C. Post-Testing and EFL Gain

Per the Assessment Policy, learners must be post-tested when they have met vendor-recommended instructional hour minimums or higher local program established instructional hour minimums to determine if they have made an EFL gain. If setting higher instructional hours thresholds for post-testing, these must be listed in the grantee’s Local Assessment Assurances. Per the same policy, programs must aim to post-test no less than 60% of all NRS participants. Learners  who enter at ABE L6 are excluded from this requirement. 

See the 2023-24 State Assessment Policy for COVID-19 related exceptions.

Per the RFP, grantees are to design instructional programming in such a way that learners are eligible to post-test at the end of a unit of instruction (term, semester, etc). LACES supports grantees in tracking when learners become post-test eligible by tracking instructional hours entered into the system. The LACES Dashboard Assessment Alerts widget includes data elements to show learners who are post-test eligible. No other areas in LACES display this data.

In some circumstances, learners need to be post-tested prior to reaching the instructional hour minimums listed in the AEI Assessment Policy. When this is necessary, grantees must complete the Early Post-Test Form (PDF) describing why the learner needs to be post-tested early. Early Post-Test Forms must be saved under the documents section of the learner record in LACES.  

When a learner is post-tested, depending on increases in their scale score gain, the learner may make an EFL gain which is equivalent to advancing 2 grade levels. EFL gains are reported as Measurable Skills Gain for NRS reporting. Grantees must aim to have 37% or more of all NRS participants achieving a Measurable Skills Gain. (Measurable Skills Gain includes high school equivalency attainment as well as learner exit and entrance into postsecondary education or training within the program year). See the Performance Accountability Targets for additional detail on these measures.