Reviews literature on U.S. Office of Education-sponsored Adult Performance Level project that cites among its accomplishments (1) a model for competency-based education, (2) creation of national awareness of illiteracy, and (3) individualized programs. Among its insufficiencies are absence of reliable measures of validity, value-laden curriculum,…

The research was conducted to identify competencies appropriate for adult basic education (ABE) teachers who use the adult performance level (APL) approach, and to determine which are critical for ABE/APL teachers. A jury of APL authorities was impaneled to: (1) validate that all ABE competencies established by Mocker in 1974 were appropriate for…

Discusses successes and problems of the Adult Performance Level (APL) project funded by the U.S. Office of Education in 1971 to identify the skills necessary for an adult to function successfully in today's society. (TA)

The Adult Performance Level (APL) project, which developed and validated a series of objectives for adult functional competency free from school-based notions of literacy, is the most widely accepted approach to adult literacy and adult literacy education in the United States today. Yet a review of the project and its impact reveals that the APL…

The evolution of the Adult Education Act (AEA) in the last 25 years illustrates the progress of adult basic education (ABE) in the United States. A detailed look at the literature and outcomes of AEA-funded projects provides a sense of the effectiveness of 25 years of federal involvement. The passage of the AEA in 1966 led to the first systematic…

Defines competency-based adult education as activities providing coping and life skills, functional literacy, mastery learning, external or alternative high school diplomas, and educational credits for life experiences. Discusses activities in relation to federally authorized Adult Basic Education, minimal testing, Adult Performance Level…

Although competency-based adult education (CBAE) has been practiced by teachers for centuries, the term was defined more fully and formal programs were developed around 1971. One of the prime forces in the growth of CBAE was the Adult Performance Level (APL) project at the University of Texas, a project that defined CBAE and produced suggested…

This handbook for Kansas adult educators presents a process for providing competency-based adult education (CBAE) and supporting materials. The narrative describes and then charts these seven steps in development and implementation of a CBAE program: develop and adapt philosophy, evaluate current program, collect set of goals and objectives from…

To clarify and examine conventional wisdom and stereotypes about adult literacy, this paper focuses on the approaches of individually oriented and community-oriented programs. An examination of the literature base (encompassing research reports, informal accounts, manuals and handbooks, and theoretical, philosophical, and policy articles) leads to…

Project CLASS (Competency-Based Live-Ability Skills) uses a series of 60 modules to teach life survival skills to adults with low-level reading ability--especially Adult Basic Education/English as a Second Language students. Two versions of the modules have been developed: one for use with teacher-directed instruction and another for independent…

A project was conducted in Pennsylvania to determine what changes might improve the effectiveness of the State's adult basic education (ABE) program. Northcutt's construct of functional competency adult performance level (APL) and Mezirow's program evaluation model provided the basis for the project's two components: APL assessment and program…

This report discusses a nationwide study of Adult Performance Level (APL) which involved sixteen projects in seven states and was conducted to (1) examine the University of Texas at Austin's APL study and describe the results and recommendations in terms of the adult needs in New York State; (2) examine several New York State Adult Basic Education…

This handbook is offered as a guide and resource for Adult Basic Education (ABE) curriculum development in the area of adult competencies and coping skills. It addresses sixty-five Adult Performance Level (APL) objectives identified in a previous study. Following a brief introduction, steps for organizing the curriculum begin in section 2 with…

The Texas adult performance level (APL) project LINK-FOUR implemented a curriculum based on functional competencies at four sites (Austin, Texarkana, Texas City, and Abilene) and formed linkages with local organizations involved in adult vocational education. The concept on which the project was based was that a set of prevocational skills, plus a…

This teacher's guide and one hundred lesson plans are an adult performance level (APL) curriculum to assist adult basic education (ABE) teachers in switching to a competency based adult education program which integrates academic and life skills concepts into one lesson. The teacher's guide describes the project need, product, method of…