Ballard & Tighe - IPT Ordering

What is new about the new IPT test forms and editions?

The following test is new for 2011:

IPT English Early Literacy Test, Third Edition

The following tests were new for 2010:

Pre-IPT–Oral English Test, Fourth Edition
IPT I–Oral English Test, Forms G and H
IPT II–Oral English Test, Forms E and F
Pre-IPT–Oral Spanish Test, Fourth Edition
IPT I–Oral Spanish Test, Fourth Edition
IPT II–Oral Spanish Test, Fourth Edition
IPT 1 –, 2–, and 3–Spanish Reading and Writing Tests, Fourth Edition.

All of these tests have two thirds new items in them. The IPT Oral tests provide not only three designation categories but also five IPT proficiency levels to make finer grained distinctions within the “Limited” category. New norms were also established to ensure that the interpretation of the scores is accurate compared with the current U.S. student population. The new tests follow the same test structure as the previous test forms/editions. They are still the same easy-to-use, valid, and reliable language proficiency tests that educators across the U.S. have relied upon for many years for placement, progress evaluation, and redesignation of English and Spanish language learners.

Can I use my old IPT test materials, such as the examiner’s manual, with the new IPT test forms/editions?

How long can I keep using my old IPT test materials?

Ballard & Tighe is committed to supporting the use of the old test materials until the end of the 2011–2012 school year. Current customers can continue to buy old test booklets and answer sheets through the 2011–2012 school year, however all other components, such as manuals and picture books will only be available until the inventory runs out. All old components are sold individually; no test sets are available.

What do I need to administer the IPT Oral?

Which test do I order?

For preschool children ages 3, 4, and 5, order the Pre-IPT
For students in grades K–6*, order the IPT I
For students in grades 6–12*, order the IPT II
*Sixth-grade students may be assessed using either the IPT I– or the IPT II–Oral Tests.

We recommend that you order a complete set of any given grade level, which will give one examiner enough materials to test 50 students. All test booklets and answer sheets are sold in packages of 50.

If you have several testers/examiners conducting testing at the same time, each examiner needs: one examiner’s manual and one picture book for the IPT I and II Oral Tests and one examiner’s manual, one story board, and one set of story pieces for the Pre-IPT Oral Tests.

Which form should I order?
We offer alternate forms of our IPT I– and II–Oral English Tests for pre- and post-testing. Either form may be used for initial identification, progress monitoring, or redesignation. There is only one form of the IPT I– and II–Spanish Tests available and only one form of the Pre-IPT English and Spanish Tests available.

Do I have to buy a whole new set of the alternate form for post-testing?
No. Simply order the needed components of the alternate form: one picture book for each examiner and test booklets or answer sheets for each student (50 to a package).

What do I need to score the tests?
All of the IPT Oral tests are designed to be scored as you administer the test for immediate score results, but you may choose to record student responses in one of three ways:

The vast majority of schools purchase TEST BOOKLETS. Correct/incorrect responses are recorded on the test booklet itself.
Some schools like to keep track of the skills students possess at each test level for diagnostic purposes. They purchase DIAGNOSTIC ANSWER SHEETS. These are available for the IPT I– and II–Oral English Tests.
Large districts interested in saving test data-entry time use the SCANNABLE ANSWER SHEETS* or the Continuous Scannable Answer Sheets to meet their needs. These are available for the IPT I– and II–Oral English and Spanish Tests. The Continuous Scannable Answer Sheets are available by special order only. (Consult with your technology department for proper database implementation.)
*The IPT II Scannable Answer Sheet is designed for use with grades 6–12 only.

What do I need to administer the IPT Reading & Writing?

Which tests do I order?

For grades K–1, order the IPT Early Literacy
For grades 2–3, order the IPT 1
For grades 4–6, order the IPT 2
For grades 7–12, order the IPT 3

We recommend you order a complete set for any given grade level, which will give one examiner enough materials to test 50 students. All test booklets and answer sheets are sold in packages of 50.

If you have several testers/examiners conducting testing at the same time, each examiner needs
one examiner’s manual.

What do I need for each student?
Each student will need a Reading and a Writing test booklet. Some students will also need answer sheets for the Reading test. Here’s what you need for each student:

Grades K–1 and 2–3	Grades 4–6 and 7–12
Reading Test Booklet	Reading Test Booklet (Non-consumable)
Writing Test Booklet	Reading Test Answer Sheet
Writing Test Booklet	Writing Test Booklet

Which form should I order?
We offer alternate forms of our English tests for pre- and post-testing. Either form may be used for initial identification, progress monitoring, or redesignation. There is only one form of the Spanish tests available and one form of the IPT English Early Literacy Test available.

Do I have to buy a whole new set of the alternate form for post-testing?
No, but it is highly recommended. Although components can be purchased separately, all the components of the Reading and Writing tests are needed for post-testing, and it is more economical to purchase a complete set. Simply order an additional set of the alternate form.

What do I need to score the tests?
Student writing samples from the IPT Writing tests are scored holistically using a rubric. The IPT Early Literacy Reading Test is hand scored only; however, the IPT 1–, 2–, and 3–Reading Tests, and the Conventions section of the Writing tests may be scored in one of three ways:

Hand scoring: Use the scoring template provided in the test sets to score each test answer sheet quickly and accurately. An answer key is also provided in the Examiner’s Manuals. The template is not available for the IPT 1 (grades 2–3) or the IPT Early Literacy (K–1) because they do not require answer sheets since students mark their answers directly in the test booklets.
Machine scoring: Answer sheets and machine-scored test booklets may be scored on most scanners.
Test scoring service: You may contract with an independent scoring service company to score your tests.

Can I use the IPT Manager 4 software with the newly revised tests?