MDC administers the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System CASAS - Life and Work (reading and listening forms) for initial placement and post-testing ESOL students, or CASAS - Employability Competency System (reading form) for post-testing ELCATE students only. The writing sample is used to determine literacy in the student’s native language. Students are placed in ESOL non-advanced courses based on the lower of the Reading and Listening scores and placed in ESOL advanced courses based on the Reading score only. Students are placed in ELCATE courses based on a Reading score only. An appropriate form of the CASAS is used for post-testing students transitioning to their next level of courses and for completion of Low Advanced ESOL (EDU 058), High Advanced ESOL (EDU 064), or Advanced ELCATE (EDU 070). Students transitioning from EDU 058, EDU 064, or EDU 070 to career certificate programs are tested on the TABE following the testing guidelines in Section III in order to determine program eligibility. Students who enrolled in ESOL/ELCATE courses must follow the approved post-testing procedures.
Students who are not literate in their native language will be administered a Native Language Literacy Screening Device to determine their initial placement level. The Basic English Skills Test (BEST Plus) is used for pre and post-testing off-campus EL Civics Grant ESOL students.
CASAS and BEST Plus pre-test scores are valid for a period of one year.
Eligible students who do not meet the following minimum placement criteria will be referred to other programs offered by the College [Refugee/Entrant Vocational Education Services Training (REVEST), non-credit Intensive English, etc.] or to programs offered by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. |
