will go away. The new TABE will only have one version. It will be shorter than the current Complete Battery but longer than the current Survey. The current Complete Battery has 50 questions in Reading and the Survey has 25. The new form will be somewhere in the middle – maybe 35 questions. The test length and number of items will be finalized when we do final form selection after the field testing has been completed.
The other big change is that we are getting rid of one of the math tests. If you are familiar with the CCR standards, you know that the big emphasis is on applied math, so the TABE 11/12 math test will be one math test – not two separate tests. There will also likely be a calculator and non-calculator section of the test, so two parts to one test, but not two separate tests as there has been in the past. Computation will still be assessed because computation is included in the CCRS, but it will not be a separate test. If you are taking it online, there will be an online calculator. We are actually switching platforms for TABE 11/12, so if you are part of the field test now, you’ve been exposed to the new platform that we are going to use for TABE 11/12. It is the DRC testing platform instead of the McGraw-Hill testing platform, and we have much more flexibility and ease of use with the DRC platform. We are moving our TASC test to this platform in August, so TASC and TABE will be delivered on the same platform.
So if you are a TABE Survey user, the test got a little longer from 25 to 35 questions, but we also took away the math computation subtest. So the net change in testing time for the Survey version is probably minimal. Complete Battery users will see a decrease in testing time from the 3.5 hour range to more like 3 or 2.5 hours.
One thing that won’t change: As we have always done in the past, students will be allotted about one minute per test item. That may change taking to account how much reading students have to do on reading passages, but we don’t reduce testing time by taking away time from students to respond.
The types of questions that will be on the test, in additional to traditional multiple choice, will be technology enabled items like multiple correct answers, typing numbers to answer computation questions (gridded response on answer sheet), and evidence-based selected response items. We choose the type of technology enabled items that enable online scoring and are still scannable for paper-based testing so we can still have that quick turnaround time for placement purposes. There won’t be any short answer questions.
Also the locator will change. Some people not everybody, but some people don’t like the locator. The challenge with the locator is that it is a short placement test. It is a short test because you guys asked for it to be short back when we were developing 9/10, moving away from 7/8. If you are a veteran of TABE you’ll remember that the TABE 7/8 locator was longer than the 9/10 version. Some people still actually use the TABE 7/8 locator because they like it better. It is still available in paper. A longer locator would have the advantage of being more reliable without outside information. If you’ve read the white paper on our current locator, it assumes you are doing some interaction and data gathering – understanding the student’s educational history and their goals on a one-on-one basis to use in conjunction with the locator to make appropriate placement decisions. So with a longer, more reliable locator you should not need to have a long student interview or record review of educational background. In summary, we are going to go back to a longer locator. Adding a couple of items, will help us be more precise in placing the student by just the use of the locator itself. So there will be a locator for 11/12, it will be a little bit longer, but we’ve shortened the TABE subtests. The locator will be more precise and more of a stand-alone tool for accurately placing students into the appropriate level of TABE.
Another big change with TABE 11/12 is that the content areas will be just reading, math and language. In the current 9/10 you have these additional optional subtests, of spelling, vocabulary, and language mechanics in the back of the book, those subtests will go away. Some of the skills in language mechanics and vocabulary are in the CCRS, so we will still have test items to assess these skills, but they will not be separate subtests.
One of the big questions we get is “How will TABE align to the HSE assessments?” Well TABE will certainly align to TASC since that’s our test as well, but our goal is to have a prediction to all three tests. How we will do that is still being worked on. Do we put on a student report that “you are ready for TASC and ready for GED but you are not ready for HiSET”, and you are in a state that uses all three? Does it make sense to tell a student that you are ready for two but not for one? So the discussion among our researchers is to possibly have a general readiness predictor to all three HSE assessments to say “based on your TABE score”, you are ready for a HSE assessment” – not listing a specific assessment. So just as the current predictions are very conservative, because we are predicting science and social studies with math and reading, the readiness prediction to HSE assessments will also be somewhat conservative because we are predicting to three different cut scores from three different publishers. If you are in a state that uses TABE but also uses three different HSE assessments, you might keep an eye on the fall after we’ve some of these equating and alignment studies for all three HSE assessments.
Will we have a correlation of TABE 9/10 to TABE 11/12 scores? The tests will be so different because they are based upon different standards. Our recommendation will likely be if you pretest with TABE 9/10, you should posttest with TABE 9/10 before you switch to 11/12. But just as we did with 7/8, there will be some alignment of the content, it’s going to be a lot different because there is a bigger change in standards from 9/0 to 11/12, than there was from 7/8 to 9/10. Right now we are focusing on the field test. After that we will start deciding on what alignments are needed and what studies will add value to the use of TABE. What does the NRS require, and what do local programs need going forward.
Bottom line is that we will have some type of crosswalk between TABE 9/10 to 11/12. You guys have a lot of history with TABE 9/10, so how can we help you understand the new numbers. Just a word of caution as you look at the new standards… what was level D in the past may be more appropriate for level M for 11/12. So you should make sure you spend some time with the standards, as you are probably already doing.
Late summer or early fall, we will engage publishers of curricula in the final objectives that TABE will measure and provide them the information they need to start developing instructional support materials. And they already have some of this and have developed materials at the higher levels based upon CCRS, but when TABE is finished, we will be able to provide them with the information they need to develop instructional support materials for the lower levels.

7. Old New New EFL Descriptors NRS Level 1 Math
Individual has little or no recognition of numbers or simple counting skills or may have only minimal skills, such as the ability to add or subtract single digit numbers.
Old
Students prepared to exit this level are able to decipher a simple problem presented in a context and reason about and apply correct units to the results. They can visualize a situation using manipulatives or drawings and explain their processes and results using mathematical terms and symbols appropriate for the level. They recognize errors in the work and reasoning of others. They are able to strategically select and use appropriate tools to aid in their work, such as pencil/paper, measuring devices, and/or manipulatives. They can see patterns and structure in sets of numbers and geometric shapes and use those insights to work more efficiently.
Number Sense and Operations: Students prepared to exit this level have an understanding of whole number place value for tens and ones and are able to use their understanding of place value to compare two-digit numbers. They are able to add whole numbers within 100 and explain their reasoning, e.g., using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value and/or properties of operations. They are able to apply their knowledge of whole number addition and subtraction to represent and solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than 20 by using such problem-solving tools as objects, drawings, and/or simple equations.
Algebraic Thinking: Students prepared to exit this level understand and apply the properties of operations to addition and subtraction problems. They understand the relationship between the two operations and can determine the unknown number in addition or subtraction equations.
Geometry and Measurement: Students prepared to exit this level can analyze and compare 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes based on their attributes, such as their shape, size, orientation, the number of sides and/or vertices (angles), or the lengths of their sides. They can reason with two-dimensional shapes (e.g., quadrilaterals and half- and quarter-circles) and with three-dimensional shapes (e.g., right prisms, cones, and cylinders) to create composite shapes. They are able to measure the length of an object as a whole number of units, which are not necessarily standard units, for example measuring the length of a pencil using a paper clip as the length unit.
Data Analysis: Students prepared to exit this level are able to organize, represent, and interpret simple data sets (e.g., lists of numbers, shapes, or items) using up to three categories. They can answer basic questions related to the total number of data points in a set and the number of data points in each category, and can compare the number of data points in the different categories.
New
NRS
Level 1 Math

8. Old New New EFL Descriptors NRS Level 1 Reading
Individual has no or minimal reading and writing skills. May have little or no comprehension of how print corresponds to spoken language and may have difficulty using a writing instrument. At the upper range of this level, individual can recognize, read, and write letters and numbers but has a limited understanding of connected prose and may need frequent re-reading. Can write a limited number of basic sight words and familiar words and phrases; may also be able to write simple sentences or phrases, including very simple messages. Can write basic personal information. Narrative writing is disorganized and unclear, inconsistently uses simple punctuation (e.g., periods, commas, question marks), and contains frequent errors in spelling.
Old
New
Reading: Individuals ready to exit the Beginning Literacy Level comprehend how print corresponds to spoken language and are able to demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sound-letter relationships (phonetic patterns), including consonant digraphs and blends. In particular, students at this level are able to recognize and produce rhyming words, blend and segment onsets and rhymes, isolate and pronounce initial, medial, and final sounds, add or substitute individual sounds, and blend and segment single syllable words. They are able to decode two-syllable words following basic patterns as well as recognize common high frequency words by sight. Individuals are able to read simple decodable texts with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression. They are able to determine the meaning of words and phrases in texts with clear and explicit context.
Individuals ready to exit this level are able to determine main ideas, retell key details, and ask and answer questions about key details in simple texts. Individuals are also able to use the illustrations in the text(s), whether print or digital, to describe its key ideas (e.g., maps, charts, photographs, cartoons). They also are able to use text features, both print and digital, to locate key facts or information. When listening to text above their current independent reading level, they are able to identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text, describe the connections between ideas within a text, and examine the basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic.
Writing:  Speaking and Listening:  Language: When writing and speaking, individuals ready to exit this level are able to correctly use frequently occurring nouns, verbs (past, present, and future), adjectives, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. When writing sentences individuals correctly use capitalization, ending punctuation, and commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. They are able to spell words with common patterns and frequently occurring irregular words. Other words they spell phonetically. In response to prompts, they are able to produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences orally. Individuals are able to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words, by applying their knowledge of frequently occurring roots and affixes, as well as sentence-level context. They are able to distinguish shades of meaning among verbs (e.g., look, glance, stare, glare) and adjectives differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by choosing them or acting out their meanings.
NRS
Level 1 Reading

9. TABE Mathematics
Gridded items higher DOK than straight multiple-choice
Items assess examinee ability to solve routine and non- routine mathematics problems using the application of conceptual and procedural knowledge
Mathematics test consists of a calculator section and a non- calculator section
Gridded-response items
Consider this function.
f (x) = – 2 x + 7
What is f (− 3)?

10. Multiple Correct Response
Copyright © 2015 Data Recognition Corporation

11. Evidence-Based Selected Response
Copyright © 2015 Data Recognition Corporation

12. Item Types & Testing Time
TABE 11/12 contains about half the number of items as the TABE 9/10 Complete Battery. However, the testing time has clearly increased. Students will not yet be familiar with CCR-based high stakes assessment, and we therefore chose these times to give students the best chance at completing their test with the least amount of pressure. Most students will finish their test well before the time is up.
Due to the potential for longer testing times, Reading – which relies heavily on passages – was divided into two parts. You may give both to your students at one sitting, or you may set them up as separate tests.
Mathematics has two sections: A non-calculator section and a calculator section. Online students will have access to an online calculator, and paper/pencil students can use a manual calculator. These two sections of the test are distinct, however, and test takers should not have access to a calculator when taking the non-calculator section. Note that once the non-calculator section is completed in the online test, students cannot return to it.

13. Word Count & Average Lexile

14. Test Levels and Grade Ranges
Note that the standards do overlap in Mathematics, and Levels M and D share grade 6.

15. Objectives by Level
TABE 11/12 Level L includes foundational reading and reading texts to assess beginning readers. TABE 11/12 also includes Mathematics and Language subtests. Together, these subtests are designed to assess the skills of adults with the lowest level of math, reading, and language skills – those who function at a grade range equivalent to K-1.
TABE 11/12 Level L presents students the opportunity to show any independent reading skills they have
TABE 11/12 Levels E/M/D/A are examinee-read.

16. TABE Literacy
Foundational Skills – understanding and using phonemes to build, read, and understand words and word-sound relationships
Literary Texts – understanding and using information from literary passages. This type of literacy includes constructing meaning from context and evaluating the text to make connections
Informational Texts – understanding and using information from informational passages. This type of literacy includes constructing meaning from context and evaluating text to delineate claims and information that is stated and implied. It includes locating and using information contained in printed materials such as diagrams, maps, charts, tables, forms, and within scientific, technical, or historical texts
TABE 11/12 content stresses the integration and application of instructional skills in contexts meaningful to adult examinees. Literacy is key for adult learners, and TABE 11/12 measures it in these three key types.

17. Level L
Level L can be used to screen adult examinees entering literacy programs. Level L accomplishes this by screening for:
Visual/reversal problems
Auditory skills/sound discrimination
Beginning comprehension skills
Beginning mathematics application skills
Beginning grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling skills
Vocabulary and word meaning
Beginning reading skills
TABE 11/12 Level L is similar to that of TABE 9/10, in that some of the test is read aloud; however, other sections of the test present students with the opportunity to read themselves.

18. Levels E/M/D/A Reading
Content reflects mature, life- and work-related situations and highlights overlapping objectives, from word-meaning skills to critical-thinking skills
These are measured using texts and forms familiar to everyday adult lives, as well as through excerpts that reflect our cultural diversity
Based on OCTAE CCR standards, focused largely on informational texts (e.g. research, scientific, historical information)
The previous focus on literary text (e.g. fiction, memoir, poetry) is significantly decreased

19. Levels E/M/D/A Mathematics
Content reflects math application, particularly routine tasks such as estimating quantities and making computations involving time, distance, weight, etc.
Item sets are integrated by mathematical contexts appropriate for adults.
The objective distribution at Level A is very closely aligned with the content distribution of the high school equivalency Mathematics tests.

20. Levels E/M/D/A Language
Content reflects he goal of adult language instruction - to build communication skills necessary for functioning effectively on the job and in daily life
Assesses skills in grammar, usage, mechanics, sentence formation, and paragraph development. Understanding of word meaning and relationships, context, spelling, capitalization and punctuation in sentences, phrases, and clauses is included.
Items are presented in meaningful contexts that reflect the writing process as it is applied in life

21. Locator Test
The TABE 11/12 locator test is longer than that of TABE 9/10. It allows for greater accuracy in placing students into the correct level of TABE. We continue to recommend using all the information you have about an individual student; if they take the Locator Test and you have evidence showing they should be in a higher/lower level, you will be allowed to use your professional judgment. State policies may vary, so check with your state to be sure.

22. TABE Software TABE PC New platform planned for TABE 11/12
New version for corrections
Links to a central database preferred (APIs)
TestMate TABE
New scanning option for TABE 11/12
TABE CLAS-E
New NRS Functional Levels and CCR Standards
Computerized testing option
Here’s quick update on TABE CLAS-E if you are an ESL program. CLAS-E is approved for use in 20 states. That NRS approval status is good through July of The NRS has not yet published new NRS standards for ESL students – so those are still in limbo with the US DOE. Just like with TABE 11/12, we have to wait to see how that system will change. The US DOE has contracted a study to look at new college and career readiness for adult ESL students – very similar to the Susan Pimental report that was done for adult education several years ago, this will be done for ESL. New standards will drive new ESL functional levels which will drive updates to assessments like CLAS-E to those functional levels. That is still several years away, so we anticipated current approved assessments will get an extension by the US DOE.
How many of use scan your answer sheets? Use TABE PC? So moving forward we want to move to a model of a centralized database. So right now if you are using TestMate or TABE PC, we have no idea how the items are performing on a certain population, because all that data stays with you. Some large programs such as NYC and Miami Dade use TABE Online, TABE PC, and paper/pencil testing, so their TABE data is in three different spots and not available to DRC for analysis. What we want is to have is one centralized database so if scan your answer sheets, instead of going to that hard drive on the computer, they will upload to a centralized Web-site. Think of it as the TABE Online database where your TABE Online data is now. We put all of your TABE data in the centralized database so you can run aggregate reports that incorporates data from TestMate TABE and TABE PC. TABE Online supports API which is the language that computer systems use to talk to each other. So if you are now hand-entering your scores into a state reporting system, with the new platform we can work with the state office to have your online data transfer automatically every night at 1:00 in the morning or some predetermined time. You won’t have to transfer data manually, freeing up time for staff. When administrations are invalid, you can mark them as invalid and they will not roll up to the state. So with TABE PC and TestMate TABE, we do want to get that data together. This helps us know how well the test is performing beyond the field test. Currently we do have this capability with TABE Online. We can run reports and do psychometric analysis of the items. The other thing it helps us with is the potential to be approved for Ability to Benefit requirements. We’ve had a lot of customers ask us if we are going to apply to be approved for Ability to Benefit. One of the requirements for this application process is that, as a test publisher, we have to report to the US DOE that student’s performance. We can’t provide that data today, and even with TABE Online. We have to gather no data to know if a student is an Ability to Benefit student vs an adult ed student. So adding a bubble on an answer sheet that, if bubbled, signifies that this is an Ability to Benefit Student, we know we can pull that report and submit to the US DOE for that student. So a centralized database helps us in a lot of ways. We’re not looking at identifiable data, we looking at students via ID number. And you can certainly have a backup localized copy of your data. You can do that now with the TABE Online export feature.
The database will help you locally as well. If you use TestMate TABE, you know that if you want to view reports you have to go to that one computer that has TestMate software loaded. You all use the same username and password to access reports. With access to the TABE Online database, you will have your own login credentials that will give you access to just the students that apply to your role. We can set permissions for different role levels. Some people might be able to run a state report, some people might be able to run a report for Columbus adult education program, and some people might just be able to run a local center report. And you don’t have to be at work to do that. You can do it from any computer with internet access.

23. INSIGHT Online Assessment System
Proven and powerful browser-based online test engine
Over 25 million secure, online assessments delivered in the 2015–2016 school year
Delivered in GA, ID, IN, LA, MI, MO, NB, NV, NY, PA, SC, WI, WV, and the WIDA Consortium (38 member states)
Intuitive and easy to use for students, with research-based online accessibility tools and accommodations
Reduce the burdens on teachers and administrators
No requirement for local servers or caching of files
No reliance on 3rd party applications
Lock down browser prevents access to other programs
Available for TABE 11/12 in January of 2017
Available for TABE 9/10 by June of 2017
No requirements for local servers or caching of files – However, to meet the needs of schools with low bandwidth and/or unreliable Internet connections, DRC offers content caching through our Testing Site Manager (TSM) application. The TSM is a powerful, easy-to-configure, web-based application that enables district and school staff to plan, configure, and manage an online testing environment. Content caching benefits schools by reducing the bandwidth needed for testing. Before testing begins, test content is securely downloaded and stored on a school or district computer using the TSM software. The TSM delivers test content to students over the local network rather than across the Internet, which reduces the bandwidth needed and relieves Internet traffic on congested networks. By temporarily storing test content locally, DRC’s solution improves performance and reduces Internet traffic on congested networks. The TSM can be installed and configured at the same time that the secure testing browser is installed, so there is no undue burden on the technology coordinator. The TSM does not require any special hardware—it can be installed on any device (desktop, laptop, or server) that meets the system specifications.
No third-party software requirements. DRC includes everything needed for testing via the secure browser software and does not require third-party software plug-ins, such as Java or Adobe Flash Player. Other vendor systems require technology personnel to first install the plug-ins and then carefully coordinate regular updates to those plug-ins in conjunction with testing windows. DRC’s all-in-one solution eliminates these efforts for district staff.
No dependencies on commercial browsers. DRC’s system runs on a custom web browser that is maintained by DRC. Unlike systems that run on commercially available browsers, our system has no dependencies on third-party browsers and is not affected by changes to those browsers. With DRC INSIGHT, technology staff are not required to respond to complicated and ever-changing dependencies between the testing engine, commercial browsers, and third-party software.
Support for automatic updates. As a web-based application, DRC INSIGHT supports automatic updates. In contrast to desktop-based test engines that are installed directly on the testing device, updates to DRC's test engine do not require installation of new software versions on student computers. 23

24. INSIGHT Examinee Access

25. INSIGHT Student Tools

26. INSIGHT Student Tools Standard Accessibility Tools Line Guide
Highlighter
Cross Off
Digital Magnifier/Variable Zoom
Digital Eraser
Blocking Ruler
Configurable Font Size
Online Large Print
Masking Ruler
Color Choices/Overlays
Configurable settings for background color, font color and font size
Reverse Contrast
Mathematics Formula Sheet
Mark for Review
Ruler (inches and centimeter)/Protractor 26

27. Highlighter, Sticky Note, Cross-Out Tools

28. Magnifier

29. Contrasting Colors–Font and Background

30. Reverse Contrast

31. Scientific Calculator

32. Context Sensitive Help Screens