Systematic guidelines for evaluating programs in adult basic education are presented in the document. Program activities in adult basic education involve four main levels of activity (classroom, local, State, and Federal), each of which can profit from appropriately focused evaluation. Patterns of association among personnel and activities are…

The arguments for the monitoring and evaluation of adult literacy and basic education programs are no different from those justifying monitoring and evaluation of any other educational program. The priority and status accorded different programs are likely to determine commitment to their internal and external evaluation and the form that these…

As a preliminary to developing criteria to meet quality control requirements of the National Literacy Act of 1991, this report analyzes four areas where state education agencies examine program quality: local program monitoring to assess compliance or promote program improvement; criteria used to evaluate local program funding applications;…

This guide is designed to help educators plan and carry out evaluations of adult education programs. It describes some of the more common approaches to program evaluation that can easily be adapted to and implemented by adult education programs. The guide is organized in 10 sections. Following an introduction and overview in section 1, section 2…

Addressed to professionals involved in program evaluation, this working paper covers various aspects of evaluation planning, including the following: planning as a sociotechnical process, steps in evaluation planning, program planning and implementation versus evaluation planning and implementation, the literacy system and its subsystems, and some…

The book provides a detailed rationale and illustrative instruments for adult education program evaluation, emphasizing adult basic education. It is particularly helpful to persons who have program evaluation responsibilities as a part of administrative or teaching responsibilities. Chapter 1 focuses upon the various contexts of adult basic…

The process of developing indicators, measures, and standards of program quality can be considered a tiered, four-step process consisting of the following: (1) identification of topic areas important to program quality; (2) establishing the indicators that reflect quality for each area; (3) determining measures of the indicators; and (4) setting a…

As a preliminary to developing criteria to meet quality control requirements of the National Literacy Act of 1991, a study examined federal and state development of measures of program quality and performance standards for programs funded under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education…

This handbook documents the comprehensive evaluation and training system that is being used with Indiana's adult basic education programs. It consists of a set of instruments to assess the effectiveness of ABE programs and a series of workshops to train program providers to carry out the evaluation. Two introductory sections contain a guide to the…

It is estimated that 22 percent, of adults in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina have poor literacy skills, meaning that they have difficulty with tasks involving simple texts and documents. Purpose: Given this low level of adult literacy, the purpose of this exploratory research study was to analyze the perceptions of North Carolina's adult…

Designed to assist evaluators of statewide programs for Adult Basic Education (ABE), the document presents a perspectives discrepancy assessment approach. The evaluation design and instrumentation presented were used to evaluate ABE programs in Iowa, and this effort is described, together with suggestions for adapting the Iowa design to fit other…

This report discusses evaluation as required under the Department of Education rules and regulations for the National Workplace Literacy Program (NWLP). It is intended to help workplace literacy programs meet the requirements of the rules and regulations governing the NWLP so that the Department of Education can determine the value of programs.…

Leaders in business and industry are demanding workers who not only can read and write but can think creatively and critically and solve problems. Federal- and state-funded programs and volunteer organizations are involved with adult literacy. Increasingly, corporations are funding adult literacy projects. Adults read for different reasons than…

This study attempted to determine what difference, if any, participation in adult basic education (ABE) programs makes in the lives of undereducated adults. The nature of the impact was examined on two dimensions: (1) the qualitative impact in terms of changes in the quality of student lives and (2) the financial impact in terms of changes in the…

Several of the available methods of program evaluation are discussed, with emphasis on adult basic education projects. The following evaluation models are presented: intuitive judgment, cost/benefit analysis, experimental research, and a synthetic approach which includes planning, action, and evaluation. The author also presents his Project…