Note: Persons outside of Massachusetts should not contact us about ordering TABE materials or administering the test. Please contact TABE publisher CTB/McGraw-Hill instead (800-538-9547). This website is designed solely to provide state policy information for Massachusetts adult literacy practitioners.

The TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education) Forms 9/10 are commercially-produced multiple choice test with answer booklets, color-coded answer sheets, and supporting materials.This page collects program requirements for testing, testing methods, and additional tips. The publisher of the TABE, McGraw-Hill/Contemporary, has compiled Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Training is available through SABES on how to administer TABE Locator and Sub-Tests and report results through SMARTT. And, you can view and/or download the ACLS policy manual here.

Massachusetts programs will use the TABE Forms 9/10 to measure learner gains in ABE reading, language, and mathematics, according to this chart:

For GLEs above 2.0, a Locator test is given first to determine which level of the TABE test to administer to a particular student: E (Easy), M (Medium), D (Difficult) or A (Advanced). Programs then administer initial, mid-year, and end-of-year tests to measure gains.

The Locator is made up of reading, mathematics, and language test items, and gives separate scores for each of those areas. Program staff may administer the Locator for any of the three areas: reading, mathematics, or language. To use the Locator, you simply count the number of correct test items (NC) to determine the corresponding level of test to administer. It is an un-timed test, though the publisher recommends allotting 20 minutes for the Practice Session (if needed) and 35 minutes for the test itself.

Only staff who have attended a SABES TABE Forms 9/10 training, passed the take-home test, and received a certificate may administer these tests. Trained staff may not train other staff members to administer the TABE.

Use only the Complete Battery, not the Survey Test. Depending on the primary area selected by the student, a program is required to administer only the sub-tests below. While the entire Battery is not required, programs may decide to give all the sub-tests to better inform instruction. One area must be selected as the primary area to track educational gain in SMARTT.

Different levels of the TABE can be given for initial, optional mid-year, and end-of-year tests because TABE scale scores are calibrated across all levels. For example, if the Locator test placed a student at Level E, use Level E, Form 9 as the initial test. At optional mid-year, if the student is still functioning at Level E, use Level E, Form 10. If at optional mid-year the student is functioning at Level M, use Level M, Form 9. Use the same protocol for end-of-year assessments. Never give the same Form of the test at the same level sequentially to a student.

TABE Test Levels are designed to assess at the following GLE ranges.

*Programs may elect to extend the upper range to 4.9, which the Level L is designed to reach.  This increase can be helpful in bridging the gap between Level L and MAPT for Reading level 2.

Accommodations may be given only to students who have a documented formal diagnosis of a learning disability carried out by a licensed professional: a medical doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist or, in some cases, specialists for whom they have signed off. The program may extend the time limits for administering the TABE to time and a half for any student with a documented learning disability.

Programs need to pre- and post-test enrolled students each fiscal year in their primary assessment area in order to capture student educational gain.  The general recommendation is to post-test after an interval of four months or 65 hours of instruction, whichever comes first.  Because the intensity of classes varies among programs, some adult learners in intensive classes might attend 65 hours of instruction before two months have elapsed.  "Meaningful educational gain" for eacj test is listed in the chart below.

Programs that offer intensive classes may pre- and post-test students who have enrolled after April 1st if they attend 65 hours of instruction before June 30th.  Any type of attended hours qualify, including rate-based class hours, non rate-based hours, match hours, and distance learning hours.

Massachusetts programs should use the following materials when administering the TABE test:

• TABE Forms 9 and 10 Complete Battery and Locator and Practice Test Booklet
• Locator and Practice Test Answer Sheets (either Scoreze or CompuScan)
• TABE Forms 9 and 10 Complete Battery Test Directions
• TABE Forms 9 and 10 Level L Word List
• TABE Forms 9 and 10 Complete Battery Test Books for Levels E, M, D, A
• Complete Battery Answer Sheets (either Scoreze for each Form and Level or CompuScan with Stencils)
• Complete Battery Norms Books

Program staff new to administering the TABE should practice giving the test to another staff member before giving it for the first time.

Because the Complete Battery tests are timed, your program needs to have a way of timing the test accurately.

Don't have a student do too much testing at once: E.g. give the student the Complete Battery (Level E, M, D, or A) separate from the Locator test, or give the Locator and one subtest at one sitting.

When students are filling out the scoring sheet, make sure they fill in the correct form of the test they are using (either 7 or 8). You will also notice that the answer sheets correspond in color to the test booklet (i.e., green for Locator, orange for Complete Battery).

If students don't have an ID number in a program, they should leave this line blank on the answer sheet.

You can use pen or pencil on the Locator test. Felt tip pens won't work.

Again, you do not have to administer all the sections of the Complete Battery to a student, only one (either Reading, Language or Applied Math.) You would then enter the scale score for the primary area test into SMARTT. If you wished to administer all three sections of the Compete Battery to a student for diagnostic purposes, you can, but you aren't required to enter all three scores into SMARTT. (You do have the option to enter the additional scores into SMARTT if you want to.)

You may test more than one student at a time when giving the same Complete Battery test, (all Reading, or all Applied Math, or all Language). Since the tests have different times for completion, it might be confusing to have them all in one room with some students stopping or starting the test at different times.