NOTE: When a student has partial (P) mastery of a skill area, the remediation can be a simple "review" of those skills. This review can also be applied to those areas that show a plus (+) but not complete mastery. Raising the student's score just two or three points can make a big difference in the resulting grade level score.

Identifying Effective Instructional Materials

In order to select appropriate instructional materials for remediation, the teacher must be able to identify the specific academic skills measured on the TABE test. An individual diagnostic profile provides some information on a student's performance, but there is a further "break down" or listing of specific skills. For example, in the Reading subtest, the headings can further define their specific elements.

• Interpreting Graphic Information includes: analyzing maps, signs, diagrams, charts, graphs, forms, and consumer information.
• Words in Context includes: recognizing words with the same (synonyms) or opposite (antonyms) meanings.
• Recalling Information includes: getting the facts, details, and stated concepts and identifying sequence.
• Constructing Meaning includes: using analytical skills with character aspects, main ideas, cause and effect, comparing and contrasting, and drawing conclusions.
• Evaluating and Extending Meaning includes: critical thinking with facts or opinions, predicting outcomes, applying passage elements, generalizations, author's purpose, and style techniques.

In the example of Jane Doe's individual diagnostic profile (or pre-test report), her scores reveal the need for remediation in Words in Context, Constructing Meaning, and Evaluating and Extending Meaning. Therefore, her study plan should include instructional materials that have lessons in synonyms and antonyms, character aspects, main ideas, cause and effect, comparing and contrasting, drawing conclusions, facts or opinions, predicting outcomes, applying passage elements, generalizations, author's purpose, and style techniques. Jane Doe could complete a great deal of prescribed "general" reading assignments and do well in her studies. However, if she does not complete lessons related to her specific weak areas as listed here, she will not be prepared to get a higher score in her reading posttest.When using the TABE, it is important to correlate the reading assignments with the academic skill content that the test considers relevant.

The Mathematics Computation subtest has the specific skills already listed. They include mainly whole numbers, decimals, fractions, integers, and percents. On the other hand, the Applied Mathematics subtest needs a "break down" in order to be more specific in preparing a study plan. This test requires problem solving and critical-thinking, and it contains the following specific skills.