Student Financial Assistance

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

ACTION:

Notice of “Ability-to-Benefit” Tests and Passing Scores.

SUMMARY:

This notice extends the Secretary's approval of seven “ability-to-benefit” (ATB) tests for five years. Additionally, the Secretary, at the request of the test publisher is removing the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE)—Forms 5 and 6, Level A, as an approved ATB test. An institution may use the seven tests which have been extended, plus the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment and the Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA) tests that were approved after October 25, 1996, to determine if a student who does not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent is eligible to receive funds under any title IV, HEA program. The title IV, HEA programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Family Education Loan, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) programs.

DATES:

Duration of Approval

The Secretary approves each of these seven tests for five years from April 19, 2002, unless the Secretary withdraws this approval or the test publisher requests that approval of a test be withdrawn. In either case, the Secretary will publish a notice in the Federal Register indicating the change.

Transition

Institutions are allowed to continue to make ATB eligibility determinations using the tests and passing scores that were listed in the January 12, 2001 Federal Register, including the TABE—Forms 5 & 6, Level A until June 18, 2002. After that date only the passing scores included in this notice must be used. (The passing scores for the ACT Assessment and the CELSA remain unchanged.) In addition, after that date, an institution may not use the TABE—Forms 5 & 6, Level A as an approved ATB test.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lorraine Kennedy, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., (830 Union Center Plaza), Washington, DC 20202-5345. Telephone: (202) 377-4050.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On October 25, 1996, we published a notice in the Federal Register (61 FR 55542-55543) that provided a list of eight “ability-to-benefit” tests. These tests were approved under section 484(d) of the HEA and the regulations that were promulgated to implement that section in 34 CFR part 668, subpart J. The notice also included approved passing scores for each of the approved tests.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on October 27, 1998, (63 FR 57540-57541), we added the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment to the list of approved ability-to-benefit tests.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on May 5, 1999, (64 FR 24246-24247), we indicated that the nine approved ATB tests could be used for testing students with disabilities if the tests are given in a manner that is consistent with the applicable requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additionally, on January 12, 2001 (66 FR 2892-2893), we approved the Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA) test as an English as a Second Language (ESL) test under 34 CFR 668.153(a)(9) and (a)(4).

List of Approved Tests and Passing Scores: The first seven ATB tests listed below have been extended for 5 years. For the convenience of all interested parties, we have listed the seven extended ATB tests and passing scores followed by the two previously approved ATB tests and passing scores.

1. ASSET Program: Basic Skills Tests (Reading, Writing, and Numerical)—Forms B2, C2, D2 and E2.

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

Reading (35), Writing (35), and Numerical (33).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

American College Testing (ACT), Placement Assessment Programs, 2201 North Dodge Street, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52243, Contact: Dr. John D. Roth, Telephone: (319) 337-1030, Fax: (319) 337-1790.

2. Career Programs Assessment (CPAT) Basic Skills Subtests

(Language Usage, Reading and Numerical)—Forms B and C

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

Language Usage (42), Reading (43), and Numerical (41).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

American College Testing (ACT), Placement Assessment Programs, 2201 North Dodge Street, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52243, Contact: Dr. John D. Roth, Telephone: (319) 337-1030, Fax: (319) 337-1790.

3. COMPASS Subtests: Prealgebra/Numerical Skills Placement, Reading Placement, and Writing Placement

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows: Prealgebra/Numerical (25), Reading (62), and Writing (32).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

American College Testing (ACT), Placement Assessment Programs 2201 North Dodge Street, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52243, Contact: Dr. John D. Roth, Telephone: (319) 337-1030, Fax: (319) 337-1790.

4. Computerized Placement Tests (CPTs)/Accuplacer (Reading Comprehension, Sentence Skills, and Arithmetic)

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

Reading Comprehension (55), Sentence Skills (60), and Arithmetic (34).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

The College Board, 45 Columbus Avenue, New York, New York 10023-6992, Contact: Ms. Suzanne Murphy, Telephone: (405) 842-9891, Fax: (405) 842-9894.

5. Descriptive Tests: Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) (Reading Comprehension, Sentence Structure and Conventions of Written English)—Forms M-K-3KDT and M-K-3LDT; and Descriptive Tests of Mathematical Skills (DTMS) (Arithmetic)—Forms M-K-3KDT and M-K-3LDT

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

Reading Comprehension (108), Sentence Structure (9), Conventions of Written English (309), and Arithmetic (506).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

The College Board, 45 Columbus Avenue, New York, New York 10023-6992, Contact: Ms. Suzanne Murphy, Telephone: (405) 842-9891, Fax: (405) 842-9894.

6. Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE): (Reading, Total Mathematics, Language)—Forms 7 and 8, Level A, Complete Battery and Survey Versions

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

Reading (559), Total Mathematics (562), Language (545).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

CTB/McGraw-Hill, 20 Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey, California 93940-5703, Contact: Ms. Veronika Henderson, Telephone: (831) 393-7363, Fax: (831) 393-7142.

7. Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST)—Verbal Forms VS-1 & VS-2, Quantitative Forms QS-1 & QS-2

Passing scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

Verbal (200) and Quantitative (210).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

Wonderlic Personnel Test, Inc., 1509 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, IL 60048-1380, Contact: Mr. Victor S. Artese, Telephone: (800) 323-3742, Fax: (847) 680-9492.

8. American College Testing (ACT) Assessment: (English and Math)

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

English (14) and Math (15).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

American College Testing (ACT), Placement Assessment Programs, 2201 North Dodge Street, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52243, Contact: Dr. James Maxey, Telephone: (319) 337-1100, Fax: (319) 337-1790.

9. Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA), Forms 1 and 2

Passing Scores: The approved passing scores on this test are as follows:

CELSA Form 1 (90) and CELSA Form 2 (90).

Publisher: The test publisher and the address, contact person, telephone, and fax number of the test publisher are:

Association of Classroom Teacher Testers (ACTT), 1187 Coast Village Road, PMB 378, Montecito, California 93108-2794, Contact: Pablo Buckelew, Telephone: (805) 569-0734, Fax: (805) 569-0004.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:

www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office, toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

Note:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1091(d).