2005 NYSESLAT cut scores memo

NYS Education Department Seal

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
89 Washington Avenue
Room 675 EBA
Albany, NY 12234

Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education

August 10, 2005

TO: District Superintendents

Superintendents of Public and Nonpublic Schools

Principals of Public, Nonpublic, and Charter Schools

FROM: David Abrams

SUBJECT: NYSESLAT 2005 - Determining a Limited-English-Proficient Student’s Level of English Proficiency

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

This memorandum provides the scale score ranges for the NYSESLAT 2005 and guidance and information concerning the interpretation of the scale scores. An explanation of a multiple measures option for exiting limited-English-proficient (LEP) students from Part 154 programs is also provided in this memorandum. This memorandum is being sent to the principal of each public, nonpublic, and charter school, to each district superintendent and to each public and nonpublic school superintendent. A copy is also being e-mailed to all Part 154 and NCLB Title III contacts on the SED listserv. This document will be posted on the New York State Education Department’s web site at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/nyseslat/. Superintendents and principals are advised to share this information with ESL/Bilingual program administrators and coordinators immediately.

The NYSESLAT scale score ranges are based on the results of a Standard Setting conference in which New York State teachers set the appropriate student proficiency levels at each grade from K to 12.

II. RAW SCORE TO SCALE SCORE CONVERSION TABLES

NYSESLAT is comprised of five test forms by grade band: K-1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Each grade band has four modalities: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. To determine a student’s level of proficiency (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Proficient), a student’s raw scores must be combined as follows:

Ø Listening & Speaking combined raw score

Ø Reading & Writing combined raw score

The attached Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Tables (Attachments A-E) should be used to convert a student’s raw scores to scale scores. Please note that there are separate conversion tables for each of the five grade bands as follows:

NYSESLAT Grade Band	Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Tables
K-1	Attachment A
2-4	Attachment B
5-6	Attachment C
7-8	Attachment D
9-12	Attachment E

III. METHOD FOR DETERMINING ESL PROFICIENCY LEVELS

A student’s scale scores on both Listening & Speaking and Reading & Writing determine English proficiency level. The NYSESLAT Scale Score Ranges Chart (Attachment F) should be used to determine a student’s English Proficiency Level. For the NYSESLAT 2005, separate cut scores have been established in scale score metric for each grade (K- 12). To determine a student’s proficiency level in Listening & Speaking and Reading & Writing, follow these steps:

1. Find the appropriate conversion table for a given student (i.e. Attachment A for a Grade 1 student and Attachment E for a Grade 10 student).

2. Match the student’s combined raw score for Listening & Speaking to the corresponding scale score for Listening & Speaking on the “NYSESLAT Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table.”

3. Match the student’s combined raw score for Reading & Writing to the corresponding Scale Score for Reading & Writing on the “NYSESLAT Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table.”

4. Match the student’s grade and scale score on Listening & Speaking to the NYSESLAT Scale Score Ranges Table (Attachment F) to determine the student’s Listening & Speaking proficiency level.

5. Match the student’s grade and scale score on Reading & Writing to the NYSESLAT Scale Score Ranges Table (Attachment F) to determine the student’s Reading & Writing proficiency level.

The following guidelines should be followed in determining a student’s overall proficiency level:

To move from one level of proficiency to the next, the LEP student must score within the range of the higher proficiency level in both Listening & Speaking and Reading & Writing components.
To move from the limited-English-proficient level to the English proficient level, the LEP student must score at the proficient level in both Listening & Speaking and Reading & Writing components.
LEP students who have moved in only one combination of modalities should remain at the lower proficiency level.
A description of the ESL Proficiency Levels is available on the Office of Bilingual Education’s website at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/biling/nysben.html.

In summary, LEP students are determined to be English proficient when they achieve the minimum combined scale scores at the proficient level in both Listening & Speaking and Reading & Writing

For example: A kindergarten student must achieve at least 610 on Listening & Speaking, and 608 on Reading & Writing to be classified as English proficient. A first grade student must achieve a score of at least 643 on Listening & Speaking and 655 on Reading and Writing to be classified as English proficient.

IV. MULTIPLE MEASURES OPTION

If a student meets the criteria for one of the multiple measures options within the same academic year, the student need no longer be considered limited-English-proficient.

a) Grade 4 ELA Test: A performance level of 3 or 4 on ELA 4 together with a total scale score of 669 or above on the combined Listening & Speaking sections of the NYSESLAT 2005 for grade 4 constitutes meeting the exit criteria from programs required under Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. This option would apply to students who took the ELA Grade 4 test in January 2005. Students who have met this criterion within the same academic year need no longer be considered limited-English-proficient.

b) Grade 8 ELA Test: A performance level of 3 or 4 on ELA 8 together with a total scale score of 684 or above on the combined Listening & Speaking sections of the NYSESLAT 2005 for grade 8 constitute meeting the exit criteria from programs required under Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. This option would apply to students who took the ELA Grade 8 test in January 2005. Students who have met this criterion within the same academic year need no longer be considered limited-English-proficient.

c) Regents Comprehensive Examination in English: A score of 65 (or 55 if that is the local passing score option) on the Regents Comprehensive Examination in English constitutes meeting the exit criteria from programs required under Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

V. FURTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS

If you have not received your students’ NYSESLAT score data, please contact your Regional Information Center (RIC) or Large City Scanning Center. If you have any further questions about determining a limited-English-proficient student’s level of English proficiency, please contact the Office of State Assessment at emscassessinfo@ mail.nysed.gov or call 518-474-5902. If you have any questions regarding ESL services or require technical assistance, please contact your local Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/biling/betac.html.

cc: James Kadamus

ATTACHMENT A

Grades K-1 NYSESLAT

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table

K-1 Listening and Speaking		K-1 Reading and Writing
Raw Score	Scale Score	Raw Score	Scale Score
0	302	0	373
1	352	1	423
2	378	2	450
3	394	3	466
4	406	4	478
5	416	5	489
6	424	6	497
7	431	7	505
8	438	8	512
9	444	9	519
10	449	10	525
11	454	11	531
12	459	12	537
13	463	13	542
14	468	14	548
15	472	15	553
16	476	16	559
17	480	17	564
18	483	18	570
19	487	19	575
20	490	20	581
21	494	21	587
22	497	22	594
23	500	23	601
24	503	24	608
25	507	25	617
26	510	26	626
27	513	27	638
28	516	28	655
29	519	29	681
30	522	30	731
31	525
32	528
33	531
34	534
35	537
36	540
37	543
38	547
39	550
40	553
41	557
42	560
43	564
44	568
45	572
46	576
47	580
48	585
49	590
50	596
51	603
52	610
53	619
54	629
55	643
56	662
57	693
58	750

ATTACHMENT B

Grades 2-4 NYSESLAT

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table

2-4 Listening and Speaking		2-4 Reading and Writing
Raw Score	Scale Score	Raw Score	Scale Score
0	339	0	412
1	391	1	462
2	419	2	488
3	438	3	504
4	451	4	515
5	463	5	525
6	472	6	533
7	480	7	540
8	487	8	546
9	493	9	552
10	499	10	557
11	504	11	562
12	508	12	566
13	513	13	571
14	517	14	575
15	521	15	579
16	524	16	583
17	528	17	587
18	531	18	591
19	534	19	594
20	537	20	598
21	540	21	602
22	543	22	605
23	546	23	609
24	549	24	612
25	552	25	616
26	554	26	620
27	557	27	623
28	560	28	627
29	562	29	631
30	565	30	634
31	568	31	638
32	570	32	642
33	573	33	646
34	576	34	651
35	578	35	655
36	581	36	659
37	584	37	664
38	587	38	669
39	590	39	675
40	592	40	681
41	595	41	687
42	599	42	694
43	602	43	702
44	605	44	712
45	609	45	724
46	612	46	740
47	616	47	766
48	620	48	815
49	624
50	629
51	634
52	639
53	645
54	652
55	659
56	669
57	680
58	696
59	721
60	771

ATTACHMENT C

Grades 5-6 NYSESLAT

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table

5-6 Listening and Speaking		5-6 Reading and Writing
Raw Score	Scale Score	Raw Score	Scale Score
0	365	0	380
1	414	1	430
2	439	2	458
3	455	3	475
4	466	4	488
5	475	5	499
6	483	6	509
7	489	7	517
8	495	8	525
9	500	9	532
10	505	10	539
11	510	11	545
12	514	12	551
13	518	13	556
14	522	14	562
15	525	15	567
16	529	16	572
17	532	17	576
18	535	18	581
19	538	19	585
20	541	20	589
21	544	21	593
22	547	22	597
23	550	23	601
24	553	24	605
25	556	25	609
26	558	26	612
27	561	27	616
28	564	28	620
29	566	29	624
30	569	30	627
31	572	31	631
32	574	32	635
33	577	33	638
34	580	34	642
35	583	35	646
36	586	36	650
37	589	37	654
38	592	38	658
39	595	39	663
40	598	40	667
41	601	41	672
42	604	42	677
43	608	43	682
44	612	44	688
45	616	45	694
46	620	46	701
47	624	47	709
48	628	48	719
49	633	49	730
50	639	50	746
51	644	51	772
52	650	52	822
53	657
54	665
55	674
56	684
57	697
58	714
59	741
60	792

ATTACHMENT D

Grades 7-8 NYSESLAT

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table

7-8 Listening and Speaking		7-8 Reading and Writing
Raw Score	Scale Score	Raw Score	Scale Score
0	392	0	375
1	441	1	431
2	467	2	463
3	482	3	483
4	494	4	498
5	503	5	509
6	510	6	519
7	517	7	528
8	523	8	535
9	528	9	542
10	532	10	548
11	537	11	553
12	541	12	558
13	545	13	563
14	549	14	568
15	552	15	572
16	556	16	576
17	559	17	580
18	562	18	584
19	565	19	588
20	568	20	592
21	571	21	595
22	574	22	599
23	577	23	602
24	580	24	606
25	583	25	609
26	585	26	612
27	588	27	616
28	591	28	619
29	594	29	623
30	597	30	626
31	599	31	629
32	602	32	633
33	605	33	636
34	608	34	639
35	611	35	643
36	614	36	646
37	617	37	650
38	620	38	654
39	623	39	658
40	626	40	662
41	629	41	666
42	632	42	670
43	636	43	674
44	639	44	679
45	643	45	684
46	646	46	689
47	650	47	695
48	654	48	701
49	658	49	708
50	663	50	716
51	668	51	725
52	673	52	737
53	678	53	752
54	684	54	778
55	691	55	828
56	699
57	708
58	719
59	735
60	760
61	810

ATTACHMENT E

Grades 9-12 NYSESLAT

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Table

9-12 Listening and Speaking		9-12 Reading and Writing
Raw Score	Scale Score	Raw Score	Scale Score
0	412	0	417
1	461	1	468
2	486	2	494
3	501	3	510
4	512	4	522
5	520	5	531
6	527	6	539
7	533	7	546
8	539	8	553
9	544	9	558
10	548	10	564
11	552	11	568
12	556	12	573
13	559	13	577
14	563	14	581
15	566	15	585
16	569	16	589
17	572	17	593
18	575	18	596
19	577	19	600
20	580	20	603
21	583	21	606
22	585	22	609
23	588	23	613
24	590	24	616
25	593	25	619
26	595	26	622
27	598	27	625
28	600	28	628
29	602	29	631
30	605	30	634
31	607	31	637
32	610	32	640
33	613	33	643
34	615	34	646
35	618	35	649
36	621	36	653
37	623	37	656
38	626	38	659
39	629	39	663
40	633	40	666
41	636	41	670
42	639	42	674
43	643	43	678
44	646	44	683
45	650	45	687
46	654	46	692
47	658	47	697
48	663	48	703
49	667	49	710
50	672	50	718
51	678	51	727
52	683	52	738
53	690	53	753
54	697	54	779

III. METHOD FOR DETERMINING ESL PROFICIENCY LEVELS

V. FURTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS

K-1 Listening and Speaking

K-1 Reading and Writing

Raw Score

Raw Score

2-4 Listening and Speaking

2-4 Reading and Writing

Raw Score

Raw Score

5-6 Listening and Speaking

5-6 Reading and Writing

Raw Score

Raw Score

7-8 Listening and Speaking

7-8 Reading and Writing

Raw Score

Raw Score

9-12 Listening and Speaking

9-12 Reading and Writing

Raw Score

Raw Score