Moving Assessments Forward Policy Clarification
Currently this policy reads: Any assessment administered on or after April 1st in FY 2024 may be moved forward in FY 2025 and used as a pre-test until December 31, 2024 (see ACLS Assessment Policy Manual, policy # 4, page 9 ).
Clarification: The December 31 date refers to the student's return and re-enrollment date. If the student leaves and re-enrolls on or before December 31, the student's assessment administered between April 1 and June 30 (of the current fiscal year) can be used as a pre-test in the new fiscal year. If the student re-enrolls after December 31, the assessment administered between April 1 and June 30 in the previous fiscal year cannot be moved forward, and the student must be pre-tested again.
Pre- and Post-Testing with the Same Test Modality
While the current pre- and post-test policy (see ACLS Assessment Policy Manual, policy # 3, pages 7–9 ) specifies that students must be pre- and post-tested with the same test instrument (e.g., CLAS E Reading at pre-test, CLAS E Reading at post-test; BEST Plus at pre-test, BEST Plus at post-test). The policy is not clear regarding the modality of the test (e.g., CLAS E Reading on paper at pre-test, CLAS E Reading online at post-test; BEST Plus in person at pre-test, BEST Plus remotely at post-test).
Clarification: Students must be tested with the same test (e.g., CLAS E Reading at pre-test and CLAS E Reading at post-test; BEST Plus 3.0 at pre-test and BEST Plus 3.0 at post-test).
Upon consultation with UMass CEA psychometricians, ACLS strongly recommends that the modality of the test also stay consistent from pre-to post-test (e.g., in person paper format at pre-test, in person paper format at post-test).
However, in rare cases when adjustments are needed based on students' circumstances and when these circumstances are completely unavoidable (e.g., students in unstable housing situations), the test modality can change from pre- to post-testing (e.g., in person/paper test at pre- test and remote administration at post-test) for BEST Plus 3.0, CLAS E Reading Forms C and D, MAPT-CCR, and TABE 13/14 tests.
In such cases, programs must:
However, the test modality cannot change for CLAS E Writing under any circumstances.
Writing is a different and more multifaceted construct, and for many people the act of writing on a computer and writing on paper is a different cognitive and physical process.
Switching modality from pre-test to post-test for writing is not advisable from a validity perspective due to a variety of concerns (e.g., individual students' proficiency at generating text in different modes, especially emergent writers; students' limited access to technology and digital literacy levels; increased test anxiety a change in test modality can trigger).
For any questions, please contact Dana Varzan-Parker .
Last Updated: April 16, 2025