[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 53 (Monday, March 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19307-19308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05679]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Tests Determined To Be Suitable for Use in the National Reporting
System for Adult Education
AGENCY: Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces an extension of the sunset period for
English as a Second Language (ESL) tests with National Reporting System
for Adult Education (NRS) approvals that expired on February 2, 2024.
The sunset period for these tests is extended to June 30, 2025. This
notice relates to the approved information collections under OMB
control numbers 1830-0027 and 1830-0567.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John LeMaster, Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone:
(202) 987-0903. Email: [email protected].
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 13, 2023, the Secretary published in
the Federal Register (88 FR 44784) an annual notice announcing tests
determined to be suitable for use in the NRS, in accordance with 34 CFR
462.13 (July 2023 notice). The July 2023 notice identified three new
tests that measure the NRS educational functioning levels
[[Page 19308]]
for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and four new tests that measure the new
NRS educational functioning levels for ESL. With the Secretary's
approval of the new ESL tests in the July 2023 notice, the new
educational functioning levels for ESL described in appendix A of
Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult
Education (OMB Control Number: 1830-0027) were implemented.
Under the transition rules in Sec. 462.4, the Secretary also
announced in the July 2023 notice a list of tests with NRS approvals
expiring on February 2, 2024, and March 7, 2024, that States and local
eligible providers may continue to use during a sunset period ending on
June 30, 2024.
In this notice, under the transition rules in Sec. 462.4, the
Secretary announces that the sunset period for ESL tests scheduled to
sunset on June 30, 2024, is extended through June 30, 2025. This
extension of the sunset period will allow States sufficient time for
the operational activities required for the transition to the new ESL
assessments identified in the July 2023 notice.
The ESL educational functioning level descriptors to which the ESL
tests with expiring NRS approvals are aligned and that were scheduled
to be retired on June 30, 2024, are extended through June 30, 2025.
Until that time, both the current ESL educational functioning level
descriptors and the new ESL educational functioning level descriptors
will be in effect. States must use an ESL assessment that is aligned to
the appropriate ESL educational functioning level descriptors.
Adult education programs must use only the forms and computer-based
delivery formats for the tests approved in this notice. If a particular
test form or computer delivery format is not explicitly specified for a
test in this notice, it is not approved to measure educational gain in
the NRS.
Tests With NRS Approvals That Expired on February 2, 2024, Previously
Allowed for Use in the NRS During a Sunset Period Ending on June 30,
2024, and Now Allowed for Use During an Extended Sunset Period Ending
on June 30, 2025
The Secretary has determined that the following tests may be used
at all ESL levels of the NRS during an extended sunset period ending on
June 30, 2025:
(1) Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Literacy. Forms B, C, and D
are approved for use on paper. Publisher: Center for Applied
Linguistics, 4646 40th Street NW, Washington, DC 20016-1859. Telephone:
(202) 362-0700. Internet: www.cal.org.
(2) Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Plus 2.0. Forms D, E, and F
are approved for use on paper and through the computer-adaptive
delivery format. Publisher: Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20016-1859. Telephone: (202) 362-0700.
Internet: www.cal.org.
(3) Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) Life and
Work Listening Assessments (LW Listening). Forms 981L, 982L, 983L,
984L, 985L, and 986L are approved for use on paper and through the
computer-based delivery format. Publisher: CASAS, 5151 Murphy Canyon
Road, Suite 220, San Diego, CA 92123-4339. Telephone: (800) 255-1036.
Internet: www.casas.org.
(4) Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) Reading
Assessments (Life and Work, Life Skills, Reading for Citizenship,
Reading for Language Arts--Secondary Level). Forms 27, 28, 81, 82, 81X,
82X, 83, 84, 85, 86, 185, 186, 187, 188, 310, 311, 513, 514, 951, 952,
951X, and 952X of this test are approved for use on paper and through
the computer-based delivery format. Publisher: CASAS, 5151 Murphy
Canyon Road, Suite 220, San Diego, CA 92123-4339. Telephone: (800) 255-
1036. Internet: www.casas.org.
(5) Tests of Adult Basic Education Complete Language Assessment
System-English (TABE/CLAS-E). Forms A and B are approved for use on
paper and through a computer-based delivery format. Publisher: Data
Recognition Corporation--CTB, 13490 Bass Lake Road, Maple Grove, MN
55311. Telephone: (800) 538-9547. Internet: www.tabetest.com.
Revocation of Tests
Under certain circumstances--that is, a determination by the
Secretary either that the information the publisher submitted as a
basis for the Secretary's review of the test was inaccurate or that a
test has been substantially revised--the Secretary may revoke the
determination that a test is suitable after following the procedures in
Sec. 462.12(e). If the Secretary revokes the determination of
suitability, the Secretary announces the revocation, as well as the
date by which States and local eligible providers must stop using the
revoked test, through a notice published in the Federal Register and
posted on the internet at www.nrsweb.org.
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file,
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible
format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 3292.
Amy Loyd,
Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2024-05679 Filed 3-15-24; 8:45 am]
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