Measuring Literacy Performance Levels for Adults (2005) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 Adult Literacy Assessments and Adult Education
2 Adult Literacy Assessments and Adult Education
Pages 23-49
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 23... ...
and its successor, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
|
From page 24... ...
and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education planned a nationally representative household survey to assess the literacy skills of the adult population in the United States. The NALS was administered in 1992; it was revised and repeated in 2003 under a new name, the NAAL.
|
From page 25... ...
2The Department of Labor Survey of Workplace Literacy profiled the literacy skills of a national sample of nearly 20 million participants in two U.S. Department of Labor programs: job seekers in the Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance programs and eligible applicants for the Job Placement and Partnership Act training.
|
From page 26... ...
. In order to provide literacy tasks that even very low-literate adults could complete successfully, NAAL added a new component, the Adult Literacy Supplemental Assessment (ALSA)
|
From page 27... ...
NAAL's literacy assessment begins with a relatively easy set of seven literacy tasks, referred to as the "core questions," that are used to decide whether test takers should take the main NAAL assessment or the supplemental ALSA. Individuals who performed well on the core questions were assessed using the main NAAL, and individuals who performed poorly on the core questions were assessed with ALSA.
|
From page 28... ...
Additional information about the new features included on NAAL can be found at http://www.nces.ed.gov/NAAL/design/about02.asp#C. Administration of the Literacy Assessment NALS and NAAL are designed to provide reliable group-level estimates of literacy skills.
|
From page 29... ...
The Sample for NALS and NAAL For both assessments, data were collected via a household survey of a stratified random sample of adults age 16 and older. Additional samples were obtained in specific states in order to provide state-level results; this portion of the assessment was referred to as the State Adult Literacy Survey.
|
From page 30... ...
The background questions are read to the respondent by an interviewer who then marks the answers on an answer sheet. The actual background questionnaire used in 1992 can be found in Appendix G of the Technical Report and Data File Users Manual for the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (http://www./ nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?
|
From page 31... ...
USES OF RESULTS OF ADULT LITERACY ASSESSMENTS There are many uses for the results of adult literacy assessments. Over the past decade, NALS results have been used by a wide variety of audiences, including those concerned about the status of the workforce in this country and for evaluating the need for training programs, officials in the public health sector who are concerned about the extent to which adults make wise and informed health and safety decisions, researchers studying the relationships between literacy and participation in civic activities and political processes, and experts in family literacy evaluating the extent to which parents are able to participate in their children's educational process.
|
From page 32... ...
These individuals, most of whom are immigrants from Mexico and Central America and refugees from Haiti, Laos, and Africa, will need adult education services that are quite different from those offered to their more educated counterparts. Both groups, highly literate and low-literate English learners, may need services that focus on oral communication skills along with literacy.
|
From page 33... ...
, despite the fact that 70 percent of incarcerated adults are estimated to read below the fourth-grade level (Haigler et al., 1994)
|
From page 34... ...
ranges from an individual having "no or minimal reading and writing skills" to being able to "recognize, read, and write letters and numbers, but has a limited understanding of connected prose." The second NRS level (i.e., beginning basic education) is described as equating to reading grade levels of 2.0-3.9 on standardized tests and includes individuals who can "read simple material on familiar subjects and comprehend simple compound sentences in single or linked paragraphs containing a familiar vocabulary." The third NRS level (i.e., low intermediate basic education)
|
From page 35... ...
The committee was aware of the fact that the adult education community hoped to be able to map the performance levels adopted for NAAL onto the NRS levels. Although NAAL did not appear to have been designed for this purpose, we kept this desire in mind as we proceeded with our work and, as spelled out in the report, attempted to develop performance levels that would meet the needs of this community.
|
From page 36... ...
Beginning Basic Education · Individual can read simple material on TABE (56) scale scores familiar subjects and comprehend simple (grade level 23.9)
|
From page 37... ...
· There is minimal knowledge of, and experience with, using computers and related technology. · The individual can handle basic entry level jobs that require minimal literacy skills.
|
From page 38... ...
: 516523 ABLE scale scores (grade level 68.9) : Reading: 646680 Math: 643693 High Intermediate Basic Education · Individual is able to read simple Benchmarks: descriptions and narratives on familiar TABE (56)
|
From page 39... ...
· Can write a short report or message to fellow workers. · Can read simple dials and scales and take routine measurements.
|
From page 40... ...
: 516523 ABLE scale scores (grade level 68.9) : Reading: 646680 Math: 643693 Low Adult Secondary Education · Individual can comprehend expository Benchmarks: writing and identify spelling, TABE (56)
|
From page 41... ...
· Individual can perform all basic math · Individual is able or can learn to functions with whole numbers, follow simple multistep directions and decimals, and fractions. read common legal forms and manuals; · Can interpret and solve simple · Can integrate information from texts, algebraic equations, tables and graphs, charts, and graphs.
|
From page 42... ...
42 MEASURING LITERACY: PERFORMANCE LEVELS FOR ADULTS TABLE 2-1 Continued Literacy Level Basic Reading and Writing Reading: 565 and above Total Math: 551 and above Communication: 538 and above ABLE scale scores (grade level 1112) : Reading: 699 and above Math: 717 and above SOURCE: National Reporting System (2002)
|
From page 43... ...
ADULT LITERACY ASSESSMENTS AND ADULT EDUCATION 43 Numeracy Skills Functional and Workplace Skills · The individual is able to use common software and learn new software applications. · Can define the purpose of new technology and software and select appropriate technology.
|
From page 44... ...
Literacy BEST: 4753 · Can express basic survival needs and participate in some routine social conversations, although with some difficulty. · Has some control of basic grammar.
|
From page 45... ...
· Individual can read simple material on · Individual can interpret simple familiar subjects and comprehend directions and schedules, signs and simple and compound sentences in maps. single or linked paragraphs containing · Can fill out simple forms, but needs a familiar vocabulary.
|
From page 46... ...
: 6 · Can communicate basic survival needs Oral BEST: 5157 with some help. Literacy BEST: 5465 · Can participate in conversation in limited social situations and use new phrases with hesitation.
|
From page 47... ...
communicate on the telephone on · Can interpret actions required in familiar subjects. specific written directions.
|
From page 48... ...
· Can clarify general meaning and control basic grammar, although still lacks total control over complex structures. SOURCE: National Reporting System (2002)
|
From page 49... ...
· Can consistently and fully interpret · Can interpret routine charts, graphs descriptive narratives on familiar topics and tables and complete forms. and gain meaning from unfamiliar · Has high ability to communicate on topics.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.