CASAS tests

High Intermediate ESL
Eric H. Roth
Santa Monica College

 
Santa Monica College provides free ESL courses as a community service to adults from all over the globe. We are proud that adults from over 45 countries and 2400 students have participated in our program so far this year.
 
The State of California provides funding for these free courses to give immigrants and refugees a chance to improve their English and develop their skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing English in everyday situations.
 
Therefore, our non-credit ESL emphasizes practical English skills needed to be fully involved as an effective worker, a smart consumer, a dedicated parent, and an informed community member in the United States today – in the English language. The federal Department of Education has chosen the CASAS test series to measure these ambitious goals.
 
To fulfill our funding obligations, all adult students are expected to take government-mandated standardized tests called CASAS. Each student is expected to take regular CASAS tests to “document, monitor, and track student progress.” The college expects all students to take these tests seriously, do their best, and help us maintain a strong program. Our funding level depends, in part, on your improvement as student while enrolled in our program.
 
I think that taking any test is stressful, and this test is no exception. We always want to do our best, but there are no penalties for doing poorly or great awards for getting a perfect score except self-satisfaction. Do your best, take your time, please don’t worry, and try to make this a positive learning experience. Good luck!

 

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