On this page, you will find information and resources about NRS assessments required for all state- or federally-funded Adult Education programs in Massachusetts.

Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS) is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education to use valid and reliable assessments to report students’ completion of NRS Educational Functioning Levels on the National Reporting System for Adult Education. To that end, Adult Education programs must use the following six standardized assessments, depending on the services and NRS levels they offer:

• The Massachusetts Adult Proficiency Test - College and Career Readiness (MAPT-CCR)
• TABE 11/12 Levels E, M, D, A
• TABE 11/12 Literacy Level
• BEST Plus 2.0
• TABE CLAS-E Reading
• TABE CLAS-E Writing

ACLS has partnered with the Center for Educational Assessment (CEA) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to support programs in administering, scoring, and interpreting results from the assessments above. The CEA has worked closely with ACLS since 2003, when the MAPT was developed to meet state assessment needs.

In its expanded role, the CEA offers online and face-to-face assessment trainings to help practitioners become certified test administrators. All programs must have certified test administrators for the NRS Assessments they use.

Online, self-paced trainings developed by the CEA are available for the following assessments:

• MAPT-CCR (administration)
• TABE 11/12 Levels E, M, D, A (administration and scoring)
• TABE 11/12 Literacy Level (administration and scoring)
• TABE CLAS-E Reading (administration and scoring)
• TABE CLAS-E Writing (administration)

Links to the online trainings can be found on the SABES calendar and on the CEA's ACLS Test Help Blog.

Face-to-face trainings for the BEST Plus 2.0 and TABE CLAS-E Writing Scoring are posted on the SABES calendar on an ongoing basis, as locations are confirmed. To request a training in a specific region, Program Directors should complete the Assessment Training Request Form.

Questions? If you have any questions about NRS assessment trainings, please check our Frequently Asked Questions or email the Center for Educational Assessment at aclstesthelp@educ.umass.edu.