A systems perspective of adult literacy assessment stresses use of comprehensive, holistic strategies. For literacy methods, systems theory emphasizes the holistic nature of the adult in relation to the complex web of systems. Systems theory applied to materials reflects the plurality of literacies and the need for a variety of materials. (SK)

The mandate of the Recognition for Learning Pilot Project was to develop a recognition system that would work in Huron and Perth Counties (Ontario), particularly for the agencies offering adult literacy services. Design principles were developed for each of the three system components: a registry, a paper of recognition, and a teacher support…

Examines current Adult Basic Education teaching and assessment methods in the United Kingdom and the United States to help define what constitutes success in adult basic literacy tuition. (SR)

A literature review examined how literacy programs can assess their effectiveness by looking at outcomes and using this information. Very few empirical studies showed the impacts of literacy programs or identified predictors of program success. One reason was the lack of common criteria for evaluating performance. One evaluation issue was whether…

Literacy policy has often developed independently of other social and employment programs. As a consequence, literacy tends to become an end unto itself, and assessment is directed more toward academic, archival ends than toward policy evaluation. Many justifications given for large-scale literacy programs are not based upon empirical data.…

EQUAL (Educational Quality or Adult Literacy) is Pennsylvania's program improvement initiative that measures performance by the quality of education learners receive. For 3 years, Project EQUAL was piloted in adult education agencies throughout the state. Beginning in 1997, the pilot projects helped to develop a process for continuous program…

A project was conducted to initiate a regional system of documenting and recognizing the learning that takes place in literacy programs. Phase 1 focused on gathering articulation models and materials. In phase 2 the following were developed: a skills list for communications, numeracy, personal growth, and computers; skills inventories; and a…

Literacy and economic development are inextricably linked in the literature, often with little examination. There are five rationales for this relationship: economic objectives, social objectives, political objectives, endogenous pressures, and exogenous pressures. To achieve both understanding of literacy and improved literacy programming, better…

In the current environment of global economic restructuring, changes in work and employment, and large-scale immigration to the United States, adult basic education (ABE) is facing demands that it be accountable for its performance by demonstrating its success in terms of student and societal outcomes. The increasing calls for ABE to develop a…

The first phase of Book Bridges, an English-as-a-Second Language literacy project for immigrant women and their children, was evaluated. Fifteen clients completed the first 10-week, 60-hour program designed to increase English vocabularies, give clients opportunities to express ideas in English, and provide a framework for facilitating…

This guide is designed to introduce adult literacy educators to the concept of portfolio assessment and to provide some guidance about how to incorporate portfolio assessment into adult literacy education work. An introduction describes what a portfolio is and provides an overview of the four major areas of reflection and decision making that make…

Learner assessment is conducted in adult basic education and adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) educational programs for many reasons: to place learners at appropriate instructional levels; to measure ongoing progress; to qualify students for enrollment in academic or job training programs; to verify program effectiveness; and to demonstrate…

The Literacy Enhancement Project (LEP) was initiated in 1993 to upgrade the quality of service at adult literacy program sites throughout Illinois. The project provided in-depth, sequential training in using a model assessment/evaluation system that is intended to serve as a developmental tool aiding in program design and modification and…

This bibliography of research in adult literacy and basic skills is selective, covering research undertaken in industrialized countries in the 20 years between 1972 and 1992. It concentrates primarily on research into basic skills undertaken in English-speaking countries, although it also has a European dimension. Entries are categorized under 18…

An assessment of the Newark Literacy Campaign's (NLC's) Adult Tutorial Reading Program studied 20 long-term (in the program for at least 1 year) and 20 new adult learners; all but 2 were African-Americans. The following data sources were used: in-depth interviews with learners, logs completed by tutors, follow-up interviews 6-8 months later,…