CASAS Connection January 2011

January 2011

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Notes for the CASAS Community

• Happy New Year: From the CASAS Staff
• And the Winner Is...Survey Response Leads to Complimentary Summer Institute Registration
• Education and Opportunity: Office of Vocational and Adult Education Announces Goals for 2011-12

CASAS Best Practices

• CASAS National Summer Institute — June 14-16, 2011: Registration Now Open

New Resources You Can Use

• Adult Low-Level Literacy Curriculum: Field-Based Modules Follow Principles of UDL (Universal Design for Learning)
• TOPSpro Version 5.1: Available Now

Welcome to Our Web site

• Citizenship Interview Test - New Training Available: Earn Test Administration Certificate Online at Your Own Pace

Happy New Year

From the CASAS Staff

We value your business and want to wish you and your family all the best in 2011. We are committed to providing the best possible customer service to you this year, and for years to come. We look forward to working with you!

And The Winner Is…

Thank you to all who completed the recent online survey about CASAS products and resources. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to better serve you in the future.

Congratulations to a respondant from Madera Adult School, California. This lucky respondent is the winner of the complimentary registration for the 2011 CASAS National Summer Institute!

Would you like to join other education professionals at the CASAS Summer Institute? See the article below for more information on the 2011 CASAS National Summer Institute!

Education and Opportunity

To support President Obama’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world in 2020, OVAE announced its commitment to strengthening the U.S. adult education system to prepare adults for college and 21st century careers.

Find the complete announcement posted online in the December 2 issue of the OVAE newsletter. Of particular interest to the CASAS Community is a new federal policy tool kit, Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Policy Toolkit for States get adobe reader, available to help state interagency teams identify and use federal resources to support career pathways and bridges for out-of-school youths and adults.

CASAS National Summer Institute — June 14-16, 2011

Join CASAS and more than 450 of your peers to share your accountability knowledge and skills!

• Get the most up-to-date CASAS training
• Learn more about computer-based testing with CASAS eTests®
• Find out how to link CASAS test results to classroom instruction
• Hear how programs are using CASAS to help with transitioning to postsecondary education and the workplace
• Explore how to use your data for program improvement
• Network with your U.S. and international counterparts
• Contribute to the common goal of improving basic skills for education and workplace success

Past attendees have included agency directors and coordinators, teachers and instructors, and support staff from youth and adult education and employment training programs. The 2011 Institute offers a wealth of sessions appropriate for anyone at the state or local level interested in assessment and program evaluation.

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.



Adult Low-Level Literacy Curriculum

Are you an Adult Basic Education, Special Education and Rehabilitation, or Workforce Learning provider working with Beginning ABE readers — including those with intellectual disabilities? With this new curriculum you can:

• Start with CASAS Beginning Literacy and dig deeper for pre-reading lessons at even lower skill levels;
• Use alternate formats to engage non-verbal learners;
• Motivate underachievers with activities to build self-determination;
• Incorporate metacognitive strategies to improve ability to learn.

Choose from ten easy-to-use theme-based modules to enhance learner employment preparation efforts and promote increased community participation. Access is free and unlimited. See for yourself (at the CASAS website) how the Adult Low-Level Literacy Curriculum can help your learners transition to community and postsecondary settings.

TOPSpro Version 5.1

The latest version of CASAS “Tracking of Programs and Students” database management system – TOPSpro Version 5.1 – has been released. Primary enhancements pertain to:

• WIA Title II, Section 231 (ESL and Citizenship)
• NRS performance goals (PY 2010-11)
• Reports
  • WSCS (Workforce Skills Certification System) reports
  • Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act

For more information, contact Jay Wright (800-255-1036 ext 141).

Users can upgrade automatically via Live Update on their local installation, or by downloading from the TOPSpro Download Center (login required). Call 800-255-1036 ext 4 or email CASAS Tech Support for assistance.

Citizenship Interview Test - New Training Available

Earn Test Administration Certificate Online at Your Own Pace

Does your program need a standardized oral assessment to evaluate a candidate’s readiness for the English naturalization oral interview (required by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)? The CASAS Citizenship Interview Test (CIT) measures the speaking skills of adult ESL and citizenship learners to help predict speaking performance level. Test proctors must be able to precisely follow the administration instructions and script, and then score the test according to specific criteria — hence CASAS does require that all proctors receive training.

Now you can prepare to administer and score the CIT in a standardized and accurate manner by registering for the newest CASAS self-paced, online training session. Go to CASAS Online Registration, select Category: Online, Self-Paced Trainings, then look for Workshop ID #2339. If you haven’t already done so, you may be prompted to register on the CASAS website to gain access.

Editor: Carol Farrell
Contributors: Jane Egüez, Mary Fox, Andrea Mullenmeister, Nancy Taylor, Jay Wright - CASAS