From djrosen at comcast.net  Sun Jan  1 18:32:33 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 18:32:33 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Literacy List Updated
Message-ID: <65423178-F949-450B-92AE-F5626C4E9B91@comcast.net>

Colleagues,

For several years, as a volunteer service, I have published the  
Literacy List, a large online collection of free Adult Basic  
Education and English language (ELL/ESL/ESOL) Web sites, electronic  
discussion lists ("listservs"), and other Internet resources for  
adult basic skills learners, teachers and tutors.

I have just updated it, removing a few outdated links and adding new  
ones.  Please have a look.  If you know of a good free Web site  
resource which you think should be added, please let me know.  The  
Literacy List gets better as a result of teachers sharing their  
favorite online resources.

You will find the Literacy List now in two locations:

	http://alri.org/literacylist.html

or

	http:newsomeassociates.com (Select Publications at the Bottom of the  
Page)

All the best in 2006.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


From PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com  Tue Jan  3 12:47:20 2006
From: PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com)
Date: 3 Jan 2006 17:47:20 -0000
Subject: [Assessment] NAAL Question
Message-ID: <1136310440.3140336464.21128.sendItem@bloglines.com>

Hi all.
I've been off-list for a couple of months and jsut getting caught
up. I'm not sure if Mark is still answering NAAL questions.

The preliminary
report was quite limited by comparison to all that was released in the 1992
survey. I'm looking for more detail on the incarcerated literacy rate at the
below basic level, which was documented extensively in the earlier reports.
Is there any timeframe for that release, or anything that mentions those breakdowns?
I'm doing my dissertation work on basic literacy levels and my subject population
is half in prison and half out. I'd like to use the recent statistics rather
than the 1992 info.

Thanks!
Jean Marrapodi
Providence Assembly of God
Learning Center
Providence, RI


From PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com  Tue Jan  3 12:50:10 2006
From: PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com)
Date: 3 Jan 2006 17:50:10 -0000
Subject: [Assessment] Best in Class Assessments?
Message-ID: <1136310610.4049970681.619.sendItem@bloglines.com>

Hi all.
I'm taking a reading assessment class for K-12 teachers and have
been asked to bring a list of the adult reading assessments, formal and informal.


What are folks using out there these days? I know the TABE is most common,
but I'm sure there are some great standbys I've not seen out there I'd love
to know about.

Thanks!

Jean Marrapodi
Providence Assembly of God Learning
Center


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan  3 13:46:32 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 13:46:32 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] NAAL/Proliteracy Webcast on January 6
Message-ID: <012401c61096$04745730$0402a8c0@frodo>


Forwarded from the Library Literacy Electronic List:

This is a reminder about an important webcast scheduled for Friday,   
January 6, from 10:30 - noon.
The results of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy have  
finally been released -- but what do the figures really tell us and  
how do we tell our communities and the news media what the numbers  
mean in terms of adult learners and adult basic education?  Join  
ProLiteracy Worldwide's Marsha Tait, senior vice president of public  
affairs and Rochelle Cassella, director of marketing and corporate  
communications for a presentation and question and answer session on  
analyzing and interpreting the 2003 NAAL.   This webcast is sponsored  
by California Library Literacy Services, in cooperation with   
ProLiteracy Worldwide.

Friday, January 6, 10:30 am - Noon  - FREE

To participate live, go to

	http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

and take these three easy steps:

1. Test your computer (using the "Wizard" link at the bottom of the  
page)
2. Download and print Speaker Slides and Handouts
3. Register for webcast

If you can't join us live, come view the archive afterwards at

	http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

The agenda will include:
* An analysis of the NAAL report
* Suggestions about how to talk to the media about it
* Some ideas about next steps we can all take to ensure good public  
relations and public awareness about literacy issues

About the Technology:  A webcast is where the presenters are in a  
studio broadcasting live over the Internet, so you don't have to  
travel - you can participate at your desktop computer.   Some  
libraries or literacy programs may want to project the webcast on a  
screen in a conference  room, so that several participants can watch  
together.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Theobald at 415-431-0329

or dtheobald at i2icom.com <mailto:dtheobald at i2icom.com
-- 
Dan Theobald
Principal Consultant
i2i Communications
3716 16th Street
San Francisco, CA   94114

415-431-0329
FAX:  415-626-9499
dtheobald at i2icom.com
www.i2icom.com

_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org



From JMSINGE at k12.carr.org  Tue Jan  3 14:03:39 2006
From: JMSINGE at k12.carr.org (Jennifer Singer-Reed)
Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:03:39 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Best in Class Assessments?
Message-ID: <s3ba8449.046@k12.carr.org>

Hi,
Maryland requires the CASAS reading assessment .
I have used the QRI-3 by Leslie and Caldwell with a few adults. It has
been useful in identifying automatic word recognition, fluency, and
comprehension needs - as well as approximate reading level.
Some teachers have used the Be a Better Reader diagnostics from Globe
Fearon to assist upper level readers.


>>> PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com 01/03/2006 12:50:10 PM >>>
Hi all.
I'm taking a reading assessment class for K-12 teachers and have
been asked to bring a list of the adult reading assessments, formal and
informal.


What are folks using out there these days? I know the TABE is most
common,
but I'm sure there are some great standbys I've not seen out there I'd
love
to know about.

Thanks!

Jean Marrapodi
Providence Assembly of God Learning
Center

-------------------------------
National Insitute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Jennifer Reed, Instructional Specialist
Carroll Adult Learning Connection
224 N. Center Street, Room 103
Westminster, MD 21157
410-751-3682  Ext. 226     FAX 410-751-3686

Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day. -
Helen Steiner Rice





From MKutner at air.org  Tue Jan  3 14:51:04 2006
From: MKutner at air.org (Kutner, Mark)
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 14:51:04 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] NAAL Question
Message-ID: <F5ED48890E2ACB468D0F3A64989D335A0127E049@dc1ex3.air.org>

As in 1992 there will be a report on the literacy of incarcerated
adults;  that report will include comparisons between 1992 and 2003
using the new literacy levels.  The report is scheduled to be released
in late Spring.

Mark 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 12:47 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment] NAAL Question

Hi all.
I've been off-list for a couple of months and jsut getting caught up.
I'm not sure if Mark is still answering NAAL questions.

The preliminary
report was quite limited by comparison to all that was released in the
1992 survey. I'm looking for more detail on the incarcerated literacy
rate at the below basic level, which was documented extensively in the
earlier reports.
Is there any timeframe for that release, or anything that mentions those
breakdowns?
I'm doing my dissertation work on basic literacy levels and my subject
population is half in prison and half out. I'd like to use the recent
statistics rather than the 1992 info.

Thanks!
Jean Marrapodi
Providence Assembly of God
Learning Center
Providence, RI

-------------------------------
National Insitute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Jan  4 13:41:46 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 13:41:46 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] NAAL/Proliteracy Webcast on January 6
Message-ID: <018c01c6115e$8497b290$0402a8c0@frodo>


This is a reminder about an important webcast scheduled for Friday,
January 6, from 10:30 - noon.

The results of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy have
finally been released -- but what do the figures really tell us and
how do we tell our communities and the news media what the numbers
mean in terms of adult learners and adult basic education? Join
ProLiteracy Worldwide's Marsha Tait, senior vice president of public
affairs and Rochelle Cassella, director of marketing and corporate
communications for a presentation and question and answer session on
analyzing and interpreting the 2003 NAAL. This webcast is sponsored
by California Library Literacy Services, in cooperation with
ProLiteracy Worldwide.

Friday, January 6, 10:30 am - Noon - FREE

To participate live, go to

http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

and take these three easy steps:

1. Test your computer (using the "Wizard" link at the bottom of the
page)
2. Download and print Speaker Slides and Handouts
3. Register for webcast

If you can't join us live, come view the archive afterwards at

http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

The agenda will include:
* An analysis of the NAAL report
* Suggestions about how to talk to the media about it
* Some ideas about next steps we can all take to ensure good public
relations and public awareness about literacy issues

About the Technology: A webcast is where the presenters are in a
studio broadcasting live over the Internet, so you don't have to
travel - you can participate at your desktop computer. Some
libraries or literacy programs may want to project the webcast on a
screen in a conference room, so that several participants can watch
together.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Theobald at 415-431-0329
or dtheobald at i2icom.com <mailto:dtheobald at i2icom.com
-- 
Dan Theobald
Principal Consultant
i2i Communications
3716 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-431-0329
FAX: 415-626-9499
dtheobald at i2icom.com
www.i2icom.com



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jan  5 06:10:36 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 06:10:36 -0500
Subject: [Assessment]  NAAL/Proliteracy Webcast in Pacific Time Zone
Message-ID: <020801c611e8$a7b21ab0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,

Regarding the webcast tomorrow - I have just learned that it will be in
PACIFIC TIME - so this will obviously affect your schedules.  Sorry this
info was not included in the original announcement.
marie

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 1:42 PM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] NAAL/Proliteracy Webcast on January 6


This is a reminder about an important webcast scheduled for Friday,
January 6, from 10:30 - noon.

The results of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy have
finally been released -- but what do the figures really tell us and
how do we tell our communities and the news media what the numbers
mean in terms of adult learners and adult basic education? Join
ProLiteracy Worldwide's Marsha Tait, senior vice president of public
affairs and Rochelle Cassella, director of marketing and corporate
communications for a presentation and question and answer session on
analyzing and interpreting the 2003 NAAL. This webcast is sponsored
by California Library Literacy Services, in cooperation with
ProLiteracy Worldwide.

Friday, January 6, 10:30 am - Noon - FREE

To participate live, go to

http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

and take these three easy steps:

1. Test your computer (using the "Wizard" link at the bottom of the
page)
2. Download and print Speaker Slides and Handouts
3. Register for webcast

If you can't join us live, come view the archive afterwards at

http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

The agenda will include:
* An analysis of the NAAL report
* Suggestions about how to talk to the media about it
* Some ideas about next steps we can all take to ensure good public
relations and public awareness about literacy issues

About the Technology: A webcast is where the presenters are in a
studio broadcasting live over the Internet, so you don't have to
travel - you can participate at your desktop computer. Some
libraries or literacy programs may want to project the webcast on a
screen in a conference room, so that several participants can watch
together.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Theobald at 415-431-0329
or dtheobald at i2icom.com <mailto:dtheobald at i2icom.com
-- 
Dan Theobald
Principal Consultant
i2i Communications
3716 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-431-0329
FAX: 415-626-9499
dtheobald at i2icom.com
www.i2icom.com


-------------------------------
National Insitute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jan  5 10:48:28 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 10:48:28 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Correction:   NAAL Web cast with ProLiteracy
Message-ID: <026601c6120f$79d1cd80$0402a8c0@frodo>


Hello again everyone,

I've received another update on this webcast, and it is open only to
California libraries.  However, it will be archived for public access. 

I apologize in advance for any inconveniences I've caused by sending out
confusing emails.  

Either the ProLiteracy folks or I will let you know when the archive
becomes available.

Thanks for your patience,
marie cora
Moderator, The National Institute for Literacy Assessment Discussion
List, and 
Coordinator/Developer LINCS Assessment Special Collection at 
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 

 

marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jan  5 12:33:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:33:08 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Next Week!
Message-ID: <000501c6121e$182a6bf0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Announcement
 
Please join the National Institute for Literacy Assessment Discussion
List for a discussion on
 
Teaching and Assessing with EFF
 
Date:  January 9 through 13, 2006
 
Guests:   Aaron Kohring, Peggy McGuire, Regie Stites, and EFF Center
Staff and Consultants.
 
Aaron Kohring is a Research Associate at the Center for Literacy
Studies, University of Tennessee, and is Coordinator of the Equipped for
the Future Websites and Moderator of the NIFL Content Standards
Discussion List.
 
Peggy McGuire, M.A., is a Senior Research Associate and Equipped for the
Future National Consultant at the Center for Literacy Studies, The
University of Tennessee.
 
Regie Stites, Ph.D., is Program Manager of the Literacy and Lifelong
Learning, Center for Education Policy, SRI International in Menlo Park,
CA.  Dr. Stites assists EFF in planning assessment development and
validation processes.
 
Our discussion will focus on the EFF Assessment Framework, and how EFF
assessments are developed for classroom use.  
 
Suggested preparations for this discussion:
 
Go to the homepage of the EFF Collection at
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/default.htm
Ask yourself:  what do I know about EFF?  
 
Click on Standards (left-hand toolbar)
(http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/standards.htm)
Ask yourself:  what are standards?  what's the difference between EFF
standards and competencies?
 
Click on Guides (left-hand toolbar)
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/guides.htm
Ask yourself:  what are EFF Performance Continua and how can I use this
in my classroom?
 
Click on Assessment Resource Collection (square red button)
(http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/default.htm)
Ask yourself:  what makes EFF assessments different from other types of
assessment?
 
Click on Assessment Tools (left-hand toolbar)
(http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/assessment_tools.htm)
Ask yourself:  is the Read With Understanding Assessment appropriate for
my students' needs?
 
Thought-provokers:
 
1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it
would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the
integrated skill process described in the standard's definition. 
 
2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has
happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for
change as you look for learning within the space of one class session,
one week, one week, one course, one year, and so on.
 
Please join us!
 
marie cora
Moderator, NIFL Assessment Discussion List, and 
Coordinator/Developer LINCS Assessment Special Collection at 
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment
 
 
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jan  9 10:09:34 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 10:09:34 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
Message-ID: <009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  
 
I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our
discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have
a couple of questions to start us off:
 
For our guests:  
 
-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a
performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or
perhaps even different from other standards?  
 
For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to
focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did
anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you
might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question
helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I
would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I
would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom
assessment rather than with a high stakes test. 
 
1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it
would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the
integrated skill process described in the standard's definition. 
 
2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has
happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for
change as you look for learning within the space of one class session,
one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.
 
Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post
your questions and comments!
Thanks,
marie
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org  Mon Jan  9 11:39:33 2006
From: samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org (Samuel McGraw III)
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 08:39:33 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
Message-ID: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADCC@seamail.seagoodwill.org>

Marie et. al.,
 
I have a simple (yet possible complex answer) question.
 
Has anyone cross referenced EFF and CASAS standards? And if so. What the outcome.
 
Sam
Seattle Goodwill Learning Center
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:10 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!


Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  
 
I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have a couple of questions to start us off:
 
For our guests:  
 
-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or perhaps even different from other standards?  
 
For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom assessment rather than with a high stakes test. 
 
1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the integrated skill process described in the standard's definition. 
 
2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for change as you look for learning within the space of one class session, one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.
 
Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post your questions and comments!
Thanks,
marie
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jan  9 13:27:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 13:27:08 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW: NAAL Web cast archive
Message-ID: <00e901c6154a$4e3cf9e0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,

The NAAL Web cast that was held with California libraries is now
archived and can be accessed at

http://rurallibraries.org/webcasts/01-06-06/

Thanks,
marie



From alantoops at cs.com  Mon Jan  9 17:05:39 2006
From: alantoops at cs.com (alan toops)
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 17:05:39 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADCC@seamail.seagoodwill.org>
References: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADCC@seamail.seagoodwill.org>
Message-ID: <A32870A1-5779-4DE2-A2E0-189245AC4544@cs.com>

Sam,

CASAS and EFF have held joint discussions in the past regarding a  
cross walk.

In my last job before retirement, we did cross walk the EFF roles to  
our curriculum which is cross walked to CASAS life and employability  
skills, the fit was generally very good for our purposes. It was not  
scientific but we found that outside of some overlap (there are a lot  
of CASAS competencies) the two fit reasonable well.

Alan Toops

On Jan 9, 2006, at 11:39 AM, Samuel McGraw III wrote:

> Marie et. al.,
>
> I have a simple (yet possible complex answer) question.
>
> Has anyone cross referenced EFF and CASAS standards? And if so.  
> What the outcome.
>
> Sam
> Seattle Goodwill Learning Center
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
> Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:10 AM
> To: Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
>
> Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.
>
>
>
> I?m pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to  
> our discussion.  I?ve been thinking about this over the weekend,  
> and I have a couple of questions to start us off:
>
>
>
> For our guests:
>
>
>
> -The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture  
> in a performance.  Is this was makes them different from  
> competencies?  Or perhaps even different from other standards?
>
>
>
> For subscribers:  I found the ?thought-provokers? really helped me  
> to focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on  
> it.  Did anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on  
> the List, you might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below ? I  
> found this question helpful because it did make me consider how  
> often and in what ways I would look for achievement over time, and  
> it also made me think that I would necessarily look for such  
> incremental gains via classroom assessment rather than with a high  
> stakes test.
>
>
>
> 1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it  
> would look like if you were actually assessing the application of  
> the integrated skill process described in the standard?s definition.
>
>
>
> 2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning  
> has happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking  
> for change as you look for learning within the space of one class  
> session, one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.
>
>
>
> Anyway, that?s what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please  
> post your questions and comments!
>
> Thanks,
>
> marie
>
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Insitute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
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From regie.stites at sri.com  Mon Jan  9 18:50:15 2006
From: regie.stites at sri.com (Regie Stites)
Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2006 15:50:15 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <43C2F6B7.6080208@sri.com>

Marie and all,
Thanks for invitation to participate in this discussion.  I have some 
initial thoughts in response to your question about the complexity of 
EFF  in comparison to competencies.  I want to ponder a bit more before 
responding to the second part your question about how EFF is different 
from other standards?  (Thanks to my EFF colleagues Aaron Kohring and 
Peggy McGuire for comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this.  
I'm sure they will have more of their own thoughts to add as the 
discussion continues).

The EFF Standards are grounded in different conceptualizations of adult 
performance and adult learning than competency-based education (CBE).  
EFF is based on an understanding of expertise (high-level human 
performance) that comes out of cognitive science research and theory 
developed in the late 1970s and elaborated in the 1980s and 1990s.  CBE 
is based on a somewhat different (and earlier) model of human 
performance that stems from cognitive psychology and 
industrial/organizational psychology research and theory from the 
1960s.  The CBE model is fairly simple.  It assumes that human 
performance can be understood as the ability to accomplish tasks.  It is 
basically focused on the question "What should people be able to do?"  
Researchers studied human performance in various contexts and analyzed 
the tasks that people performed in those contexts.  Through large-scale 
surveys (such as the Adult Performance Level study - APL) tasks were 
identified and through task analysis tasks were placed in a hierarchy 
from simple to complex. This is the basis for the scaled lists of CASAS 
competencies that are the foundation for CASAS tests.  Items on CASAS 
tests are designed to simulate as closely as possible, the tasks that 
people perform in work and life. Through careful design of test items 
and analysis of test results (using Item Response Theory - IRT), CASAS 
has been able to provide a clear picture of the relative difficulty of 
each item (test question) used in the CASAS tests.

EFF's model of human performance goes several steps beyond this analysis 
of the relative difficulty of tasks. EFF focuses on the question "What 
should people know and be able to do?"  To address this question EFF 
researchers developed descriptions of the underlying knowledge, skills, 
and strategies, as well as levels of fluency (ease) and independence 
that adults use as they apply each EFF Standard (each Standard defined 
as a purposeful application of an integrate skill process) in performing 
increasingly more challenging tasks.   Looking at more of the 
cognitively complexity involved in using  skills like Reading With 
Understanding and Conveying Ideas in Writing is what makes the EFF model 
appear more complicated than CBE and CASAS competencies model.  This 
complexity has the advantage of providing more detailed guidance for 
learning, instruction, and assessment.  In a competency-based approach, 
the question of how someone is able to accomplish a task is left open.  
The manner in which knowledge, skills, and abilities are applied to 
accomplishing a task is not addressed directly.  By contrast, cognitive 
science approaches (such as that guiding EFF) let us lift the lid of the 
black box of human performance to better understand (and teach and 
assess) the knowledge, skills, and strategies that adult learners need 
to be successful in performing a wide range of tasks in a wide range of 
contexts.

Regie Stites
SRI International

Marie Cora wrote:

>Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  
> 
>I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our
>discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have
>a couple of questions to start us off:
> 
>For our guests:  
> 
>-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a
>performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or
>perhaps even different from other standards?  
> 
>For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to
>focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did
>anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you
>might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question
>helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I
>would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I
>would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom
>assessment rather than with a high stakes test. 
> 
>1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it
>would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the
>integrated skill process described in the standard's definition. 
> 
>2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has
>happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for
>change as you look for learning within the space of one class session,
>one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.
> 
>Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post
>your questions and comments!
>Thanks,
>marie
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
> 
>
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>

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From regie.stites at sri.com  Mon Jan  9 19:12:45 2006
From: regie.stites at sri.com (Regie Stites)
Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2006 16:12:45 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADCC@seamail.seagoodwill.org>
References: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADCC@seamail.seagoodwill.org>
Message-ID: <43C2FBFD.3010308@sri.com>

Hi Sam,
You are right. This is simple question with a complicated answer.  
Crosswalks between CASAS competencies and EFF Standards and EFF 
Performance Levels have been done in various ways for various purposes.  
I don't know if anyone has yet done a crosswalk between CASAS content 
standards and EFF, but that certainly is possible.  But rather than 
provide you with links to these crosswalks, let me first insert a note 
of caution.  Comparing CASAS and EFF is like comparing apples and 
oranges.  It's okay if the difference between apples and oranges doesn't 
matter to you.  For example, we crosswalked EFF performance levels to 
NRS Educationing Function Levels which, in turn, are referenced to CASAS 
scale scores.  So for some EFF standards you could make a connection 
between EFF levels and CASAS scores that way.  But this really is an 
apples and oranges comparison, because CASAS "reading" is not the same 
thing as EFF "reading" (see my post about how EFF standards are 
different from CASAS competencies).   As long you are happy defining 
"reading" or "math" etc. at the "fruit" level (where the differences 
between apples, oranges, and grapes don't matter much - that's what NRS 
does) you can cross-reference CASAS and EFF.  But in most cases, the 
difference between apples and oranges matters (substituting 6 oranges 
for 6 apples in an apple pie recipe is not a good idea).   So, my 
question is how exactly do you plan to make use of a cross-reference 
between CASAS and EFF?

Regie Stites
SRI International

Samuel McGraw III wrote:

>Marie et. al.,
> 
>I have a simple (yet possible complex answer) question.
> 
>Has anyone cross referenced EFF and CASAS standards? And if so. What the outcome.
> 
>Sam
>Seattle Goodwill Learning Center
>-----Original Message-----
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:10 AM
>To: Assessment Discussion List
>Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
>
>
>Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  
> 
>I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have a couple of questions to start us off:
> 
>For our guests:  
> 
>-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or perhaps even different from other standards?  
> 
>For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom assessment rather than with a high stakes test. 
> 
>1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the integrated skill process described in the standard's definition. 
> 
>2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for change as you look for learning within the space of one class session, one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.
> 
>Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post your questions and comments!
>Thanks,
>marie
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
> 
>
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 10 15:01:01 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 15:01:01 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF in the classroom
Message-ID: <019401c61620$9528a030$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
I'm wondering if one of our guests (or anyone who works with EFF!) can
describe how to use EFF to develop an assessment for the classroom.
Maybe this is a lot to ask, but if you can walk us through an example of
assessing Read With Understanding or Use Math to Solve Problems for
example, that would be great (but an example using any standard will
do!).
 
Also, how do you assess some of the Lifelong Learning and Interpersonal
Skills?  Some of the Broad Areas of Responsibility and Key Activities in
the Role Maps (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/eff_roles.htm) are
pretty abstract and the concepts are large - can someone comment on
this?
 
Thanks,
marie
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From akohring at utk.edu  Tue Jan 10 15:11:36 2006
From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 15:11:36 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF in the classroom
In-Reply-To: <019401c61620$9528a030$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060110150458.03c7f308@pop.utk.edu>

Marie,

I'll tackle your first question with an example from the EFF Toolkit: 
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/toolkit/example_math_risk_ratios.htm

You can read through this example and see how the teacher came up with an 
assessment checklist with students for a particular lesson.  Can you see 
how the assessment connects back to the definition for the Math Standard?

The example also shows in a table at the bottom how the integrated skill 
process for the Standard is addressed within the lesson- what it looks like 
for that lesson.

Aaron

At 03:01 PM 1/10/2006 -0500, you wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>
>
>
>I m wondering if one of our guests (or anyone who works with EFF!) can 
>describe how to use EFF to develop an assessment for the classroom.  Maybe 
>this is a lot to ask, but if you can walk us through an example of 
>assessing Read With Understanding or Use Math to Solve Problems for 
>example, that would be great (but an example using any standard will do!).
>
>
>
>Also, how do you assess some of the Lifelong Learning and Interpersonal 
>Skills?  Some of the Broad Areas of Responsibility and Key Activities in 
>the Role Maps (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/eff_roles.htm) are 
>pretty abstract and the concepts are large can someone comment on this?
>
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>marie
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu



From akohring at utk.edu  Tue Jan 10 16:13:06 2006
From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 16:13:06 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF in the classroom & Role Maps
In-Reply-To: <019401c61620$9528a030$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060110152509.03c21928@pop.utk.edu>

Marie,

Another of your questions refers to the Role Maps.  For me, I'd try to keep 
it simple by narrowing the focus.

For example, say you have a classroom where the students' primary focus is 
to find a job.
As a class, we have been looking at the Worker Role Map 
(http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/role_map_worker.htm).

We've already talked about the knowledge and skills they have and what they 
need to work on.  Maybe we've decided that one important area to address is 
the Broad Area of Responsibility: Work With Others and a Key Activity: 
Communicate with Others Inside and Outside the Organization.

Students have identified Communication Skills as an area to work on.  For 
this lesson, we choose the Listen Actively standard as our focus.  These 
students have done role plays.  They brainstorm some workplace 
scenarios.  You choose a scenario as a class. Then looking at the Listen 
Actively standard and the scenario, we want to develop a simple rubric 
check-off to assess our role play.  How well did we Listen Actively during 
the role play: Well Done, Sometimes, Need to Work on.
What evidence will we look for:
-You focused your attention on the person speaking
- You asked questions when you didn't understand
- You did not interrupt the speaker
- You looked directly at the person speaking
- Your facial expression and posture showed you were paying attention
- You thought about what the speaker said and compared it to what you 
already know

Then ask, does our rubric adequately address the standard we are focusing 
on for this role play.
The students could break into groups to write dialog for the role 
play.  Each group could act out their role play while the other groups 
assess their performance.  Often there is great dialogue that comes out of 
this interaction, too.

Aaron

At 03:01 PM 1/10/2006 -0500, you wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>
>
>
>I m wondering if one of our guests (or anyone who works with EFF!) can 
>describe how to use EFF to develop an assessment for the classroom.  Maybe 
>this is a lot to ask, but if you can walk us through an example of 
>assessing Read With Understanding or Use Math to Solve Problems for 
>example, that would be great (but an example using any standard will do!).
>
>
>
>Also, how do you assess some of the Lifelong Learning and Interpersonal 
>Skills?  Some of the Broad Areas of Responsibility and Key Activities in 
>the Role Maps (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/eff_roles.htm) are 
>pretty abstract and the concepts are large can someone comment on this?
>
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>marie
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu



From ltaylor at casas.org  Tue Jan 10 17:47:20 2006
From: ltaylor at casas.org (Linda Taylor)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 17:47:20 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <43C2F6B7.6080208@sri.com>
Message-ID: <0ISW00EL5F751NC8@vms044.mailsrvcs.net>

I and my colleagues at CASAS find this discussion quite interesting. We want
to take the opportunity to respond to clarify and comment on some of the
statements that have been made.

 

CASAS began in the 1980s as a competency-based assessment system assessing
reading comprehension, listening comprehension and applied mathematics in
functional adult contexts related to the family, the community and the
workplace. Over a 25-year period, the CASAS system has evolved to include
and reflect recent cognitive science research and theory. This research is
reflected in the development of CASAS performance assessments in writing,
speaking and developmental skills which use rubrics to evaluate both the
underlying knowledge, skills and abilities and competencies. It is also
reflected in an additional component in the CASAS system, the CASAS Content
Standards. 

 

CASAS assessments, like EFF, measure both what someone knows and is able to
do. The underlying knowledge, skills and strategies are embedded in each
performance task and test item, and are spelled out in the CASAS Content
Standards. These new Content Standards directly address the manner in which
knowledge, skills and abilities are applied to accomplishing a task. They
provide a framework to understand the cognitive complexity within each
performance task and test item, and they allow teachers and students to gain
a fuller understanding of the underlying basic skills.

 

We would further suggest that, like EFF, CASAS assessments provide a
"purposeful application of an integrated skill process in performing
increasingly more challenging tasks" through the use of competencies and
content standards, as well as rubrics for performance assessments. The
competencies and content standards can be assessed over a broad spectrum of
instructional levels so programs can teach and measure progress from
beginning literacy through high school completion. In fact, the same
competency can be targeted to one or more instructional levels. In addition,
the range of contexts for CASAS standardized assessments is very wide, with
separate test series focusing on life skills, employability, and workplace
settings. 

 

The new CASAS Life and Work Reading series was developed based on both
competencies and content standards, and each item is coded in both ways.
CASAS Content Standards are currently available for Reading and Listening,
and will soon be available in all skill areas. 

 

We would also like to refer readers to the CA Dept. of Education sponsored
EL Civics website developed by CASAS, a rich resource that exemplifies an
approach to integrating underlying language and literacy objectives with
competency and performance objectives in the area of EL Civics instruction.
This El Civics website also includes performance assessment plans for
classroom-based assessment, and information about it can be found in an
article on the CASAS website at
http://www.casas.org/Online_Quarterlies/Index_fall04.cfm?selected_id=1400
<http://www.casas.org/Online_Quarterlies/Index_fall04.cfm?selected_id=1400&w
target=body#2> &wtarget=body#2.

 

Linda Taylor, Director of Assessment Development, CASAS

 

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Regie Stites
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 6:50 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!

 

Marie and all,
Thanks for invitation to participate in this discussion.  I have some
initial thoughts in response to your question about the complexity of EFF
in comparison to competencies.  I want to ponder a bit more before
responding to the second part your question about how EFF is different from
other standards?  (Thanks to my EFF colleagues Aaron Kohring and Peggy
McGuire for comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this.  I'm sure
they will have more of their own thoughts to add as the discussion
continues).

The EFF Standards are grounded in different conceptualizations of adult
performance and adult learning than competency-based education (CBE).  EFF
is based on an understanding of expertise (high-level human performance)
that comes out of cognitive science research and theory developed in the
late 1970s and elaborated in the 1980s and 1990s.  CBE is based on a
somewhat different (and earlier) model of human performance that stems from
cognitive psychology and industrial/organizational psychology research and
theory from the 1960s.  The CBE model is fairly simple.  It assumes that
human performance can be understood as the ability to accomplish tasks.  It
is basically focused on the question "What should people be able to do?"
Researchers studied human performance in various contexts and analyzed the
tasks that people performed in those contexts.  Through large-scale surveys
(such as the Adult Performance Level study - APL) tasks were identified and
through task analysis tasks were placed in a hierarchy from simple to
complex. This is the basis for the scaled lists of CASAS competencies that
are the foundation for CASAS tests.  Items on CASAS tests are designed to
simulate as closely as possible, the tasks that people perform in work and
life. Through careful design of test items and analysis of test results
(using Item Response Theory - IRT), CASAS has been able to provide a clear
picture of the relative difficulty of each item (test question) used in the
CASAS tests. 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 10 19:24:12 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 19:24:12 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF in the classroom
Message-ID: <01e301c61645$59210ad0$0402a8c0@frodo>

The following is posted for Peggy McGuire.
 
 
 
Hey Marie and all!
 
There is an entire chapter of the publication "Improving Performance,
Reporting Results" devoted to using the EFF Read wth Understanding
standard and performance continuum to develop instructional (classroom)
assessments. You can find the PDF version of this publication in the
Assessment Resource Collection by clicking on "assessment tools" and
then clicking on the title.
 
Many thanks to Aaron for pointing out the resource from the
Teaching/Learning Toolkit -- there are other examples there as well that
are worth exploring! 
 
Peggy McGuire, M.A.
Senior Research Associate and Equipped for the Future National
Consultant
Center for Literacy Studies
The University of Tennessee
111 5th Street, PO Box 16
Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
717-964-1341 (p/f)
215-888-6507 (cell)
mcguirep555 at aol.com
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From lmullins89 at yahoo.com  Tue Jan 10 21:11:45 2006
From: lmullins89 at yahoo.com (Lisa Mullins)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 18:11:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] EFF in the classroom
In-Reply-To: <019401c61620$9528a030$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <20060111021145.41740.qmail@web30207.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hello everyone, 
I have been using EFF for a few years. I am an
ABE/GED/ESOL teacher in Rogersville, Tennesee. My
favorite part of EFF is the Teaching/Learning cycle
steps.  In using the T/L cycle the instructor and
learners must think about what they will produce or do
in order to meet the components of the Standard. 
Everyone involved must think about what they are
trying to do and how it will look as a finished
product.

I often do several types of informal assessment with
each EFF lesson.  Those informal assessments include
pre-lesson surveys, checklists, rubrics, ranking
scales, and post-lesson surveys. 
In addition, I connect the task at hand to the more
formal assessment instruments such as the TABE or GED.
 Sometimes this is accomplished by having the students
create their own questions in GED format.  At other
times, on in addition, I connect to a goal the
students have in common or to a real-life situation.

A lesson I have tried several times is one on graphs
using the Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate
Standard.  

First, I ask the students to try to answer some
questions.  What are graphs?  What is data? What are
the types of graphs? Why would you use a graph? What
are the parts of graphs?    
The answers provide me with information about prior
knowledge.  
Next, we examine several graphs.  We discuss the data
source and use of each graph.  Then, we make a list of
the parts all graphs must have to be effective.  This
list becomes our checklist.
Now, the students decide what they would like to graph
and why.  They each decide which type of graph would
work best for their purpose.  We take a look at the
components of the Use Math Standard to plan how the
learners will accomplish each one. At this point, we
make a description of a presentation the learners must
give in order to communicate about their graph.  This
is our rubric.
Finally, the students create a graph of their own.

When the graphs are complete,  the student must give a
brief presentation to the class explaining the graph. 
Each of us uses the checklist to determine if the
graphs have the parts.  Also, we use the rubric to
determine the quality of the presentation. 
Then, we take a look at the plan we made for the
Standard components and determine if we accomplished
our goals and to what degree.
Now, I connect the lesson on graphs to the GED.  We
discuss where graphs will be found on the test.  We
talk about the types of questions that will be asked. 
Then, I have the students create their own GED type
question from the information found in their graphs.

In the last steps, I give the pre-lesson survey again.
 I also ask the learners to describe what they learned
and how it can be used in daily life. 

I like to use the EFF Standards Use Math, Read with
Understanding, and Convey ideas in Writing since these
are things that all adults need to be able to do.  
 
This is just one example of this lesson.  I've used it
a dozen times and each time it turns out different.  

Thank you, Lisa Mullins
--- Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>  
> I'm wondering if one of our guests (or anyone who
> works with EFF!) can
> describe how to use EFF to develop an assessment for
> the classroom.
> Maybe this is a lot to ask, but if you can walk us
> through an example of
> assessing Read With Understanding or Use Math to
> Solve Problems for
> example, that would be great (but an example using
> any standard will
> do!).
>  
> Also, how do you assess some of the Lifelong
> Learning and Interpersonal
> Skills?  Some of the Broad Areas of Responsibility
> and Key Activities in
> the Role Maps
> (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/eff_roles.htm)
> are
> pretty abstract and the concepts are large - can
> someone comment on
> this?
>  
> Thanks,
> marie
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>  
> > 
> -------------------------------
> National Insitute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,
> please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


__________________________________________________
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From lmullins89 at yahoo.com  Tue Jan 10 21:11:45 2006
From: lmullins89 at yahoo.com (Lisa Mullins)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 18:11:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] EFF in the classroom
In-Reply-To: <019401c61620$9528a030$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <20060111021145.41740.qmail@web30207.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hello everyone, 
I have been using EFF for a few years. I am an
ABE/GED/ESOL teacher in Rogersville, Tennesee. My
favorite part of EFF is the Teaching/Learning cycle
steps.  In using the T/L cycle the instructor and
learners must think about what they will produce or do
in order to meet the components of the Standard. 
Everyone involved must think about what they are
trying to do and how it will look as a finished
product.

I often do several types of informal assessment with
each EFF lesson.  Those informal assessments include
pre-lesson surveys, checklists, rubrics, ranking
scales, and post-lesson surveys. 
In addition, I connect the task at hand to the more
formal assessment instruments such as the TABE or GED.
 Sometimes this is accomplished by having the students
create their own questions in GED format.  At other
times, on in addition, I connect to a goal the
students have in common or to a real-life situation.

A lesson I have tried several times is one on graphs
using the Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate
Standard.  

First, I ask the students to try to answer some
questions.  What are graphs?  What is data? What are
the types of graphs? Why would you use a graph? What
are the parts of graphs?    
The answers provide me with information about prior
knowledge.  
Next, we examine several graphs.  We discuss the data
source and use of each graph.  Then, we make a list of
the parts all graphs must have to be effective.  This
list becomes our checklist.
Now, the students decide what they would like to graph
and why.  They each decide which type of graph would
work best for their purpose.  We take a look at the
components of the Use Math Standard to plan how the
learners will accomplish each one. At this point, we
make a description of a presentation the learners must
give in order to communicate about their graph.  This
is our rubric.
Finally, the students create a graph of their own.

When the graphs are complete,  the student must give a
brief presentation to the class explaining the graph. 
Each of us uses the checklist to determine if the
graphs have the parts.  Also, we use the rubric to
determine the quality of the presentation. 
Then, we take a look at the plan we made for the
Standard components and determine if we accomplished
our goals and to what degree.
Now, I connect the lesson on graphs to the GED.  We
discuss where graphs will be found on the test.  We
talk about the types of questions that will be asked. 
Then, I have the students create their own GED type
question from the information found in their graphs.

In the last steps, I give the pre-lesson survey again.
 I also ask the learners to describe what they learned
and how it can be used in daily life. 

I like to use the EFF Standards Use Math, Read with
Understanding, and Convey ideas in Writing since these
are things that all adults need to be able to do.  
 
This is just one example of this lesson.  I've used it
a dozen times and each time it turns out different.  

Thank you, Lisa Mullins
--- Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>  
> I'm wondering if one of our guests (or anyone who
> works with EFF!) can
> describe how to use EFF to develop an assessment for
> the classroom.
> Maybe this is a lot to ask, but if you can walk us
> through an example of
> assessing Read With Understanding or Use Math to
> Solve Problems for
> example, that would be great (but an example using
> any standard will
> do!).
>  
> Also, how do you assess some of the Lifelong
> Learning and Interpersonal
> Skills?  Some of the Broad Areas of Responsibility
> and Key Activities in
> the Role Maps
> (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/eff_roles.htm)
> are
> pretty abstract and the concepts are large - can
> someone comment on
> this?
>  
> Thanks,
> marie
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>  
> > 
> -------------------------------
> National Insitute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,
> please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


__________________________________________________
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From marilyn.gillespie at sri.com  Wed Jan 11 10:47:11 2006
From: marilyn.gillespie at sri.com (Marilyn Gillespie)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 10:47:11 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <43C5287F.2090403@sri.com>

Marie,

I wanted to let list members know about the latest issue of Education 
Week. As some of you who have contact with K-12 education may know, 
Education Week is a weekly newspaper  that reports federal and state 
news. This week the entire issue includes a review of the success of the 
standards-based education effort of the past decade. They call the 
results at once "heartening and sobering". They're heartening in that 
student achievement in some areas, particularly in math have improved. 
In addition,  there have been real gains for black, Hispanic and low 
income students, especially in math.  However, after all the "effort" 
that has been put into reading, overall reading scores have barely 
budged form 1992 to 2005 (although the scores of black, Hispanic and low 
income children increased at nearly triple the national average). There 
is also a discussion of high school drop out and graduation rates (still 
as low as ever for those same groups.) There are lots of reflective 
articles on the benefits, trade-offs and negative aspects of 
standards-based education that we, as adult educators, could learn from  
Several states are profiled in-depth including Delaware, New York, 
Texas, Massachusetts, Iowa and Nevada. The articles contain a lot of 
food for thought and would be a great resource for discussion groups or 
study circles.

Marilyn Gillespie
SRI International

Marie Cora wrote:

> Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all. 
>
>  
>
> I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to 
> our discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I 
> have a couple of questions to start us off:
>
>  
>
> For our guests: 
>
>  
>
> -The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in 
> a performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  
> Or perhaps even different from other standards? 
>
>  
>
> For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to 
> focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  
> Did anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the 
> List, you might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found 
> this question helpful because it did make me consider how often and in 
> what ways I would look for achievement over time, and it also made me 
> think that I would necessarily look for such incremental gains via 
> classroom assessment rather than with a high stakes test.
>
>  
>
> 1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it 
> would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the 
> integrated skill process described in the standard's definition.
>
>  
>
> 2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning 
> has happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for 
> change as you look for learning within the space of one class session, 
> one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.
>
>  
>
> Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post 
> your questions and comments!
>
> Thanks,
>
> marie
>
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>

-- 
Marilyn Gillespie, Ed.D.
Educational Researcher
SRI International
1100 Wilson Blvd., Suite 2800
Arlington, VA 22209-2268
Phone: (703) 247-8510
Fax: (703) 247-8493
marilyn.gillespie at sri.com

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From MWPotts2001 at aol.com  Wed Jan 11 13:37:32 2006
From: MWPotts2001 at aol.com (MWPotts2001 at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 13:37:32 EST
Subject: [Assessment] EFF and CASAS Assessment
Message-ID: <1ff.104fa25f.30f6aa6c@aol.com>

Regie,
 
Thank you for your explanations re: the differences between EFF and CASAS  
and the cautions about mixing apples and oranges.  I have carried around  your 
former posts on this subject because I work with groups who are mandated to  
use both EFF and CASAS, and it is not easy trying to help them with assessment  
problems.  It has become more than a problem; it is now an issue.
 
In light of Linda's posting, I am wondering how the two of you might help  us 
find ways to work more satisfactorily so that we are not at odds, rather more 
 in sync as we struggle to include the best of both?  Is it possible,  after 
all, that the fruit salad might be a variety of apples, say Macintosh  and 
Jonathan, rather than apples and oranges?  I confess ignorance and  plead for 
enlightenment.
 
In the absence of a twofold assessment design that gratifies the  needs of 
the programs and states who are mandated to use both EFF and CASAS, I  have been 
trying to help people use portfolio assessment, in which they  demonstrate 
mastery of the EFF reading purposes (or Math purposes) and the CASAS  
competencies, which seem (and I emphasize seem) to be located at the same level  of 
expertise. This has worked for us, and students have accomplished their goals  of 
moving (slowly) along the EFF continuum.  We are at the novice  stage, 
however, with this kind of assessment.  
 
Teachers still struggle with questions, such as *How many entries are good  
enough to demonstrate mastery?*  And *What can we include that will  
demonstrate the range of fluency, independence, and the ability to perform in a  variety 
of settings?*  And more.
 
So help us, please.
 
Thanks and All the Best,
 
Meta Potts
FOCUS on Literacy
Glen Allen, VA
 
 
 
 
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From hdooley at riral.org  Wed Jan 11 14:24:33 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:24:33 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF and CASAS Assessment
In-Reply-To: <1ff.104fa25f.30f6aa6c@aol.com>
References: <1ff.104fa25f.30f6aa6c@aol.com>
Message-ID: <43C55B71.5080308@riral.org>

Meta --  Thank you for your post.  I am always heartened when I hear and 
see that others are fighting the same good fight, and have come to 
similar conclusions as our own.  At my program we have been 
investigating portfolios (we call them folders) as a way of doing (or 
organizing, or collecting) non-NRS assessments, and one that helps 
instructors and learners align curriculum with instruction with 
assessment.  "Alignment" to me means making sure that assessment, 
instruction and curriculum are all relevant and meaningful to all 
participants.  I think the salad analogy holds for any program or class 
where the standards used don't come with ready-made assessments.  States 
that have developed content standards, have programs using the TABE, the 
CASAS, the BEST, even the GED or EDP, and, voila!, alignment issues 
arise.  I truly believe this issue, that of alignment, is the more 
important issue (more important than which set of standards or which 
assessements we decide / are mandated to use), and the issue that most 
of us will confront in our programs, and continually confront since 
staff comes and goes so regularly.

As I read your last paragraph, I appreciate your struggle.  We struggle, 
too.  It is important for me to remember that the portfolios are not for 
the funder (as often the CASAS or TABE or BEST are); they are for 
learner, and the questions that arise with them need answers that are 
learner determined.  The learners should decide how many is enough, how 
good is good enough, what demonstrations are appropriate.  I don't 
believe these decisions need to hold across classes, or sites, or 
programs.  Consistency of form and process is good, of course, it will 
help your administrators to understand what is going on, and help your 
teachers to share thoughts and ideas.  Over the semesters, your teachers 
may find that the rubrics and checklists used each time are pretty darn 
similar -- or not.  And of course, if you find that your portfolio 
assessment indicates better reading but your CASAS score doesn't, then 
you'll need some reflection and re-alignment.  But, by and large, I 
think you'll find you won't, because by and large you have sincere and 
experienced instructors, and you can trust their science and their art.

I hope to hear more about how the struggles go, and what good ideas we 
can share with you as we move ahead.

Howard D.
Project RIRAL


MWPotts2001 at aol.com wrote:

> Regie,
>  
> Thank you for your explanations re: the differences between EFF and 
> CASAS and the cautions about mixing apples and oranges.  I have 
> carried around your former posts on this subject because I work with 
> groups who are mandated to use both EFF and CASAS, and it is not easy 
> trying to help them with assessment problems.  It has become more than 
> a problem; it is now an issue.
>  
> In light of Linda's posting, I am wondering how the two of you might 
> help us find ways to work more satisfactorily so that we are not at 
> odds, rather more in sync as we struggle to include the best of both? 
>  Is it possible, after all, that the fruit salad might be a variety of 
> apples, say Macintosh and Jonathan, rather than apples and oranges?  I 
> confess ignorance and plead for enlightenment.
>  
> In the absence of a twofold assessment design that gratifies the needs 
> of the programs and states who are mandated to use both EFF and CASAS, 
> I have been trying to help people use portfolio assessment, in which 
> they demonstrate mastery of the EFF reading purposes (or Math 
> purposes) and the CASAS competencies, which seem (and I emphasize 
> seem) to be located at the same level of expertise. This has worked 
> for us, and students have accomplished their goals of moving (slowly) 
> along the EFF continuum.  We are at the novice stage, however, with 
> this kind of assessment. 
>  
> Teachers still struggle with questions, such as *How many entries are 
> good enough to demonstrate mastery?*  And *What can we include that 
> will demonstrate the range of fluency, independence, and the ability 
> to perform in a variety of settings?*  And more.
>  
> So help us, please.
>  
> Thanks and All the Best,
>  
> Meta Potts
> FOCUS on Literacy
> Glen Allen, VA
>  
>  
>  
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>



From akohring at utk.edu  Wed Jan 11 15:54:11 2006
From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 15:54:11 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Education Week: Quality Counts report
In-Reply-To: <43C5287F.2090403@sri.com>
References: <009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<009901c6152e$b4008650$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060111151028.02f6fc80@pop.utk.edu>

Hi all,

The link to the report that Marilyn mentioned below is: 
http://www.edweek.org/qc06

Aaron

At 10:47 AM 1/11/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>Marie,
>
>I wanted to let list members know about the latest issue of Education 
>Week. As some of you who have contact with K-12 education may know, 
>Education Week is a weekly newspaper  that reports federal and state news. 
>This week the entire issue includes a review of the success of the 
>standards-based education effort of the past decade. They call the results 
>at once "heartening and sobering". They're heartening in that student 
>achievement in some areas, particularly in math have improved. In 
>addition,  there have been real gains for black, Hispanic and low income 
>students, especially in math.  However, after all the "effort" that has 
>been put into reading, overall reading scores have barely budged form 1992 
>to 2005 (although the scores of black, Hispanic and low income children 
>increased at nearly triple the national average). There is also a 
>discussion of high school drop out and graduation rates (still as low as 
>ever for those same groups.) There are lots of reflective articles on the 
>benefits, trade-offs and negative aspects of standards-based education 
>that we, as adult educators, could learn from  Several states are profiled 
>in-depth including Delaware, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Iowa and 
>Nevada. The articles contain a lot of food for thought and would be a 
>great resource for discussion groups or study circles.
>
>Marilyn Gillespie
>SRI International
>
>Marie Cora wrote:
>>
>>Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.
>>
>>
>>
>>I m pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our 
>>discussion.  I ve been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have a 
>>couple of questions to start us off:
>>
>>
>>
>>For our guests:
>>
>>
>>
>>-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a 
>>performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or 
>>perhaps even different from other standards?
>>
>>
>>
>>For subscribers:  I found the thought-provokers really helped me to focus 
>>on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did anyone 
>>try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you might 
>>comment on this activity.  As for #2 below I found this question helpful 
>>because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I would look 
>>for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I would 
>>necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom assessment 
>>rather than with a high stakes test.
>>
>>
>>
>>1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it would 
>>look like if you were actually assessing the application of the 
>>integrated skill process described in the standard s definition.
>>
>>
>>
>>2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has 
>>happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for change 
>>as you look for learning within the space of one class session, one week, 
>>one month, one course, one year, and so on.
>>
>>
>>
>>Anyway, that s what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post 
>>your questions and comments!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>marie
>>
>>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------
>>National Insitute for Literacy
>>Assessment mailing list
>><mailto:Assessment at nifl.gov>Assessment at nifl.gov
>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>><http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
>
>--
>Marilyn Gillespie, Ed.D.
>Educational Researcher
>SRI International
>1100 Wilson Blvd., Suite 2800
>Arlington, VA 22209-2268
>Phone: (703) 247-8510
>Fax: (703) 247-8493
><mailto:marilyn.gillespie at sri.com>marilyn.gillespie at sri.com
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu



From marilyn.gillespie at sri.com  Thu Jan 12 10:01:13 2006
From: marilyn.gillespie at sri.com (Marilyn Gillespie)
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 10:01:13 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF and CASAS Assessment
In-Reply-To: <43C55B71.5080308@riral.org>
References: <1ff.104fa25f.30f6aa6c@aol.com> <43C55B71.5080308@riral.org>
Message-ID: <43C66F39.9020908@sri.com>

Howard,

I thought your comments were very interesting and insightful.  They make 
another case for why teachers working in standards-based adult education 
need plenty of time for program-embedded professional development.  
Teachers need time to work as a team to analyze student work for 
evidence of progress, particularly because of the lack of alignment of 
instruction with assessment. Ideally, programs would be able to collect 
and share these additional indicators of learner progress so that better 
more aligned assessments can eventually be developed.  Cris Smith and I 
are working on a paper on the implications of K-12 professional 
development research findings for adult educators. Your comments have 
been useful in developing our discussions of the implications of 
standards based teaching and learning for teacher professional 
development in adult education, so thanks.

Marilyn

Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:

>Meta --  Thank you for your post.  I am always heartened when I hear and 
>see that others are fighting the same good fight, and have come to 
>similar conclusions as our own.  At my program we have been 
>investigating portfolios (we call them folders) as a way of doing (or 
>organizing, or collecting) non-NRS assessments, and one that helps 
>instructors and learners align curriculum with instruction with 
>assessment.  "Alignment" to me means making sure that assessment, 
>instruction and curriculum are all relevant and meaningful to all 
>participants.  I think the salad analogy holds for any program or class 
>where the standards used don't come with ready-made assessments.  States 
>that have developed content standards, have programs using the TABE, the 
>CASAS, the BEST, even the GED or EDP, and, voila!, alignment issues 
>arise.  I truly believe this issue, that of alignment, is the more 
>important issue (more important than which set of standards or which 
>assessements we decide / are mandated to use), and the issue that most 
>of us will confront in our programs, and continually confront since 
>staff comes and goes so regularly.
>
>As I read your last paragraph, I appreciate your struggle.  We struggle, 
>too.  It is important for me to remember that the portfolios are not for 
>the funder (as often the CASAS or TABE or BEST are); they are for 
>learner, and the questions that arise with them need answers that are 
>learner determined.  The learners should decide how many is enough, how 
>good is good enough, what demonstrations are appropriate.  I don't 
>believe these decisions need to hold across classes, or sites, or 
>programs.  Consistency of form and process is good, of course, it will 
>help your administrators to understand what is going on, and help your 
>teachers to share thoughts and ideas.  Over the semesters, your teachers 
>may find that the rubrics and checklists used each time are pretty darn 
>similar -- or not.  And of course, if you find that your portfolio 
>assessment indicates better reading but your CASAS score doesn't, then 
>you'll need some reflection and re-alignment.  But, by and large, I 
>think you'll find you won't, because by and large you have sincere and 
>experienced instructors, and you can trust their science and their art.
>
>I hope to hear more about how the struggles go, and what good ideas we 
>can share with you as we move ahead.
>
>Howard D.
>Project RIRAL
>
>
>MWPotts2001 at aol.com wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Regie,
>> 
>>Thank you for your explanations re: the differences between EFF and 
>>CASAS and the cautions about mixing apples and oranges.  I have 
>>carried around your former posts on this subject because I work with 
>>groups who are mandated to use both EFF and CASAS, and it is not easy 
>>trying to help them with assessment problems.  It has become more than 
>>a problem; it is now an issue.
>> 
>>In light of Linda's posting, I am wondering how the two of you might 
>>help us find ways to work more satisfactorily so that we are not at 
>>odds, rather more in sync as we struggle to include the best of both? 
>> Is it possible, after all, that the fruit salad might be a variety of 
>>apples, say Macintosh and Jonathan, rather than apples and oranges?  I 
>>confess ignorance and plead for enlightenment.
>> 
>>In the absence of a twofold assessment design that gratifies the needs 
>>of the programs and states who are mandated to use both EFF and CASAS, 
>>I have been trying to help people use portfolio assessment, in which 
>>they demonstrate mastery of the EFF reading purposes (or Math 
>>purposes) and the CASAS competencies, which seem (and I emphasize 
>>seem) to be located at the same level of expertise. This has worked 
>>for us, and students have accomplished their goals of moving (slowly) 
>>along the EFF continuum.  We are at the novice stage, however, with 
>>this kind of assessment. 
>> 
>>Teachers still struggle with questions, such as *How many entries are 
>>good enough to demonstrate mastery?*  And *What can we include that 
>>will demonstrate the range of fluency, independence, and the ability 
>>to perform in a variety of settings?*  And more.
>> 
>>So help us, please.
>> 
>>Thanks and All the Best,
>> 
>>Meta Potts
>>FOCUS on Literacy
>>Glen Allen, VA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------
>>National Insitute for Literacy
>>Assessment mailing list
>>Assessment at nifl.gov
>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>> 
>>
>>    
>>
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>

-- 
Marilyn Gillespie, Ed.D.
Educational Researcher
SRI International
1100 Wilson Blvd., Suite 2800
Arlington, VA 22209-2268
Phone: (703) 247-8510
Fax: (703) 247-8493
marilyn.gillespie at sri.com

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jan 12 13:08:22 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 13:08:22 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF standards-based practice and accountability testing
Message-ID: <003e01c617a3$2da36970$0402a8c0@frodo>

The following post is from Peggy McGuire.
 
 
Hi everyone.
 
I've been doing a lot of thinking since collaborating with Regie on his
initial posts this week,and then reading the recent responses from
Linda, Meta and Howard (thanks, folks!). Feels like there's so much to
talk about, but given that this medium doesn't truly allow us to have
the deep conversations I'd love to be having with y'all (over
coffee/tea?), I'm going to put out just a few brief thoughts to add to
all the thoughtful offerings.
 
Meta, I have no doubt that it's possible to align teaching, learning and
instructional/classroom assessment around the EFF standards while still
being mandated to use an accountability assessment that is not aligned
to the standards. And as difficult and unsatisfactory as it often feels
to have to do this, many of the learners who engage with us in this
process are prospering -- they are pursuing lifelong learning that
focuses on their real needs and goals. The experiences you and Howard
relate, and my own several years' experience of working with wonderful
teachers and their students all over the country during the field
development of the EFF Assessment Framework and Read with Understanding
Assessment Prototype, strengthen my belief. I want to join in saying
well done for fighting the good fight! 
 
And Howard, I want to say that I absolutely agree that "alignment" of
assessment, instruction and curriculum around what is relevant and
meaningful to learners is important. That's one reason why, after all
these years, I still feel pretty passionate about EFF -- because I
believe that the EFF standards, by the inclusive and iterative way they
were developed, really do represent what is relevant and meaningful to
learners, what they and many other key stakeholders in their success
told us was important to know and be able to do in order to meet their
goals in their primary adult roles. And it sure doesn't hurt that they
also have a solid research base in cognitive science! In my mind, then,
implementing the EFF standards in particular makes it possible to align
what gets taught, learned and assessed around what's really relevant and
meaningful to learners.
 
I applaud the efforts that you and Meta are making to document EFF
standards-based learning and to use tools like portfolios to engage
students in reflection on their own learning. Well done! But I also have
to admit to feeling a little sad at the thought that such evidence and
activities are only for learners, and not for reporting. I'm sad because
I want a world where true accountability to learners happens
system-wide, not just in the classroom. I want a world where the
"science and art" of good teachers is respected beyond their individual
classrooms or programs. 
 
For these (among other) reasons,  I think "which assessment" is
incredibly important. What gets reported as a result of the
accountability assessments we use is linked to what gets funded and
supported and acknowledged as important in the adult basic/literacy/ESOL
education world. And I want this system of ours to be fully focusing its
resources on what is really important to the adult learners we serve.
I'm convinced that won't happen as long as we live with the lack of
alignment between instruction (what gets taught and learned) and
accountability assessment (what gets measured, and therefore, what
actually counts as important when policy and dollars are at issue). What
feels especially frustrating is that I'm sure that we could achieve the
alignment if we were willing to commit the time and resources needed to
do so! I'll put my own professional bias (which of course I consider to
be well-reasoned and insightful!) right out here -- I  think the EFF
standards and framework give us the tools we need to do the job.
 
I could go on and on... but enough for now. Thanks to Marie and to all
you contributors for giving me this opportunity to reflect on some
issues near to my heart. All the best!   
 
 
Peggy McGuire, M.A.
Senior Research Associate and Equipped for the Future National
Consultant
Center for Literacy Studies
The University of Tennessee
111 5th Street, PO Box 16
Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
717-964-1341 (p/f)
215-888-6507 (cell)
mcguirep555 at aol.com
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From jcrawford at nifl.gov  Thu Jan 12 16:09:22 2006
From: jcrawford at nifl.gov (Crawford, June)
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 16:09:22 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Best in Class Assessments?
Message-ID: <9B35BF1886881547B5DFF88364AF31A30573B6CF@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov>

In addition to individual tests, please check out the assessment website
that we provide free-of-charge for teachers of reading.  It has a short
lesson on how to use the site and then you can enter test scores and get
information about how best to teach students since we all know that they
have different needs!  I hope you find this useful:
www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles  and will contact us if you need further
information.
June Crawford
NIFL

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 12:50 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment] Best in Class Assessments?


Hi all.
I'm taking a reading assessment class for K-12 teachers and have
been asked to bring a list of the adult reading assessments, formal and
informal.


What are folks using out there these days? I know the TABE is most common,
but I'm sure there are some great standbys I've not seen out there I'd love
to know about.

Thanks!

Jean Marrapodi
Providence Assembly of God Learning
Center

-------------------------------
National Insitute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org  Thu Jan 12 17:25:09 2006
From: samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org (Samuel McGraw III)
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 14:25:09 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
Message-ID: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADE8@seamail.seagoodwill.org>

Regie and others,
 
 
We are in the position of setting new standards and developing new curriculum.  Because the kinds of students we serve and our program structure - we would like to use the portfolio method of assessment, however, we would like to provide our students with the tools to get to community (etc.) --- we are private non-profit -- my organization (public schools) use CASAS standards...we would like to be able to tell our students where they are based on CASAS....a large number of our students are more suited to EFF (life skills)  as that is where they are and most-likely will remain....portfolio (shows progression and what the student is currently capable of) CASAS (shows students what level they are at...and thereby where they could/should be)...EFF (is a goal for functional skills (for life)).....
 
I would like to be able to offer students...all three....
 
Sam
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Regie Stites
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 4:13 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!


Hi Sam,
You are right. This is simple question with a complicated answer.  Crosswalks between CASAS competencies and EFF Standards and EFF Performance Levels have been done in various ways for various purposes.  I don't know if anyone has yet done a crosswalk between CASAS content standards and EFF, but that certainly is possible.  But rather than provide you with links to these crosswalks, let me first insert a note of caution.  Comparing CASAS and EFF is like comparing apples and oranges.  It's okay if the difference between apples and oranges doesn't matter to you.  For example, we crosswalked EFF performance levels to NRS Educationing Function Levels which, in turn, are referenced to CASAS scale scores.  So for some EFF standards you could make a connection between EFF levels and CASAS scores that way.  But this really is an apples and oranges comparison, because CASAS "reading" is not the same thing as EFF "reading" (see my post about how EFF standards are different from CASAS competencies).   As long you are happy defining "reading" or "math" etc. at the "fruit" level (where the differences between apples, oranges, and grapes don't matter much - that's what NRS does) you can cross-reference CASAS and EFF.  But in most cases, the difference between apples and oranges matters (substituting 6 oranges for 6 apples in an apple pie recipe is not a good idea).   So, my question is how exactly do you plan to make use of a cross-reference between CASAS and EFF?

Regie Stites
SRI International

Samuel McGraw III wrote:


Marie et. al.,

 

I have a simple (yet possible complex answer) question.

 

Has anyone cross referenced EFF and CASAS standards? And if so. What the outcome.

 

Sam

Seattle Goodwill Learning Center

-----Original Message-----

From:  assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [ mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora

Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:10 AM

To: Assessment Discussion List

Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!





Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  

 

I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have a couple of questions to start us off:

 

For our guests:  

 

-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or perhaps even different from other standards?  

 

For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom assessment rather than with a high stakes test. 

 

1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it would look like if you were actually assessing the application of the integrated skill process described in the standard's definition. 

 

2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for change as you look for learning within the space of one class session, one week, one month, one course, one year, and so on.

 

Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post your questions and comments!

Thanks,

marie

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 



  


  _____  



-------------------------------

National Insitute for Literacy

Assessment mailing list

Assessment at nifl.gov

To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

  




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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jan 13 06:01:59 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 06:01:59 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Seeking evidence on CBE or EFF
Message-ID: <008601c61830$c6e34dc0$0402a8c0@frodo>

The following post is from Tom Sticht.



January 12, 2006

Competency- or Standards-Based Education for Adult Literacy Education:
Faith-Based or Evidence-Based?

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

In the K-12 system standards-based education has been around now for the
last decade, and has been reinforced by President Bush's No Child Left
Behind program. Unfortunately, data from the National Center for
Education
Statistics released this year indicate that from 1971 up to 2004, a
graph
of average scores on the NAEP for 9, 13, or 17 year olds for the thirty
year period from 1971 to 2004, on a scale ranging from 200 to around 320
scale scores, shows that 9 year olds increased from 208 in 1971 to 215
in
1980, then fell to 209 in 1990 and then rose again to 219 in 2004. This
is
only 4 scale score points higher than in 1980.  This is evidence of ups
and
downs over a thirty year period but no real improvement. There is a more
pronounced lack of evidence of any average improvement in reading for 13
and 17 year olds over this period.

The lack of evidence for gains by 9 year olds is made even more
apparent,
and disappointing,  when the data for 9 year olds at differing
percentiles
of achievement are examined. In 1971 students at the 90th percentile
scored
260, then rose gradually to 266 in 1990 and then fell to 264 in 2004.
Nine
year olds at the 50th percentile scored as indicated above. Really
poorly
reading students, those at the 10th percentile scored 152 in 1971, then
rose to 165 in 1980 and then rose again to 169 in 2004, though the
latter
was not statistically greater than 25 years ago in 1980.

Thirteen year olds  at the 10th percentile scored 208 in 1971, rose to
213
in 1988, and then fell to 210 in 2004. The least able 17 year old
readers,
those at the 10th percentile, scored 225 in 1971, rose to 241 in 1988,
and
then fell to 227 in 2004.

Though there were some improvements in the scores for 9 year old
African-Americans and Hispanics from 1988, scores for 13 year olds were
flat and they actually dropped for 17 year olds. Hence there is little
evidence for the practical impact of standards-based education on the
reading skills of various ethnic groups in over the last decade and a
half.

The data for the three decades from 1971 to 2004 do not show substantial
increases in reading achievement for 9, 13, or 17 year olds at various
percentile ranks, even for the decade after the start of standards-based
education. The NCES data do show that as children go up through primary,
elementary, and secondary school, they do get better at reading across
the
percentile spectrum. But in 2004 the bottom ten percent of 17 year olds
scored below the median for 13 year olds, and were just 6 scale score
points above the median for 9 year olds. These poorly scoring students
will
no doubt be those who will later discover the real life importance of
literacy and will enter into adult basic education to try to gain skills
needed to support themselves and their families.

Mathematics
Regarding mathematics, there were gains for 9 and 13 year olds across
the 30
year period starting in 1971, but no evidence that the implementation of
standards-based education in the decade of the 1990s up to the present
made
any acceleration in the rate of improvement which started before the
standards-based education movement. And for 17 year old
African-Americans
there were declines in mathematics from 1990 to 2004 and declines for
Hispanics from 1992 to 2004.

Overall, the NCES long term trend data for reading and mathematics do
not
support the claim that standards-based education over the last decade
has
had a positive effect on student achievement in these curricula areas.

Efforts to implement either competency-based or standards-based
education
in adult literacy education over the last quarter system have also
produced
no evidence to support these reforms. There has been no evaluation of
the
Equipped for the Future (EFF) effort and the Comprehensive Adult Student
Assessment System (CASAS) with its competency-based education (CBE)
approach has produced no evidence that programs implementing CBE are
more
effective than programs that do not implement CBE.

At the present time, then, the movement to implement either CBE or EFF
content standards education in adult literacy education is progressing
as a
faith-based rather than an evidence-based movement.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jan 13 09:26:13 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:26:13 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Your thoughts and questions
Message-ID: <009401c6184d$4f160770$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
I wanted to remind folks that this is the last day of our discussion
with EFF Guests.  There has been some great conversation this week - I
encourage you to take the opportunity to post your thoughts and
questions today.  
Thanks!
marie
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jan 13 09:31:04 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:31:04 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Join or Renew Membership with AALPD for 2006!
Message-ID: <001401c6184d$fc3e0830$0402a8c0@frodo>


Dear Colleague:
Are you interested in getting more involved with adult literacy
professional 
development? If so, then I hope you will join or renew membership with
the 
Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD) for 2006: 
http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm

While you are joining or renewing membership this month, you will also
have 
the opportunity to:

1) Vote on this year's slate of officers (by January 31)
2) Vote on the top 6 priorities for AALPD (by January 31)

Membership with AALPD is *free*. If you'd like more information about
joining 
AALPD, then please see below. Thanks! Jackie Taylor, List Moderator,
Adult 
Literacy Professional Development, jataylor at utk.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why should you join or renew your membership?

Renewing Membership:

As we grow and expand, we need updated information about our members in
order 
to advocate effectively for professional development and provide members
with 
the best possible services. So, we are asking everyone to renew their 
memberships by registering as an AALPD member in January of each year. 
***Please take a moment to update your membership information and *vote*
for 
this year's slate of officers and the top 6 AALPD priorities by
visiting:
http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm

New Membership/Prospective Members:

If you are not yet a member, are you interested in:
- getting more involved with adult literacy professional development?
- contributing your voice along with other advocates of adult literacy
PD?
- taking part in establishing (in the eyes of policy makers) the
legitimacy of 
a national association of practitioners committed to adult literacy 
professional development?

We invite you to become a formal member of the Association of Adult
Literacy 
Professional Developers (AALPD). Membership in AALPD is *free* and open
to 
adult educators interested or working in professional development in
adult 
literacy. Individuals join AALPD by completing and submitting the
Membership 
Form:
http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm
=============================================================
Vote While You Join or Renew Membership

1) **Members Vote for Slate of Officers by January 31st**
On the membership page, you can also VOTE for the current slate of
nominated 
AALPD officers (Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer).
http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm

2) **Vote on the Top 6 Priorities for AALPD**
This year, the AALPD Executive Board is identifying top priorities for
AALPD. 
Ideas for AALPD activities were gathered both from individuals in the
field 
and by the board.  Update your membership at: 
http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm and scroll to the bottom of the
page 
to vote on the top 6 AALPD priorities.
=============================================================

Why should you become a member of AALPD?

* It's free!
* You can vote for AALPD officers and on special issues that arise (Only
AALPD 
members will be eligible to vote).
* We will send you the latest information about upcoming trainings,
events and 
resources.
* You can have input into the design of next year's COABE pre-conference

session.
* You can contribute your voice to our advocacy efforts.
* You can help to establish AALPD's legitimacy in the eyes of policy
makers by 
demonstrating a strong membership of concerned practitioners committed
to 
professional development.

Thank you for joining or renewing your membership with AALPD. We're glad
to 
have you on board!

On behalf of the AALPD Executive Board,

Jackie Taylor
Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator
jataylor at utk.edu
=====================================================================
The Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD) is a 
national group for professional developers in adult literacy. As a
special 
interest group within COABE (Commission on Adult Basic Education), AALPD
meets at COABE Conferences and other professional development events.
AALPD is a member of the National Coalition for Literacy.
=====================================================================




From akohring at utk.edu  Fri Jan 13 09:55:10 2006
From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:55:10 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218ADE8@seamail.seagoodwi
	ll.org>
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060113094028.03ccb008@pop.utk.edu>

Sam,

I can certainly see value in using all three means of assessment that you 
mention.  Each one gives you a snapshot in time of what a learner knows and 
is able to do and gives you information to inform instruction based on what 
that particular assessment is designed to assess.  A variety of assessments 
gives you a bigger picture of what a learner knows and can do.  As 
instructors, we also use some very informal assessments in addition to 
these you have mentioned to add to that picture of where learners are and 
where they need to get to- such as, probing question and answer during a 
lesson.  Assessments over time give us that picture of progress.

The challenge will be to make sure that all parts of your system are in 
alignment: the assessment, instruction, and curriculum.  But that does not 
mean a variety of assessments cannot be used- only that we understand what 
they are based upon and how we are using them.

Any other suggestions?
Aaron

At 02:25 PM 1/12/2006 -0800, you wrote:
>content-class: urn:content-classes:message
>Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
>         boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C617C7.0BCF833C"
>
>Regie and others,
>
>
>We are in the position of setting new standards and developing new 
>curriculum.  Because the kinds of students we serve and our program 
>structure - we would like to use the portfolio method of assessment, 
>however, we would like to provide our students with the tools to get to 
>community (etc.) --- we are private non-profit -- my organization (public 
>schools) use CASAS standards...we would like to be able to tell our 
>students where they are based on CASAS....a large number of our students 
>are more suited to EFF (life skills)  as that is where they are and 
>most-likely will remain....portfolio (shows progression and what the 
>student is currently capable of) CASAS (shows students what level they are 
>at...and thereby where they could/should be)...EFF (is a goal for 
>functional skills (for life)).....
>
>I would like to be able to offer students...all three....
>
>Sam
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On 
>Behalf Of Regie Stites
>Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 4:13 PM
>To: The Assessment Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
>
>Hi Sam,
>You are right. This is simple question with a complicated 
>answer.  Crosswalks between CASAS competencies and EFF Standards and EFF 
>Performance Levels have been done in various ways for various purposes.  I 
>don't know if anyone has yet done a crosswalk between CASAS content 
>standards and EFF, but that certainly is possible.  But rather than 
>provide you with links to these crosswalks, let me first insert a note of 
>caution.  Comparing CASAS and EFF is like comparing apples and 
>oranges.  It's okay if the difference between apples and oranges doesn't 
>matter to you.  For example, we crosswalked EFF performance levels to NRS 
>Educationing Function Levels which, in turn, are referenced to CASAS scale 
>scores.  So for some EFF standards you could make a connection between EFF 
>levels and CASAS scores that way.  But this really is an apples and 
>oranges comparison, because CASAS "reading" is not the same thing as EFF 
>"reading" (see my post about how EFF standards are different from CASAS 
>competencies).   As long you are happy defining "reading" or "math" etc. 
>at the "fruit" level (where the differences between apples, oranges, and 
>grapes don't matter much - that's what NRS does) you can cross-reference 
>CASAS and EFF.  But in most cases, the difference between apples and 
>oranges matters (substituting 6 oranges for 6 apples in an apple pie 
>recipe is not a good idea).   So, my question is how exactly do you plan 
>to make use of a cross-reference between CASAS and EFF?
>
>Regie Stites
>SRI International
>
>Samuel McGraw III wrote:
>>
>>Marie et. al.,
>>
>>
>>
>>I have a simple (yet possible complex answer) question.
>>
>>
>>
>>Has anyone cross referenced EFF and CASAS standards? And if so. What the 
>>outcome.
>>
>>
>>
>>Sam
>>
>>Seattle Goodwill Learning Center
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>
>>From: <mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov>assessment-bounces at nifl.gov 
>>[mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>>
>>Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:10 AM
>>
>>To: Assessment Discussion List
>>
>>Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
>>
>>
>>
>>Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.
>>
>>
>>
>>I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our 
>>discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have a 
>>couple of questions to start us off:
>>
>>
>>
>>For our guests:
>>
>>
>>
>>-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a 
>>performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or 
>>perhaps even different from other standards?
>>
>>
>>
>>For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to 
>>focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did 
>>anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you 
>>might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question 
>>helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I 
>>would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I 
>>would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom 
>>assessment rather than with a high stakes test.
>>
>>
>>
>>1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it would 
>>look like if you were actually assessing the application of the 
>>integrated skill process described in the standard's definition.
>>
>>
>>
>>2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has 
>>happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for change 
>>as you look for learning within the space of one class session, one week, 
>>one month, one course, one year, and so on.
>>
>>
>>
>>Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post 
>>your questions and comments!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>marie
>>
>>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------
>>
>>National Insitute for Literacy
>>
>>Assessment mailing list
>>
>><mailto:Assessment at nifl.gov>Assessment at nifl.gov
>>
>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>><http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>>
>
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu



From atrawick at charter.net  Fri Jan 13 11:58:26 2006
From: atrawick at charter.net (Amy R. Trawick)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 11:58:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion
References: <009401c6184d$4f160770$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <00f701c61862$928fd840$3002a8c0@ben2ut66kkx7o3>

Hello, all!

I would like to share another informal assessment technique that we developed as part of the EFF Reading Project.  We call it a "Listening-In Assessment" because it requires you to "listen in", so to speak, on what a reader is thinking as s/he is reading.   It goes something like this:

1) The student is engaged in reading for a life-based task that, in EFF lingo, relates to a shared priority.  For instance, students may be researching certain careers, or reading about parent/teacher conferences, or exploring housing options.  

2) The teacher approaches the student and has several brief discussions, using the components of the Read With Understanding standard (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/standard_read_with_understanding.htm) as a guide.  The teacher asks such things as:
-- Why did you choose this piece to read?  Why?  What are you hoping to find?  
-- How are you going about reading for this purpose?  Is that working for you?  
Questions like these help to understand students' decision-making processes in choosing material, whether or not they are able to choose material that they can make sense of, and ways in which they approach certain texts and tasks (e.g., do they start at the beginning or do they use a table of contents/index to pinpoint a starting place).

3)  After a brief discussion and any impromptu instruction that the teacher feels the need to provide based on student responses, the teacher leaves the student to continue with the task.  

4) Later, the teacher returns to the student and continues with the conversation, again using the RWU components as a guide.  She might ask things like, 
--How's it going?  What have you found out?
--Is the strategy I taught you working for you? (a strategy lesson might have been provided prior to students working on the task or in an impromptu lesson).
--Has anything been difficult for you to understand?  What did you do about it?
--How does what you read compare with what you already know? to what another author said? 
--What are you finding to be the author's main point?
--What are you going to do with this information?
Questions like these are aimed at getting at the student's ability to monitor their comprehension, adjust strategies, analyze information, and integrate what they are reading with what they already know.

5) The teacher might then ask the student to read aloud a section that was particularly interesting to them for some reason--novel ideas, funny, something they agreed/disagreed with.  The point here is to create an authentic reason to read aloud, i.e., to share information.  As the student reads aloud, the teacher notes word recognition issues and fluency issues.  After the student reads, the pair engage in brief conversation about what the student read.  The teacher may then ask if the meaning of any words gave the student any problems--and what they did about it.  She might also pinpoint a word or two to ask the student about.

6)  At a later point, the teacher and student might discuss the teacher notes and student perspectives on those.

Teacher notes about the "listening-in" experience are recorded on a form, which basically consists of 2 pages.  On the first page is a 2-column table, with the components of the standard in the left column and blank space for teacher observation about strategies used and instruction provided and/or needed in the right column.  On the second page are sections related to alphabetics, fluency, and vocabulary.  Notes are usually made away from the student, so the student doesn't experience the conversation as an "assessment event", but we do encourage teachers to be transparent with students about how they will regularly talk with them about their reading and make notes to share with them.  Teachers conduct these assessments regularly with each student (though they define "regularly" differently) in order to collect multiple examples of reading performance over a range of texts and tasks.  The principal purpose is to identify what students already know, what strategies/skills they are using independently and fluently, and what the instructional implications might be.  Combined with similar student-written assessments of their reading processes, either through journaling or use of the Read With Understanding Diary (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/eff_docs/toolkit_docs/tools_read_understand.doc), and with rubrics, artifacts, and reading/book logs collected in a portfolio, students and their teachers can also monitor growth in reading performance over time, as Meta suggested.

Teachers with whom we have shared this process relate that they learn so much about students' reading strategies when they conduct assessments like these, though at first, some students have trouble talking about their own reading.  However, when discussions around reading occur regularly as part of the classroom culture, not just in Listening-In Assessments but in large group and small group activities as well, students become better at recognizing what they do, naming what they do, and identifying trouble spots.  And teachers gather valuable data that can inform instruction.

Thank you all for such interesting ideas and posts this week.  I'm eager to hear what others are doing as well!

Amy

Amy R. Trawick, M.S. Ed.
Equipped for the Future National Consultant
Center for Literacy Studies
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
atrawick at charter.net
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Marie Cora 
  To: Assessment Discussion List 
  Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 9:26 AM
  Subject: [Assessment] Your thoughts and questions


  Hi everyone,

   

  I wanted to remind folks that this is the last day of our discussion with EFF Guests.  There has been some great conversation this week - I encourage you to take the opportunity to post your thoughts and questions today.  

  Thanks!

  marie

  Assessment Discussion List Moderator

   



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From ltaylor at casas.org  Fri Jan 13 13:59:15 2006
From: ltaylor at casas.org (Linda Taylor)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 13:59:15 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Seeking evidence on CBE or EFF
In-Reply-To: <008601c61830$c6e34dc0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <0IT1001QROMYEIHM@vms048.mailsrvcs.net>

For a summary of CASAS research, please see the CASAS website at
www.casas.org and go to "Research and Reports."

Linda Taylor, CASAS



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 6:02 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Seeking evidence on CBE or EFF

The following post is from Tom Sticht.



January 12, 2006

Competency- or Standards-Based Education for Adult Literacy Education:
Faith-Based or Evidence-Based?

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

In the K-12 system standards-based education has been around now for the
last decade, and has been reinforced by President Bush's No Child Left
Behind program. Unfortunately, data from the National Center for
Education
Statistics released this year indicate that from 1971 up to 2004, a
graph
of average scores on the NAEP for 9, 13, or 17 year olds for the thirty
year period from 1971 to 2004, on a scale ranging from 200 to around 320
scale scores, shows that 9 year olds increased from 208 in 1971 to 215
in
1980, then fell to 209 in 1990 and then rose again to 219 in 2004. This
is
only 4 scale score points higher than in 1980.  This is evidence of ups
and
downs over a thirty year period but no real improvement. There is a more
pronounced lack of evidence of any average improvement in reading for 13
and 17 year olds over this period.

The lack of evidence for gains by 9 year olds is made even more
apparent,
and disappointing,  when the data for 9 year olds at differing
percentiles
of achievement are examined. In 1971 students at the 90th percentile
scored
260, then rose gradually to 266 in 1990 and then fell to 264 in 2004.
Nine
year olds at the 50th percentile scored as indicated above. Really
poorly
reading students, those at the 10th percentile scored 152 in 1971, then
rose to 165 in 1980 and then rose again to 169 in 2004, though the
latter
was not statistically greater than 25 years ago in 1980.

Thirteen year olds  at the 10th percentile scored 208 in 1971, rose to
213
in 1988, and then fell to 210 in 2004. The least able 17 year old
readers,
those at the 10th percentile, scored 225 in 1971, rose to 241 in 1988,
and
then fell to 227 in 2004.

Though there were some improvements in the scores for 9 year old
African-Americans and Hispanics from 1988, scores for 13 year olds were
flat and they actually dropped for 17 year olds. Hence there is little
evidence for the practical impact of standards-based education on the
reading skills of various ethnic groups in over the last decade and a
half.

The data for the three decades from 1971 to 2004 do not show substantial
increases in reading achievement for 9, 13, or 17 year olds at various
percentile ranks, even for the decade after the start of standards-based
education. The NCES data do show that as children go up through primary,
elementary, and secondary school, they do get better at reading across
the
percentile spectrum. But in 2004 the bottom ten percent of 17 year olds
scored below the median for 13 year olds, and were just 6 scale score
points above the median for 9 year olds. These poorly scoring students
will
no doubt be those who will later discover the real life importance of
literacy and will enter into adult basic education to try to gain skills
needed to support themselves and their families.

Mathematics
Regarding mathematics, there were gains for 9 and 13 year olds across
the 30
year period starting in 1971, but no evidence that the implementation of
standards-based education in the decade of the 1990s up to the present
made
any acceleration in the rate of improvement which started before the
standards-based education movement. And for 17 year old
African-Americans
there were declines in mathematics from 1990 to 2004 and declines for
Hispanics from 1992 to 2004.

Overall, the NCES long term trend data for reading and mathematics do
not
support the claim that standards-based education over the last decade
has
had a positive effect on student achievement in these curricula areas.

Efforts to implement either competency-based or standards-based
education
in adult literacy education over the last quarter system have also
produced
no evidence to support these reforms. There has been no evaluation of
the
Equipped for the Future (EFF) effort and the Comprehensive Adult Student
Assessment System (CASAS) with its competency-based education (CBE)
approach has produced no evidence that programs implementing CBE are
more
effective than programs that do not implement CBE.

At the present time, then, the movement to implement either CBE or EFF
content standards education in adult literacy education is progressing
as a
faith-based rather than an evidence-based movement.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net




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From regie.stites at sri.com  Fri Jan 13 16:26:29 2006
From: regie.stites at sri.com (Regie Stites)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 13:26:29 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20060113094028.03ccb008@pop.utk.edu>
References: <5.1.0.14.2.20060113094028.03ccb008@pop.utk.edu>
Message-ID: <43C81B05.5030501@sri.com>

I would also like to heartily applaud the wisdom and creativity of 
instructors in finding a way to make whatever tools they have work for 
their learners.  I think researchers (and I know because I am one) are 
often far too narrow and dismissive in their attitudes.  Teachers 
experiment and collect evidence of what works on a daily basis and that 
experience and the craft knowledge it builds should never be totally 
discounted. There are a lot of measures by which an instructional 
program can be evaluated.  Gains on reading on math tests are important, 
but so are teachers' opinions about the fit between the teaching content 
and methods and learners' goals. 
In a post early this week, I said I would get back to the question of 
what makes EFF standards different from other standards (then the flu 
slowed down my response time considerably).  The first obvious 
difference is that EFF focuses on a broader range of skills than most 
standards.  EFF is not solely focused on improving scores on 
standardized reading and math tests.  Improving scores on reading and 
math tests is important (and tied to funding now of course), but EFF 
standards (more than most state content standards) promote a broader 
focus on giving adults opportunities to learn what they need to know and 
be able to do to fulfill key adult roles as workers, parents/family 
members, community members/citizens.  For that reason, EFF includes 
standards for decision making, lifelong learning, and interpersonal 
skills as well as communication skills.

Second, EFF supports and encourages learner centered instruction.  EFF 
standards define purposeful applications of 16 skills, but don't dictate 
the specific techniques or context in which those skills should be 
taught or learned.  This allows for relatively more flexibility (and 
requires more creativity) in applying the EFF standards to guide 
curriculum and instruction than is true of state content standards 
(where there is generally a stronger link is made to curriculum 
content/frameworks).   Flexibility (and lack of specificity) is not 
always a good thing, but it is definitely an advantage for programs that 
adopt a learner centered approach.

Third (and related to the first two points), EFF is more "customer 
driven" than most other standards in the sense that the standards were 
developed in direct response to what adult learners said they wanted to 
learn.  This customer driven orientation also extends to the EFF 
approach to assessment which gives priority (particularly in 
instructionally embedded assessment) to clear communications of learning 
goals and evidence of learning progress between learners and 
instructors.  Portfolio assessment is an excellent tool for this purpose 
because it creates opportunities for learners and instructors to talk 
about concrete evidence (and the criteria to evaluate that evidence) of 
progress.

Finally, EFF is a multi-component system (standards, performance 
continua, teaching and learning toolkit, etc.) that can adopted and/or 
adapted in many ways.  Though I agree with Tom Sticht that we 
implementation of EFF (and other standards-based education in adult 
education) has not been sufficiently studied, we should be clear about 
what kinds of applications of EFF we want to evaluate and by what 
measures.  Let's evaluate EFF (and I hope someone with deep pockets 
likes this idea) using a multi-methods design and a broad range of 
outcome measures befitting the scope of the EFF approach (and the 
variety of the ways it can be implemented).   There has been a lot of 
research to support various pieces of what EFF Standards can include 
when implemented.  For example, the Read With Understanding performance 
level descriptions incorporate evidence-based practices in the teaching 
of alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension 
strategies.  There is no reason to restart the reading wars and make 
everyone choose one of two sides.  The research supporting these 
practices is sound and that is why they are included in the EFF approach 
to reading instruction.  But EFF is not solely an approach to reading 
instruction.  So if we have the opportunity for a large-scale evaluation 
of EFF, let's include measures of growth in teachers' knowledge of 
content area instruction and job satisfaction and retention.  Let's 
include longitudinal measures of goal achievement for learners (such as 
jobs, personal growth, community involvement, etc.).  While we are at 
it, let's also get good pre- and post test data on reading, math, 
writing, English language learning (all 4 skills), lifelong learning, 
decision making, and/or interpersonal skills (as appropriate to the 
content of the instructional program).

Regie Stites
SRI International


Aaron Kohring wrote:

>Sam,
>
>I can certainly see value in using all three means of assessment that you 
>mention.  Each one gives you a snapshot in time of what a learner knows and 
>is able to do and gives you information to inform instruction based on what 
>that particular assessment is designed to assess.  A variety of assessments 
>gives you a bigger picture of what a learner knows and can do.  As 
>instructors, we also use some very informal assessments in addition to 
>these you have mentioned to add to that picture of where learners are and 
>where they need to get to- such as, probing question and answer during a 
>lesson.  Assessments over time give us that picture of progress.
>
>The challenge will be to make sure that all parts of your system are in 
>alignment: the assessment, instruction, and curriculum.  But that does not 
>mean a variety of assessments cannot be used- only that we understand what 
>they are based upon and how we are using them.
>
>Any other suggestions?
>Aaron
>
>At 02:25 PM 1/12/2006 -0800, you wrote:
>  
>
>>content-class: urn:content-classes:message
>>Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
>>        boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C617C7.0BCF833C"
>>
>>Regie and others,
>>
>>
>>We are in the position of setting new standards and developing new 
>>curriculum.  Because the kinds of students we serve and our program 
>>structure - we would like to use the portfolio method of assessment, 
>>however, we would like to provide our students with the tools to get to 
>>community (etc.) --- we are private non-profit -- my organization (public 
>>schools) use CASAS standards...we would like to be able to tell our 
>>students where they are based on CASAS....a large number of our students 
>>are more suited to EFF (life skills)  as that is where they are and 
>>most-likely will remain....portfolio (shows progression and what the 
>>student is currently capable of) CASAS (shows students what level they are 
>>at...and thereby where they could/should be)...EFF (is a goal for 
>>functional skills (for life)).....
>>
>>I would like to be able to offer students...all three....
>>
>>Sam
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On 
>>Behalf Of Regie Stites
>>Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 4:13 PM
>>To: The Assessment Discussion List
>>Subject: Re: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
>>
>>Hi Sam,
>>You are right. This is simple question with a complicated 
>>answer.  Crosswalks between CASAS competencies and EFF Standards and EFF 
>>Performance Levels have been done in various ways for various purposes.  I 
>>don't know if anyone has yet done a crosswalk between CASAS content 
>>standards and EFF, but that certainly is possible.  But rather than 
>>provide you with links to these crosswalks, let me first insert a note of 
>>caution.  Comparing CASAS and EFF is like comparing apples and 
>>oranges.  It's okay if the difference between apples and oranges doesn't 
>>matter to you.  For example, we crosswalked EFF performance levels to NRS 
>>Educationing Function Levels which, in turn, are referenced to CASAS scale 
>>scores.  So for some EFF standards you could make a connection between EFF 
>>levels and CASAS scores that way.  But this really is an apples and 
>>oranges comparison, because CASAS "reading" is not the same thing as EFF 
>>"reading" (see my post about how EFF standards are different from CASAS 
>>competencies).   As long you are happy defining "reading" or "math" etc. 
>>at the "fruit" level (where the differences between apples, oranges, and 
>>grapes don't matter much - that's what NRS does) you can cross-reference 
>>CASAS and EFF.  But in most cases, the difference between apples and 
>>oranges matters (substituting 6 oranges for 6 apples in an apple pie 
>>recipe is not a good idea).   So, my question is how exactly do you plan 
>>to make use of a cross-reference between CASAS and EFF?
>>
>>Regie Stites
>>SRI International
>>
>>Samuel McGraw III wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Marie et. al.,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I have a simple (yet possible complex answer) question.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Has anyone cross referenced EFF and CASAS standards? And if so. What the 
>>>outcome.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Sam
>>>
>>>Seattle Goodwill Learning Center
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>
>>>From: <mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov>assessment-bounces at nifl.gov 
>>>[mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>>>
>>>Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 7:10 AM
>>>
>>>To: Assessment Discussion List
>>>
>>>Subject: [Assessment] EFF Discussion Begins Today!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I'm pleased to welcome Peggy, Aaron, Regie, and EFF Center Staff to our 
>>>discussion.  I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and I have a 
>>>couple of questions to start us off:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>For our guests:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-The EFF Standards are complex in terms of what they try to capture in a 
>>>performance.  Is this was makes them different from competencies?  Or 
>>>perhaps even different from other standards?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>For subscribers:  I found the "thought-provokers" really helped me to 
>>>focus on a piece of this big picture so I could get a handle on it.  Did 
>>>anyone try #1 below?  Or perhaps if there are EFF users on the List, you 
>>>might comment on this activity.  As for #2 below - I found this question 
>>>helpful because it did make me consider how often and in what ways I 
>>>would look for achievement over time, and it also made me think that I 
>>>would necessarily look for such incremental gains via classroom 
>>>assessment rather than with a high stakes test.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>1.  Pick any EFF standard, read its definition, and imagine what it would 
>>>look like if you were actually assessing the application of the 
>>>integrated skill process described in the standard's definition.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>2.  How often do you feel a need to look for evidence that learning has 
>>>happened?  How does the nature of the evidence you are looking for change 
>>>as you look for learning within the space of one class session, one week, 
>>>one month, one course, one year, and so on.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Anyway, that's what I was thinking about.  How about you?  Please post 
>>>your questions and comments!
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>
>>>marie
>>>
>>>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-------------------------------
>>>
>>>National Insitute for Literacy
>>>
>>>Assessment mailing list
>>>
>>><mailto:Assessment at nifl.gov>Assessment at nifl.gov
>>>
>>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>>><http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>-------------------------------
>>National Insitute for Literacy
>>Assessment mailing list
>>Assessment at nifl.gov
>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>    
>>
>
>Aaron Kohring
>Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
>(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
>Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
>List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
>Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)
>
>Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
>EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
>Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
>           (865) 974-4258 direct
>Fax:   (865) 974-3857
>e-mail: akohring at utk.edu
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Insitute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>




-- 
Regie Stites, Ph.D.
Program Manager, Literacy and Lifelong Learning
Center for Education Policy
SRI International
333 Ravenswood Avenue
Menlo Park, CA  94025-3493
Direct: 650.859.3768
Fax: 650.859.3375
regie.stites at sri.com
www.sri.com/policy/cep

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From sreid at workbase.org.nz  Fri Jan 13 20:16:57 2006
From: sreid at workbase.org.nz (Susan Reid)
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 14:16:57 +1300
Subject: [Assessment] Your thoughts and questions
Message-ID: <14794889A1E3AF419042F64CC5425A1E051EF8@server1.wbeductrust.local>

Hin Marie 
I hope I am not too late to ask this question 
I was interested in Regie's post about the difference between EFF and CBE. Here is New Zealand we have a very well established competency based assessment framework called the National Qualifications Framework www.nzqa.govt.nz
In lieu of any literacy standards a number of practitioners use until standards from the NQF to assess their learners - e.g. Read texts for practical purposes, Fill in a form , Write an incident report, Solve problems using whole numbers, Solve problems using numbers in different forms. 
In lieu of anything else workforce ( in particular) practitioners use the outcome statements of these standards as curriculum despite The New Zealand Qualifications Authority saying that is not their purpose. This use of  unit standards is widespread in technical areas as well as in literacy and numeracy areas. 
The New Zealand Minsistry of Education is about to introduce key competencies into our tertiary education system based on the novice to expert continuum.. One of the key competencies is use tools interactively which includes standards around literacy and numeracy. http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/download/20050419100458key_competencies.pdf
 
The approach is based very much on the OECD's DeSeCo approach. http://www.portal-stat.admin.ch/deseco/ccp-bac1.pdf
 
Five descriptive  standards have been developed - reading , writing, speaking, listening and maths which are very loosely based on the EFF Standards ( except they have taken the knowledge component out). http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/download/20050419110405stds_doc.pdf
 
The Descriptive Standards are in draft form but there is currently underway a project to write progressions for the 5 draft standards ( again loosely based on the EFF appraoch) However what is different is that there has not been the level of consultation with learners and to some extent  practitioners that underpinned the EFF approach. We expect that these progressions will become a reporting system for all literacy and numeracy programmes. 
The reason the Ministry is keen to introduce Key Competencies into the tertiary system is that they are part of the primary and secondary ( K-12 ) system and the idea is to have a seamless system. 
What advice would you have about the introduction of these standards bearing in mind they will be very different from the current well established CBE system. How can we make sure practitioners understand the differences rather than just use them as another CBE system
 
Thank you 
Susan Reid 
Manager, Consultancy Services
Workbase the New Zealand Centre for Workforce Literacy 
@ Vermont St, Ponsonby
Auckland , New Zealand 
www.workbase.org.nz
www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Marie Cora
Sent: Sat 14/01/2006 3:26 a.m.
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Your thoughts and questions


Hi everyone,
 
I wanted to remind folks that this is the last day of our discussion with EFF Guests.  There has been some great conversation this week - I encourage you to take the opportunity to post your thoughts and questions today.  
Thanks!
marie
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From kabeall at comcast.net  Mon Jan 16 18:48:02 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:48:02 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] New from NCSALL--Review of Adult Learning and Literacy,
	Volume 6
Message-ID: <005001c61af7$49f7f8f0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

The newest volume of the Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice (Vol. 6, 2006) is now available from NCSALL. For more information, please visit the NCSALL Web site at http://www.ncsall.net. 



It includes chapters on: 

?         demographic change and low-literacy Americans

?         the role of vocabulary in adult basic education (ABE)

?         implications of research on spelling for ABE

?         issues in teaching speaking skills to adult ESOL learners

?         the preparation and stability of the ABE teaching workforce

?         the adult literacy system in Ireland

?         broad-based organizing as a vehicle for promoting adult literacy

 

To order the Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 6, visit Erlbaum?s Web site (https://www.erlbaum.com/shop/tek9.asp?pg=search&mode=regular). 
To order Volume 6 at a 30% discount from NCSALL, go to our Order Form (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1002); limited quantities available.

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 17 10:05:35 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 10:05:35 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Discussion thanks!
Message-ID: <003501c61b77$785d33b0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.
 
I would like to thank our guests from last week's discussion, Regie
Stites, Aaron Kohring, and Peggy McGuire, for participating in this
forum on EFF.  Many thanks as well to List members for making the
conversation rich and interesting.  
 
I will prepare the discussion in user-friendly format and have it posted
at the NIFL Discussion List Website as well as the ALEWiki.  I will send
out email letting you know when this will be available. 
 
If you still have questions or comments regarding last week's
discussion, please don't hesitate to post these to the Assessment
Discussion List.  Conversations needn't come to a halt when a Guest
Discussion is completed - in fact such Guest Discussions could provide a
catalyst for further exploration of a topic.  So don't be shy!
 
Thanks so much again to everyone,
marie
 
marie cora
Moderator, NIFL Assessment Discussion List, and 
Coordinator/Developer LINCS Assessment Special Collection at 
http://literacy.kentedu/Midwest/assessment
<http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment> 
 
 
 
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 17 10:21:11 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 10:21:11 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [ContentStandards] Live Chat: Rethinking National
	Standards
Message-ID: <005201c61b79$a642db70$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hello Folks - the following is cross-posted from the Content Standards
(formerly the EFF) Discussion List.
marie
**********


Greetings all,

Education Week is hosting an online chat regarding the Quality Counts 
report that I referenced last week.
Aaron

Join us Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time, for an 
online chat with guest Diane Ravitch on national standards, curricula,
and 
tests.

In a commentary piece published in EDUCATION WEEK's recently released 
QUALITY COUNTS 2006 report, "Quality Counts at 10: A Decade of 
Standards-Based Education," Ravitch contends that standards-based
education 
reform has been compromised because each of the 50 states sets its own 
standards and monitors its own progress, creating mixed messages about
what 
students should know and be able to do and incentives for the states to 
lower existing standards so as to demonstrate "progress."

Ravitch argues that adopting national standards is the best way to solve

the problem of inconsistent standards and to prevent states from
lowering 
passing scores on state exams to show progress.

Read Diane Ravitch's Commentary:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/01/05/17ravitch.h25.html

This chat will focus on the impact that adopting national standards
could 
have on standards-based reform, and address how the National Assessment
of 
Educational Progress could serve as a blueprint for national standards.

Please join us for this special live Web chat.
http://www.edweek-chat.org

Submit advance questions here:
http://www.edweek-chat.org/question.php3

No special equipment is needed to participate in this text-based chat. A

complete transcript will be posted shortly after the chat is completed.



Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards
Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu


----------------------------------------------------
National Insitute for Literacy
Adult Education Content Standards mailing list
ContentStandards at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/contentstandards



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 17 16:04:26 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 16:04:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Need Help with Grade Equivalency
	Categories
Message-ID: <00c501c61ba9$99fa52a0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,

I'm forwarding this query for your responses from the NLA List.
marie
*****



Hello all,

I am needing to communicate "grade level equivalency" categories with
adult
literacy volunteer tutors and would like to gather opinions on how to
best
do this.  My first thought was to use the already established NRS
categories, which are:

   Beginning Literacy (0-1.9 grade level)
   Beginning ABE (2-3.9)
   Low Intermediate ABE (4-5.9)
   High Intermediate ABE (6-8.9)
   Low Advanced ASE (9-10.9)
   High Advanced ASE  (11-12.9)

What do you think?  Any better ideas out there???  Thanks in advance for
sharing your thoughts.

Val Harris
Director of Adult Education
Lewis & Clark Community College
5800 Godfrey Road
Godfrey, IL  62035
(618) 468-4100

_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Jan 18 09:52:58 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 09:52:58 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Help with Grade Level Equivalency Categories
Message-ID: <002501c61c3e$dfde5d80$0402a8c0@frodo>

 
The following response if from Peggy McGuire.
 
 
 
Hi Val and all.
A couple thoughts:
 
If you and your volunteer tutors are required to communicate adult
learner achievement in terms of "grade level equivalency", then I am not
aware of any good reason not to use the categories that the NRS
describes (if anyone is aware of one, please chime in!). The good news
about this approach would be that at least some attempt has been made to
draw relatonships between these categories and information related to
measures designed to describe adult achievement (EFF performance levels,
TABE scores, CASAS scores, BEST scores).
 
And that brings me to my other thought: in this context it feels very
important to help tutors of adults to understand where the "grade level
equivalencies" come from, so that they have the opportunity to reflect
on what information these numbers can offer us about the adults with
whom we work. Specifically I would want to be clear that they were
designed to describe the mastery of elementary/middle/high school
academic curricula as articulated in the achievement tests taken by
students at particular grades during their K-12 careers. 
 
Personally, I think it would be a wonderful thing to then have a
conversation with the tutors about what the categories tell us about
what the adult learners they are/will be working with need to know and
be able to do in order to meet their goals in seeking tutoring -- and
about other opportunities to assess learners' needs and gather evidence
of their achievement. A pretty cool "teachable moment", maybe?
 
All the best! 
 
Peggy McGuire, M.A.
Senior Research Associate and Equipped for the Future National
Consultant
Center for Literacy Studies
The University of Tennessee
111 5th Street, PO Box 16
Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
717-964-1341 (p/f)
215-888-6507 (cell)
mcguirep555 at aol.com
 
 
 
 
Hello all,
 
I am needing to communicate "grade level equivalency" categories with
adult literacy volunteer tutors and would like to gather opinions on how
to best do this.  My first thought was to use the already established
NRS categories, which are:
 
   Beginning Literacy (0-1.9 grade level)
   Beginning ABE (2-3.9)
   Low Intermediate ABE (4-5.9)
   High Intermediate ABE (6-8.9)
   Low Advanced ASE (9-10.9)
   High Advanced ASE  (11-12.9)
 
What do you think?  Any better ideas out there???  Thanks in advance for
sharing your thoughts.
 
Val Harris
Director of Adult Education
Lewis & Clark Community College
5800 Godfrey Road
Godfrey, IL  62035
(618) 468-4100
 
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From Shauna.South at schools.utah.gov  Wed Jan 18 15:53:53 2006
From: Shauna.South at schools.utah.gov (South, Shauna)
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:53:53 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Need Help with Grade Equivalency
	Categories
Message-ID: <3B603C8007FB954BB1A4FE9B16CC4A1701A5B3DF@edell.usoe.k12.ut.us>

This appears appropriate on the surface for volunteer tutors. Depending
on how they are going to use the information, it might be a good idea to
clarify that GLE used this way does not necessarily mean that a student
is reading on grade level. Each state seems to interpret what Grade
level means in academic areas.  What these NRS levels mean to me is that
the student being assessed with the adult ed assessment has been
correlated to the National Reporting System.  Actual cognitive skill
levels for that person may not necessarily be at those grade levels.  I
believe the DOL likes to see these GLE's.  I think it depends on how you
are going to have the volunteers use this information.  

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:04 PM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Need Help with Grade
EquivalencyCategories

Hi everyone,

I'm forwarding this query for your responses from the NLA List.
marie
*****



Hello all,

I am needing to communicate "grade level equivalency" categories with
adult
literacy volunteer tutors and would like to gather opinions on how to
best
do this.  My first thought was to use the already established NRS
categories, which are:

   Beginning Literacy (0-1.9 grade level)
   Beginning ABE (2-3.9)
   Low Intermediate ABE (4-5.9)
   High Intermediate ABE (6-8.9)
   Low Advanced ASE (9-10.9)
   High Advanced ASE  (11-12.9)

What do you think?  Any better ideas out there???  Thanks in advance for
sharing your thoughts.

Val Harris
Director of Adult Education
Lewis & Clark Community College
5800 Godfrey Road
Godfrey, IL  62035
(618) 468-4100

_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org


-------------------------------
National Insitute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From jgore at readingconnections.org  Thu Jan 19 11:17:59 2006
From: jgore at readingconnections.org (Jenny Gore)
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:17:59 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Need Help with Grade
	EquivalencyCategories
References: <3B603C8007FB954BB1A4FE9B16CC4A1701A5B3DF@edell.usoe.k12.ut.us>
Message-ID: <12f301c61d13$eacbb280$0901a8c0@RCLAB8>

Do we have a way to relate the NRS levels to NALS Levels 1-5?

Jennifer B. Gore
Executive Director
Reading Connections, Inc.
122 N. Elm Street, Suite 520
Greensboro, NC  27401
336-230-2223

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and help them become 
what they are capable of being.  Goethe

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "South, Shauna" <Shauna.South at schools.utah.gov>
To: "The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 3:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Need Help with Grade 
EquivalencyCategories


> This appears appropriate on the surface for volunteer tutors. Depending
> on how they are going to use the information, it might be a good idea to
> clarify that GLE used this way does not necessarily mean that a student
> is reading on grade level. Each state seems to interpret what Grade
> level means in academic areas.  What these NRS levels mean to me is that
> the student being assessed with the adult ed assessment has been
> correlated to the National Reporting System.  Actual cognitive skill
> levels for that person may not necessarily be at those grade levels.  I
> believe the DOL likes to see these GLE's.  I think it depends on how you
> are going to have the volunteers use this information.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
> On Behalf Of Marie Cora
> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 2:04 PM
> To: Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Need Help with Grade
> EquivalencyCategories
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm forwarding this query for your responses from the NLA List.
> marie
> *****
>
>
>
> Hello all,
>
> I am needing to communicate "grade level equivalency" categories with
> adult
> literacy volunteer tutors and would like to gather opinions on how to
> best
> do this.  My first thought was to use the already established NRS
> categories, which are:
>
>   Beginning Literacy (0-1.9 grade level)
>   Beginning ABE (2-3.9)
>   Low Intermediate ABE (4-5.9)
>   High Intermediate ABE (6-8.9)
>   Low Advanced ASE (9-10.9)
>   High Advanced ASE  (11-12.9)
>
> What do you think?  Any better ideas out there???  Thanks in advance for
> sharing your thoughts.
>
> Val Harris
> Director of Adult Education
> Lewis & Clark Community College
> 5800 Godfrey Road
> Godfrey, IL  62035
> (618) 468-4100
>
> _______________________________________________
> AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
> http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
> LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
> http://literacytent.org
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Insitute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Insitute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 24 09:40:49 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 09:40:49 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Career Opportunities at the National Institute for
	Literacy
Message-ID: <025001c620f4$2b80d3d0$0402a8c0@frodo>


The National Institute for Literacy is launching projects in new areas
and
seeks additional staff members, including those with expertise in early
literacy, English language acquisition, and workforce and basic skills
development. Other positions include: Associate Directors for
Communication
and Programs, Contract Specialists, Human Resources Officer, Budget and
Policy Analyst.  For more information on career opportunities with the
National Institute for Literacy and how to apply please visit:
http://www.nifl.gov and click on Career Opportunities. 

Please review instruction on How to Apply. Incomplete applications will
not
be accepted.  Questions regarding these positions should be submitted to
staff_search at nifl.gov <mailto:staff_search at nifl.gov>  Note: Applications
will be accepted until 3:00 p.m. February 10, 2006.


Shelly Coles
National Institute for Literacy




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 24 10:18:39 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 10:18:39 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Discussion of State Professional Development Systems
Message-ID: <025b01c620f9$74ee5600$0402a8c0@frodo>

The following post is from Jackie Taylor.
***************

Colleagues:
The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List is hosting a

disscussion of "State Professional Development Systems," featuring 
professional development offered both regionally in New England and in
the 
following states: California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New
York, 
Ohio, and Rhode Island. Colleagues from all states are invited to
participate 
and share their work or experiences with state PD! To participate,
subscribe 
by visiting:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment

See below for the list of guests participating. I hope you will be able
to 
join us!  Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List 
Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Topic: State Professional Development Systems
Discussion Dates: January 30 - February 10
Guest Facilitator: Cassie Drennon Bryant, President, Cassandra Drennon &

Associates, Inc.
To participate: Subscribe by visiting: 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment

General Overview:

Join our guests to discuss a broad range of topics on how state
professional 
development (PD) systems work, including (but not limited to): funding, 
leadership, structure, provision of PD, policy, state initiatives,
assessment 
and evaluation, continuous improvement, and other related issues.

The discussion is open to anyone who would like to share their work or 
experiences with state PD. Guests from the following seven states and
one 
region will be joining us in discussion and participating on behalf of
their 
professional development entities/organizations:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUESTS

New England
Silja Kallenbach, Coordinator, New England Literacy Resource Center 
(NELRC)/World Education

California
Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D., Principal Research Analyst and California Adult 
Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) Director, American 
Institutes for Research

Erik Jacobson, Research Analyst, American Institutes for Research/CALPRO

Wendi Maxwell, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of 
Education

Florida
Teresa G. Bestor, State Director of Adult Education and Compliance
Monitoring, 
Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education, Florida
Department of 
Education

Debra Hargrove, Coordinator, Florida TechNet

Massachusetts
Mina Reddy, Director, System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES)
Central 
Resource Center, World Education

Steve Reuys, Director, Adult Literacy Resource Institute/Greater Boston
SABES 
Regional Support Center

George Kohout, Director, SABES Western Regional Support Center and has
worked 
for five years as Technology Coordinator

New Mexico
Nick Evangelista, Executive Director, New Mexico Adult Education
Association

New York
Ira Yankwitt, Director of the New York City Regional Adult Education
Network 
(NYC RAEN), Literacy Assistance Center

Ohio
Jeff Fantine, Director of the Central/Southeast ABLE Resource Center at
Ohio 
University, participating on behalf of the Ohio ABLE Resource Center
Network

Rhode Island
Janet Isserlis Project Director, Literacy Resources/RI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To participate, subscribe by visiting: 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment

See you on the list! Best, Jackie Taylor

_______________________________________________
National Insitute for Literacy
Moderators mailing list
Moderators at nifl.gov
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/moderators



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jan 26 08:59:46 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:59:46 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] A response to Susan Reid's post to the assessment list
Message-ID: <030e01c62280$c44c70a0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
The following post if from Peggy McGuire, who apologizes for the
lateness of her post - to which I say:  "let no post remain unread!".
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
*************
 
Hello Susan.
I have spent some (certainly not exhaustive) time looking at the NZ
documents and thinking about the questions that Susan has raised with
regard to standards-based vs. competency-based approaches to teaching. I
have a few thoughts:
 
First, I'm not surprised that practitioners, in the absence of
widely-accepted literacy standards, have used the outcomes statements
from the National Qualifications Framework unit standards to guide
curriculum and assessment despite the Qualification Authority's caution
that they were not intended for that purpose. A lot of folks here in the
U.S. have been using the National Reporting System's Educational
Functioning Levels in much the same way, despite the same kinds of
cautions (Practitioners need and want guidance about what's most
important to teach in order to best serve adult learners. They also know
that they have to report student outcomes in terms that are acceptable
to external audiences, particularly the NRS). That's one major reason
why there has been a push over the last couple years for states to
develop content standards - and why there is increasing interest in
adopting or adapting the Equipped for the Future standards and
developing aligned curriculum frameworks at the state level.
 
Next, I completely agree with Regie that it is equally important for
practitioners to be exposed to both the conceptual and operational
differences between competency-based and standards-based approaches. I
think Regie has done a nice job of describing the conceptual
differences. And as I read the introduction in the document discussing
NZ's draft Descriptive Standards, it occurred to me that another key to
understanding the concept might be to elaborate on the goals for
introducing descriptive standards articulated in that introduction - to
help teachers promote students' fluency, independence and ability to use
key skills in a range of authentic contexts for a range of real-life
purposes. This seems a wonderful opportunity to discriminate between
teaching a student how to competently perform a particular task, and
teaching knowledge, skills and strategies in authentic contexts of use
so that a student can competently perform a particular task as well as a
range of tasks as needed. The approach to planning, teaching and
assessment suggested by the latter is all about developing expertise in
skills through purposeful, contextual and constructivist learning and
practice. This in turn promotes transfer, and the fluency and
independence in the use of the skills that the authors of NZ's
Descriptive Standards advocate. It is all about preparing students to be
lifelong learners.
 
As for helping teachers and students to a functional understanding of
the differences between this standards-based model and a
competency-based model, it seems to me that there are a couple of key
tools needed to support the Descriptive Standards before that can be
done. According to Susan's post, one of those tools is currently in
development - the "progressions" for the five draft standards that, I
assume, will articulate in greater detail the knowledge, skills and
strategies that need to be taught, learned and assessed at each
developmental level (from novice toward expert) of each standard. This
is a critical step in guidance for teachers, as it will give them the
basis for assessing particular learning needs and selecting appropriate
targets for direct instruction, depending on the purpose for and context
in which the skill(s) will be used.
 
But my experience with EFF suggests that giving teachers tools to figure
out what to teach/assess at a particular level in a standards-based
system is not enough. Teachers also need and value a comprehensive and
common-sense model of what it looks like in a standards-based system to
1) surface students' purposes and goals for learning, 2) identify the
knowledge and skills that they will need to meet those purposes/goals,
3) develop instructional activities that allow students to learn and
practice needed skills in meaningful contexts related to their
purposes/goals, and 4) monitor and gather evidence of learning, both for
reporting purposes and to inform further instructional planning.
Further, teachers need quality, ongoing professional development to help
them understand and utilize such a model. 
 
In the case of the EFF Standards and Performance Continua (our version
of "progressions"), we have tried to meet this need by developing, with
close collaboration of teachers, an 8-step "Teaching and Learning Cycle"
along with its companion "Teaching and Learning Toolkit", both of which
utilize the EFF standards and Continua to align teaching and assessment.
And then we offer implementation training and technical assistance to
states and other organizations who are trying to "put this all
together", through the EFF Center for Training and Implementation at the
Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee. The EFF Center is
also providing expertise and support to those states who are ready to
develop curriculum frameworks based on Content Standards. 
 
It occurs to me that, whatever models and training protocols get
developed to support the NZ Descriptive Standards, this might be an
excellent opportunity to increase the level of teacher (and perhaps even
student) consultation in the overall process of moving toward a more
standards-based system. And as I believe Regie rightly pointed out, the
teachers who become engaged in the development process may well be your
best, most informed translators to other teachers of the differences
between standards-based and competency-based practice.
 
Thanks so much for the opportunity to learn about the news from New
Zealand and to think about the questions that your experience is
raising. I wish you all the best in your efforts!
 
 
Peggy McGuire, M.A.
Senior Research Associate and Equipped for the Future National
Consultant
Center for Literacy Studies
The University of Tennessee
111 5th Street, PO Box 16
Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
717-964-1341 (p/f)
215-888-6507 (cell)
mcguirep555 at aol.com
 
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From sreid at workbase.org.nz  Thu Jan 26 14:03:55 2006
From: sreid at workbase.org.nz (Susan Reid)
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 08:03:55 +1300
Subject: [Assessment] A response to Susan Reid's post to the assessment
	list
Message-ID: <14794889A1E3AF419042F64CC5425A1E0C51BB@server1.wbeductrust.local>

Hi Peggy 
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and comprehensive response 
It has certainly provided me with a way forward when talking to
officials and others in New Zealand about approaches for the work that
is currently happening here 
You and Regie have   given me a way of describing the clear differences
between the 2 types of stds which I realise I haven't been doing really
adequately up to now and I am most grateful for your input
I am sure I met you at the Rutgers Conference in 2003 and it is great to
connect electronically 2 years later 
Thank you or as we say in New Zealand Kia ora 
Susan  
 
	-----Original Message-----
	From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
	Sent: Friday, 27 January 2006 3:00 a.m.
	To: Assessment Discussion List
	Subject: [Assessment] A response to Susan Reid's post to the
assessment list
	
	
	Hi everyone,
	 
	The following post if from Peggy McGuire, who apologizes for the
lateness of her post - to which I say:  "let no post remain unread!".
	marie cora
	Assessment Discussion List Moderator
	 
	*************
	 
	Hello Susan.
	I have spent some (certainly not exhaustive) time looking at the
NZ documents and thinking about the questions that Susan has raised with
regard to standards-based vs. competency-based approaches to teaching. I
have a few thoughts:
	 
	First, I'm not surprised that practitioners, in the absence of
widely-accepted literacy standards, have used the outcomes statements
from the National Qualifications Framework unit standards to guide
curriculum and assessment despite the Qualification Authority's caution
that they were not intended for that purpose. A lot of folks here in the
U.S. have been using the National Reporting System's Educational
Functioning Levels in much the same way, despite the same kinds of
cautions (Practitioners need and want guidance about what's most
important to teach in order to best serve adult learners. They also know
that they have to report student outcomes in terms that are acceptable
to external audiences, particularly the NRS). That's one major reason
why there has been a push over the last couple years for states to
develop content standards - and why there is increasing interest in
adopting or adapting the Equipped for the Future standards and
developing aligned curriculum frameworks at the state level.
	 
	Next, I completely agree with Regie that it is equally important
for practitioners to be exposed to both the conceptual and operational
differences between competency-based and standards-based approaches. I
think Regie has done a nice job of describing the conceptual
differences. And as I read the introduction in the document discussing
NZ's draft Descriptive Standards, it occurred to me that another key to
understanding the concept might be to elaborate on the goals for
introducing descriptive standards articulated in that introduction - to
help teachers promote students' fluency, independence and ability to use
key skills in a range of authentic contexts for a range of real-life
purposes. This seems a wonderful opportunity to discriminate between
teaching a student how to competently perform a particular task, and
teaching knowledge, skills and strategies in authentic contexts of use
so that a student can competently perform a particular task as well as a
range of tasks as needed. The approach to planning, teaching and
assessment suggested by the latter is all about developing expertise in
skills through purposeful, contextual and constructivist learning and
practice. This in turn promotes transfer, and the fluency and
independence in the use of the skills that the authors of NZ's
Descriptive Standards advocate. It is all about preparing students to be
lifelong learners.
	 
	As for helping teachers and students to a functional
understanding of the differences between this standards-based model and
a competency-based model, it seems to me that there are a couple of key
tools needed to support the Descriptive Standards before that can be
done. According to Susan's post, one of those tools is currently in
development - the "progressions" for the five draft standards that, I
assume, will articulate in greater detail the knowledge, skills and
strategies that need to be taught, learned and assessed at each
developmental level (from novice toward expert) of each standard. This
is a critical step in guidance for teachers, as it will give them the
basis for assessing particular learning needs and selecting appropriate
targets for direct instruction, depending on the purpose for and context
in which the skill(s) will be used.
	 
	But my experience with EFF suggests that giving teachers tools
to figure out what to teach/assess at a particular level in a
standards-based system is not enough. Teachers also need and value a
comprehensive and common-sense model of what it looks like in a
standards-based system to 1) surface students' purposes and goals for
learning, 2) identify the knowledge and skills that they will need to
meet those purposes/goals, 3) develop instructional activities that
allow students to learn and practice needed skills in meaningful
contexts related to their purposes/goals, and 4) monitor and gather
evidence of learning, both for reporting purposes and to inform further
instructional planning. Further, teachers need quality, ongoing
professional development to help them understand and utilize such a
model. 
	 
	In the case of the EFF Standards and Performance Continua (our
version of "progressions"), we have tried to meet this need by
developing, with close collaboration of teachers, an 8-step "Teaching
and Learning Cycle" along with its companion "Teaching and Learning
Toolkit", both of which utilize the EFF standards and Continua to align
teaching and assessment. And then we offer implementation training and
technical assistance to states and other organizations who are trying to
"put this all together", through the EFF Center for Training and
Implementation at the Center for Literacy Studies, University of
Tennessee. The EFF Center is also providing expertise and support to
those states who are ready to develop curriculum frameworks based on
Content Standards. 
	 
	It occurs to me that, whatever models and training protocols get
developed to support the NZ Descriptive Standards, this might be an
excellent opportunity to increase the level of teacher (and perhaps even
student) consultation in the overall process of moving toward a more
standards-based system. And as I believe Regie rightly pointed out, the
teachers who become engaged in the development process may well be your
best, most informed translators to other teachers of the differences
between standards-based and competency-based practice.
	 
	Thanks so much for the opportunity to learn about the news from
New Zealand and to think about the questions that your experience is
raising. I wish you all the best in your efforts!
	 
	 
	Peggy McGuire, M.A.
	Senior Research Associate and Equipped for the Future National
Consultant
	Center for Literacy Studies
	The University of Tennessee
	111 5th Street, PO Box 16
	Mt. Gretna, PA 17064
	717-964-1341 (p/f)
	215-888-6507 (cell)
	mcguirep555 at aol.com
	 
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From dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu  Mon Jan 30 13:55:42 2006
From: dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu (Dianna Baycich)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:55:42 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
Message-ID: <00aa01c625ce$cd46ae90$f5607b83@Hebe>

Hello,
Is the TABE appropriate to administer to youth as young as 13 or 14 years
old?
Thank you,
Dianna Baycich
Ohio Literacy Resource Center
Research I Bld.
1100 Summit St.
PO Box 5190
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242
330.672.7841  330.672.4841 (fax)
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several
weeks."  -Daniel Boone (frontier explorer)

 
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From pcampbell at interbaun.com  Mon Jan 30 14:17:20 2006
From: pcampbell at interbaun.com (Pat Campbell)
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 12:17:20 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
In-Reply-To: <00aa01c625ce$cd46ae90$f5607b83@Hebe>
Message-ID: <C003B450.201F%pcampbell@interbaun.com>

HI Dianna,

There are many versions of the TABE. I would suggest you contact the
publisher and find out the norming population for the version you want to
use.

Sincerely, Pat

On 1/30/06 11:55 AM, "Dianna Baycich" <dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu> wrote:

> Hello,
> Is the TABE appropriate to administer to youth as young as 13 or 14 years old?
> Thank you,
> Dianna Baycich
> Ohio Literacy Resource Center
> Research I Bld.
> 1100 Summit St.
> PO Box 5190
> Kent State University
> Kent, OH 44242
> 330.672.7841  330.672.4841 (fax)
> "I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several
> weeks."  -Daniel Boone (frontier explorer)
> 
>  
> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


-- 
Dr. Pat Campbell
President, Grass Roots Press

Mailing Address:

6520 - 82 Avenue, Main Floor
Edmonton, AB, T6B 0E7

Phone:      (780) 448-7323 (READ)
Fax:          (780) 413-6582
Web site:   www.literacyservices.com

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From bcarmel at rocketmail.com  Tue Jan 31 11:28:23 2006
From: bcarmel at rocketmail.com (Bruce Carmel)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:28:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
In-Reply-To: <C003B450.201F%pcampbell@interbaun.com>
Message-ID: <20060131162823.6355.qmail@web30206.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi Dianna and Fellow List Servers,
  My two cents, somewhat related to your question....
  We are required to use the TABE here in New York State. So it's "appropriate" that we adminster it. In my opinion, the TABE does not test reading ability, it tests the ability to take a standardized test. And it's not even a very good standardized test: tricky, culturally biased, etc. There is some connection between taking a standarized- multiple-choice reading test and being able to read--I will admit it--but not enough for me. 
  Maybe you've heard this sort of thing before, but just checking.  I would not use the TABE test if I were not required to do so. 
   
  From Bruce Carmel
  Turning Point

Pat Campbell <pcampbell at interbaun.com> wrote:
  HI Dianna,

There are many versions of the TABE. I would suggest you contact the publisher and find out the norming population for the version you want to use.

Sincerely, Pat

On 1/30/06 11:55 AM, "Dianna Baycich" <dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu> wrote:

  Hello,
Is the TABE appropriate to administer to youth as young as 13 or 14 years old?
Thank you,
Dianna Baycich
Ohio Literacy Resource Center
Research I Bld.
1100 Summit St.
PO Box 5190
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242
330.672.7841  330.672.4841 (fax)
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."  -Daniel Boone (frontier explorer)

 

  
---------------------------------
  -------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



-- 
Dr. Pat Campbell
President, Grass Roots Press

Mailing Address:

6520 - 82 Avenue, Main Floor
Edmonton, AB, T6B 0E7

Phone:      (780) 448-7323 (READ)
Fax:          (780) 413-6582
Web site:   www.literacyservices.com
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  


		
---------------------------------
 
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From AWilder106 at aol.com  Tue Jan 31 11:39:33 2006
From: AWilder106 at aol.com (AWilder106 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:39:33 EST
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
Message-ID: <218.12444816.3110ecc5@aol.com>

Bruce,

What would you use?   That would satisy both you and funders?

Thanks for   ANY enlightenment on this problem.

Andrea
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 31 12:03:48 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 12:03:48 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions
Message-ID: <04c101c62688$4e6c83a0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi all,
 
I also just wanted to note that the TABE was not normed on people the
age that Dianna inquires after - 13/14 year olds.
 
So wouldn't this make the TABE invalid for use with young teens?
 
For what purpose would the TABE be used with people so young?
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu  Tue Jan 31 12:01:20 2006
From: dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu (Dianna Baycich)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 12:01:20 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions
In-Reply-To: <04c101c62688$4e6c83a0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <002d01c62687$f8816d70$f5607b83@Hebe>

I can give one example of when it was used with folks age 13 to 16. In 1991
and 1992 I worked at a Private Industry Council Summer Youth Employment and
Training Program. We gave the TABE to all the kids we accepted into the
program. We used the results to determine if they would be placed in
tutoring as well as a job or just a job. 
 
The reason I asked the question this time is for a collegue of mine who
needs an instrument to determine reading level for a study she is doing. She
wanted to use the instrument that was commonly used in Ohio. She was
originally going to work with adults but had to change her study to use
youth. So... a bit more explanation for why I was asking.
 
Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. I hope to hear more.
Dianna
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:04 PM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions


Hi all,
 
I also just wanted to note that the TABE was not normed on people the age
that Dianna inquires after - 13/14 year olds.
 
So wouldn't this make the TABE invalid for use with young teens?
 
For what purpose would the TABE be used with people so young?
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From bcarmel at rocketmail.com  Tue Jan 31 12:30:10 2006
From: bcarmel at rocketmail.com (Bruce Carmel)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:30:10 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
In-Reply-To: <218.12444816.3110ecc5@aol.com>
Message-ID: <20060131173010.55129.qmail@web30213.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi Andrea,
  What would I use instead of the TABE if I didn't have to use the TABE?  I would use different tools for different purposes: placement, measuring individual progress, and reporting program impact.  
  --For beginning readers, I would use something like the Literacy Volunteers READ Test for all of those purposes.  In that test, you ask people to read passages of different levels of difficulty and see whether or not they can actually READ them.  
  --For people who are closer to GED, I would have them take the GED a predictor test.  Yes it's still a standardized test, but it's the one our students need to pass to achieve their goals. The TABE is not a very good predictor of GED success.
  --For everyone's individual progress, I would use portfolios.  Portfolios are great for noting individual progress, but I don't think they work for program impact. Accomplishments in portfolios are too all-over-the-place to be aggregated. 
  --Another way I have placed beginner-intermediate people is by having them read a range of texts. For example, after an orientation, students did a one-on-one assessment.  They were shown a supermarket circular, a subway map, a job application, a telephone book, and a newspaper.  We asked them which ones they could read.  Then they were asked to DO things such as tell us how they got to school using the map,try to find their best friend's name in the phone book, and explain how to fill out the application.  This took a lot of staff time, but it showed us a lot about students reading levels. 
   
  Assessment is a great challenge in our field.  I have never found a tool I like that is easily administered.  The only ones I like take lots of time, and they are not perfect.  And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we still have to use standardized tests as well to comply with funders.  It's a great frustration that there is no useful, valid, easily adminstered assessment tool for all stakeholders: funders, students, staff and others. 
   
  From Bruce Carmel
  

AWilder106 at aol.com wrote:
  Bruce,

What would you use?  That would satisy both you and funders?

Thanks for  ANY enlightenment on this problem.

Andrea -------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  


			
---------------------------------
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From sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com  Tue Jan 31 12:46:34 2006
From: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com (Nancy Hansen)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:46:34 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions
In-Reply-To: <002d01c62687$f8816d70$f5607b83@Hebe>
Message-ID: <20060131174634.3427.qmail@web34706.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Dianna - 
   
  Isn't there a testing instrument used in the Ohio public school system for (and with) this age group that would be more appropriate than the Teaching Adults Beginning Education tool (TABE)? If reading level is being measured, how do the schools gain that data? In my opinion, these kids are far from adults - even if they are entering the job market.  
   
  I agree with Maria that it should be questioned whether or not the TABE would provide valid scores when it's designed to be used with adults. If your collegue's study is going to be worth anything at all, the tool used to determine reading levels should be one designed to work with that age group. 
   
  With kids this age (particularly if they are having difficulties in school),  I even wonder whether or not timed testing is the way to *get* accurate data.  Does the public school system have a different type of evaluation that determines grade level than TABE for special education students?
   
  Nancy Hansen
  adult literacy administrator
  Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
  sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com
  Sioux Falls, SD

Dianna Baycich <dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu> wrote:
        
  st1\:* {   BEHAVIOR: url(#default#ieooui)  }      @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin: .5in; mso-footer-margin: .5in; mso-paper-source: 0; }  P.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"  }  LI.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"  }  DIV.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"  }  A:link {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlink {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single  }  A:visited {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline:
 single  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single  }  SPAN.EmailStyle17 {   COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-type: personal-compose; mso-style-noshow: yes; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial  }  SPAN.SpellE {   mso-style-name: ""; mso-spl-e: yes  }  SPAN.GramE {   mso-style-name: ""; mso-gram-e: yes  }  DIV.Section1 {   page: Section1  }      I can give one example of when it was used with folks age 13 to 16. In 1991 and 1992 I worked at a Private Industry Council Summer Youth Employment and Training Program. We gave the TABE to all the kids we accepted into the program. We used the results to determine if they would be placed in tutoring as well as a job or just a job. 
   
  The reason I asked the question this time is for a collegue of mine who needs an instrument to determine reading level for a study she is doing. She wanted to use the instrument that was commonly used in Ohio. She was originally going to work with adults but had to change her study to use youth. So... a bit more explanation for why I was asking.
   
  Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. I hope to hear more.
  Dianna
    
  -----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:04 PM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions


    Hi all,
   
  I also just wanted to note that the TABE was not normed on people the age that Dianna inquires after ? 13/14 year olds.
   
  So wouldn?t this make the TABE invalid for use with young teens?
   
  For what purpose would the TABE be used with people so young?
   
  marie cora
  Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   

-------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  


		
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 31 13:07:58 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 13:07:58 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Standardize:  the ritual harp
Message-ID: <050701c62691$45240620$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi all,
 
Great conversation going here..looking forward to more. 
 
Bruce, thanks so much for your posts.  I'm not picking on you, I
promise:  I'm picking on EVERYONE!!!
 
Bruce, you said:
"And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we still have to use
standardized tests as well to comply with funders."
 
Many of you are moaning now, thinking:  "here she goes yet again." - but
it's my job:  good tools and bad tools are standardized; portfolios are
standardized; quizzes can be standardized; TABE is standardized but so
is the writing rubric REEP; in theory, any assessment can be
standardized.  What everyone rails against is the particular selection
of assessments that are available to us today - and while those are
standardized, that's not what makes them good, bad, or ugly.
 
Standardized tests should be viewed as positive things because their
soul mission in life is to attempt a level playing field.  
 
As a field, we object to the paucity of choices, not that those choices
are standardized.  We also object to the use of materials that are
out-dated or do not reflect today's needs.  We object to the mis-use of
a particular assessment.  We should object to incorrect use of data and
test results.  We should object to mis-alignment between curriculum and
assessment - which directly speaks to Bruce's (and many many folks')
wish that there be an assessment that can serve the purposes of the
classroom and program as well as it can serve the purposes of high
stakes issues (like funding or career advancement).  
 
What we really want are in fact standardized assessments, that's not the
issue.  The issue is that we don't yet have a thorough selection of
tools that meet our complex needs - whether those tools are standardized
or not.
 
marie-harp-on-cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
 
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From prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET  Tue Jan 31 13:09:41 2006
From: prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET (Patti White)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 12:09:41 -0600
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
References: <20060131173010.55129.qmail@web30213.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <052d01c62691$81e352f0$6501a8c0@PattiAALRC>

Bruce,

Let me applaud - loudly and with gusto - everything you wrote in this post. 
The practice test is indeed a much better tool for predicting success on the 
GED, and the portfolio assessment approach is really the most fair way to 
assess the diverse population of ABE/GED learners.  I think there is surely 
a way to use portfolios to somehow demonstrate a program's success as well 
as an individual student's success, but not with the current NRS.

Thank you so much for sharing your views. It is my continued hope that 
someday the funders will understand the complexities of "valid" assessment 
tools.  In the meantime, I'm very happy for the students in your program who 
have so many choices regarding how they may demonstrate their learning.

Patti White, M.Ed.
Disabilities Project Manager
Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center
prwhite at madisoncounty.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bruce Carmel
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Assessment] TABE question


Hi Andrea,
What would I use instead of the TABE if I didn't have to use the TABE?  I 
would use different tools for different purposes: placement, measuring 
individual progress, and reporting program impact.
--For beginning readers, I would use something like the Literacy Volunteers 
READ Test for all of those purposes.  In that test, you ask people to read 
passages of different levels of difficulty and see whether or not they can 
actually READ them.
--For people who are closer to GED, I would have them take the GED a 
predictor test.  Yes it's still a standardized test, but it's the one our 
students need to pass to achieve their goals. The TABE is not a very good 
predictor of GED success.
--For everyone's individual progress, I would use portfolios.  Portfolios 
are great for noting individual progress, but I don't think they work for 
program impact. Accomplishments in portfolios are too all-over-the-place to 
be aggregated.
--Another way I have placed beginner-intermediate people is by having them 
read a range of texts. For example, after an orientation, students did a 
one-on-one assessment.  They were shown a supermarket circular, a subway 
map, a job application, a telephone book, and a newspaper.  We asked them 
which ones they could read.  Then they were asked to DO things such as tell 
us how they got to school using the map,try to find their best friend's name 
in the phone book, and explain how to fill out the application.  This took a 
lot of staff time, but it showed us a lot about students reading levels.

Assessment is a great challenge in our field.  I have never found a tool I 
like that is easily administered.  The only ones I like take lots of time, 
and they are not perfect.  And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we 
still have to use stan dardized tests as well to comply with funders.  It's 
a great frustration that there is no useful, valid, easily adminstered 
assessment tool for all stakeholders: funders, students, staff and others.

>From Bruce Carmel


AWilder106 at aol.com wrote:
Bruce,

What would you use?  That would satisy both you and funders?

Thanks for  ANY enlightenment on this problem.

Andrea -------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment





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and used cars.



-------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
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From bcarmel at rocketmail.com  Tue Jan 31 13:13:17 2006
From: bcarmel at rocketmail.com (Bruce Carmel)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:13:17 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] Standardize:  the ritual harp
In-Reply-To: <050701c62691$45240620$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <20060131181317.29409.qmail@web30202.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi Marie (and everyone)
   
  I hear your point about standardizing assessment tools. Thanks for the posting.  When I hear people say "standardized" in this context, it is always "standardized tests."  (Except in the posting you just wrote:))  I don't think they mean something such as a standardized system for scoring portfolios. I think "standardized" means TABE, CASAS, etc. in our field. 

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
        
    st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                Hi all,
   
  Great conversation going here
.looking forward to more. 
   
  Bruce, thanks so much for your posts.  I?m not picking on you, I promise:  I?m picking on EVERYONE!!!
   
  Bruce, you said:
  ?And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we still have to use standardized tests as well to comply with funders.?
   
  Many of you are moaning now, thinking:  ?here she goes yet again
? ? but it?s my job:  good tools and bad tools are standardized; portfolios are standardized; quizzes can be standardized; TABE is standardized but so is the writing rubric REEP; in theory, any assessment can be standardized.  What everyone rails against is the particular selection of assessments that are available to us today ? and while those are standardized, that?s not what makes them good, bad, or ugly.
   
  Standardized tests should be viewed as positive things because their soul mission in life is to attempt a level playing field.  
   
  As a field, we object to the paucity of choices, not that those choices are standardized.  We also object to the use of materials that are out-dated or do not reflect today?s needs.  We object to the mis-use of a particular assessment.  We should object to incorrect use of data and test results.  We should object to mis-alignment between curriculum and assessment ? which directly speaks to Bruce?s (and many many folks?) wish that there be an assessment that can serve the purposes of the classroom and program as well as it can serve the purposes of high stakes issues (like funding or career advancement).  
   
  What we really want are in fact standardized assessments, that?s not the issue.  The issue is that we don?t yet have a thorough selection of tools that meet our complex needs ? whether those tools are standardized or not.
   
  marie-harp-on-cora
  Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
   
   
   

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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Tue Jan 31 13:20:32 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:20:32 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] TABE question
Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A93024B52D2@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

I'd have to agree with Patti White.  TABE is useful for staff who are used to grade levels, but many people who work with adults prefer CASAS, a test normed on adults and much less stressful than a TABE test.  When it comes to students CASAS and portfolios are more user friendly. CASAS has a comparison study on GED test success; the higher the CASAS score the higher the probability of passing the GED test.  CASAS and Official Practice Tests are better predictors than a grade level score, in my opinion.
va

Virginia Tardaewether 
Chemeketa Community College 
4000 Lancaster Drive NE 
Salem, OR  97305 
503-399-6147 


When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself.
Voices of the Heart



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Patti White
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 10:10 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] TABE question


Bruce,

Let me applaud - loudly and with gusto - everything you wrote in this post. 
The practice test is indeed a much better tool for predicting success on the 
GED, and the portfolio assessment approach is really the most fair way to 
assess the diverse population of ABE/GED learners.  I think there is surely 
a way to use portfolios to somehow demonstrate a program's success as well 
as an individual student's success, but not with the current NRS.

Thank you so much for sharing your views. It is my continued hope that 
someday the funders will understand the complexities of "valid" assessment 
tools.  In the meantime, I'm very happy for the students in your program who 
have so many choices regarding how they may demonstrate their learning.

Patti White, M.Ed.
Disabilities Project Manager
Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center
prwhite at madisoncounty.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bruce Carmel
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Assessment] TABE question


Hi Andrea,
What would I use instead of the TABE if I didn't have to use the TABE?  I 
would use different tools for different purposes: placement, measuring 
individual progress, and reporting program impact.
--For beginning readers, I would use something like the Literacy Volunteers 
READ Test for all of those purposes.  In that test, you ask people to read 
passages of different levels of difficulty and see whether or not they can 
actually READ them.
--For people who are closer to GED, I would have them take the GED a 
predictor test.  Yes it's still a standardized test, but it's the one our 
students need to pass to achieve their goals. The TABE is not a very good 
predictor of GED success.
--For everyone's individual progress, I would use portfolios.  Portfolios 
are great for noting individual progress, but I don't think they work for 
program impact. Accomplishments in portfolios are too all-over-the-place to 
be aggregated.
--Another way I have placed beginner-intermediate people is by having them 
read a range of texts. For example, after an orientation, students did a 
one-on-one assessment.  They were shown a supermarket circular, a subway 
map, a job application, a telephone book, and a newspaper.  We asked them 
which ones they could read.  Then they were asked to DO things such as tell 
us how they got to school using the map,try to find their best friend's name 
in the phone book, and explain how to fill out the application.  This took a 
lot of staff time, but it showed us a lot about students reading levels.

Assessment is a great challenge in our field.  I have never found a tool I 
like that is easily administered.  The only ones I like take lots of time, 
and they are not perfect.  And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we 
still have to use stan dardized tests as well to comply with funders.  It's 
a great frustration that there is no useful, valid, easily adminstered 
assessment tool for all stakeholders: funders, students, staff and others.

>From Bruce Carmel


AWilder106 at aol.com wrote:
Bruce,

What would you use?  That would satisy both you and funders?

Thanks for  ANY enlightenment on this problem.

Andrea -------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
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-------------------------------
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jan 31 13:48:53 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 13:48:53 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Standardize:  the ritual harp
In-Reply-To: <20060131181317.29409.qmail@web30202.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <053401c62696$fca353f0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Bruce,
 
Thanks for this - and I completely agree with you:  for whatever
reasons, 'standardized' does seem to equal TABE, CASAS, and BEST within
our field.
 
I guess you could say it's a piece of my mission - to convince our field
not to think this way or use the term this way any longer.
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Bruce Carmel
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 1:13 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Standardize: the ritual harp
 
Hi Marie (and everyone)
 
I hear your point about standardizing assessment tools. Thanks for the
posting.  When I hear people say "standardized" in this context, it is
always "standardized tests."  (Except in the posting you just wrote:))
I don't think they mean something such as a standardized system for
scoring portfolios. I think "standardized" means TABE, CASAS, etc. in
our field. 

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
Hi all,
 
Great conversation going here..looking forward to more. 
 
Bruce, thanks so much for your posts.  I'm not picking on you, I
promise:  I'm picking on EVERYONE!!!
 
Bruce, you said:
"And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we still have to use
standardized tests as well to comply with funders."
 
Many of you are moaning now, thinking:  "here she goes yet again." - but
it's my job:  good tools and bad tools are standardized; portfolios are
standardized; quizzes can be standardized; TABE is standardized but so
is the writing rubric REEP; in theory, any assessment can be
standardized.  What everyone rails against is the particular selection
of assessments that are available to us today - and while those are
standardized, that's not what makes them good, bad, or ugly.
 
Standardized tests should be viewed as positive things because their
soul mission in life is to attempt a level playing field.  
 
As a field, we object to the paucity of choices, not that those choices
are standardized.  We also object to the use of materials that are
out-dated or do not reflect today's needs.  We object to the mis-use of
a particular assessment.  We should object to incorrect use of data and
test results.  We should object to mis-alignment between curriculum and
assessment - which directly speaks to Bruce's (and many many folks')
wish that there be an assessment that can serve the purposes of the
classroom and program as well as it can serve the purposes of high
stakes issues (like funding or career advancement).  
 
What we really want are in fact standardized assessments, that's not the
issue.  The issue is that we don't yet have a thorough selection of
tools that meet our complex needs - whether those tools are standardized
or not.
 
marie-harp-on-cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
 
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From bcarmel at rocketmail.com  Tue Jan 31 14:00:05 2006
From: bcarmel at rocketmail.com (Bruce Carmel)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:00:05 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] Standardize:  the ritual harp
In-Reply-To: <053401c62696$fca353f0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <20060131190005.61639.qmail@web30209.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi List (and Marie)
  I think Marie's point is very important. It didn't work to talk about assessment tools that weren't TABE-like as "alternative."  I didn't work to criticize standardized tests but have no alternative to offer. I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as portofios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is a good way to go. 
  Bruce

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
        

    v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}        st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                Hi Bruce,
   
  Thanks for this ? and I completely agree with you:  for whatever reasons, ?standardized? does seem to equal TABE, CASAS, and BEST within our field.
   
  I guess you could say it?s a piece of my mission ? to convince our field not to think this way or use the term this way any longer.
  marie cora
  Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
   
  -----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Bruce Carmel
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 1:13 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Standardize: the ritual harp
   
    Hi Marie (and everyone)

     

    I hear your point about standardizing assessment tools. Thanks for the posting.  When I hear people say "standardized" in this context, it is always "standardized tests."  (Except in the posting you just wrote:))  I don't think they mean something such as a standardized system for scoring portfolios. I think "standardized" means TABE, CASAS, etc. in our field. 

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:

    Hi all,
   
  Great conversation going here
.looking forward to more. 
   
  Bruce, thanks so much for your posts.  I?m not picking on you, I promise:  I?m picking on EVERYONE!!!
   
  Bruce, you said:
  ?And even if we devote the time to a good tool, we still have to use standardized tests as well to comply with funders.?
   
  Many of you are moaning now, thinking:  ?here she goes yet again
? ? but it?s my job:  good tools and bad tools are standardized; portfolios are standardized; quizzes can be standardized; TABE is standardized but so is the writing rubric REEP; in theory, any assessment can be standardized.  What everyone rails against is the particular selection of assessments that are available to us today ? and while those are standardized, that?s not what makes them good, bad, or ugly.
   
  Standardized tests should be viewed as positive things because their soul mission in life is to attempt a level playing field.  
   
  As a field, we object to the paucity of choices, not that those choices are standardized.  We also object to the use of materials that are out-dated or do not reflect today?s needs.  We object to the mis-use of a particular assessment.  We should object to incorrect use of data and test results.  We should object to mis-alignment between curriculum and assessment ? which directly speaks to Bruce?s (and many many folks?) wish that there be an assessment that can serve the purposes of the classroom and program as well as it can serve the purposes of high stakes issues (like funding or career advancement).  
   
  What we really want are in fact standardized assessments, that?s not the issue.  The issue is that we don?t yet have a thorough selection of tools that meet our complex needs ? whether those tools are standardized or not.
   
  marie-harp-on-cora
  Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
   
   
   
  -------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
     

    
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From Shauna.South at schools.utah.gov  Tue Jan 31 18:52:41 2006
From: Shauna.South at schools.utah.gov (South, Shauna)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 16:52:41 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions
Message-ID: <3B603C8007FB954BB1A4FE9B16CC4A1701B18FA9@edell.usoe.k12.ut.us>

TABE is not Teaching Adults Beginning Education.   It is Test of Adult
Basic Education

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Nancy Hansen
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 10:47 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] TABE questions

 

Dianna - 

 

Isn't there a testing instrument used in the Ohio public school system
for (and with) this age group that would be more appropriate than the
Teaching Adults Beginning Education tool (TABE)? If reading level is
being measured, how do the schools gain that data? In my opinion, these
kids are far from adults - even if they are entering the job market.  

 

I agree with Maria that it should be questioned whether or not the TABE
would provide valid scores when it's designed to be used with adults. If
your collegue's study is going to be worth anything at all, the tool
used to determine reading levels should be one designed to work with
that age group. 

 

With kids this age (particularly if they are having difficulties in
school),  I even wonder whet her or not timed testing is the way to
*get* accurate data.  Does the public school system have a different
type of evaluation that determines grade level than TABE for special
education students?

 

Nancy Hansen

adult literacy administrator

Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council

sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com

Sioux Falls, SD

Dianna Baycich <dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu> wrote:

	I can give one example of when it was used with folks age 13 to
16. In 1991 and 1992 I worked at a Private Industry Council Summer Youth
Employment and Training Program. We gave the TABE to all the kids we
accepted into the program. We use d the results to determine if they
would be placed in tutoring as well as a job or just a job. 

	 

	The reason I asked the question this time is for a collegue of
mine who needs an instrument to determine reading level for a study she
is doing. She wanted to use the instrument that was commonly used in
Ohio. She was originally going to work with adults but had to change her
study to use youth. So... a bit more explanation for why I was asking.

	 

	Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. I hope to hear
more.

	Dianna

		-----Original Message-----
		From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
		Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 12:04 PM
		To: Assessment Discussion List
		Subject: [Assessment] TABE questions

		Hi all,

		 

		I also just wanted to note that the TABE was not normed
on people the age that Dianna inquires after - 13/14 year olds.

		 

		So wouldn't this make the TABE invalid for use with
young teens?

		 

		For what purpose would the TABE be used with people so
young?

		 

		marie cora

		Assessment Discussion List Moderator

		 

	-------------------------------
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	Assessment mailing list
	Assessment at nifl.gov
	To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go
to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Feb  1 10:46:37 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 10:46:37 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Adult Education Reading Resources
Message-ID: <05d401c62746$afee1e90$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear List Members:
 
The National Institute for Literacy Partnership for Reading Publications
Web page has a couple of resources that are of interest to adult
education instructors. One is entitled Applying Research in Reading
Instruction for Adults: First Steps for Teachers. The author says the
book "aims first to build background knowledge about reading and
scientifically based reading instruction." The book is full of student
and classroom illustrations and sample instructional activities.  
 
The second publication is entitled Teaching Adults to Read.  This
booklet "describes strategies proven to work by the most rigorous
scientific research available on the teaching of reading." It summarizes
the trends and principles identified in the 2002 publication
Research-Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction.

 
Both publications may be viewed and may be downloaded from: 
 
http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/adult.html
 
Subscribers can also order copies.  (Note: Applying Research in Reading
Instruction for Adults is currently only available online.)  
National Institute for Literacy at EdPubs
PO Box 1398
Jessup, MD 20794-1398
800-228-8813
fax 301-470-1244
edpuborders at edpubs.org 
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Feb  1 11:09:01 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:09:01 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Correct email address for List - Reminder
Message-ID: <05ea01c62749$d198dd70$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,

Now that Mailman has been up and running for a few months we want to
make
sure everyone is sending emails to the correct address:

assessment at nifl.gov

Below is the link to the Mailman Help Page where you can access general
information regarding all the Discussion Lists and Mailman functions. 

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/help/help_mailman.html

Here is the link to the Assessment List information page, where you can
change your settings if you want to:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

If you have any questions or are having difficulties receiving or
sending posts, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thanks!

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
National Institute for Literacy

marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Feb  2 11:51:38 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 11:51:38 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
Message-ID: <064901c62818$f074a420$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc
is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out
and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
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From koconnor at framingham.k12.ma.us  Thu Feb  2 13:08:50 2006
From: koconnor at framingham.k12.ma.us (Kevin O'Connor)
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 13:08:50 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
Message-ID: <DC312F78B055804894EF84BFE516D8BE030D772D@mccmail.fpsnet.org>

Hi Marie, Bruce and All,
 
These kinds of constructed response assessments are easier to build that selected-response, but MUCH harder to score. The REEP is one Performance Assessment with which many of us are familiar.  It is a standardized, constructed-response tool, and I think we can look at its statewide implementation as a bellwether of using more authentic, alternative assessments.  
 
In Massachusetts, a lot of time and effort goes into standardizing scorers, initially and continually, in order to ensure that the tool is being used according to its design. Despite the institutional commitment of the DOE, it is a great struggle, perhaps even an act of faith, to ensure that all scorers are aligned.  We all know of cases where two scorers, reading the same essay and using the same rubric, show a startling disparity in points awarded.
 
This is not to say that authentic assessment is invalid or undesirable; I fell that they are MORE authentic, valid and desirable... but we need to keep an eye on their reliability.  As we put forward the strengths of these tools, we must be ready to acknowledge and pro-actively address their limitations by diligently and thoroughly preparing these tools.  This is not as hard as it might sound: we must be sure that the tools we select are design actually measure the domain for which we aim and we must make sure that we use them reliably, i.e., with some standardization (which is NOT a four-letter word).  We can't just take them off the shelf and expect one size to fit all- that's what gave "standardized testing" its bad name in the first place.
 
Every teacher designs assessments for their own class- I have a great presentation rating form, but it only works for the specific curriculum.  I'm sure that others have great things as well and I'd like to get ideas from them; what's the best way to get these out in the field, and discuss where they are appropriate?
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools


Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses, and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists, analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples, in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
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From pmcnaughton at language.ca  Thu Feb  2 14:30:00 2006
From: pmcnaughton at language.ca (Pauline Mcnaughton)
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 14:30:00 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
In-Reply-To: <064901c62818$f074a420$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <006001c6282f$0fc72080$9a01a8c0@language.ca>

I think that alternative assessment tools (portfolios, outcome checklists
etc.) are an excellent way to ensure that assessment
- relates to what is being taught in the classroom,
- focuses on tasks that relate to learner goals and objectives
- is supported by teacher/learner conferencing

The challenge is to ensure that teachers have good standards-based tools
such as (e.g. rubrics, outcome checklists etc.) to inform their assessments,
and adequate professional development training and support - so that they
are confident in their use of these tools to inform their assessments.

I am a particular fan of portfolio assessment such as the European Language
Portfolio - which provides a flexible but structured approach based on a
common, shared standard. To quote from a report on the European Language
Portfolio - portfolios provide "an important interface between language
learning, teaching and assessment" and achieve these "invisible learning
outcomes ... :
-          commitment to and ownership of one's language learning:

-          tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty in communicative
situations and learning

-          willingness to take risks in order to cope with communicative
tasks

-          learning skills and strategies necessary for continuous,
independent language learning

reflective basic orientation to language learning, with abilities for
self-assessment of language competence[1]


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

[1] Page 13, A European Language Portfolio From piloting to implementation
(2001-2004):  Consolidated report - Final Version, Rolf Scharer, General
Rapporteur, Language Policy Division, Strasbourg



Pauline McNaughton
Executive Director / Directrice executive
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks/Centre des niveaux de competence
linguistique canadiens
200 Elgin Street, Suite 803 / 200 rue Elgin, piece 803
Ottawa, ON K2P 1L5
T (613) 230-7729 F (613) 230-9305
pmcnaughton at language.ca
<http://www.language.ca/>

This communication is intended for the use of the recipient to which it is
addressed, and may contain confidential, personal, and or privileged
information.  Please contact us immediately if you are not the intended
recipient of this communication, and do not copy, distribute, or take action
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  -----Original Message-----
  From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
  Sent: February 2, 2006 11:52 AM
  To: Assessment Discussion List
  Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools


  Hi Bruce and everyone,



  Bruce, you said:



  "I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is
a good way to go."



  This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people would
have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses, and their
strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out and discuss
the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.



  What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using them,
seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues you.



  What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples, in-take/placement
processes?



  Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?



  Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?



  I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right now.
Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.



  Thanks,



  marie cora

  Assessment Discussion List Moderator






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From bcarmel at rocketmail.com  Thu Feb  2 14:50:51 2006
From: bcarmel at rocketmail.com (Bruce Carmel)
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 11:50:51 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of AUTHENTIC tools
In-Reply-To: <DC312F78B055804894EF84BFE516D8BE030D772D@mccmail.fpsnet.org>
Message-ID: <20060202195051.57916.qmail@web30202.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hello List,
  Can we call them AUTHENTIC instead of ALTERNATIVE, I know it's semantics, but let's have the semantics work in our favor. Anyway...
   
  This is how we do assessment at Turning Point: 
   
  We use TABE and BEST to report progress to our FUNDERS, and a whole set of assessment tools (including those tests) to report progress to the STUDENTS, the TEACHERS and the PROGRAM including:
--Writing samples
  --Portfolios
  --Attendance and participation
  --GED predictor for higher levels
  --Teachers' assessment of the student skill level. 
   
  I know that last one is tricky.  This is what it means:  If a student is breezing through the work in Basic Education 2, but bombs out on the TABE--the teacher can promote him or her to BE 3.  There is no Education Gain reported to our funder, but the student moves to the next level class, something she cares about more than her TABE score (usually). 
   
  I know it would be great if we could use Portfolios or other authentic tools to report programmatic gain, and maybe this discussion will push me to do more on that. But even if I do, it's not going to be recognized by our major (government) funders.  
   
  From Bruce Carmel
   
   
  

Kevin O'Connor <koconnor at framingham.k12.ma.us> wrote:
        
  st1\:* {   BEHAVIOR: url(#default#ieooui)  }      @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin: .5in; mso-footer-margin: .5in; mso-paper-source: 0; }  P.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"  }  LI.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"  }  DIV.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"  }  A:link {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlink {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single  }  A:visited {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline:
 single  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single  }  SPAN.EmailStyle17 {   COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-type: personal-compose; mso-style-noshow: yes; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial  }  SPAN.SpellE {   mso-style-name: ""; mso-spl-e: yes  }  SPAN.GramE {   mso-style-name: ""; mso-gram-e: yes  }  DIV.Section1 {   page: Section1  }      Hi Marie, Bruce and All,
   
  These kinds of constructed response assessments are easier to build that selected-response, but MUCH harder to score. The REEP is one Performance Assessment with which many of us are familiar.  It is a standardized, constructed-response tool, and I think we can look at its statewide implementation as a bellwether of using more authentic, alternative assessments.  
   
  In Massachusetts, a lot of time and effort goes into standardizing scorers, initially and continually, in order to ensure that the tool is being used according to its design. Despite the institutional commitment of the DOE, it is a great struggle, perhaps even an act of faith, to ensure that all scorers are aligned.  We all know of cases where two scorers, reading the same essay and using the same rubric, show a startling disparity in points awarded.
   
  This is not to say that authentic assessment is invalid or undesirable; I fell that they are MORE authentic, valid and desirable... but we need to keep an eye on their reliability.  As we put forward the strengths of these tools, we must be ready to acknowledge and pro-actively address their limitations by diligently and thoroughly preparing these tools.  This is not as hard as it might sound: we must be sure that the tools we select are design actually measure the domain for which we aim and we must make sure that we use them reliably, i.e., with some standardization (which is NOT a four-letter word).  We can't just take them off the shelf and expect one size to fit all- that's what gave "standardized testing" its bad name in the first place.
   
  Every teacher designs assessments for their own class- I have a great presentation rating form, but it only works for the specific curriculum.  I'm sure that others have great things as well and I'd like to get ideas from them; what's the best way to get these out in the field, and discuss where they are appropriate?
   
   
    -----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools


    Hi Bruce and everyone,
   
  Bruce, you said:
   
  ?I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is a good way to go.?
   
  This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses, and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
   
  What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues you.
   
  What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of ?the strengths and legitimacy? of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists, analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples, in-take/placement processes?
   
  Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you think that this is important?  Why or why not?
   
  Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
   
  I have other questions for you, but let?s leave it at that for right now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We?re looking forward to it.
   
  Thanks,
   
  marie cora
  Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
   
   

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


		
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From cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca  Thu Feb  2 15:00:17 2006
From: cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca (Cook.Sandra)
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 14:00:17 -0600
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
In-Reply-To: <064901c62818$f074a420$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <004f01c62833$4a5ed590$786dbd0a@nlcadmin.ca>

Hi, 

Well my opinion is that assessment should pertain to the task at hand and be
outlined as such.  Whether you are using a Rubric or checklist.  To
standardize is to say that all students are learning at the same rate/pace.
If your assessment is based on things like content, effort, use of certain
language (depending where your students are, then you will be assessing each
individual student on what they are capable of.  That is what makes a
portfolio such an effective tool in evaluating individual students.

 

Thanks,

Sandra Cook

Northlands College

Technology Enhanced Literacy

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

 

Hi Bruce and everyone,

 

Bruce, you said:

 

"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is
a good way to go."

 

This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people would
have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses, and their
strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out and discuss
the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.

 

What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using them,
seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues you.

 

What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples, in-take/placement
processes?

 

Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you think
that this is important?  Why or why not?

 

Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  

 

I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right now.
Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.

 

Thanks,

 

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Feb  3 08:44:44 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 08:44:44 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of AUTHENTIC tools
In-Reply-To: <20060202195051.57916.qmail@web30202.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <070101c628c7$fe3559b0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Bruce and all,
 
Actually, a discussion of semantics would be quite welcomed by me.  I do
believe that part of the difficulty of navigating an already hugely
complex system (lack of system?) is that we don't really have a common
language together - just look at how often we (I) discuss the term
'standardize'.  Some of our terms are clear, but many are not
well-defined, or their definitions have shifted over time in response to
either politics or research or educational trends.  Still other terms
have multiple meanings, and folks can interpret those terms within their
own contexts - which might be different from the contexts of
practitioners in another place.  
 
What do folks think about this?  What do folks think about Bruce's
suggestion that we use 'authentic' for this discussion instead of
'alternative'?  How do you understand these two terms?  Do you think
this matters?
 
Also Bruce, thanks for the outline of your assessment structure at
Turning Point.  Others - please also let us know how you mix and match
Commercial assessments with other types of assessments at your programs.
 
Here's a couple of resources:
 
There is a pretty good-sized Assessment Glossary that can be accessed
from either the LINCS Special Collection in Assessment
(http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/) or the ALEWiki Assessment
area at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
 
As a professional on-line community, we could build our own set of
definitions that speak directly to the issues that we experience.  You
can add your own definitions or revise ones that are there at the Wiki
right now - at this point, "alternative", "authentic" and "performance"
assessment all share the same definition there.  Do you agree with this?

 
Here's a good resource that discusses Authentic Assessment in the
context of workplace education -it discusses a distinction between
alternative and authentic.
Using Authentic Assessment in Vocational Education by Rodney Custer et
al.  ERIC doc - see the first chapter of the book.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&ERICExtSearc
h_SearchValue_0=Using+Authentic+Assessment+in+Vocational+Education&ERICE
xtSearch_SearchType_0=kw&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&objectId=0900000b80091
a0c
 
Do folks have other resources to share?  Thoughts, ideas?  Let's hear
them!
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Bruce Carmel
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 2:51 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of AUTHENTIC tools
 
Hello List,
Can we call them AUTHENTIC instead of ALTERNATIVE, I know it's
semantics, but let's have the semantics work in our favor. Anyway...
 
This is how we do assessment at Turning Point: 
 
We use TABE and BEST to report progress to our FUNDERS, and a whole set
of assessment tools (including those tests) to report progress to the
STUDENTS, the TEACHERS and the PROGRAM including:
--Writing samples
--Portfolios
--Attendance and participation
--GED predictor for higher levels
--Teachers' assessment of the student skill level. 
 
I know that last one is tricky.  This is what it means:  If a student is
breezing through the work in Basic Education 2, but bombs out on the
TABE--the teacher can promote him or her to BE 3.  There is no Education
Gain reported to our funder, but the student moves to the next leve l
class, something she cares about more than her TABE score (usually). 
 
I know it would be great if we could use Portfolios or other authentic
tools to report programmatic gain, and maybe this discussion will push
me to do more on that. But even if I do, it's not going to be recognized
by our major (government) funders.  
 
>From Bruce Carmel
 
 


Kevin O'Connor <koconnor at framingham.k12.ma.us> wrote:
Hi Marie, Bruce and All,
 
These kinds of constructed response assessments are easier to build that
selected-response, but MUCH harder to score. The REEP is one Performance
Assessment with which many of us are familiar.  It is a standardized,
constructed-response tool, and I think we can look at its statewide
implementation as a bellwether of using more authentic, alternative
assessments.  
 
In Massachusetts, a lot of time and effort goes into standardizing
scorers, initially and continually, in order to ensure that the tool is
being used according to its design. Despite the institutional commitment
of the DOE, it is a great struggle, perhaps even an act of faith, to
ensure that all scorers are aligned.  We all know of cases where two
scorers, reading the same essay and using the same rubric, show a
startling disparity in points awarded.
 
This is not to say that authentic assessment is invalid or undesirable;
I fell that they are MORE authentic, valid and desirable... but we need
to keep an eye on their reliability.  As we put forward the strengths of
these tools, we must be ready to acknowledge and pro-actively address
their limitations by diligently and thoroughly preparing these tools.
This is not as hard as it mig ht sound: we must be sure that the tools
we select are design actually measure the domain for which we aim and we
must make sure that we use them reliably, i.e., with some
standardization (which is NOT a four-letter word).  We can't just take
them off the shelf and expect one size to fit all- that's what gave
"standardized testing" its bad name in the first place.
 
Every teacher designs assessments for their own class- I have a great
presentation rating form, but it only works for the specific curriculum.
I'm sure that others have great things as well and I'd like to get ideas
from them; what's the best way to get these out in the field, and
discuss where they are appropriate?
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc
is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out
and discuss the strengths, use s, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
 
  _____  

Do you Yahoo!?
With a free 1 GB, there's more in store with Yahoo!
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/mailstorage/*http:/mail.yahoo.c
om/>  Mail.
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Feb  3 08:56:26 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 08:56:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
In-Reply-To: <004f01c62833$4a5ed590$786dbd0a@nlcadmin.ca>
Message-ID: <070601c628c9$a0e6b6d0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Sandra, thanks so much for your post.
 
You said:  "To standardize is to say that all students are learning at
the same rate/pace."  This is not correct.  
 
To standardize does not speak to the outcomes of the students' learning.
It speaks to the inputs of developing a test that tries to be fair to
all students.  A standardized test precisely will NOT take into
consideration differing rates or pace or anything else - because if it
did, then you would start introducing bias.
 
A correct statement would be:  "To standardize is to say that all
students are provided an equal opportunity to demonstrate their
knowledge, skill, or performance."
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Cook.Sandra
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 3:00 PM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi, 
Well my opinion is that assessment should pertain to the task at hand
and be outlined as such.  Whether you are using a Rubric or checklist.
To standardize is to say that all students are learning at the same
rate/pace.  If your assessment is based on things like content, effort,
use of certain language (depending where your students are, then you
will be assessing each individual student on what they are capable of.
That is what makes a portfolio such an effective tool in evaluating
individual students.
 
Thanks,
Sandra Cook
Northlands College
Technology Enhanced Literacy
 
  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc
is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out
and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
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From r.millar at uwinnipeg.ca  Fri Feb  3 09:24:51 2006
From: r.millar at uwinnipeg.ca (Robin Millar)
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:24:51 -0600
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
Message-ID: <s3e3136b.057@ds1.uwinnipeg.ca>

In Manitoba we use a guided portfolio for people to demonstrate progress
and skill development in reading text, document use, writing and oral
communications.  We have three separate levels of portfolio... the
highest is transferable to the adult high school diploma. So students
with those kinds of goals have something to "work for."  The first two
levels give more basic literacy students a certificate at the end which
is also good for students wanting some demonstration of success when
they might take years to get their GED.  The website for more
information is:  

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/aet/all/publications/Stages/stages.htm 

Robin Millar
>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 02/02/06 10:51 AM >>>
Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples,
etc
is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all
out
and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths
and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to
it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 


Dr. Robin Millar
Executive Director
Centre for Education and Work
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
204-786-9395




From AWilder106 at aol.com  Fri Feb  3 09:39:18 2006
From: AWilder106 at aol.com (AWilder106 at aol.com)
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 09:39:18 EST
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of AUTHENTIC tools
Message-ID: <2c5.3048ef2.3114c516@aol.com>

marie--

I would go for "assessment" to cover all assessments.   Sub=headings could be 
used for different types of assessments, e.g., standardized tests, 
portfolios, attendance.   Then code each assessment as to who wants it and who gets it.  
 Put in cost, too, if that is a critical variable.

andrea
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From ezl109 at psu.edu  Fri Feb  3 09:47:18 2006
From: ezl109 at psu.edu (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Eugenio_Longoria_S=E1enz?=)
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 09:47:18 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
In-Reply-To: <070601c628c9$a0e6b6d0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <000f01c628d0$bb28ce00$e72d7680@cham231>

I do not really agree with either statement.  

 

I agree that the first statement is not addressing outcomes and that
standardization is about input.  However, I disagree with the words ?equal
opportunity? in the second statement.

 

Educational inequality and the achievement gap are very real things.
Regardless of standardization of input, there is still the issue of equal
opportunity which translates to access to the same resources, qualified
teachers, adequate learning environments, supportive social structures
(family, friends, work, etc.).  

 

It is not about the standard, it is about all the other stuff in society
that we have not taken care of.  Not too long ago all people were given the
right to vote, but the trick was that they had to prove they could read and
write, and not to long before that they had to be property owners (I hope
you know where I am going with this).  Well, we have not gotten rid of the
vote because this is fundamentally important in a democratic society, but we
have fought to equalize and in some cases eliminate some barriers to the
right to vote completely.  Standards are not the problem; we should not have
to get rid of them.  It is the inequality and the prejudices motivated by
race, economics, and social position that continue to be a problem.       

 

I guess what I am saying is that our fight against the standard is
misdirected.  We should fighting to eliminate those things that are keeping
many from meeting the standards.  

 

I hope I made some sense, I tend not to many times.

 

 

Eu- 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 8:56 AM
To: cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca; 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

 

Hi Sandra, thanks so much for your post.

 

You said:  ?To standardize is to say that all students are learning at the
same rate/pace.?  This is not correct.  

 

To standardize does not speak to the outcomes of the students? learning.  It
speaks to the inputs of developing a test that tries to be fair to all
students.  A standardized test precisely will NOT take into consideration
differing rates or pace or anything else ? because if it did, then you would
start introducing bias.

 

A correct statement would be:  ?To standardize is to say that all students
are provided an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skill, or
performance.?

 

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Cook.Sandra
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 3:00 PM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

 

Hi, 

Well my opinion is that assessment should pertain to the task at hand and be
outlined as such.  Whether you are using a Rubric or checklist.  To
standardize is to say that all students are learning at the same rate/pace.
If your assessment is based on things like content, effort, use of certain
language (depending where your students are, then you will be assessing each
individual student on what they are capable of.  That is what makes a
portfolio such an effective tool in evaluating individual students.

 

Thanks,

Sandra Cook

Northlands College

Technology Enhanced Literacy

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

 

Hi Bruce and everyone,

 

Bruce, you said:

 

?I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is
a good way to go.?

 

This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people would
have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses, and their
strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out and discuss
the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.

 

What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using them,
seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues you.

 

What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of ?the strengths and
legitimacy? of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples, in-take/placement
processes?

 

Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you think
that this is important?  Why or why not?

 

Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  

 

I have other questions for you, but let?s leave it at that for right now.
Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We?re looking forward to it.

 

Thanks,

 

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Feb  3 17:52:04 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 17:52:04 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
In-Reply-To: <000f01c628d0$bb28ce00$e72d7680@cham231>
Message-ID: <000701c62914$7465ef40$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Eugenio,
 
Thanks so much for your post.  You are talking about the standard
Opportunity to Learn (OTL), and it is a very real and important
standard.  Perhaps the most important one, but unfortunately in ABE, the
one that commands the least resources.  It is true that even the
mechanisms that strive to be the most fair, are always going to be
limited by their environment.
 
What do others have to say about this piece of the equation?
 
For a good, succinct reading on standards-based reform including a
discussion of OTL, see:
 
A User's Guide to Standards-Based Educational Reform:  From Theory to
Practice
by Regie Stites
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=352
 
marie
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Eugenio Longoria S?enz
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 9:47 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
I do not really agree with either statement.  
 
I agree that the first statement is not addressing outcomes and that
standardization is about input.  However, I disagree with the words
?equal opportunity? in the second statement.
 
Educational inequality and the achievement gap are very real things.
Regardless of standardization of input, there is still the issue of
equal opportunity which translates to access to the same resources,
qualified teachers, adequate learning environments, supportive social
structures (family, friends, work, etc.).  
 
It is not about the standard, it is about all the other stuff in society
that we have not taken care of.  Not too long ago all people were given
the right to vote, but the trick was that they had to prove they could
read and write, and not to long before that they had to be property
owners (I hope you know where I am going with this).  Well, we have not
gotten rid of the vote because this is fundamentally important in a
democratic society, but we have fought to equalize and in some cases
eliminate some barriers to the right to vote completely.  Standards are
not the problem; we should not have to get rid of them.  It is the
inequality and the prejudices motivated by race, economics, and social
position that continue to be a problem.       
 
I guess what I am saying is that our fight against the standard is
misdirected.  We should fighting to eliminate those things that are
keeping many from meeting the standards.  
 
I hope I made some sense, I tend not to many times.
 
 
Eu- 
  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 8:56 AM
To: cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca; 'The Assessment Discussion
List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi Sandra, thanks so much for your post.
 
You said:  ?To standardize is to say that all students are learning at
the same rate/pace.?  This is not correct.  
 
To standardize does not speak to the outcomes of the students? learning.
It speaks to the inputs of developing a test that tries to be fair to
all students.  A standardized test precisely will NOT take into
consideration differing rates or pace or anything else ? because if it
did, then you would start introducing bias.
 
A correct statement would be:  ?To standardize is to say that all
students are provided an equal opportunity to demonstrate their
knowledge, skill, or performance.?
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Cook.Sandra
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 3:00 PM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi, 
Well my opinion is that assessment should pertain to the task at hand
and be outlined as such.  Whether you are using a Rubric or checklist.
To standardize is to say that all students are learning at the same
rate/pace.  If your assessment is based on things like content, effort,
use of certain language (depending where your students are, then you
will be assessing each individual student on what they are capable of.
That is what makes a portfolio such an effective tool in evaluating
individual students.
 
Thanks,
Sandra Cook
Northlands College
Technology Enhanced Literacy
 
  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
?I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc
is a good way to go.?
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out
and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of ?the strengths and
legitimacy? of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let?s leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We?re looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
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From Ajit.Gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us  Sat Feb  4 12:42:19 2006
From: Ajit.Gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us (Gopalakrishnan, Ajit)
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 12:42:19 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
Message-ID: <6D87A5CD4E209448BBF7CCFB41D57C0E026013D1@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>

Marie, et al, 
 
By "alternative", I presume you mean that these assessment options are an alternative to multiple-choice assessments. Is that a fair inference? I sometimes refer to alternative assessments as non-multiple choice assessments, just to make clear what I am talking about.
 
>From my perspective, referring to them as authentic seems to muddy this discussion. Webster provides two of the following definitions for authentic which may help to illustrate my thinking:
a) worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society> 
b) true to one's own personality, spirit, or character

 
So for example, a student's CASAS scale score in math (say 212) from a multiple choice test may be worthy of acceptance of a person's math ability. An analysis of the test item responses may even provide greater information about a person's strengths and weaknesses. However, they cannot say much about how the student perceives the relation of "math" to his/her own personality and life. Two students at entry might both achieve a score of 207 in math for very different reasons. One student might have liked math, viewed herself as being capable of learning math but just not used it for many years. The other student might have never liked math, generally seen herself as having other strengths, but been forced to use math as part of her job. To ascertain this type of information, the teacher might have to talk to the student and find out the student's past experiences with math, the student's perceptions of its importance in his/her life, etc. Then, a custom assessment/project can be designed that is meaningful and authentic to that particular student.
 
>From my perspective, all standardization (whether multiple-choice or non-multiple choice assessments) will to some extent reduce the authenticity for the student. The CASAS system attempts to address this by providing assessments that are relevant to adults and based in various contexts (life skills, employability skills, workforce learning, citizenship, etc.) so that the student can be assessed in contexts that are somewhat authentic to their experiences and goals.
 
Therefore, I prefer the term alternative assessments because then we can focus our discussion on the differences between multiple choice assessments and non-multiple choice assessments.
 
There is no question that non-multiple choice assessments can be legitimate and have many strengths.
For example, Connecticut is currently piloting a CASAS workplace speaking assessment. This is a standardized assessment designed for ESL learners who are currently working to demonstrate their listening and speaking abilities in a workplace context. Compared to the CASAS listening multiple-choice assessments which we have used over the years, the speaking assessment has the potential for the instructor to gain a greater understanding of a student's strengths and weaknesses. Students also seem to enjoy taking the assessment. However, it needs to be administered one-on-one unlike the listening which can be group administered. The speaking assessment also places a greater training and certification burden on the test administrator and scorer. We have experienced many of these challenges with our statewide implementation of the CASAS Functional Writing Assessment over the past few years. Kevin alluded to some of those challenges such as maintaining scorer certification and interrater reliability. The scoring rubric used in both the writing and the speaking assessments can be valuable tools for classroom instruction. 
 
In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice assessments should be standardized so that they can be used to broaden the array of assessments available for state-level reporting/accountability.
 
Thanks.
Ajit
 
Ajit Gopalakrishnan
Education Consultant
Connecticut Department of Education
25 Industrial Park Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Tel: (860) 807-2125
Fax: (860) 807-2062
ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us <mailto:ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us> 
________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses, and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists, analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples, in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 

--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.0/248 - Release Date: 2/1/2006




From hdooley at riral.org  Sat Feb  4 14:58:33 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2006 14:58:33 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Standardized assessment of lowest literacy level
In-Reply-To: <000701c62914$7465ef40$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <000701c62914$7465ef40$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <43E50769.9@riral.org>

A recent point has come up at discussions of assessments that I would 
like to delve into.  In our local discussion of standardized 
assessments, the statement has been made that there are no standardized 
assessments that are appropriate for learners at or near the lowest 
levels of literacy.  As examples, this includes the CASAS, the TABE, and 
the BEST, which you might agree are reliable and valid for intermediate 
to advanced learners.  This is for either ABE or ESOL learners.

I'm simply curious to ask and hear from others:  (1)  Do you agree with 
this statement, and why or why not?  (2)  What do you think an 
appropriate standardized assessment for that level should include or 
look like?  and, (3) Do you think we could come up with a specific 
enough list for a program, publisher or vendor to work through creating 
a standardized assessment that would meet this need?

I appreciate your assistance, so that I can think this through sincerely 
and deeply.  Howard.


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Feb  5 08:30:23 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 08:30:23 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
In-Reply-To: <6D87A5CD4E209448BBF7CCFB41D57C0E026013D1@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>
Message-ID: <002b01c62a58$5214a090$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Ajit and everyone,

Yeah, that's a good question you posed to me Ajit:  I guess you are
right in saying that I do think about 'alternative' as referring to any
assessment that is not multiple choice.  Actually, the terms I use in my
head to separate this stuff out are selected-response and constructed
response.  

Selected response describes that situation:  the person must choose
(select) from a set of answers (responses) which one they think is the
right one.

That's pretty tightly wrapped up in terms of what that means:  you get
the list of answers, you look at the choices, you determine which item
on the list you think is right.

Constructed response also describes the situation precisely:  the person
must recall info or build for themselves (construct) the answer to a
particular question.  No choices are given for the person to consider -
they are not selecting anything.  The other thing that is hugely useful
about using this term is that it is not prescriptive in how big or small
a response must be constructed.  So for example, many people think that
a 'performance assessment' (which is a constructed response:  because
you are demonstrating your performance) must necessarily entail
something big, lengthy, intense, etc.  But in fact, a constructed
response might entail just one word (as long as you are not selecting
that word from a list).  Here's a great example:  you know what a
'cloze' exercise is?  Those fill-in-the-blank worksheets that can test
you on vocab or grammar?  Well, that is a performance assessment, even
though you are only filling in one word here and there.  

I like to think about these notions this way because they are devoid of
other distractors - for example, there is no mention of standardization
with selected or constructed response, that is a whole other step in the
process.  And if you continue to think about selected response as
'multiple choice' then I bet you a dime you just fall back on equating
multiple choice with TABE - and that is just not correct at all.  While
the TABE is an EXAMPLE of a multiple choice test - one does not equal
the other.

A couple of questions back to you Ajit and to all the subscribers:

- Ajit, you made some really thoughtful comments in your arguments
against using authentic assessment - what do others think of Ajit's
point of view?

- Ajit, you said:  "In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice
assessments should be standardized so that they can be used to broaden
the array of assessments available for state-level
reporting/accountability."

Folks - can anyone give us any examples of what Ajit describes above?
Let's see if we can develop a growing list of the assessments being used
that are different - I'll start by adding the REEP Writing Rubric to the
list - it is standardized, it is a constructed response test, and at
least Massachusetts uses it for reporting writing gains to the feds.

Also, Andrea Wilder (post on 2/3) suggested that we use Assessment for
all types of 'tests' but that we divide that into sub-headings that list
the various types, and include information on who wants the data from
said test and who gets that data.  We do have some amount of info listed
on types of tests and costs, but we don't have a whole lot of info on
who actually gets the test data and what is gets used for.  What do
folks think about this?...I'm intrigued....

Robin Millar (post on 2/3) describes a guided portfolio in use in
Manitoba that sounds interesting:  it has several levels to it.  Robin -
are parts of the portfolio standardized?  The whole thing?  Does the
portfolio include both selected response and constructed responses types
of assessments and info?

Ok, enough chatter from me for a Sunday morning.  Hope everyone is
having a lovely weekend, and see you again tomorrow,

Marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

For definitions see:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information#Assessment
_Glossary

For a bunch of details and info on Commercial Assessments, but that do
not discuss the uses of data and should! Go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Commercially_Available_Assessment
_Tools

To help me develop the Wiki section on Alternative Assessment, go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Alternative_Assessment

To make informed choices about test selection, go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Selecting_Assessment_Tools



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gopalakrishnan, Ajit
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 12:42 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

Marie, et al, 
 
By "alternative", I presume you mean that these assessment options are
an alternative to multiple-choice assessments. Is that a fair inference?
I sometimes refer to alternative assessments as non-multiple choice
assessments, just to make clear what I am talking about.
 
>From my perspective, referring to them as authentic seems to muddy this
discussion. Webster provides two of the following definitions for
authentic which may help to illustrate my thinking:
a) worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact
<paints an authentic picture of our society> 
b) true to one's own personality, spirit, or character

 
So for example, a student's CASAS scale score in math (say 212) from a
multiple choice test may be worthy of acceptance of a person's math
ability. An analysis of the test item responses may even provide greater
information about a person's strengths and weaknesses. However, they
cannot say much about how the student perceives the relation of "math"
to his/her own personality and life. Two students at entry might both
achieve a score of 207 in math for very different reasons. One student
might have liked math, viewed herself as being capable of learning math
but just not used it for many years. The other student might have never
liked math, generally seen herself as having other strengths, but been
forced to use math as part of her job. To ascertain this type of
information, the teacher might have to talk to the student and find out
the student's past experiences with math, the student's perceptions of
its importance in his/her life, etc. Then, a custom assessment/project
can
  be designed that is meaningful and authentic to that particular
student.
 
>From my perspective, all standardization (whether multiple-choice or
non-multiple choice assessments) will to some extent reduce the
authenticity for the student. The CASAS system attempts to address this
by providing assessments that are relevant to adults and based in
various contexts (life skills, employability skills, workforce learning,
citizenship, etc.) so that the student can be assessed in contexts that
are somewhat authentic to their experiences and goals.
 
Therefore, I prefer the term alternative assessments because then we can
focus our discussion on the differences between multiple choice
assessments and non-multiple choice assessments.
 
There is no question that non-multiple choice assessments can be
legitimate and have many strengths.
For example, Connecticut is currently piloting a CASAS workplace
speaking assessment. This is a standardized assessment designed for ESL
learners who are currently working to demonstrate their listening and
speaking abilities in a workplace context. Compared to the CASAS
listening multiple-choice assessments which we have used over the years,
the speaking assessment has the potential for the instructor to gain a
greater understanding of a student's strengths and weaknesses. Students
also seem to enjoy taking the assessment. However, it needs to be
administered one-on-one unlike the listening which can be group
administered. The speaking assessment also places a greater training and
certification burden on the test administrator and scorer. We have
experienced many of these challenges with our statewide implementation
of the CASAS Functional Writing Assessment over the past few years.
Kevin alluded to some of those challenges such as maintaining scorer
certification and interr
 ater reliability. The scoring rubric used in both the writing and the
speaking assessments can be valuable tools for classroom instruction. 
 
In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice assessments should be
standardized so that they can be used to broaden the array of
assessments available for state-level reporting/accountability.
 
Thanks.
Ajit
 
Ajit Gopalakrishnan
Education Consultant
Connecticut Department of Education
25 Industrial Park Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Tel: (860) 807-2125
Fax: (860) 807-2062
ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us
<mailto:ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us> 
________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
 
Hi Bruce and everyone,
 
Bruce, you said:
 
"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc
is a good way to go."
 
This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out
and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.
 
What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.
 
What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?
 
Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?
 
Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?  
 
I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Feb  5 09:01:05 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 09:01:05 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Standardized assessment of lowest literacy level
In-Reply-To: <43E50769.9@riral.org>
Message-ID: <002c01c62a5c$9c0ea0c0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Howard, how are you?  Things moving along in Rhode Island, eh?  Great
question you have posed for us here Howard.

Massachusetts is developing its own low level ABE reading test (it's in
pilot right now) because we do agree with the statement that the
available commercial (as opposed to standardized :0) tests do no justice
at measuring gain at lower levels.  We're also in the midst of
developing a math test too.  (Let me go get some links for you to check
out - I'm having a hard time finding what I want to send you all at this
moment....must be a Sunday morning thing...)

As for your question regarding what such a test would look like, the one
in pilot was developed from the Mass. curriculum frameworks (aligning
curriculum, instruction, and assessment).  The math test will also be
aligned with the state curriculum frameworks of course.

Finally, you said:  "(3) Do you think we could come up with a specific 
enough list for a program, publisher or vendor to work through creating 
a standardized assessment that would meet this need?"

Ok, ONLY my opinion here so let's hear from everyone, but I do not
believe so.  In order for something like this to happen, we first need
to have national standards, which we do not have.  States are developing
their own standards, and so an appropriate test can be developed for use
in-state (like in Mass.).  But Mass. tests would be worthless for a
state that doesn't use our curriculum frameworks.  So I'm not holding my
breath.

However!  There are interesting things afoot!  I recently attended the
EFF (Equipped for the Future) conference in December and learned that
ETS (Educational Testing Service) is right now running a project to
develop 3 assessments based on both the EFF framework and the ARCS
Reading Profile from Harvard (http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/).  So
this could answer part of your question Howard regarding #3 above maybe.
The 3 tests will be focused on the areas of "reads with understanding",
"reading components measure", and "uses math to solve problems".  They
actually are in phase II of this project, in which they need to recruit
10 states at least to sign on for developing the tests themselves.  So
this is actually a direct attempt to develop assessments based on the
curricula and framework of EFF and ARCS.

Hold onto your hats for this last bit folks!  I'm organizing a
discussion and Q&A as we speak with the folks at ETS on this project.
I'll send out some info on the project soon, and let you know when ETS
folks will be available to answer your questions and hold discussion.  

Thanks everyone and I hope that you are enjoying your weekend,

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator





-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 2:59 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Standardized assessment of lowest literacy level

A recent point has come up at discussions of assessments that I would 
like to delve into.  In our local discussion of standardized 
assessments, the statement has been made that there are no standardized 
assessments that are appropriate for learners at or near the lowest 
levels of literacy.  As examples, this includes the CASAS, the TABE, and

the BEST, which you might agree are reliable and valid for intermediate 
to advanced learners.  This is for either ABE or ESOL learners.

I'm simply curious to ask and hear from others:  (1)  Do you agree with 
this statement, and why or why not?  (2)  What do you think an 
appropriate standardized assessment for that level should include or 
look like?  and, (3) Do you think we could come up with a specific 
enough list for a program, publisher or vendor to work through creating 
a standardized assessment that would meet this need?

I appreciate your assistance, so that I can think this through sincerely

and deeply.  Howard.
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Assessment mailing list
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Feb  5 10:34:32 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 10:34:32 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Links to Mass. test development info
Message-ID: <003701c62a69$a999f610$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi all, found some links for you regarding the tests being developed
here in Massachusetts:
 
 
Curriculum and Assessment Updates from Adult and Community Learning
Services (ACLS)
 
See the May 2005 mailing:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/mailings/2005/0513/assess.html
This mailing includes a timeline for the reading and math test
development.
 
The Nov 2005 mailing:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/mailings/2005/1111/assess.html
This mailing briefly outlines some revised info based on the Fall pilot.
 
marie
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Sun Feb  5 10:54:42 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 08:54:42 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] Standardized assessment of lowest literacy level
Message-ID: <OF69AC9562.53086A4C-ON0725710C.00576824-0725710C.0057682B@yc.edu>

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From Ajit.Gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us  Sun Feb  5 12:03:51 2006
From: Ajit.Gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us (Gopalakrishnan, Ajit)
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 12:03:51 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
Message-ID: <281DD0D97E3EC94FB83030B1379CE426D05C55@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>

Hi Marie,
 
Thanks for your response. I like your labels of selected response and constructed response. I guess by alternative, you were really referring to constructed response. I agree that there are selected response options that are not just multiple choice - I presume you might have been referring to matching, true false, etc. I wonder what the NAAL used.
 
With respect to your second question, I thought that I had mentioned in my earlier email two examples of standardized constructed response assessment options that we are using in Connecticut: (i) the CASAS Functional Writing Assessment and (ii) the CASAS Workplace Speaking Assessment. The former is currently reportable to the NRS while the latter is in the midst of being correlated to the NRS levels and will be reportable shortly. I would love to hear what other states are using/considering.
 
Ajit
 
 
 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Marie Cora
Sent: Sun 2/5/2006 8:30 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools



Hi Ajit and everyone,

Yeah, that's a good question you posed to me Ajit:  I guess you are
right in saying that I do think about 'alternative' as referring to any
assessment that is not multiple choice.  Actually, the terms I use in my
head to separate this stuff out are selected-response and constructed
response. 

Selected response describes that situation:  the person must choose
(select) from a set of answers (responses) which one they think is the
right one.

That's pretty tightly wrapped up in terms of what that means:  you get
the list of answers, you look at the choices, you determine which item
on the list you think is right.

Constructed response also describes the situation precisely:  the person
must recall info or build for themselves (construct) the answer to a
particular question.  No choices are given for the person to consider -
they are not selecting anything.  The other thing that is hugely useful
about using this term is that it is not prescriptive in how big or small
a response must be constructed.  So for example, many people think that
a 'performance assessment' (which is a constructed response:  because
you are demonstrating your performance) must necessarily entail
something big, lengthy, intense, etc.  But in fact, a constructed
response might entail just one word (as long as you are not selecting
that word from a list).  Here's a great example:  you know what a
'cloze' exercise is?  Those fill-in-the-blank worksheets that can test
you on vocab or grammar?  Well, that is a performance assessment, even
though you are only filling in one word here and there. 

I like to think about these notions this way because they are devoid of
other distractors - for example, there is no mention of standardization
with selected or constructed response, that is a whole other step in the
process.  And if you continue to think about selected response as
'multiple choice' then I bet you a dime you just fall back on equating
multiple choice with TABE - and that is just not correct at all.  While
the TABE is an EXAMPLE of a multiple choice test - one does not equal
the other.

A couple of questions back to you Ajit and to all the subscribers:

- Ajit, you made some really thoughtful comments in your arguments
against using authentic assessment - what do others think of Ajit's
point of view?

- Ajit, you said:  "In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice
assessments should be standardized so that they can be used to broaden
the array of assessments available for state-level
reporting/accountability."

Folks - can anyone give us any examples of what Ajit describes above?
Let's see if we can develop a growing list of the assessments being used
that are different - I'll start by adding the REEP Writing Rubric to the
list - it is standardized, it is a constructed response test, and at
least Massachusetts uses it for reporting writing gains to the feds.

Also, Andrea Wilder (post on 2/3) suggested that we use Assessment for
all types of 'tests' but that we divide that into sub-headings that list
the various types, and include information on who wants the data from
said test and who gets that data.  We do have some amount of info listed
on types of tests and costs, but we don't have a whole lot of info on
who actually gets the test data and what is gets used for.  What do
folks think about this?...I'm intrigued....

Robin Millar (post on 2/3) describes a guided portfolio in use in
Manitoba that sounds interesting:  it has several levels to it.  Robin -
are parts of the portfolio standardized?  The whole thing?  Does the
portfolio include both selected response and constructed responses types
of assessments and info?

Ok, enough chatter from me for a Sunday morning.  Hope everyone is
having a lovely weekend, and see you again tomorrow,

Marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

For definitions see:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information#Assessment
_Glossary

For a bunch of details and info on Commercial Assessments, but that do
not discuss the uses of data and should! Go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Commercially_Available_Assessment
_Tools

To help me develop the Wiki section on Alternative Assessment, go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Alternative_Assessment

To make informed choices about test selection, go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Selecting_Assessment_Tools



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gopalakrishnan, Ajit
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 12:42 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

Marie, et al,

By "alternative", I presume you mean that these assessment options are
an alternative to multiple-choice assessments. Is that a fair inference?
I sometimes refer to alternative assessments as non-multiple choice
assessments, just to make clear what I am talking about.

>From my perspective, referring to them as authentic seems to muddy this
discussion. Webster provides two of the following definitions for
authentic which may help to illustrate my thinking:
a) worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact
<paints an authentic picture of our society>
b) true to one's own personality, spirit, or character


So for example, a student's CASAS scale score in math (say 212) from a
multiple choice test may be worthy of acceptance of a person's math
ability. An analysis of the test item responses may even provide greater
information about a person's strengths and weaknesses. However, they
cannot say much about how the student perceives the relation of "math"
to his/her own personality and life. Two students at entry might both
achieve a score of 207 in math for very different reasons. One student
might have liked math, viewed herself as being capable of learning math
but just not used it for many years. The other student might have never
liked math, generally seen herself as having other strengths, but been
forced to use math as part of her job. To ascertain this type of
information, the teacher might have to talk to the student and find out
the student's past experiences with math, the student's perceptions of
its importance in his/her life, etc. Then, a custom assessment/project
can
  be designed that is meaningful and authentic to that particular
student.

>From my perspective, all standardization (whether multiple-choice or
non-multiple choice assessments) will to some extent reduce the
authenticity for the student. The CASAS system attempts to address this
by providing assessments that are relevant to adults and based in
various contexts (life skills, employability skills, workforce learning,
citizenship, etc.) so that the student can be assessed in contexts that
are somewhat authentic to their experiences and goals.

Therefore, I prefer the term alternative assessments because then we can
focus our discussion on the differences between multiple choice
assessments and non-multiple choice assessments.

There is no question that non-multiple choice assessments can be
legitimate and have many strengths.
For example, Connecticut is currently piloting a CASAS workplace
speaking assessment. This is a standardized assessment designed for ESL
learners who are currently working to demonstrate their listening and
speaking abilities in a workplace context. Compared to the CASAS
listening multiple-choice assessments which we have used over the years,
the speaking assessment has the potential for the instructor to gain a
greater understanding of a student's strengths and weaknesses. Students
also seem to enjoy taking the assessment. However, it needs to be
administered one-on-one unlike the listening which can be group
administered. The speaking assessment also places a greater training and
certification burden on the test administrator and scorer. We have
experienced many of these challenges with our statewide implementation
of the CASAS Functional Writing Assessment over the past few years.
Kevin alluded to some of those challenges such as maintaining scorer
certification and interr
 ater reliability. The scoring rubric used in both the writing and the
speaking assessments can be valuable tools for classroom instruction.

In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice assessments should be
standardized so that they can be used to broaden the array of
assessments available for state-level reporting/accountability.

Thanks.
Ajit

Ajit Gopalakrishnan
Education Consultant
Connecticut Department of Education
25 Industrial Park Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Tel: (860) 807-2125
Fax: (860) 807-2062
ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us
<mailto:ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us>
________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
To: Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools

Hi Bruce and everyone,

Bruce, you said:

"I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such as
portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing samples, etc
is a good way to go."

This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people
would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their uses,
and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list them all out
and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of each one.

What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using
them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most intrigues
you.

What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths and
legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios, checklists,
analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,
in-take/placement processes?

Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do you
think that this is important?  Why or why not?

Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes? 

I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for right
now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking forward to it.

Thanks,

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator




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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Feb  6 10:27:34 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 10:27:34 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Adolescents in the Adult ESOL Classroom
Message-ID: <002301c62b31$dad127d0$0402a8c0@frodo>


Hello All,
The following post is submited on behalf of Lynda Terrill
***********

The Adult English Language Learners is planning an online discussion on
adolescent learners in adult ESL/ESOL classes from February 8-14, 2006.
To join the English language list, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html and follow the
directions for subscribing.

*********

Adolescent English language learners (ELLs) are a growing population in
secondary schools and a steady presence in postsecondary (adult)
education programs. Many of you have experienced the unique
characteristics and needs that adolescent ELLs present in the adult ESL
classroom. Like their adult counterparts, some of these adolescents may
be undocumented or may not have high literacy or education levels in
their native languages. They may be trying to juggle work, education,
community, and family responsibilities both here and in their native
countries. Some may be struggling with cross-generational reunification
issues. Others may have been born and raised in the U.S. but failed to
succeed in traditional K-12 schooling. Despite their varied educational,
social, and cultural backgrounds, these adolescents have one thing in
common - their developmental stage and related needs may set them apart
from the adult students in your classes. 

As high school exit criteria grow more demanding in the United States,
students with limited or interrupted schooling are finding it difficult
to graduate within the timeframes traditionally allocated for high
school study. As a result, these students are turning to adult education
to earn high school diplomas, increase their job skills, and improve
their English language proficiency. On February 8-14 Sarah Young, author
of Adolescent Learners in Adult ESL Classes,
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/adolescent.html  will lead
a discussion and respond to questions about this topic. 

Sarah is an instructor at the Arlington Education and Employment Program
(REEP) in Arlington, Virginia. She is also an adult ESL content
specialist at the Center for Applied Linguistics where she works on
several projects related to adolescent and adult English language
learners.

On February 8, Sarah will summarize some of the issues related to
adolescents studying in adult ESL/ESOL classrooms (e.g., who these
learners are and why they are in adult ESL/ESOL classes, what
instructional strategies may work well with this population, what types
of educational opportunities may be available).

To review the topic before the discussion, please read brief (above),
which includes an extensive bibliography. 

We hope you will share your own experiences, advice, and comments,
before, during, and after the days that Sarah leads the discussion and
fields questions. 

If questions or comments are raised before next Tuesday, I will forward
them to Sarah. 

You may also send comments or questions to me off the list at
lterrill at cal.org

 

Lynda Terrill
English Language Discussion List
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Center for Applied
Linguistics
4646 40th St, NW
Washington, DC
lterrill at cal.org
tel 202-362-0700
fax 202-363-7204
http://www.cal.org/caela





From EJacobson at air.org  Mon Feb  6 17:52:16 2006
From: EJacobson at air.org (Jacobson, Erik)
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 14:52:16 -0800
Subject: [Assessment] National Reading Conference - J. Michael Parker Award
Message-ID: <DC59DD324318E44AA0C054AC1D7806BE0661A36E@ca1ex1.air.org>

National Reading Conference - J. Michael Parker Award

 

The National Reading Conference (NRC) - 56th Annual Meeting will take
place in Los Angeles, CA, from November 29 to December 2, 2006. The
conference covers a wide range of literacy related topics, including
sessions on adult literacy. Information about the annual meeting is
available at http://www.nrconline.org/. I encourage adult literacy
researchers to join the dialogue at the meeting and to consider
submitting proposals 

 

In addition, to encourage research on adult literacy, NRC has
established the J. Michael Parker Award. This award is given to graduate
students and untenured professors who present research on adult learning
or education at the annual meeting. More information and submission
guidelines are available in the meeting's Call for Proposals -
http://www.nrconline.org/pdf/2006callforproposals.pdf

 

Erik Jacobson

Chair, J. Michael Parker Award Committee

National Reading Conference

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Feb  7 12:45:06 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 12:45:06 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Review of Adult Literacy Education
Message-ID: <000001c62c0e$3bdad800$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear List Members,

The following post is from Tom Sticht.
----------------

Collegues: I have been asked to prepare a chapter for a Handbook on
Literacy
that will be published by Cambridge University Press. Following is a
brief
title and outline that I am currently using to think about the work.
Some
questions I have for you follow below after the outline of topics:

"Adult Literacy Education in Industrialized Nations
Thomas Sticht

In several industrialized nations activities are underway to extend the
right to basic literacy education to adults. Having for many decades
provided a variety of programs, many arising from charitable work by
religious groups and others, activities are today underway to transform
these many local, independently acting programs into systems of
state-supported, free education for adults across the life span. This
paper
discusses activities in three industrialized nations under five
categories:

1. Scale of Need: determining how many adults are in need of adult
literacy
education.

2. Access to Provision: determining how many adults are aware of, have
access to and enroll in adult literacy education provision.

3. Nature of Provision: determining the nature of the delivery system
for
meeting the needs of adult literacy provision, including the use of
information and communication technology (ICT).

4. Quality of Provision: determining the nature of and need for improved
instructional quality, including teacher qualifications and establishing
content and outcome standards for programs.

5. Accountability of Provision: improving methods for determining
achievements of programs in terms of student learning outcomes and
broader
impacts for the adult, family,  workplace and community.

The paper will acquaint readers with issues, challenges,  and
accomplishments arising from this movement to transform local adult
literacy education programs into national systems of adult education in
industrialized nations."

Questions: I want to review the best work I can to flesh out the chapter
so
I am asking for any references you think I should read in pursuit of
this
work.

What are two or three of the most important books, papers, research
studies,
policy papers, etc. that you think have contributed to your thinking
and/or
practice in adult literacy education in your nation?

What are the two or three most important trends to have emerged in adult
literacy education in your nation in the last quarter century?

What direction do you see adult literacy education taking in your nation
in
the next ten years or so?

What is the most important research in adult literacy education that you
have come across that has influenced educational practice in your
nation?

Thanks for any responses you may have to these questions or any other
directions that you think I should consider going in the development of
this chapter. You can respond on the list or directly to me at
tsticht at aznet.net.

Thanks,
Tom Sticht




marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 
----------------------------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy 
Assessment Discussion List  assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings please go to
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Feb 10 08:41:25 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 08:41:25 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Message for Black History Month
	(longer)
Message-ID: <006601c62e47$b0aaff30$0402a8c0@frodo>


Celebrating Black History Month February 2006

Three Black Ladies of Adult Literacy Education
In the Struggle for Social Justice in the United States

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

In Black History Month we celebrate the history of African-Americans in
the
United States. In this history, nothing is more important than the
struggle
of slaves, freedmen, and oppressed African-Americans to learn to read
and
write and to use these literacy skills to obtain their civil rights.

In this history, three great African-American ladies stand out from
thousands of others because of the remarkable circumstances under which
they labored to help African-Americans gain the dignity and confidence
they
needed to stand up for their rights. This is a brief summary of some of
the
contributions of these three African-American ladies of literacy and
liberty.

Suzie (Baker) King Taylor (1848-unknown)

Susie (Baker) King Taylor was born a slave in Savannah, Georgia in 1848.
She
was raised by her grandmother who sent her and one of her brothers to
the
home of a free women to learn to read and write, even though it was
against
the law for slaves to learn to read and write.  As she explained in her
1902
book, "We went every day with our books wrapped in paper to prevent the
police or white persons from seeing them." (Taylor in Lerner, 1972)

During the Civil War the Union Army initiated the practice of enlisting
freed African-Americans. But it was soon apparent that there were
problems
in using these men as soldiers. Among other problems,  it was difficult
for
officers to communicate with illiterate former slaves. So promotion and
advancement in the army was difficult for the African-American soldiers.
Many of them blamed this situation on their lack of education. In
response
to these needs, many officers initiated programs of education for the
former slaves.

One officer, Colonel Thomas W. Higginson of the 33rd U. S. Colored
Troops,
appointed the chaplain as the regimental teacher. Higginson reportedly
saw
men at night gathered around a campfire, "spelling slow monosyllables
out
of a primer, a feat which always commands all ears, " and he observed
that,

"Their love of the spelling book is perfectly inexhaustible,
-they stumbling on by themselves, or the blind leading the
blind, with the same pathetic patience which they carry into
everything. The chaplain is getting up a schoolhouse,
where he will soon teach them as regularly as he can.
But the alphabet must always be a very incidental
business in a camp." (Cornish, 1952).

One of the people whom the chaplain engaged in teaching soldiers of the
33rd
to read and write was Susie King Taylor (Blassingame, 1965). She went
with
the regiment to Florida where she reported that "I learned to handle a
musket very well while in the regiment and could shoot straight and
often
hit the target. I assisted in cleaning the guns and used to fire them
off,
to see if the cartridges were dry, before cleaning and re-loading , each
day. I thought this was great fun." (Taylor in Lerner, 1972, p. 101).

Describing something of the conditions under which she worked, Taylor
said,

"Outside of the Fort were many skulls lying about;  I have often moved
them
one side out of the path.The comrades and I would have wondered a bit as
to
which side of the war the men fought on, some said they were the skulls
of
our boys; some  said they were the enemies; but as there was no definite
way to know, it was never decided which could lay claim to them. They
were
a gruesome sight, those fleshless heads and grinning jaws, but by this
time
I had become used to worse things and did not feel as I would have
earlier
in my camp life. -(Taylor in Lerner, 1972)

According to Taylor, "I taught a great many of the comrades in Company E
to
read and write when they were off duty, nearly all were anxious to
learn.
My husband taught some also when it was convenient for him. I was very
happy to know my efforts were successful in camp also very grateful for
the
appreciation of my services. I gave my services willingly for four years
and
three months without receiving a dollar." (Taylor in Lerner, 1972)

Throughout the Civil War, thousands of teachers, some modestly paid and
many
volunteers, worked often under very arduous conditions, such as
described
above by Suzie King Taylor, to educate the newly freed slaves who came
to
fight for the preservation of the United States of America. In just the
Union Army's  Department of the Gulf (Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama,Texas) by 1864 there were 95 schools with 9,571 children and
2,000
adults being taught by 162 teachers. By the war's end it was estimated
some
20,000 African-American troops had been taught to read "intelligently"
(Blassingame, 1965).

Harriet A. Jacobs (1813-1897)

Harriet A. Jacobs was born a slave. But even though it was unlawful to
teach
slaves to read, Jacob's mistress, the daughter of her owners, taught her
to
read and write. As she reached puberty, Jacob's master started to make
moves on her for sexual favors and subjected her to other abuses. So she
ran away and hid at her grandmother's house. She hid in a garret between
the ceiling and roof that was about seven feet wide, nine feet in length
and only three feet high at the highest point. She hid there for seven
years!

In 1861, Jacobs  wrote a book entitled, "Incidents in the life of a
slave
girl written by herself." In it she tells the story of her work to help
an
older black man, a slave like her, learn to read so he could reach for a
greater reward for himself at the end of his life. In Jacob's own words
of
her time:

 "I knew an old black man, whose piety and childlike trust in God were
beautiful to witness. At fifty-three years old he joined the Baptist
church. He had a most earnest desire to learn to read. He thought he
should
know how to serve God better if he could only read the Bible. He came to
me,
and begged me to teach him. He said he could not pay me, for he had no
money; but he would bring me nice fruit when the season for it came. I
asked him if he didn't know it was contrary to law; and that slaves were
whipped and imprisoned for teaching each other to read. This brought the
tears into his eyes. "Don't be troubled, Uncle Fred," said I. "I have no
thoughts of refusing to teach you. I only told you of the law, that you
might know the danger, and be on your guard."

He thought he could plan to come three times a week without its being
suspected. I selected a quiet nook, where no intruder was likely to
penetrate, and there I taught him his A, B, C. Considering his age, his
progress was astonishing. As soon as he could spell in two syllables he
wanted to spell out words in the Bible. The happy smile that illuminated
his face put joy into my heart. After spelling out a few words he
paused,
and said, "Honey, it 'pears when I can read dis good book I shall be
nearer
to God. White man is got all de sense. He can larn easy. It ain't easy
for
ole black man like me. I only want to read dis book, dat I may know how
to
live; den I hab no fear 'bout dying."

I tried to encourage him by speaking of the rapid progress he had made.
"Hab
patience, child," he replied. "I larns slow." At the end of six months
he
had read through the New Testament, and could find any text in it.":End
Quote

The Freedmen's Schools. Later in her life, after achieving her freedom,
Jacobs taught school for former slaves in what were called the
Freedmen's
Schools. These schools were set up after the Civil War when the U. S.
Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
as
the primary agency for reconstruction. This agency was placed under the
jurisdiction of the War Department and was popularly known as the
Freedmen's Bureau. The Freedmen's Bureau provided education for freed
former slaves engaging teachers who were primarily from voluntary
organizations such as the American Missionary Association. Collectively
these organizations became known as Freedmen's Aid Societies. Between
1862
and 1872, fifty-one anti-slavery societies, involving some 2,500
teachers
and over 2,000 schools, were conducting  education for freedmen. The
Freedmen's Bureau was disbanded in 1872 for lack of political support
(Morris, 1981).

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987)

Septima Poinsette Clark has been called the "Queen Mother' of the Civil
Rights Movement in the United States. Clark taught black soldiers at
Fort
Jackson in South Carolina to read and write in the 1930s. Later she
conducted workshops at the Highlander Folk school in Tennessee where one
of
her students was Rosa Parks.  Later Clark started citizenship schools
with
Dr. Martin Luther King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Septima Clark was an innovator in teaching adult reading and writing
within
the functional context of the civil rights movement to free
African-Americans from the oppression of those wanting to deny them full
citizenship. Her methods included using "real life" materials for
teaching
adults to read (Clark, 1986). On January 7, 1957, Clark and her teachers
started the first Citizenship School serving adult African-Americans on
Johns Island in South Carolina. Clark (1962) recalled that when the
teachers asked the students what they wanted to learn, the answer was
that,
"First, they wanted to learn how to write their names. That was a matter
of
pride as well as practical need. (p. 147).

In teaching students to write their names Clark instructed teachers to
carve
student's names into cardboard. Then, according to Clark (1962), "What
the
student does is trace with his pencil over and over his signature until
he
gets the feel of writing his name. I suppose his fingers memorize it by
doing it over and over; he gets into the habit by repeating the tracing
time after time." (p.148). She went on to say, "And perhaps the single
greatest thing it accomplishes is the enabling of a man to raise his
head a
little higher; knowing how to sign their names, many of those men and
women
told me after they had learned, made them FEEL different. Suddenly they
had
become a part of the community; they were on their way toward
first-class
citizenship." (p. 149).

Speaking of a cleaning woman who asked to be taught to read and write in
the
Citizenship School on Johns Island, South Carolina,  so that she might
prepare herself to vote, Septima Poinsette Clark wrote:

"This woman is but one of those persons whose stories I could tell. One
will
never be able, I maintain, to measure or even to approximate the good
that
this work among the adult illiterates on this one island has
accomplished.
How can anybody estimate the worth of pride achieved, hope accomplished,
faith affirmed, citizenship won? These are intangible things but real
nevertheless, solid and of inestimable value."

Working with Dr. Martin Luther King at the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference Clark took the simple adult literacy educator's method for
teaching adults to write their names and eventually trained 10,000
teachers
to teach literacy so that African-Americans could gain the vote.
Altogether,
the Citizenship Schools got nearly 700,000 African-American adults
registered to vote in the South, providing political muscle to the Civil
Rights Movement  of the 1960s!

Black History Month owes a lot of its existence to the work of these
three
great Black ladies, and of course many other African-American educators
not
noted here, who labored under conditions of duress to help slaves,
freedmen,
and those African-Americans living under oppression in the middle of the
20th century to acquire literacy. Armed with literacy, African-Americans
throughout the United States won the struggle for civil rights.

But the struggle goes on. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy
(NAAL)
of 2003 showed that 67 percent of African-American adults scored at the
Basic or Below Basic literacy levels for prose tasks. But in fiscal year
2003, African-Americans made-up only 20 percent of adults enrolled in
the
Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States. Clearly
then, at the outset of the 21st century there is a continuing need for
political action to support African-American and other adult literacy
educators in their efforts to bring literacy and social justice for all.
The work goes on; and

We SHALL overcome!

References

Blassingame, J. W. (1965). The Union Army as an educational institution
for
Negroes, 1862-1865. Journal of Negro Education, 34, 152-159.

Clark, Septima P. (1962). Echo in my soul. New York: E. P. Dutton & C0.
Cornish, D. T. (1952). The Union Army as a school for Negroes. Journal
of
Negro history, 37, 368-382.

Cornish, D. T. (1952). The Union Army as a school for Negroes. Journal
of
Negro History, 37, 368-382.

Jacobs, H. A. (1987). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by
herself. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Original work
published
in 1861).

Lerner, G. (Ed.) (1972). Black women in white America: A documentary
history. New York: Pantheon Books-Random house.

Morris, R.C. (1981). Reading, 'Riting, and Reconstruction: The Education
of
Freedmen in the South, 1861-1870. Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net




_______________________________________________
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From djrosen at comcast.net  Sun Feb 12 10:57:15 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 10:57:15 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and what should Test
	Publishers Provide on their Web Sites?
References: <3.0.6.32.20060207081549.00a0d420@research.haifa.ac.il>
Message-ID: <96EBEDDF-5BF9-42AF-BA89-0C4E995E5D96@comcast.net>

Assessment Colleagues,

The post below (from Iddo Gal, on the Numeracy discussion list) is  
pertinent to the Assessment list.  If you would like to be sure that  
Iddo gets your reply, in addition to posting it here, also please  
email it to him.  His email address is below.

Iddo also raises a larger question which we might explore on the  
assessment list, and which someone might develop into a summary of  
points to send to test publishers.  Do you agree that test publishers  
should consider making technical manuals (and independent research or  
evaluations of their tests) available on their Web sites? What other  
information should they routinely provide?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Iddo Gal" <iddo at research.haifa.ac.il>
> Date: February 7, 2006 8:15:49 AM EST
> To: numeracy at europe.std.com, <numeracy at world.std.com>
> Subject: Questions about TABE 9/10
> Reply-To: numeracy at europe.std.com
>
>
> Hi all:
>
> I am looking for good info regarding the content and background of  
> the math
> subtests of the new TABE 9/10, and what are the differences between  
> TABE
> 7&8 and 9&10.
>
> I have been frustrated by the lack of detailed info on the website  
> of the
> publishers. Contemporary's website has just commercial info about the
> different booklets and products, and McGraw Hill, the parent  
> company, has
> more info but nothing of value if one wants to undestand to what  
> extent a
> different logic was used in TABE 9&10 - it says somewhere that the new
> versions were created based on NAEP framework (I guess unlike 7 &  
> 8), but
> there's no way to verify that, and no link to a Technical Manual which
> would have the background professional details and supporting  
> research.
>
> Further, I found some conflicting info on the websites of different  
> State
> Resource Centers, with a couple saying the 9 & 10 are essentially  
> the same,
> but others claiming there are substantial differences. Hmm....
>
> Overall I am quite surprised that so little systematic info has been
> published for the community. Seems adult educators and managers  
> have to
> make test-selection and interpretive decisions with very patchy  
> info to go
> on.
>
> Can anybody direct me to any resource which has deeper info on TABE  
> 9 & 10,
> or do you know of a program that has conducted its own analysis of the
> differences between 9 & 10 and 7 & 10?
>
> Much obliged,
>
> --Iddo
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> -
> -To unsubscribe from the Numeracy mail list send e-mail to
> -majordomo at world.std.com.
> -In the body of the message type "unsubscribe numeracy your_address"
>
> -If you have any questions e-mail edl at world.std.com
>



From djrosen at comcast.net  Sun Feb 12 15:24:02 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:24:02 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] "Alternative" assessment
In-Reply-To: <6D87A5CD4E209448BBF7CCFB41D57C0E026013D1@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>
References: <6D87A5CD4E209448BBF7CCFB41D57C0E026013D1@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>
Message-ID: <9DBD8679-226A-49C6-B48F-D325692A1779@comcast.net>

Marie, Ajit and others,

Two terms evaluators often use which could be introduced in this  
discussion are "direct" and "indirect" measures.  A "direct" measure  
is one which measures an actual performance of a specified task.  An  
"indirect" measure (multiple choice paper and pencil tests are the  
best-known example) is one which "stands for" the performance.  When  
the GED testing service, several years ago changed the GED writing  
test  from a multiple choice assessment _about_ writing to a  
performance test of essay writing it moved from an indirect  
("mediated") assessment to a direct assessment (of essay writing).   
Most evaluators would agree that given a world of limitless money and  
time, direct assessments are better -- that is, they more accurately  
measure the specified and desired performance of a task -- than  
indirect ones.

"Authentic" and "performance-based" assessments are synonymous (for  
me) with "direct" assessments. Paper and pencil multiple choice tests  
(whether standardized or not) are the best-known and most widely used  
example of "indirect" or "mediated" assessments.

Two other terms I find useful when categorizing assessments, measures  
or observations are "obtrusive' and "unobtrusive". The assessments we  
talk about on this list are most often or always "obtrusive," that  
is, the student knows s/he is being tested.  This can be good  
("positively obtrusive") where the assessment itself causes some  
additional positive learning, or bad ("negatively obtrusive"), where  
the assessment interferes with or prevents learning. One of the  
biggest complaints of the obtrusive assessments mandated by NCLB is  
that they are negatively obtrusive, that they, and some would argue  
that preparation for them, takes away a lot of valuable learning  
time. There are other ways in which assessments can be negatively  
obtrusive, too, producing false results for some for whom the testing  
situation creates fear that impedes normal or ordinary performance.

I find "unobtrusive" assessments the most interesting, where the  
learner is assessed but doesn't know it, and just sees it as part of  
the learning, indistinguishable from the rest.  Portfolio assessment  
can be unobtrusive, as can journal writing, or a weekly set of  
problems or exercises which the student regards as regular classwork  
or homework.  Teachers ask students questions all the time many of  
which are used as unobtrusive individual or group assessment.  And  
some teachers do this systematically.  In theory, unobtrusive  
assessments could be standardized, although I know of no example of  
this.( I wonder if large college lecture classes where students  
sometimes have assessment consoles that enable them to respond  
immediately and have their responses immediately tabulated and  
graphed for the instructor might by now have evolved some standard  
procedures which make them valid and reliable.  Anyone know?)

I think "alternative" is a vague word which doesn't help us to think  
differently about kinds and purposes of assessment, whereas some of  
these words raise some important and interesting differences in kinds  
of assessment.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net



On Feb 4, 2006, at 12:42 PM, Gopalakrishnan, Ajit wrote:

> Marie, et al,
>
> By "alternative", I presume you mean that these assessment options  
> are an alternative to multiple-choice assessments. Is that a fair  
> inference? I sometimes refer to alternative assessments as non- 
> multiple choice assessments, just to make clear what I am talking  
> about.
>
>> From my perspective, referring to them as authentic seems to muddy  
>> this discussion. Webster provides two of the following definitions  
>> for authentic which may help to illustrate my thinking:
> a) worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact  
> <paints an authentic picture of our society>
> b) true to one's own personality, spirit, or character
>
>
> So for example, a student's CASAS scale score in math (say 212)  
> from a multiple choice test may be worthy of acceptance of a  
> person's math ability. An analysis of the test item responses may  
> even provide greater information about a person's strengths and  
> weaknesses. However, they cannot say much about how the student  
> perceives the relation of "math" to his/her own personality and  
> life. Two students at entry might both achieve a score of 207 in  
> math for very different reasons. One student might have liked math,  
> viewed herself as being capable of learning math but just not used  
> it for many years. The other student might have never liked math,  
> generally seen herself as having other strengths, but been forced  
> to use math as part of her job. To ascertain this type of  
> information, the teacher might have to talk to the student and find  
> out the student's past experiences with math, the student's  
> perceptions of its importance in his/her life, etc. Then, a custom  
> assessment/project can
>   be designed that is meaningful and authentic to that particular  
> student.
>
>> From my perspective, all standardization (whether multiple-choice  
>> or non-multiple choice assessments) will to some extent reduce the  
>> authenticity for the student. The CASAS system attempts to address  
>> this by providing assessments that are relevant to adults and  
>> based in various contexts (life skills, employability skills,  
>> workforce learning, citizenship, etc.) so that the student can be  
>> assessed in contexts that are somewhat authentic to their  
>> experiences and goals.
>
> Therefore, I prefer the term alternative assessments because then  
> we can focus our discussion on the differences between multiple  
> choice assessments and non-multiple choice assessments.
>
> There is no question that non-multiple choice assessments can be  
> legitimate and have many strengths.
> For example, Connecticut is currently piloting a CASAS workplace  
> speaking assessment. This is a standardized assessment designed for  
> ESL learners who are currently working to demonstrate their  
> listening and speaking abilities in a workplace context. Compared  
> to the CASAS listening multiple-choice assessments which we have  
> used over the years, the speaking assessment has the potential for  
> the instructor to gain a greater understanding of a student's  
> strengths and weaknesses. Students also seem to enjoy taking the  
> assessment. However, it needs to be administered one-on-one unlike  
> the listening which can be group administered. The speaking  
> assessment also places a greater training and certification burden  
> on the test administrator and scorer. We have experienced many of  
> these challenges with our statewide implementation of the CASAS  
> Functional Writing Assessment over the past few years. Kevin  
> alluded to some of those challenges such as maintaining scorer  
> certification and interr
>  ater reliability. The scoring rubric used in both the writing and  
> the speaking assessments can be valuable tools for classroom  
> instruction.
>
> In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice assessments should  
> be standardized so that they can be used to broaden the array of  
> assessments available for state-level reporting/accountability.
>
> Thanks.
> Ajit
>
> Ajit Gopalakrishnan
> Education Consultant
> Connecticut Department of Education
> 25 Industrial Park Road
> Middletown, CT 06457
> Tel: (860) 807-2125
> Fax: (860) 807-2062
> ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us  
> <mailto:ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us>
> ________________________________
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
> Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM
> To: Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools
>
> Hi Bruce and everyone,
>
> Bruce, you said:
>
> "I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such  
> as portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing  
> samples, etc is a good way to go."
>
> This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people  
> would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their  
> uses, and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list  
> them all out and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of  
> each one.
>
> What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using  
> them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most  
> intrigues you.
>
> What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths  
> and legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios,  
> checklists, analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,  
> in-take/placement processes?
>
> Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do  
> you think that this is important?  Why or why not?
>
> Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes?
>
> I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for  
> right now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking  
> forward to it.
>
> Thanks,
>
> marie cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.0/248 - Release Date:  
> 2/1/2006
>
>
> -------------------------------
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> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From khinson at future-gate.com  Mon Feb 13 10:36:59 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:36:59 +0100
Subject: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and what should	Test
	Publishers Provide on their Web Sites?
Message-ID: <43F0B5AB020000A000001FA1@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

My program just switched to TABE 9 and 10 in the Fall of 2005 after using 7/8 for years. What we found/encountered when we first started using it was that it was far more time intenstive than 7/8 and we likewise noticed a dramatic decline in student's scores. We know that this can be attributed to many things not the least of which is the fact that we have a new test administrator as of the Fall of 2005. 

My colleagues and I have also tried to contact TABE/Contemporary's as well by phone - we went beyond the website. We wanted further information on the Grade Level equivalency information. We wanted to know what the difference was between a 12.9 on say the D level and a 12.9 on the A level. We were not happy with the answer we received. Basically, what we were told is there is a +/-  2 Grade Level margin of error and that in that regard the tests overlap. We had the question in the first place because one of our program guidelines is that IF a student scores at the GED High/Low on the TABE test, then he or she can take the GED Practice Test for that area. (In other words if they get a 9.5 on Reading, the student can in theory take the practice test on Reading, SCI and Social Studies. The practice test scores then become a guideline for assessment if he/she doesn't score well enough to take the offical exam.) We wanted to know what the difference was b/w the D and A or even M, D and A to decide if perhaps students should be getting GED Low/High placement on a particular test - like the A level vs D or M. To date, we've still not gotten enough information to really make an adequate decision.

I think test makers and suppliers need to ensure that anyone using their products have all the information to ensure that testing is valid and accurate. If a test is updated, changed ormodified, the changes and updates need to be clearly delineated. Was some information removed or added and if so why? What makes test material outdated?  

I definitely think it's difficult to get answers out of the test makers/ suppliers when questions do arise.

Regards
Katrina L Hinson

>>> djrosen at comcast.net  >>>
Assessment Colleagues,

The post below (from Iddo Gal, on the Numeracy discussion list) is  
pertinent to the Assessment list.  If you would like to be sure that  
Iddo gets your reply, in addition to posting it here, also please  
email it to him.  His email address is below.

Iddo also raises a larger question which we might explore on the  
assessment list, and which someone might develop into a summary of  
points to send to test publishers.  Do you agree that test publishers  
should consider making technical manuals (and independent research or  
evaluations of their tests) available on their Web sites? What other  
information should they routinely provide?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Iddo Gal" <iddo at research.haifa.ac.il>
> Date: February 7, 2006 8:15:49 AM EST
> To: numeracy at europe.std.com, <numeracy at world.std.com>
> Subject: Questions about TABE 9/10
> Reply-To: numeracy at europe.std.com
>
>
> Hi all:
>
> I am looking for good info regarding the content and background of  
> the math
> subtests of the new TABE 9/10, and what are the differences between  
> TABE
> 7&8 and 9&10.
>
> I have been frustrated by the lack of detailed info on the website  
> of the
> publishers. Contemporary's website has just commercial info about the
> different booklets and products, and McGraw Hill, the parent  
> company, has
> more info but nothing of value if one wants to undestand to what  
> extent a
> different logic was used in TABE 9&10 - it says somewhere that the new
> versions were created based on NAEP framework (I guess unlike 7 &  
> 8), but
> there's no way to verify that, and no link to a Technical Manual which
> would have the background professional details and supporting  
> research.
>
> Further, I found some conflicting info on the websites of different  
> State
> Resource Centers, with a couple saying the 9 & 10 are essentially  
> the same,
> but others claiming there are substantial differences. Hmm....
>
> Overall I am quite surprised that so little systematic info has been
> published for the community. Seems adult educators and managers  
> have to
> make test-selection and interpretive decisions with very patchy  
> info to go
> on.
>
> Can anybody direct me to any resource which has deeper info on TABE  
> 9 & 10,
> or do you know of a program that has conducted its own analysis of the
> differences between 9 & 10 and 7 & 10?
>
> Much obliged,
>
> --Iddo
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> -
> -To unsubscribe from the Numeracy mail list send e-mail to
> -majordomo at world.std.com.
> -In the body of the message type "unsubscribe numeracy your_address"
>
> -If you have any questions e-mail edl at world.std.com
>

-------------------------------
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From dsenders at lovetoread.org  Mon Feb 13 13:31:59 2006
From: dsenders at lovetoread.org (Diane Senders)
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 11:31:59 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and what should
	TestPublishers Provide on their Web Sites?
In-Reply-To: <96EBEDDF-5BF9-42AF-BA89-0C4E995E5D96@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <005301c630cb$c7bb19e0$6401a8c0@lvt10>

   We use TABE 7/8 in state funded programs in Arizona. As part of the
training to give the TABE, we were provided with a set of explanations
from the publisher. One book is called 'Forms 7&8 Technical Report'.
This explains all of the information about how the TABE 7&8 were
developed. It includes info about equating TABE 7 with TABE 5. (TABE 5&6
were predecessors to TABE 7&8.)
    It also gives a chart in the 'Validity' section which shows the
overlapping grade equivalent range of the different levels of the TABE.
We were told by our State Division of Adult Education that when a
student scores in either the low or high scoring range of a level, that
score was not a valid one and the student scoring in that range needed
to take the lower or higher level to get a valid score. For example, if
a student scored very high - 12.9 GE on the level D, that is not a valid
score and the student should take the level A to get a valid score.
    I checked the McGraw-Hill/Contemporary site and there is a Technical
Report available for the TABE 9&10. It may give you some answers.
However I don't know whether you can look at it without purchasing it.
    Good luck! And please let us know what you find out.

Thanks, Diane


Diane Senders, Program Administrator
Literacy Volunteers of Tucson
1948 E Allen Rd
Tucson, AZ 85719
phone: (520) 882-8006
fax:      (520) 882-4986
 
Literacy Volunteers of Tucson - Strengthening Individuals, Families and
Communities Through Literacy Tutoring.
      Literacy Volunteers of Tucson is an accredited affiliate of
ProLiteracy America

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2006 8:57 AM
To: The Discussion List Assessment
Cc: iddo at research.haifa.ac.il
Subject: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and what should
TestPublishers Provide on their Web Sites?

Assessment Colleagues,

The post below (from Iddo Gal, on the Numeracy discussion list) is  
pertinent to the Assessment list.  If you would like to be sure that  
Iddo gets your reply, in addition to posting it here, also please  
email it to him.  His email address is below.

Iddo also raises a larger question which we might explore on the  
assessment list, and which someone might develop into a summary of  
points to send to test publishers.  Do you agree that test publishers  
should consider making technical manuals (and independent research or  
evaluations of their tests) available on their Web sites? What other  
information should they routinely provide?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Iddo Gal" <iddo at research.haifa.ac.il>
> Date: February 7, 2006 8:15:49 AM EST
> To: numeracy at europe.std.com, <numeracy at world.std.com>
> Subject: Questions about TABE 9/10
> Reply-To: numeracy at europe.std.com
>
>
> Hi all:
>
> I am looking for good info regarding the content and background of  
> the math
> subtests of the new TABE 9/10, and what are the differences between  
> TABE
> 7&8 and 9&10.
>
> I have been frustrated by the lack of detailed info on the website  
> of the
> publishers. Contemporary's website has just commercial info about the
> different booklets and products, and McGraw Hill, the parent  
> company, has
> more info but nothing of value if one wants to undestand to what  
> extent a
> different logic was used in TABE 9&10 - it says somewhere that the new
> versions were created based on NAEP framework (I guess unlike 7 &  
> 8), but
> there's no way to verify that, and no link to a Technical Manual which
> would have the background professional details and supporting  
> research.
>
> Further, I found some conflicting info on the websites of different  
> State
> Resource Centers, with a couple saying the 9 & 10 are essentially  
> the same,
> but others claiming there are substantial differences. Hmm....
>
> Overall I am quite surprised that so little systematic info has been
> published for the community. Seems adult educators and managers  
> have to
> make test-selection and interpretive decisions with very patchy  
> info to go
> on.
>
> Can anybody direct me to any resource which has deeper info on TABE  
> 9 & 10,
> or do you know of a program that has conducted its own analysis of the
> differences between 9 & 10 and 7 & 10?
>
> Much obliged,
>
> --Iddo
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

> -
> -To unsubscribe from the Numeracy mail list send e-mail to
> -majordomo at world.std.com.
> -In the body of the message type "unsubscribe numeracy your_address"
>
> -If you have any questions e-mail edl at world.std.com
>

-------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From jcrawford at nifl.gov  Mon Feb 13 12:20:49 2006
From: jcrawford at nifl.gov (Crawford, June)
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:20:49 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and what
	should	TestPublishers Provide on their Web Sites?
Message-ID: <9B35BF1886881547B5DFF88364AF31A3081E8AA1@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov>

Prior to my employment with the government, I ran a testing program for a
university and spent much of my life reviewing tests, test results,
long-term follow-ups to test results and instruction, etc.  I am very much
in favor of having technical manuals made available online by testing
companies.  I have had difficulty getting answers to questions about tests,
even from the statisticians who work for the testing companies, and if there
is to be "truth in testing" and students, teachers and administrators are to
be judged by the results of standardized tests, then all the information
available needs to be available.  When you begin to see Standard Error of
Measurements reported as multi-grade levels, for instance, there is reason
for concern.

If we are to really measure what a student learns in a classroom, and make
education a more rigorously measured activity, we need to be able to read
the technical manuals and know what the tests are really measuring...and how
accurately.  And we need much more information, in my opinion, about the "N"
used for the testing.  Not every test is right for every population, and we
need to know if the test we are using is appropriate for our population. It
isn't just price; it isn't just new products; it certainly shouldn't be who
has the glossiest sales pitch.  

Put the technical manuals online.  Just as patients can request all the
stats and the information about the good points...and the pitfalls...of
taking a new drug, teachers and students should know what they are getting
when they buy a new test.
June Crawford 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Katrina Hinson
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 10:37 AM
To: djrosen at comcast.net; assessment at dev.nifl.gov; assessment at nifl.gov
Cc: iddo at research.haifa.ac.il
Subject: Re: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and what should
TestPublishers Provide on their Web Sites?


My program just switched to TABE 9 and 10 in the Fall of 2005 after using
7/8 for years. What we found/encountered when we first started using it was
that it was far more time intenstive than 7/8 and we likewise noticed a
dramatic decline in student's scores. We know that this can be attributed to
many things not the least of which is the fact that we have a new test
administrator as of the Fall of 2005. 

My colleagues and I have also tried to contact TABE/Contemporary's as well
by phone - we went beyond the website. We wanted further information on the
Grade Level equivalency information. We wanted to know what the difference
was between a 12.9 on say the D level and a 12.9 on the A level. We were not
happy with the answer we received. Basically, what we were told is there is
a +/-  2 Grade Level margin of error and that in that regard the tests
overlap. We had the question in the first place because one of our program
guidelines is that IF a student scores at the GED High/Low on the TABE test,
then he or she can take the GED Practice Test for that area. (In other words
if they get a 9.5 on Reading, the student can in theory take the practice
test on Reading, SCI and Social Studies. The practice test scores then
become a guideline for assessment if he/she doesn't score well enough to
take the offical exam.) We wanted to know what the difference was b/w the D
and A or even M, 
 D and A to decide if perhaps students should be getting GED Low/High
placement on a particular test - like the A level vs D or M. To date, we've
still not gotten enough information to really make an adequate decision.

I think test makers and suppliers need to ensure that anyone using their
products have all the information to ensure that testing is valid and
accurate. If a test is updated, changed ormodified, the changes and updates
need to be clearly delineated. Was some information removed or added and if
so why? What makes test material outdated?  

I definitely think it's difficult to get answers out of the test makers/
suppliers when questions do arise.

Regards
Katrina L Hinson

>>> djrosen at comcast.net  >>>
Assessment Colleagues,

The post below (from Iddo Gal, on the Numeracy discussion list) is  
pertinent to the Assessment list.  If you would like to be sure that  
Iddo gets your reply, in addition to posting it here, also please  
email it to him.  His email address is below.

Iddo also raises a larger question which we might explore on the  
assessment list, and which someone might develop into a summary of  
points to send to test publishers.  Do you agree that test publishers  
should consider making technical manuals (and independent research or  
evaluations of their tests) available on their Web sites? What other  
information should they routinely provide?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Iddo Gal" <iddo at research.haifa.ac.il>
> Date: February 7, 2006 8:15:49 AM EST
> To: numeracy at europe.std.com, <numeracy at world.std.com>
> Subject: Questions about TABE 9/10
> Reply-To: numeracy at europe.std.com
>
>
> Hi all:
>
> I am looking for good info regarding the content and background of  
> the math
> subtests of the new TABE 9/10, and what are the differences between  
> TABE
> 7&8 and 9&10.
>
> I have been frustrated by the lack of detailed info on the website  
> of the
> publishers. Contemporary's website has just commercial info about the
> different booklets and products, and McGraw Hill, the parent  
> company, has
> more info but nothing of value if one wants to undestand to what  
> extent a
> different logic was used in TABE 9&10 - it says somewhere that the new
> versions were created based on NAEP framework (I guess unlike 7 &  
> 8), but
> there's no way to verify that, and no link to a Technical Manual which
> would have the background professional details and supporting  
> research.
>
> Further, I found some conflicting info on the websites of different  
> State
> Resource Centers, with a couple saying the 9 & 10 are essentially  
> the same,
> but others claiming there are substantial differences. Hmm....
>
> Overall I am quite surprised that so little systematic info has been
> published for the community. Seems adult educators and managers  
> have to
> make test-selection and interpretive decisions with very patchy  
> info to go
> on.
>
> Can anybody direct me to any resource which has deeper info on TABE  
> 9 & 10,
> or do you know of a program that has conducted its own analysis of the
> differences between 9 & 10 and 7 & 10?
>
> Much obliged,
>
> --Iddo
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> -
> -To unsubscribe from the Numeracy mail list send e-mail to
> -majordomo at world.std.com.
> -In the body of the message type "unsubscribe numeracy your_address"
>
> -If you have any questions e-mail edl at world.std.com
>

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Mon Feb 13 14:29:27 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:29:27 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] Questions about TABE 9/10 -- and
	what	should	TestPublishers Provide on their Web Sites?
Message-ID: <OF04B9839A.76D0197B-ON07257114.006B10FE-07257114.006B1103@yc.edu>

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From rosbrandt at state.pa.us  Mon Feb 13 17:49:46 2006
From: rosbrandt at state.pa.us (Brandt, Rose)
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:49:46 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] "Alternative" assessment
References: <6D87A5CD4E209448BBF7CCFB41D57C0E026013D1@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>
	<9DBD8679-226A-49C6-B48F-D325692A1779@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <50DFE17FDB132A4182A1D30FDB48CBC303CF8C63@enhbgpri10.backup>

A couple of thoughts-
 
First, using terms that are based on comparison is not usually a good idea, since, as the adage says, anything suffers by comparison. So, "alternative" is not the best choice of tems since it suggests different, which leads to the question, "Different than what?" It needs a term that allows it to stand on its own merits.
 
And I want to comment on your statement, David that, in "'unobtrusive' assessments... the learner is assessed but doesn't know it, and just sees it as part of the learning, indistinguishable from the rest." I would make a fine, but I think important distinction here. I believe the student should know that he or she is being assessed. But in unobtrusive assessment, the assessment is part of the learning process, consistent with it, grows out of it, and suggests future direction for it.
 
Rose  
 
 

	-----Original Message----- 
	From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of David Rosen 
	Sent: Sun 2/12/2006 3:24 PM 
	To: The Assessment Discussion List 
	Cc: 
	Subject: Re: [Assessment] "Alternative" assessment
	
	

	Marie, Ajit and others, 

	Two terms evaluators often use which could be introduced in this  
	discussion are "direct" and "indirect" measures.  A "direct" measure  
	is one which measures an actual performance of a specified task.  An  
	"indirect" measure (multiple choice paper and pencil tests are the  
	best-known example) is one which "stands for" the performance.  When  
	the GED testing service, several years ago changed the GED writing  
	test  from a multiple choice assessment _about_ writing to a  
	performance test of essay writing it moved from an indirect  
	("mediated") assessment to a direct assessment (of essay writing).   
	Most evaluators would agree that given a world of limitless money and  
	time, direct assessments are better -- that is, they more accurately  
	measure the specified and desired performance of a task -- than  
	indirect ones. 

	"Authentic" and "performance-based" assessments are synonymous (for  
	me) with "direct" assessments. Paper and pencil multiple choice tests  
	(whether standardized or not) are the best-known and most widely used  
	example of "indirect" or "mediated" assessments. 

	Two other terms I find useful when categorizing assessments, measures  
	or observations are "obtrusive' and "unobtrusive". The assessments we  
	talk about on this list are most often or always "obtrusive," that  
	is, the student knows s/he is being tested.  This can be good  
	("positively obtrusive") where the assessment itself causes some  
	additional positive learning, or bad ("negatively obtrusive"), where  
	the assessment interferes with or prevents learning. One of the  
	biggest complaints of the obtrusive assessments mandated by NCLB is  
	that they are negatively obtrusive, that they, and some would argue  
	that preparation for them, takes away a lot of valuable learning  
	time. There are other ways in which assessments can be negatively  
	obtrusive, too, producing false results for some for whom the testing  
	situation creates fear that impedes normal or ordinary performance. 

	I find "unobtrusive" assessments the most interesting, where the  
	learner is assessed but doesn't know it, and just sees it as part of  
	the learning, indistinguishable from the rest.  Portfolio assessment  
	can be unobtrusive, as can journal writing, or a weekly set of  
	problems or exercises which the student regards as regular classwork  
	or homework.  Teachers ask students questions all the time many of  
	which are used as unobtrusive individual or group assessment.  And  
	some teachers do this systematically.  In theory, unobtrusive  
	assessments could be standardized, although I know of no example of  
	this.( I wonder if large college lecture classes where students  
	sometimes have assessment consoles that enable them to respond  
	immediately and have their responses immediately tabulated and  
	graphed for the instructor might by now have evolved some standard  
	procedures which make them valid and reliable.  Anyone know?) 

	I think "alternative" is a vague word which doesn't help us to think  
	differently about kinds and purposes of assessment, whereas some of  
	these words raise some important and interesting differences in kinds  
	of assessment. 

	David J. Rosen 
	djrosen at comcast.net 



	On Feb 4, 2006, at 12:42 PM, Gopalakrishnan, Ajit wrote: 

	> Marie, et al, 
	> 
	> By "alternative", I presume you mean that these assessment options  
	> are an alternative to multiple-choice assessments. Is that a fair  
	> inference? I sometimes refer to alternative assessments as non- 
	> multiple choice assessments, just to make clear what I am talking  
	> about. 
	> 
	>> From my perspective, referring to them as authentic seems to muddy  
	>> this discussion. Webster provides two of the following definitions  
	>> for authentic which may help to illustrate my thinking: 
	> a) worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact  
	> <paints an authentic picture of our society> 
	> b) true to one's own personality, spirit, or character 
	> 
	> 
	> So for example, a student's CASAS scale score in math (say 212)  
	> from a multiple choice test may be worthy of acceptance of a  
	> person's math ability. An analysis of the test item responses may  
	> even provide greater information about a person's strengths and  
	> weaknesses. However, they cannot say much about how the student  
	> perceives the relation of "math" to his/her own personality and  
	> life. Two students at entry might both achieve a score of 207 in  
	> math for very different reasons. One student might have liked math,  
	> viewed herself as being capable of learning math but just not used  
	> it for many years. The other student might have never liked math,  
	> generally seen herself as having other strengths, but been forced  
	> to use math as part of her job. To ascertain this type of  
	> information, the teacher might have to talk to the student and find  
	> out the student's past experiences with math, the student's  
	> perceptions of its importance in his/her life, etc. Then, a custom  
	> assessment/project can 
	>   be designed that is meaningful and authentic to that particular  
	> student. 
	> 
	>> From my perspective, all standardization (whether multiple-choice  
	>> or non-multiple choice assessments) will to some extent reduce the  
	>> authenticity for the student. The CASAS system attempts to address  
	>> this by providing assessments that are relevant to adults and  
	>> based in various contexts (life skills, employability skills,  
	>> workforce learning, citizenship, etc.) so that the student can be  
	>> assessed in contexts that are somewhat authentic to their  
	>> experiences and goals. 
	> 
	> Therefore, I prefer the term alternative assessments because then  
	> we can focus our discussion on the differences between multiple  
	> choice assessments and non-multiple choice assessments. 
	> 
	> There is no question that non-multiple choice assessments can be  
	> legitimate and have many strengths. 
	> For example, Connecticut is currently piloting a CASAS workplace  
	> speaking assessment. This is a standardized assessment designed for  
	> ESL learners who are currently working to demonstrate their  
	> listening and speaking abilities in a workplace context. Compared  
	> to the CASAS listening multiple-choice assessments which we have  
	> used over the years, the speaking assessment has the potential for  
	> the instructor to gain a greater understanding of a student's  
	> strengths and weaknesses. Students also seem to enjoy taking the  
	> assessment. However, it needs to be administered one-on-one unlike  
	> the listening which can be group administered. The speaking  
	> assessment also places a greater training and certification burden  
	> on the test administrator and scorer. We have experienced many of  
	> these challenges with our statewide implementation of the CASAS  
	> Functional Writing Assessment over the past few years. Kevin  
	> alluded to some of those challenges such as maintaining scorer  
	> certification and interr 
	>  ater reliability. The scoring rubric used in both the writing and  
	> the speaking assessments can be valuable tools for classroom  
	> instruction. 
	> 
	> In my opinion, at least some non-multiple choice assessments should  
	> be standardized so that they can be used to broaden the array of  
	> assessments available for state-level reporting/accountability. 
	> 
	> Thanks. 
	> Ajit 
	> 
	> Ajit Gopalakrishnan 
	> Education Consultant 
	> Connecticut Department of Education 
	> 25 Industrial Park Road 
	> Middletown, CT 06457 
	> Tel: (860) 807-2125 
	> Fax: (860) 807-2062 
	> ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us  
	> <mailto:ajit.gopalakrishnan at po.state.ct.us> 
	> ________________________________ 
	> 
	> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
	> bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora 
	> Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 11:52 AM 
	> To: Assessment Discussion List 
	> Subject: [Assessment] Legitimacy of alternative tools 
	> 
	> Hi Bruce and everyone, 
	> 
	> Bruce, you said: 
	> 
	> "I think putting forth the strengths and legitimacy of tools such  
	> as portfolios, outcome checklists, holistically scored writing  
	> samples, etc is a good way to go." 
	> 
	> This sounds like a very good path to go down to me.  I think people  
	> would have a lot to say and share about alternative tools, their  
	> uses, and their strengths.  It would be a great exercise to list  
	> them all out and discuss the strengths, uses, and limitations of  
	> each one. 
	> 
	> What questions do folks have about alternative assessments?:  using  
	> them, seeking them out, developing them, whatever area most  
	> intrigues you. 
	> 
	> What can folks share with the rest of us in terms of "the strengths  
	> and legitimacy" of alternative tools such as portfolios,  
	> checklists, analytic/holistic scoring, rubric use, writing samples,  
	> in-take/placement processes? 
	> 
	> Are any of the tools you use standardized?  Not standardized?  Do  
	> you think that this is important?  Why or why not? 
	> 
	> Are any of the tools used for both classroom and program purposes? 
	> 
	> I have other questions for you, but let's leave it at that for  
	> right now.  Let us hear what your thoughts are.  We're looking  
	> forward to it. 
	> 
	> Thanks, 
	> 
	> marie cora 
	> Assessment Discussion List Moderator 
	> 
	> 
	> 
	> 
	> -- 
	> No virus found in this incoming message. 
	> Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
	> Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.0/248 - Release Date:  
	> 2/1/2006 
	> 
	> 
	> ------------------------------- 
	> National Institute for Literacy 
	> Assessment mailing list 
	> Assessment at nifl.gov 
	> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
	> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 

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From PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com  Tue Feb 14 17:49:44 2006
From: PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.2163953 at bloglines.com)
Date: 14 Feb 2006 22:49:44 -0000
Subject: [Assessment] Assessment Standards
Message-ID: <1139957384.909507752.29559.sendItem@bloglines.com>

It's been interesting reading this discussion of assessments. In 1994 the
International Reading Association (1) published Standards for the Assessment
of Reading and Writing which say:

1.	A student's interests are paramount
in assessment.
2.	The purpose of assessment is to improve teaching and learning.

3.	Assessment must reflect and allow for critical inquiry into curriculum
and instruction.
4.	Assessments must recognize and reflect the intellectually
and socially complex nature of reading and writing and the important roles
of school, home and society in literacy development.
5.	Assessment must be
fair and equitable.
6.	The consequences of an assessment procedure is the
first and most important consideration in establishing the validity of an
assessment.

As the discussion of assessment goes in our world, we generally
want to figure out where the student is to create an appropriate placement
and program for him/her. Assessment goes beyond that as we enter into the
program to measure the gains of the students in the class. We can use a variety
of things for that. 

One thing we haven't talked about (or if we have I
missed it in attempting to catch up with all of the recent postings, sorry!)
is the role of assessment to determine if we need to change anything in what
we're doing in our teaching.

We've also spoken about how hard it is to
assess the lowest literacy learners using some of the pre-created tests. Some
of these standards aren't even considered in the attempts to meet their needs.


I just thought they were worth tossing out there, since it's rare that
our world intersects with what's going on in the reading training of children,
and this comes from that world, and seems to have applicability.

Jean Marrapodi


(1)International Reading Association & National Council of Teachers of
English. (1994). Standards for the assessment of reading and writing. Newark
, DE : International Reading Association. Urbana , Illinois : National Council
of Teachers of English.



From kabeall at comcast.net  Wed Feb 15 12:25:13 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:25:13 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] New from NCSALL--Program Administrators' Sourcebook
Message-ID: <007501c63254$c8353650$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

If you administer an adult education program, you face a wide variety of challenges:

*         How can you help students make "level" gains?

*         How can you help students gain the skills they need to reach their goals?

*         How can you help students stay in programs long enough to meet their goals?

*         How can you prepare and retain good teachers?

*         How can you document the successes of your program?

 

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) conducted research relevant to these questions. The Program Administrators? Sourcebook (December 2005) is designed to give you, as a program administrator, direct access to research that may help you address the challenges you face in your job.

 

Written by Jackie Taylor, Cristine Smith, and Beth Bingman in collaboration with five local program administrators, this sourcebook presents NCSALL?s research findings in short sections related to key challenges that program administrators face in their work as managers of adult education programs. It also presents the implications of these research findings for program structure and services, as well as some strategies for implementing change based on these implications. 

 

To download the Program Administrators' Sourcebook, visit NCSALL's Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1035

 

To order the Program Administrators' Sourcebook at $10.00/copy, go to the NCSALL Order Form (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=674); limited quantities available.

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Feb 16 10:07:00 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 10:07:00 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Struggling ESOL Learners
Message-ID: <02b001c6330a$a40a0f10$0402a8c0@frodo>



Hello Colleagues,
Below is an announcemmennt from Julie McKinney, moderator of the NIFL
Focus
on basics discussion list.  Note that this discussion began yesterday
(2/15) - I apologize for the delay in getting this announcement to you.
marie
****************************

For those who are interested: the discussion of Struggling ESOL Learners
Starts February 15 on the Focus on Basics Discussion List. Please join
Robin Schwarz and the rest of us to discuss her article in Focus on
Basics, Vol. 8A.

To read the article: "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners"
go to:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994

If you are not subscribed to the FOB list, you can subscribe at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics

Below are the questions we posted last week to get us thinking about the
article and how it relates to the work we do.

Discussion Questions

1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How
common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a
learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out
the issue, and what you did to help?

2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific
accommodations can we make in the class or program for them?

3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do
for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is
not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and
health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy
skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style?

4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's
struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do
you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do
for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a
consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a
given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese
men in the article)?

5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we
all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and
appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective
way?

6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything
that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this
article. Why? What result did you get?

7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not
change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way?

We'll see you for the discussion!

Julie

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org






From ktashjian at yahoo.com  Tue Feb 21 15:04:47 2006
From: ktashjian at yahoo.com (karisa tashjian)
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 12:04:47 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] Request for rubrics
Message-ID: <20060221200447.28790.qmail@web52706.mail.yahoo.com>

I have been searching for rubrics that would be appropriate for adult ESL students.  I haven't had much luck.  Could anyone direct me to a source on the Internet? 
   
  Thank you in advance for your help.
   
  You can email me off-list if you prefer at ktashjian at yahoo.com.
   
  Thank you,
  Karisa Tashjian
  Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative
  Providence, RI
   

		
---------------------------------
Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses!
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Feb 22 11:11:36 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 11:11:36 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Request for rubrics
In-Reply-To: <20060221200447.28790.qmail@web52706.mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <007b01c637ca$a83d29e0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Karisa,
 
Can you tell us more specifically what you want to measure?  
 
I know for writing, the REEP Writing Rubric and Process is excellent and
was developed by ESOL teachers for their adult students.  Here's the
page from the ALEWiki that discusses the REEP - it's excerpts from a
guest discussion that was on the List a year ago.  There are links to
REEP in the text.
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/REEP_Writing_Rubric
 
But as for other content rubrics..not sure what you need...anyone?
 
marie
Assessment List Discussion Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of karisa tashjian
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:05 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment] Request for rubrics
 
I have been searching for rubrics that would be appropriate for adult
ESL students.  I haven't had much luck.  Could anyone direct me to a
source on the Internet? 
 
Thank you in advance for your help.
 
You can email me off-list if you prefer at ktashjian at yahoo.com.
 
Thank you,
Karisa Tashjian
Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative
Providence, RI
 
  _____  

Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/virusall/*http:/communications.
yahoo.com/features.php?page=221>  scanning helps detect nasty viruses!
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Feb 22 11:20:34 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 11:20:34 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Tech list discussion announcement
Message-ID: <008101c637cb$e8ee7bf0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear colleagues, 

The following announcement is from Mariann Fedele, Moderator of the
Technology and Literacy Discussion List.  To subscribe to this
discussion, go to:  http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology

Thanks,
marie
Assessment List Discussion Moderator

****************************
Hello NIFL discussion list colleagues,

Audio and video resources have been used in adult education instruction
for
many years, but the introduction of CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and other
electronic technologies has greatly expanded their availability and
raise
many questions about implementation, support annd training.

I'm pleased to announce that David Collings, Technology Coordinator for
the
Adult and Community Education Network in Delaware, and Alex Quinn,
Executive Director of the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), will
join
the NIFL Technology list as guests to lead a discussion on  
current and emerging uses of media in adult ed. instruction in the
classroom and at a distance. Their discussion will take place next week
from Tuesday, February 28th through Friday March 3rd. Some of the areas
they will cover on this topic include: teacher training, technical
support
for teachers and learners, the challenges of their use, media
distribution,
and emerging uses and tools foor delivery of media. 

You are encouraged to participate, ask questions, and share you
experience
and knowledge.
To join the NIFL Technology and Literacy discussion list please
subscribe
by going to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions.

Regards,
Mariann





Mariann Fedele
Coordinator of Professional Development, 
Literacy Assistance Center
Moderator,
NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
32 Broadway 10th Floor
New York, New York 10004
212-803-3325
mariannf at lacnyc.org
www.lacnyc.org

_______________________________________________
National Institute for Literacy 
Moderators mailing list: Moderators at nifl.gov 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/moderators 
Moderator's Resource Page: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs_dlms/contents.html 



From ktashjian at yahoo.com  Wed Feb 22 13:19:17 2006
From: ktashjian at yahoo.com (karisa tashjian)
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:19:17 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Assessment] Request for rubrics
In-Reply-To: <007b01c637ca$a83d29e0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <20060222181917.49288.qmail@web52711.mail.yahoo.com>

Hi Marie,
   
  Thank you for your reply.  Yes, I have looked at those rubrics as well as the WIKI.  I am searching for rubrics that are tailored for specific classroom assignments in the adult ESL classroom.  For instance, a teacher assigns students to give an oral presentation.  I would like an example of a rubric that a teacher has designed to go along with the presentation.  Hopefully, it will assess their pronunciation and/or grammar and/or organization of material.  My overall intention is to share these in our upcoming teacher newsletter.  Instead of just writing about the usefulness of rubrics in the adult ESL classroom, I would like to give examples. 
   
  I hope I'm not on the wrong track with this........but I have created rubrics for K-12 assignments (or had the students help create them) with great success.  My challenge is finding ones that would be adaptable for our classrooms.  One of the strengths I find with rubrics is that students truly internalize the criteria for success and can self-evaluate.
   
  I welcome any advice.
   
  Thank you,
  Karisa

		
---------------------------------
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 Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.
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From AWilder106 at aol.com  Sat Feb 25 12:33:22 2006
From: AWilder106 at aol.com (AWilder106 at aol.com)
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 12:33:22 EST
Subject: [Assessment] "Alternative" assessment
Message-ID: <1c4.3a7d187b.3131eee2@aol.com>

Sorry for the lateness of this message.

"Unobtrusive measures" can be just that--a teacher stows them away as signs 
that the learner feels better about being in class, progress, etc..

Unobtrusive measures could be ---a student shows up early to class, looks 
better dressed, does not sit in the back of the room, jokes with other 
students...

Andrea
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Feb 27 14:45:24 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:45:24 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] "Alternative" terminology
In-Reply-To: <1c4.3a7d187b.3131eee2@aol.com>
Message-ID: <015401c63bd6$5a6fbbf0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Andrea, David, Rose, and everyone,
 
I'd also like to pick up on this great discussion of terminology (sorry
to be late - last week was school vacation week!).
 
David, you raised some really good points in your post, and added
greatly to our list of terms that can possibly be more useful to us in
this work.  I have to side with Rose in her point regarding whether or
not a student knows they are being assessed.  I also feel it's extremely
important for them to know how, when, why, etc they will be assessed,
but if the test is unobtrusive as David suggests, then this variable
should actually be a positive one.  It would provide them with
information on what the expectations are for their performance.  
 
What do others think about this?
 
David you also brought up standardization of unobtrusive tests, and
Andrea noted some good examples of things teachers could observe of
their students.  Although I agree that it would be a tough thing to
formally standardize such behaviors/acts/skills/interactions/etc, a
teacher could take some measures to be as uniform in the process as
possible.  For example, they could use a standard form for checking on
the things that Andrea notes, and provide themself with parameters for
using the form (like use same time every day, always ask same questions
in same order, never ask more than 2 students the same question, etc.).
There is also what's known as triangulation - which is used in the
classroom:  it is a procedure that includes 3 ways of corroborating
information (http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Triangulation).
This is also a possible way of making the collection of some of this
info more valid.
 
This is making me think of Exhibitions, which is a Coalition of
Essential Schools initiative.  It's different because it's high school,
but there are many places where this discussion and that type of
assessment overlap.  Exhibitions, at the very least, would certainly
fall under David's "Direct" measure category.
(http://www.essentialschools.org/pub/ces_docs/resources/cp/assess/assess
.html)
 
So!  Here's a tally of some of the terms that have been put out there
during this discussion.  Let's see if we can add to this list.  Advocate
for your preferred term as well, and let us know why you feel that way.
Add to, or revise the definitions below as well.
 
Constructed response - An exercise for which examinees must create their
own responses or products (performance assessment
<http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Performance_assessment> ) rather
than choose a response from an enumerated set (multiple choice).
 
Selected response - An exercise for which examinees must choose a
response from an enumerated set (multiple choice) rather than create
their own responses or products (performance assessment
<http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Performance_assessment> ).
 
A "direct" measure is one which measures an actual performance of a
specified task.  
 
An "indirect" or "mediated" measure (multiple choice paper and pencil
tests are the best-known example) is one which "stands for" the
performance.
 
"Obtrusive" assessment - that is, the student knows s/he is being
tested.  
 
"Unobtrusive" assessment - the learner is assessed but doesn't know it,
and just sees it as part of the learning, indistinguishable from the
rest.
 
"Positively obtrusive" - the assessment itself causes some additional
positive learning.
 
"Negatively obtrusive" - the assessment interferes with or prevents
learning.
 
Questions for you all:
 
Performance assessment - What do you think of this term?  Too vague as
well?  Has it taken on too much to be meaningful to us now?
 
Authentic assessment - What do you think of this term?  Too vague?
Encompasses too much so tells us little?
 
Participatory assessment - What do you think of this term?  Is this in
the same category as the ones above?  Why or why not?  Is this term
useful for us?
 
Thanks for this rich discussion,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of AWilder106 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 12:33 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: Re: [Assessment] "Alternative" assessment
 
Sorry for the lateness of this message.

"Unobtrusive measures" can be just that--a teacher stows them away as
signs that the learner feels better about being in class, progress,
etc..

Unobtrusive measures could be ---a student shows up early to class,
looks better dressed, does not sit in the back of the room, jokes with
other students...

Andrea
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Feb 27 20:12:06 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 20:12:06 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] FW:  More ESOL Discussions
Message-ID: <018501c63c03$fe4c4ea0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hello everyone,

Please take a look at the following opportunity to discuss issues in
ESOL on the FOB Listserv.  marie

=================================================
Hi All,

Another guest discussion on the Focus on Basics List: Tues. Feb 28th -
Mon. 
March 6th.

A team of researchers/authors from the Lab School will discuss their
articles from the recent FOB issue on ESOL Research (Vol. 8A).

This discussion will include information about the Lab School itself,
and several research projects that were done there involving
student-to-student language and interaction, and a modified reading
technique in beginning level adult ESOL classes. Many of the topics
overlap, so it will be great to have these researchers lead the
discussion as a team.

The articles and authors include:

The "Lab School"
By Steve Reder
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=987

Same Activity, Different Focus [Pair Activities]
By Kathryn Harris
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=988

A Conversation with FOB: Modified Sustained Silent Reading
By Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=990

Rewarding Conversations
By Betsy Kraft
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=991

Spontaneous Conversations: A Window into Language Learners' Autonomy
By Dominique Brillanceau
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=992

Turn Taking and Opening Interactions
By John Hellermann
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=993


Please take a look at the articles and join us for this discussion!

(If you are not subscribed to the FOB list, you can subscribe at:
www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics )

Sorry for the short notice, but we had a rare window of availability
open!

Julie


Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org





From kabeall at comcast.net  Tue Feb 28 12:53:25 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 12:53:25 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] New from NCSALL--Practitioner Research,
	Practitioner Knowledge
Message-ID: <002401c63c8f$dff086b0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

Visit the new Practitioner Research, Practitioner Knowledge section of
NCSALL's Web site at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=967. Find out how
practitioners learn about new research and then inquire about how this
research might be used in their own practice. 

 

Teachers in the Northwest Practitioner Knowledge Institute learned about ESL
research, made a change in their own practice, documented what happened when
they made the change, and shared this knowledge in final reports. They
developed and documented "practitioner knowledge" developed from learning
about others' research. 

 

Teachers in the Minnesota Practitioner Research in Reading Project and the
Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network learned about others'
research and also conducted research of their own. After learning about new
research findings in reading or learner persistence, these teachers
developed a research question on one of these topics, planned an
intervention or change in their own practice, collected data on what
happened as a result, analyzed these data and reported their findings.

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Mar  2 12:23:12 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 12:23:12 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] NAS Report now available
Message-ID: <03e901c63e1d$fc869550$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear Colleagues,
 
The report Measuring Literacy:  Performance Levels for Adults authored
by the Committee on Performance Levels for Adult Literacy at the
National Research Council is now available at:
 
http://fermat.nap.edu/catalog/11267.html
 
The site includes instructions for purchasing the report as well as for
reading it free on-line.
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion Listserv Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Mar  6 12:30:53 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 12:30:53 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Conference opportunity
Message-ID: <010101c64143$b8a6c7f0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear List Members:
 
The following conference announcement/call for presenters is from Jane
Swing:
 
Assessment is a concern and interest for members of the Virginia
Association of Adult and Continuing Education.  We are seeking
presenters to provide sessions focused on utilizing assessment, as well
as coordinating assessment and curricula.   Please see the information
provided below for inquiries.
 
 
The Virginia Association of Adult and Continuing Education invites you
to
 
Sail into Spring
 
The Virginia Association of Adult and Continuing Education (VAACE)
invites you to attend its annual conference to be held May 3-5 at the
Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

 
The conference will provide a wonderful opportunity for you to network
and learn about the latest trends and issues facing adult education.
Vendors will be on hand to show off their newest publications along with
tried and true ones. Awards will be presented to some of Virginia's best
adult education practitioners. 
 
The conference planning team is in search of presenters to offer
interesting and relevant sessions for our participants. They know there
are many people doing great work in adult education. Now is the time to
share what you are doing with others. Encourage your peers to share
their work and knowledge through a workshop presentation. The workshop
proposal form is attached to this message.
 
Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn, renew, and relax in a
wonderful setting with colleagues who are facing the same issues,
challenges and rewards.
 
More information about VAACE and this year's conference can be found at
www.vaace.org <http://www.vaace.org/> .
 
 
 
Jane C. Swing, Director
Office of Adult Education and Literacy Projects
Radford University
PO Box 7015
A 136 Peters Hall
Radford, VA 24142
540-831-6207
FAX 540-831-5779
jswing at radford.edu
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Mar  8 11:51:40 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 11:51:40 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] Discussion summary posted at Wiki
Message-ID: <01ec01c642d0$934fa920$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
I hope this email finds you well.  I have archived the discussion we had
a couple of weeks ago regarding terminology and alternative assessment
at the ALEWiki Assessment page:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information  - click
on Discussions.
 
I titled it:  "
<http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Alternative_Assessment_as_an_App
ropriate_Tool/The_Value_of_Terminology> Alternative Assessment as an
Appropriate Tool/The Value of Terminology" for lack of a better way to
describe the discussion.  I hope you find this useful.
 
***If you use this, or any of the resources at the Assessment Wiki,
please let me know how you used them and for what purposes.  This is
very important information for me to learn in order for the Assessment
Wiki to be a useful tool for you all.  And if you would like to see
other types of info put up at Wiki, let me know - I will help you do it
:-)
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Mar  8 12:08:31 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 12:08:31 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
Message-ID: <01f101c642d2$ed9506d0$0402a8c0@frodo>

That is the question...
 
Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding
submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that
the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so
that the outcomes of the program looked better.  
 
I bet this story is not new to you - either because you have heard about
it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.  
 
So I have some questions now:
 
If programs fudge their data, won't that come back to haunt us all?
Won't that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform or
not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too
steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point,
most-likely the fudge will be revealed don't you think?
 
We don't have nationwide standards - so if programs within states are
reporting data in any which way, we won't be able to compare ourselves
across states, will we?
 
Since states have all different standards (and some don't have any),
states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be out-doing
other states, when perhaps they are not at all?
 
I'm probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:
the accurate data part, and the standards part ("on what do we base our
data") - but this is how it's playing out in my mind.  Not only do we
sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of
reasons:  it's complex, it's messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things
are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards
across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion.
 
What are your thoughts on this?
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From ADNEILS at k12.carr.org  Wed Mar  8 14:12:26 2006
From: ADNEILS at k12.carr.org (Andrea Neilson)
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 14:12:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
Message-ID: <s40ee64f.072@k12.carr.org>

Marie,

You've hit the mark with me on all the points you've raised regarding
data.  Having worked as the LWIS coordinator for the past 6 years, I've
seen data collection requirements become more detailed and certainly
more complex.  When we went from scanning to on-line data entry,
suddenly we had more restrictions, instant error notifications, and a
series of "if this, then that" rules to institute.  I don't consider
myself a data-geek, but I really appreciate the more clearly defined and
precise directives.  I value our program's integrity and feel secure in
our reporting as it's in line with our state's requirements.

However, I still very often feel we're comparing apples to oranges when
we look at our performance across fiscal years, against other providers,
and against the state averages.  I often wonder what practices other
providers are using in regard to data management, intake and assessment
and data quality (not to mention instruction and professional
development).  In the bigger picture, it would make sense to me if these
practices were also either more clearly directed and defined or at the
very least, shared and discussed among all providers so as to learn
"what works."

I'm a first time responder to this list and perhaps using this
platform, we might share legitimate program practices that result in
these anticipated outcomes?

Thanks,
Andrea Neilson
Intake Assessment Specialist
Carroll Adult Learning Connection
Carroll County Public Schools
410-751-3680 ext. 221

>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 3/8/06 12:08:31 PM >>>
That is the question...
 
Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding
submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that
the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so
that the outcomes of the program looked better.  
 
I bet this story is not new to you - either because you have heard
about
it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.  
 
So I have some questions now:
 
If programs fudge their data, won't that come back to haunt us all?
Won't that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform
or
not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too
steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point,
most-likely the fudge will be revealed don't you think?
 
We don't have nationwide standards - so if programs within states are
reporting data in any which way, we won't be able to compare ourselves
across states, will we?
 
Since states have all different standards (and some don't have any),
states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be
out-doing
other states, when perhaps they are not at all?
 
I'm probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:
the accurate data part, and the standards part ("on what do we base
our
data") - but this is how it's playing out in my mind.  Not only do we
sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of
reasons:  it's complex, it's messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things
are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards
across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion.
 
What are your thoughts on this?
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 


From janeaddeo at comcast.net  Wed Mar  8 14:39:10 2006
From: janeaddeo at comcast.net (janeaddeo at comcast.net)
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 19:39:10 +0000
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
Message-ID: <030820061939.2931.440F32DE0006C91F00000B732200750330010A0B0B0E0A020E06@comcast.net>

Marie,

Re- fudging-"Honesty is the best policy."  
Standards- the state and pertinent state standards, or lack there -of, should be indicated in the submitted data.

Nationwide standards- should be the goal :>)


-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 

That is the question?..
 
Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so that the outcomes of the program looked better.  
 
I bet this story is not new to you ? either because you have heard about it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.  
 
So I have some questions now:
 
If programs fudge their data, won?t that come back to haunt us all?  Won?t that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform or not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point, most-likely the fudge will be revealed don?t you think?
 
We don?t have nationwide standards ? so if programs within states are reporting data in any which way, we won?t be able to compare ourselves across states, will we?
 
Since states have all different standards (and some don?t have any), states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be out-doing other states, when perhaps they are not at all?
 
I?m probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:  the accurate data part, and the standards part (?on what do we base our data?) ? but this is how it?s playing out in my mind.  Not only do we sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of reasons:  it?s complex, it?s messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion.
 
What are your thoughts on this?
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From: "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com>
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 16:57:26 +0000
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From Susan.Erno at ccs.k12.va.us  Wed Mar  8 16:02:47 2006
From: Susan.Erno at ccs.k12.va.us (Susan Erno)
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 16:02:47 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
Message-ID: <s40f004e.040@mail.ccs.k12.va.us>

Marie
Such a brave question to post.  And a complicated one. and as you say, a messy one.  I can give a perspective as a program administrator for a mid-size Adult Education program in Virginia.  As in most programs, data collection and accountability are priorities.  Our income sources include federal, state, local school, grant, private contracts, and tuition payments.  The federal funding is actually just a small % of the total budget.  
 
Here are our options: 1. Count all students in the NRS data regardless of funding.  our stats would like great but we would be giving a false picture of the actual cost per student.  I know of many programs that report all students using the rationale, that the higher numbers make their program look better.  The federal government actually rewards what you call "fudging" (others call it "being creative") by giving additional money as incentives to states who meet or exceed their goals.  No one asks how the goals were met.  I have seen reports showing 100%  level gains and 12 hours attendance per student.
    
2. Count only students in classes which use federal/state funding.  Numbers would be lower but more accurate.  Goals might not look as good.  Even here, this is not a true picture because of extra local funding.  A full-time administrator and longer duration of classes give our program an edge.  
 
3 Creative counting of students-including extra students only when it is advantageous to our performance.  In this option, we would count everyone in our federal/state funded classes and we would only count successful students from classes with other funding sources.  For example, if the jail class (which is fully paid for by the jail) has 11 students who pass the GED test, we count them.  The rationale is that some federal/state dollars were spent on this class because the admin, admin assistant, and GED Examiner all spent time.  Did they spend a significant amount of time?  Maybe-the admin negotiated the contract, hired and trained staff; the ass't did the paperwork and tracking; and the GED examiner administered the tests.  
 
We wrestle with these issues and more.  We have a teacher-led assessment team whose charge is to continue to improve the assessment process so that it is meaningful to all parties-students, teachers, program, all funders.  
 
The NRS is an imperfect system. As you know, each state creates its own benchmarks- so comparisons are impossible.  Why should a state with low benchmarks be rewarded for meeting them?  In Virginia, the benchmarks for level gains have become increasingly difficult to meet -given the short amount of time we have to teach.  I can't condone "fudging" or "creative accounting" but I understand why it is done.  We need to look at the NRS and its reward system as a starting point for reform.  The system needs to change for the results to change. 
 
 
Susan Erno
Adult Learning Center
Charlottesville City Schools
1000 Preston Ave, Suite D
Charlottesville, VA 22903
434 245-2817
f: 434 245-2601 
>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 03/08/06 12:08 PM >>>

That is the question*.. Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so that the outcomes of the program looked better.   I bet this story is not new to you * either because you have heard about it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.   So I have some questions now: If programs fudge their data, won't that come back to haunt us all?  Won't that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform or not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point, most-likely the fudge will be revealed don't you think? We don't have nationwide standards * so if programs within states are reporting data in any which way, we won't be able to compare ourselves across states, will we? Since states have all different standards (and some don't have any), states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be out-doing other states, when perhaps they are not at all? I'm probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:  the accurate data part, and the standards part ("on what do we base our data") * but this is how it's playing out in my mind.  Not only do we sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of reasons:  it's complex, it's messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks,marie coraAssessment Discussion List Moderator 


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From varshna at grandecom.net  Thu Mar  9 07:30:50 2006
From: varshna at grandecom.net (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson)
Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 06:30:50 -0600
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
In-Reply-To: <01f101c642d2$ed9506d0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <C0357C1A.91A1%varshna@grandecom.net>

Maria: I know the DOL requires states to undergo a data validation process
in order to ensure the quality of the data they are receiving?does NRS or US
Dept of Education?  I?ve read several threads on this, and I?m not sure the
problem is with the NRS or states? expectations.  The problem will come when
programs get to choose which students are included in program performance.
The US Dept of Education has been slow to move on the Common Measures
adopted across federal agencies funding employment and training programs.
If you?re counting everyone who receives a qualifying service, then no one
is creaming the population to enhance performance and we?re all using the
same definitions for performance and outcomes, regardless of how the states
define their benchmarks.  Thanks, Varshna.


on 3/8/06 11:08 AM, Marie Cora at marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com wrote:

> That is the question?..
>  
> Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding
> submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that the
> person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so that the
> outcomes of the program looked better.
>  
> I bet this story is not new to you ? either because you have heard about it,
> or perhaps because it has happened to you.
>  
> So I have some questions now:
>  
> If programs fudge their data, won?t that come back to haunt us all?  Won?t
> that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform or not allow
> them to reach their performance levels because they are too steep?  Why would
> you want to fudge your data?  At some point, most-likely the fudge will be
> revealed don?t you think?
>  
> We don?t have nationwide standards ? so if programs within states are
> reporting data in any which way, we won?t be able to compare ourselves across
> states, will we?
>  
> Since states have all different standards (and some don?t have any), states
> can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be out-doing other states,
> when perhaps they are not at all?
>  
> I?m probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:  the
> accurate data part, and the standards part (?on what do we base our data?) ?
> but this is how it?s playing out in my mind. Not only do we sometimes struggle
> with providing accurate data (for a variety of reasons:  it?s complex, it?s
> messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things are unclear, etc.), but we do not
> have institutionalized standards across all states for all to be working in
> parallel fashion.
>  
> What are your thoughts on this?
>  
> Thanks,
> marie cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>  
> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


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From khinson at future-gate.com  Fri Mar 10 07:50:28 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:50:28 +0100
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
Message-ID: <44118424020000A0000021CD@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

That's a big question. I had to think about this one some before I could even begin to think about a response.  I agree that it's not a new story and that it probably happens more than people realize.  My personal opinion is that any time you tie funding primarily to performance, there are bound to be issues regarding data collection and I'm not sure there is a "neat" solution that will adress the problem. Also I think there are gaps in the data itself. I teach in addition to other duties I have at my institution and so often when I do outcomes, I don't feel they're a true indicator of a student's performance - a student may have made progress but not enough to move up a level - not enough to meet a goal or performance indicator - goals like that are accounted for. Another problem we've encountered with the data itself is the fact that if a students marks "find a job" as a goal and ends up joining the military, the goal isn't met either because of the way the data is cross references with ESC agencies, yet I think most people would agree that joining the military definitely qualifies as getting a job.

I think that there are issues with the data collection instruments, that while they may have been validated at some point, they perhaps need to be reviewed to see if they are capturing the right data needed to show a program's real performance or if  more needs to be taken into account when determining if a program is doing well. I don't think raw data alone can ever truly show a programs strenghts and weaknesses.

I'm still digesting this topic. It definitely warrants thought.

Regards
Katrina Hinson

>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  >>>
That is the question...
 
Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding
submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that
the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so
that the outcomes of the program looked better.  
 
I bet this story is not new to you - either because you have heard about
it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.  
 
So I have some questions now:
 
If programs fudge their data, won't that come back to haunt us all?
Won't that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform or
not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too
steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point,
most-likely the fudge will be revealed don't you think?
 
We don't have nationwide standards - so if programs within states are
reporting data in any which way, we won't be able to compare ourselves
across states, will we?
 
Since states have all different standards (and some don't have any),
states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be out-doing
other states, when perhaps they are not at all?
 
I'm probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:
the accurate data part, and the standards part ("on what do we base our
data") - but this is how it's playing out in my mind.  Not only do we
sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of
reasons:  it's complex, it's messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things
are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards
across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion.
 
What are your thoughts on this?
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 



From varshna at grandecom.net  Fri Mar 10 08:12:53 2006
From: varshna at grandecom.net (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson)
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:12:53 -0600
Subject: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge
In-Reply-To: <44118424020000A0000021CD@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>
Message-ID: <C036D775.91EB%varshna@grandecom.net>

Katrina:

Just thought I'd address one of the questions below: whether employment with
the military is 'entered employment' for the purposes of WIA.  It is my
understanding that federal military wage records are part of the data set --
the other primary data set being UI wage records -- that states can utilize
when evaluating employment outcomes.  The question then becomes one of
sharing data between Title I and Title II agencies for the purposes of
evaluating program outcomes.  It is not always clear to me that, when states
have separate Title I and II agencies, this happens or that it happens with
the kind of coordination expected at the federal level.

The issue -- and I'm stating my opinion now -- is the attempt to make a
distinction between education and training that (again, my opinion) has no
practical relevance to the adults who seek ABE services and, maybe, has no
relevance in the discussion of measuring the efficacy of federally-funded
programs, especially when education appears to be considered a training
service on the basis of its inclusion in federally-defined employment and
training programs.  Maybe that's a discussion for another list...

I don't know if anyone has read the www.expectmore.gov page on Adult
Education: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/summary.10000180.2005.html

It's interesting... Program Results and Accountability rates a ZERO.

Thanks, Varshna

on 3/10/06 6:50 AM, Katrina Hinson at khinson at future-gate.com wrote:

> That's a big question. I had to think about this one some before I could even
> begin to think about a response.  I agree that it's not a new story and that
> it probably happens more than people realize.  My personal opinion is that any
> time you tie funding primarily to performance, there are bound to be issues
> regarding data collection and I'm not sure there is a "neat" solution that
> will adress the problem. Also I think there are gaps in the data itself. I
> teach in addition to other duties I have at my institution and so often when I
> do outcomes, I don't feel they're a true indicator of a student's performance
> - a student may have made progress but not enough to move up a level - not
> enough to meet a goal or performance indicator - goals like that are accounted
> for. Another problem we've encountered with the data itself is the fact that
> if a students marks "find a job" as a goal and ends up joining the military,
> the goal isn't met either because of the way the data is cross re
>  ferences with ESC agencies, yet I think most people would agree that joining
> the military definitely qualifies as getting a job.
> 
> I think that there are issues with the data collection instruments, that while
> they may have been validated at some point, they perhaps need to be reviewed
> to see if they are capturing the right data needed to show a program's real
> performance or if  more needs to be taken into account when determining if a
> program is doing well. I don't think raw data alone can ever truly show a
> programs strenghts and weaknesses.
> 
> I'm still digesting this topic. It definitely warrants thought.
> 
> Regards
> Katrina Hinson
> 
>>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  >>>
> That is the question...
>  
> Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding
> submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that
> the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so
> that the outcomes of the program looked better.
>  
> I bet this story is not new to you - either because you have heard about
> it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.
>  
> So I have some questions now:
>  
> If programs fudge their data, won't that come back to haunt us all?
> Won't that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform or
> not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too
> steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point,
> most-likely the fudge will be revealed don't you think?
>  
> We don't have nationwide standards - so if programs within states are
> reporting data in any which way, we won't be able to compare ourselves
> across states, will we?
>  
> Since states have all different standards (and some don't have any),
> states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be out-doing
> other states, when perhaps they are not at all?
>  
> I'm probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:
> the accurate data part, and the standards part ("on what do we base our
> data") - but this is how it's playing out in my mind.  Not only do we
> sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of
> reasons:  it's complex, it's messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things
> are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards
> across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion.
>  
> What are your thoughts on this?
>  
> Thanks,
> marie cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>  
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 
> 




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Mar 10 12:52:21 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 12:52:21 -0500
Subject: [Assessment] TABE frustration:  a tempting fudge?
Message-ID: <03be01c6446b$623f41a0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear List members:  the following post is from Tina Luffman.
 
 
Hi NIFL listserv members,
 
I use the TABE for state and national reporting purposes. Recently I
have noticed a lot of students testing out of range and getting stuck
taking three TABES, having to move to the "8" series to get a valid
score. So far I have been able to get a valid score through this method.
I can see where a program could be tempted to "fudge" a score on a
student when the student is frustrated over being asked to take their
third Reading TABE, for example.  Is there any way that the developers
of the TABE can make the gap lesser between their book levels or widen
the white area of valid scores so we don't end up in this situation?
Perhaps I am asking the wrong audience.
 
Thanks,
 
Tina




Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu
 
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From varshna.jackson at twc.state.tx.us  Fri Mar 10 12:54:10 2006
From: varshna.jackson at twc.state.tx.us (Jackson, Varshna)
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 11:54:10 -0600
Subject: [Assessment] TABE frustration:  a tempting fudge?
Message-ID: <A08AB446D3ECD611AB5D0002B39BF5081B815423@twcsrv53.twc.state.tx.us>

do you use the locator first?
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 11:52 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: Re: [Assessment] TABE frustration: a tempting fudge?


Dear List members:  the following post is from Tina Luffman.
 
 
Hi NIFL listserv members,
 
I use the TABE for state and national reporting purposes. Recently I have
noticed a lot of students testing out of range and getting stuck taking
three TABES, having to move to the "8" series to get a valid score. So far I
have been able to get a valid score through this method. I can see where a
program could be tempted to "fudge" a score on a student when the student is
frustrated over being asked to take their third Reading TABE, for example.
Is there any way that the developers of the TABE can make the gap lesser
between their book levels or widen the white area of valid scores so we
don't end up in this situation?  Perhaps I am asking the wrong audience.
 
Thanks,
 
Tina




Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu <mailto:tina_luffman at yc.edu> 
 
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Fri Mar 10 16:00:04 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:00:04 -0700
Subject: [Assessment] TABE frustration:  a tempting fudge?
Message-ID: <OF7768AC3E.D53213C4-ON0725712D.00735D04-0725712D.00735D09@yc.edu>

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From kabeall at comcast.net  Mon Mar 13 13:28:55 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:28:55 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 233] New from NCSALL--An Evaluation of Focus on Basics
Message-ID: <004501c646cb$fce85db0$0302a8c0@your4105e587b6>

"It's not an expensive journal, but has high quality articles with current
research and

techniques. . it helps me stay connected with the profession." says one
reader of Focus on Basics. 

 

The results of a survey on the impact of Focus on Basics on its readers is
available on the NCSALL Web site at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#27.  To
order a printed version ($10), go to http://www.ncsall.net/?id=681. (Printed
copies will be available by 3/17/06.)

 

SNEAK PREVIEW: The findings were overwhelmingly upbeat. The 292 readers who
completed the survey report that Focus on Basics has had a positive impact
in the following ways:

. It has influenced their beliefs about adult basic education.

. It has helped them feel connected to the larger education community as
professionals.

. It has contributed to the development of communities of practice.

. It has enabled them to make a connection between research and practice.

. It has provided them with concrete ideas they have used to change their
programs and practice.

 

Four in-depth interviews with professional development providers are
included as well.

 

Read the report to find out more about how the publication is and can be
used as a professional development tool.

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Mar 14 11:13:55 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 11:13:55 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 234]  Thoughts on apples and oranges
Message-ID: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
I'm going to pick up where the discussion left off last week - we were
exploring some of the frustrations with standards, reported data, and
goals.
 
Several of you noted that because of the lack of national standards,
it's tough or next to impossible to compare performance across programs
or states.  Yet part of what the federal system does is compare states
to one another in terms of identifying recipients of things like
incentive grants and so forth.  States are required to report on how
they are able to show gain via pre and post test scores - but as Andrea
and Susan pointed out in their posts, there is no standardized method
for showing this gain - each state creates its own benchmarks.  
 
What can we do about this?  We need a national set of standards.  But
before that?  Jane noted that state standards should be indicated within
the submitted data - do any states do this?  (probably not because they
are not required).  Would this help?  Let's think this possibility
through a little...
 
Susan described several scenarios for us in which one aspect necessarily
must suffer in order for another aspect to be recognized (feel familiar
to you?).  I hear this lament constantly:  'so as a program director, do
I make sure my numbers work so I can continue to get funded to run my
program, or do I not compromise the integrity of the teaching/learning
process but run the risk of not showing good data?'  (and then my
program loses its funding, so integrity becomes a moot point).  However,
we must have an accountability system; I really don't believe anyone
wants to throw around money without real proof that it's not being
wasted.  One of you noted that reform then, must happen at the root - at
the NRS - what would that look like?
 
Varshna - you asked if the NRS/DOE requirements included data validation
as does DOLs requirements - not to my knowledge - but can anyone speak
to this question?  It's a good one.  Varshna - do you believe that such
data validation helps with the "apples/oranges" issue?  How so?
 
Finally, Katrina - you brought up the 'gaps in data' issue and cited the
"unanticipated" goals situation as an example.  This is also something
we need to address:  if a student changes a goal or achieves a goal that
was not specifically set at the outset of the learning process - this
happens all the time actually and is normal behavior:  shifting and
changing your goals based on your experience and progress can logically
happen during a learning process.  But often, these goals can get lost
or don't get counted or cannot be counted because our system does not
give us a way to show increments for example.  
 
What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important thing
that will help combat these issues?  
 
A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite different
than the needs of the teacher and student - and both are legitimate
needs.  
 
What are your thoughts on these issues?
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:Marie.cora at hotsurpartners.com> 
 
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Mar 14 11:33:42 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 11:33:42 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 235] Re: [Assessment] Tying data to performance and
	performance to data
In-Reply-To: <C036D775.91EB%varshna@grandecom.net>
Message-ID: <004001c64785$0f46f9d0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Varshna and all,

So are you saying that you believe the federal system separates
employment and training for purposes of data collection only?  And that
it is not to distinguish between opportunities?  Clarify this for us a
bit if you can ok?

I did go to the ExpectMore url you suggested below and I was intrigued
by the Improvement Plan they propose:  it focuses on developing uniform
or standardized mechanisms for collecting data - they clearly believe
that this will make an impact on performance.  

There is also this item:  'Measuring how program participation impacts
an individual's earnings.' - What do folks think of this?  Do people
feel that we can effectively tie earnings to program participation (and
vice versa)?  

Thanks,
marie
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 8:13 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Assessment] To fudge or not to fudge

Katrina:

Just thought I'd address one of the questions below: whether employment
with
the military is 'entered employment' for the purposes of WIA.  It is my
understanding that federal military wage records are part of the data
set --
the other primary data set being UI wage records -- that states can
utilize
when evaluating employment outcomes.  The question then becomes one of
sharing data between Title I and Title II agencies for the purposes of
evaluating program outcomes.  It is not always clear to me that, when
states
have separate Title I and II agencies, this happens or that it happens
with
the kind of coordination expected at the federal level.

The issue -- and I'm stating my opinion now -- is the attempt to make a
distinction between education and training that (again, my opinion) has
no
practical relevance to the adults who seek ABE services and, maybe, has
no
relevance in the discussion of measuring the efficacy of
federally-funded
programs, especially when education appears to be considered a training
service on the basis of its inclusion in federally-defined employment
and
training programs.  Maybe that's a discussion for another list...

I don't know if anyone has read the www.expectmore.gov page on Adult
Education: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/summary.10000180.2005.html

It's interesting... Program Results and Accountability rates a ZERO.

Thanks, Varshna

on 3/10/06 6:50 AM, Katrina Hinson at khinson at future-gate.com wrote:

> That's a big question. I had to think about this one some before I
could even
> begin to think about a response.  I agree that it's not a new story
and that
> it probably happens more than people realize.  My personal opinion is
that any
> time you tie funding primarily to performance, there are bound to be
issues
> regarding data collection and I'm not sure there is a "neat" solution
that
> will adress the problem. Also I think there are gaps in the data
itself. I
> teach in addition to other duties I have at my institution and so
often when I
> do outcomes, I don't feel they're a true indicator of a student's
performance
> - a student may have made progress but not enough to move up a level -
not
> enough to meet a goal or performance indicator - goals like that are
accounted
> for. Another problem we've encountered with the data itself is the
fact that
> if a students marks "find a job" as a goal and ends up joining the
military,
> the goal isn't met either because of the way the data is cross re
>  ferences with ESC agencies, yet I think most people would agree that
joining
> the military definitely qualifies as getting a job.
> 
> I think that there are issues with the data collection instruments,
that while
> they may have been validated at some point, they perhaps need to be
reviewed
> to see if they are capturing the right data needed to show a program's
real
> performance or if  more needs to be taken into account when
determining if a
> program is doing well. I don't think raw data alone can ever truly
show a
> programs strenghts and weaknesses.
> 
> I'm still digesting this topic. It definitely warrants thought.
> 
> Regards
> Katrina Hinson
> 
>>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  >>>
> That is the question...
>  
> Hello all!  Not too long ago, I received an email question regarding
> submitting accurate data to the states and the Feds.  It appeared that
> the person was being pressured to make up data (assessment scores) so
> that the outcomes of the program looked better.
>  
> I bet this story is not new to you - either because you have heard
about
> it, or perhaps because it has happened to you.
>  
> So I have some questions now:
>  
> If programs fudge their data, won't that come back to haunt us all?
> Won't that skew standards and either force programs to under-perform
or
> not allow them to reach their performance levels because they are too
> steep?  Why would you want to fudge your data?  At some point,
> most-likely the fudge will be revealed don't you think?
>  
> We don't have nationwide standards - so if programs within states are
> reporting data in any which way, we won't be able to compare ourselves
> across states, will we?
>  
> Since states have all different standards (and some don't have any),
> states can report in ways in which it makes them appear to be
out-doing
> other states, when perhaps they are not at all?
>  
> I'm probably mushing 2 different and important things together here:
> the accurate data part, and the standards part ("on what do we base
our
> data") - but this is how it's playing out in my mind.  Not only do we
> sometimes struggle with providing accurate data (for a variety of
> reasons:  it's complex, it's messy, we feel pressure, sometimes things
> are unclear, etc.), but we do not have institutionalized standards
> across all states for all to be working in parallel fashion.
>  
> What are your thoughts on this?
>  
> Thanks,
> marie cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>  
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 
> 


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From djrosen at comcast.net  Tue Mar 14 23:05:24 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 23:05:24 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 236] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>

Assessment Colleagues,

Marie wrote:
> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important  
> thing that will help combat these issues?
>
> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?   
> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite  
> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are  
> legitimate needs.
>
> What are your thoughts on these issues?

Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and  
consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what  
I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which  
has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)  
National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system  
could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these  
three.

1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,  
b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary  
education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,  
developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.  
(Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the Future.)

2. National curricula developed based on those standards and  
available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The  
curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic  
as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual  
in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available  
free online in units that teachers could download and use in their  
classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small  
group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult  
learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all  
this is.)

3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum  
standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)  
which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national  
standards.

Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue  
that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner  
leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the  
standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific  
learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national  
curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of  
instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily  
found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and  
contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their  
reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting  
could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with  
reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students  
worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills  
could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy  
in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who  
wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards- 
based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,  
accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These  
examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I  
propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,  
consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of  
developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those  
curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry  
publishers, this could eat into your profits.)

There is more, but I'll stop with this.

Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net



From phandy at wcboe.org  Wed Mar 15 09:07:50 2006
From: phandy at wcboe.org (PATRICIA HANDY)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 09:07:50 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 237] Re: : A National System of Adult	Education and
	Literacy
Message-ID: <s417d96f.038@mail.wcboe.org>

David and All,
As a practitioner for 27 years, now responsible for training new staff, I applaud your suggestions. I would not be appauding if you had proposed a rigid "this curriculum fits all" plan, but as to providing standardized resources from which each teacher or learner could customize a learning plan, YES! YES!


Pat Handy
410-749-3217
Coordinator, Wicomico County Adult Learning Center
Philmore Commons, Salisbury

Confidentiality Note: 
This message may contain confidential information intended only for the use of the person named above and may contain communication protected by law.  If you have received this message in error, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message is prohibited and you are requested to notify the sender immediately at his/her electronic mail.
>>> djrosen at comcast.net 03/14/06 11:05 PM >>>
Assessment Colleagues,

Marie wrote:
> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important  
> thing that will help combat these issues?
>
> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?   
> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite  
> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both are  
> legitimate needs.
>
> What are your thoughts on these issues?

Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and  
consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what  
I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which  
has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)  
National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system  
could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these  
three.

1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,  
b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary  
education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,  
developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.  
(Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the Future.)

2. National curricula developed based on those standards and  
available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The  
curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic  
as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual  
in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available  
free online in units that teachers could download and use in their  
classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small  
group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult  
learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all  
this is.)

3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum  
standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)  
which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national  
standards.

Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue  
that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner  
leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the  
standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific  
learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national  
curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of  
instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily  
found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and  
contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their  
reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting  
could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with  
reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students  
worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills  
could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy  
in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who  
wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards- 
based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,  
accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These  
examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I  
propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,  
consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of  
developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those  
curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry  
publishers, this could eat into your profits.)

There is more, but I'll stop with this.

Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From Ajit.Gopalakrishnan at ct.gov  Wed Mar 15 09:48:11 2006
From: Ajit.Gopalakrishnan at ct.gov (Gopalakrishnan, Ajit)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 09:48:11 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 238] Re: Thoughts on apples and oranges
Message-ID: <281DD0D97E3EC94FB83030B1379CE42601D9EC46@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>

My comments on some of the issues are below.

 

Thanks.

 

Ajit

 

Ajit Gopalakrishnan 

Connecticut Department of Education 

25 Industrial Park Road 

Middletown, CT 06457 

Phone: (860) 807-2125 

Fax: (860) 807-2062 

Email: ajit.gopalakrishnan at ct.gov

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:14 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 234] Thoughts on apples and oranges

 

Hi everyone,

 

I'm going to pick up where the discussion left off last week - we were
exploring some of the frustrations with standards, reported data, and
goals.

 

Several of you noted that because of the lack of national standards,
it's tough or next to impossible to compare performance across programs
or states.  

Actually, I think that the NRS accomplishes just that by outlining a
nationally agreed upon set of skill levels and level descriptors. The
NRS does not prescribe what standards a state has to use. It simply
tries to compare the performance outcomes resulting from whatever
standards the state is using.

 

Yet part of what the federal system does is compare states to one
another in terms of identifying recipients of things like incentive
grants and so forth.  

I believe the federal system does not compare states to each other to
determine incentive awards. That determination is based on a state's
performance relative to its own performance targets. There is some level
of state-to-state comparison in the process of establishing performance
targets. 

 

States are required to report on how they are able to show gain via pre
and post test scores - but as Andrea and Susan pointed out in their
posts, there is no standardized method for showing this gain - each
state creates its own benchmarks.

I don't believe this statement is correct. The NRS benchmarks don't vary
by state. The standardized method for showing gain is the NRS which
requires the use of approved standardized assessments.

 

What can we do about this?  We need a national set of standards.  But
before that?  Jane noted that state standards should be indicated within
the submitted data - do any states do this?  (probably not because they
are not required).  Would this help?  Let's think this possibility
through a little.....

 

Susan described several scenarios for us in which one aspect necessarily
must suffer in order for another aspect to be recognized (feel familiar
to you?).  I hear this lament constantly:  'so as a program director, do
I make sure my numbers work so I can continue to get funded to run my
program, or do I not compromise the integrity of the teaching/learning
process but run the risk of not showing good data?'  (and then my
program loses its funding, so integrity becomes a moot point).  However,
we must have an accountability system; I really don't believe anyone
wants to throw around money without real proof that it's not being
wasted.  One of you noted that reform then, must happen at the root - at
the NRS - what would that look like?

I have not read the original scenarios but have heard similar feelings
expressed by some practitioners. This tends to be a no-win situation for
those practitioners. My feeling is that state and local administrators
need to be completely committed to maximizing the value of standardized
assessments, and using data for decision making (not just data about
test scores but also data relative to recruitment, retention,
attendance, goal setting, etc. and data that might sometimes be very
unflattering).

 

Varshna - you asked if the NRS/DOE requirements included data validation
as does DOLs requirements - not to my knowledge - but can anyone speak
to this question?  It's a good one.  Varshna - do you believe that such
data validation helps with the "apples/oranges" issue?  How so?

The NRS does require an extensive data validation checklist that looks
at data structures, data systems, policy requirements, edit checks, and
professional development. States submit this checklist along with their
end-of-year data submission.

 

Finally, Katrina - you brought up the 'gaps in data' issue and cited the
"unanticipated" goals situation as an example.  This is also something
we need to address:  if a student changes a goal or achieves a goal that
was not specifically set at the outset of the learning process - this
happens all the time actually and is normal behavior:  shifting and
changing your goals based on your experience and progress can logically
happen during a learning process.  But often, these goals can get lost
or don't get counted or cannot be counted because our system does not
give us a way to show increments for example.  

Yes, currently only goal-based outcomes relative to employment,
postsecondary and diploma are of the greatest importance for NRS
reporting. States can establish accountability systems that reward
(monetary or otherwise) other outcomes if they so choose.

 

 

What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important thing
that will help combat these issues?  

 

A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite different
than the needs of the teacher and student - and both are legitimate
needs.  

 

What are your thoughts on these issues?

 

Thanks,

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:Marie.cora at hotsurpartners.com> 

 

 

 

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From hdooley at riral.org  Wed Mar 15 10:44:53 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 10:44:53 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 239] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
 Literacy
In-Reply-To: <E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <44183675.8040303@riral.org>

I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say the 
plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push today 
to be able to look at success across states and throughout the country, 
and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a national 
system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best politics and 
the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that, right 
now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most 
practitioners are not.  Because, really, the benefits of such a system 
are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture people; for 
the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of it?  
How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to get a 
job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter a 
community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it matter?

I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment 
pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it takes 
time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a wealth 
of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive, 
modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as 
work-contextualized units, in English".  Much of it "available in free 
online in units that teachers could download and use in their 
classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or smallgroup 
instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL listening and 
ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us is 
"material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can use 
directly online."  There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred 
to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to engage 
self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and highly 
self-motivated.

So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think, but 
only if most of us really want to get there at all.

 From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
Howard D.






 
David Rosen wrote:

>Assessment Colleagues,
>
>Marie wrote:
>  
>
>>What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important  
>>thing that will help combat these issues?
>>
>>A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?   
>>Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite  
>>different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are  
>>legitimate needs.
>>
>>What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>    
>>
>
>Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and  
>consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what  
>I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which  
>has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)  
>National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system  
>could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these  
>three.
>
>1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,  
>b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary  
>education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,  
>developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.  
>(Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the Future.)
>
>2. National curricula developed based on those standards and  
>available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The  
>curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic  
>as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual  
>in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available  
>free online in units that teachers could download and use in their  
>classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small  
>group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult  
>learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all  
>this is.)
>
>3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum  
>standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)  
>which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national  
>standards.
>
>Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue  
>that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner  
>leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the  
>standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific  
>learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national  
>curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of  
>instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily  
>found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and  
>contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their  
>reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting  
>could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with  
>reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students  
>worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills  
>could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy  
>in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who  
>wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards- 
>based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,  
>accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These  
>examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I  
>propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,  
>consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of  
>developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those  
>curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry  
>publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>
>There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>
>Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>
>David J. Rosen
>djrosen at comcast.net
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>  
>



From djrosen at comcast.net  Wed Mar 15 13:09:06 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:09:06 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 239] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <44183675.8040303@riral.org>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
	<44183675.8040303@riral.org>
Message-ID: <09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>

Howard,

Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope  
others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list  
and from the Content Standards list.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:

> I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say the
> plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push  
> today
> to be able to look at success across states and throughout the  
> country,
> and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a  
> national
> system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best politics  
> and
> the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that, right
> now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
> practitioners are not.

I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult  
education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to  
establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure why,  
but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that  
curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of  
local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest  
the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a  
"warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
[ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ] and  
(through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the  
development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum  
standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that  
exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us  
know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack  
standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of  
standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.

> Because, really, the benefits of such a system
> are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture people;  
> for
> the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of it?
> How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to get a
> job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter a
> community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it  
> matter?

I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.  
However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of  
curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in programs  
and states across the country.  But much of it is not published, and  
if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good  
curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for  
example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have  
much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest to  
most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and use  
-- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be  
found_.

Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona  
correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL  
standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers  
there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College  
decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted to  
have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they  
spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a Web  
page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/ 
~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a  
couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state to  
tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.   
This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by and  
respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources found  
and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other ESOL  
teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national curriculum  
development.

Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for  
developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most  
teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked  
to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced  
national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or  
learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum  
standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer- 
reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily- 
accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects  
database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,  
level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in  
place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in  
California
[ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical format  
for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and  
nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in an  
accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of finding  
good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these  
are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even by  
teachers and their students together.)

> I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
> pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it takes
> time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a  
> wealth
> of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
> modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
> work-contextualized units, in English".

Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is not  
there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons which  
students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student  
lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in  
health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good jobs  
going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --  
wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their  
basic skills learning online and if the instruction were  
contextualized or embedded in health care work?

> Much of it "available in free
> online in units that teachers could download and use in their
> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or smallgroup
> instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL  
> listening and
> ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us is
> "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can use
> directly online."

Yes, that is the weakest link.

> There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
> to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to engage
> self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and highly
> self-motivated.

Right you are.

> So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think, but
> only if most of us really want to get there at all.

Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,  
border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as I  
am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful  
this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get teachers  
in Rhode Island to think about this.

>  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
> Howard D.


>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> David Rosen wrote:
>
>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>
>> Marie wrote:
>>
>>
>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>
>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are
>>> legitimate needs.
>>>
>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>> three.
>>
>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the  
>> Future.)
>>
>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>> this is.)
>>
>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>> standards.
>>
>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>
>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>
>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>>
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From andreawilder at comcast.net  Wed Mar 15 13:26:26 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:26:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 240] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <7d676cf83497ae87b4b850a96da2ef9d@comcast.net>

David,

I use the web all the time for research and information;  I like the 
proposal.

EFF has a couple of obvious strengths:  a common vocabulary and 
tasks/performances which go along with different learning topics.

Do you have any proposals for teacher training?

You need to do a pilot study in a couple of places.	

Andrea
On Mar 14, 2006, at 11:05 PM, David Rosen wrote:

> Assessment Colleagues,
>
> Marie wrote:
>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>
>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are
>> legitimate needs.
>>
>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>
> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
> three.
>
> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the 
> Future.)
>
> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
> this is.)
>
> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
> standards.
>
> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>
> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>
> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Mar 15 14:15:45 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 14:15:45 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 241] Re: Thoughts on apples and oranges
In-Reply-To: <281DD0D97E3EC94FB83030B1379CE42601D9EC46@DOIT-EX302.exec.ds.state.ct.us>
Message-ID: <00ee01c64864$dd141c50$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi Ajit,
 
Thanks for your comments and the clarifications, this is helpful.
 
You and I discussed this bit:
 
Several of you noted that because of the lack of national standards,
it's tough or next to impossible to compare performance across programs
or states.  
Actually, I think that the NRS accomplishes just that by outlining a
nationally agreed upon set of skill levels and level descriptors. The
NRS does not prescribe what standards a state has to use. It simply
tries to compare the performance outcomes resulting from whatever
standards the state is using.
 
I guess I still don't feel that states can truly compare their
performance.  Just because each state has the endpoint of adhering to
the NRS guidelines, does not mean that they are all doing the same thing
to arrive there.  For me, that is really important.  One state's
standards could be more or less rigorous than another's.  And put that
together with each state having a different way of collecting and
interpreting data.  I know that we are all focused on reaching the goals
(of the NRS), but I think the goal is always affected by the process
leading up to it.
 
What do you think?
 
marie
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gopalakrishnan, Ajit
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 9:48 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 238] Re: Thoughts on apples and oranges
 
My comments on some of the issues are below.
 
Thanks.
 
Ajit
 
Ajit Gopalakrishnan 
Connecticut Department of Education 
25 Industrial Park Road 
Middletown, CT 06457 
Phone: (860) 807-2125 
Fax: (860) 807-2062 
Email: ajit.gopalakrishnan at ct.gov
 
  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:14 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 234] Thoughts on apples and oranges
 
Hi everyone,
 
I'm going to pick up where the discussion left off last week - we were
exploring some of the frustrations with standards, reported data, and
goals.
 
Several of you noted that because of the lack of national standards,
it's tough or next to impossible to compare performance across programs
or states.  
Actually, I think that the NRS accomplishes just that by outlining a
nationally agreed upon set of skill levels and level descriptors. The
NRS does not prescribe what standards a state has to use. It simply
tries to compare the performance outcomes resulting from whatever
standards the state is using.
 
Yet part of what the federal system does is compare states to one
another in terms of identifying recipients of things like incentive
grants and so forth.  
I believe the federal system does not compare states to each other to
determine incentive awards. That determination is based on a state's
performance relative to its own performance targets. There is some level
of state-to-state comparison in the process of establishing performance
targets. 
 
States are required to report on how they are able to show gain via pre
and post test scores - but as Andrea and Susan pointed out in their
posts, there is no standardized method for showing this gain - each
state creates its own benchmarks.
I don't believe this statement is correct. The NRS benchmarks don't vary
by state. The standardized method for showing gain is the NRS which
requires the use of approved standardized assessments.
 
What can we do about this?  We need a national set of standards.  But
before that?  Jane noted that state standards should be indicated within
the submitted data - do any states do this?  (probably not because they
are not required).  Would this help?  Let's think this possibility
through a little...
 
Susan described several scenarios for us in which one aspect necessarily
must suffer in order for another aspect to be recognized (feel familiar
to you?).  I hear this lament constantly:  'so as a program director, do
I make sure my numbers work so I can continue to get funded to run my
program, or do I not compromise the integrity of the teaching/learning
process but run the risk of not showing good data?'  (and then my
program loses its funding, so integrity becomes a moot point).  However,
we must have an accountability system; I really don't believe anyone
wants to throw around money without real proof that it's not being
wasted.  One of you noted that reform then, must happen at the root - at
the NRS - what would that look like?
I have not read the original scenarios but have heard similar feelings
expressed by some practitioners. This tends to be a no-win situation for
those practitioners. My feeling is that state and local administrators
need to be completely committed to maximizing the value of standardized
assessments, and using data for decision making (not just data about
test scores but also data relative to recruitment, retention,
attendance, goal setting, etc. and data that might sometimes be very
unflattering).
 
Varshna - you asked if the NRS/DOE requirements included data validation
as does DOLs requirements - not to my knowledge - but can anyone speak
to this question?  It's a good one.  Varshna - do you believe that such
data validation helps with the "apples/oranges" issue?  How so?
The NRS does require an extensive data validation checklist that looks
at data structures, data systems, policy requirements, edit checks, and
professional development. States submit this checklist along with their
end-of-year data submission.
 
Finally, Katrina - you brought up the 'gaps in data' issue and cited the
"unanticipated" goals situation as an example.  This is also something
we need to address:  if a student changes a goal or achieves a goal that
was not specifically set at the outset of the learning process - this
happens all the time actually and is normal behavior:  shifting and
changing your goals based on your experience and progress can logically
happen during a learning process.  But often, these goals can get lost
or don't get counted or cannot be counted because our system does not
give us a way to show increments for example.  
Yes, currently only goal-based outcomes relative to employment,
postsecondary and diploma are of the greatest importance for NRS
reporting. States can establish accountability systems that reward
(monetary or otherwise) other outcomes if they so choose.
 
 
What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important thing
that will help combat these issues?  
 
A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite different
than the needs of the teacher and student - and both are legitimate
needs.  
 
What are your thoughts on these issues?
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:Marie.cora at hotsurpartners.com> 
 
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Mar 15 13:26:46 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:26:46 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 242] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Question: Does learning to take
	CASAS tests preparestudents to take the GED?
Message-ID: <00d401c6485e$054b6270$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear List Colleagues,

I thought perhaps some of you might have thoughts on this post from the
NLA.

Thanks, 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

-----

Hello all,

I have been asked by a colleague if exposing students to the CASAS
tests can be considered preparation for teaching them to take the GED,
because learning to take CASAS tests involves learning to deal with
multiple
choice
questions and how to use standardized answer sheets. I don't really feel
that the CASAS provides much preparation for the GED because the kinds
of
questions that are required for the GED are far more complex and require
more academic knowledge than the CASAS, even the advanced CASAS tests.
This
is an ongoing discussion. So, I would be interested in what others
think,
including detailed explanations of why you think what you do.

Best,

Sylvie Kashdan, M.A.
Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator
KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations
810-A Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA  98144, U.S.A.
phone:  (206) 784-5619
email:  kaizen at literacyworks.org
web:  http://www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/



_______________________________________________
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http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org



From andreawilder at comcast.net  Wed Mar 15 16:17:46 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:17:46 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 243] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
	<44183675.8040303@riral.org>
	<09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <7b751a8711a77147bf40fa2eb0647810@comcast.net>

David,

Another thought:  the text and module writing--how about getting some 
really well-known people to do some lessons?  With web help provided?

In looking at texts, it is often the person who writes the text who 
interests me....

Andrea

On Mar 15, 2006, at 1:09 PM, David Rosen wrote:

> Howard,
>
> Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope
> others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list
> and from the Content Standards list.
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
> On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:
>
>> I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say the
>> plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push
>> today
>> to be able to look at success across states and throughout the
>> country,
>> and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a
>> national
>> system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best politics
>> and
>> the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that, right
>> now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
>> practitioners are not.
>
> I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult
> education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to
> establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure why,
> but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that
> curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of
> local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest
> the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a
> "warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
> [ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ] and
> (through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the
> development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum
> standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that
> exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us
> know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack
> standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of
> standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.
>
>> Because, really, the benefits of such a system
>> are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture people;
>> for
>> the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of it?
>> How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to get a
>> job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter a
>> community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it
>> matter?
>
> I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.
> However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of
> curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in programs
> and states across the country.  But much of it is not published, and
> if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good
> curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for
> example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have
> much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest to
> most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and use
> -- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be  
> found_.
>
> Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona
> correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL
> standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers
> there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College
> decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted to
> have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they
> spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a Web
> page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/
> ~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a
> couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state to
> tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.
> This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by and
> respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources found
> and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other ESOL
> teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national curriculum
> development.
>
> Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for
> developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most
> teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked
> to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced
> national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or
> learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum
> standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer-
> reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily-
> accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects
> database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,
> level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in
> place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in
> California
> [ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical format
> for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and
> nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in an
> accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of finding
> good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these
> are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even by
> teachers and their students together.)
>
>> I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
>> pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it takes
>> time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a
>> wealth
>> of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
>> modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
>> work-contextualized units, in English".
>
> Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is not
> there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons which
> students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student
> lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in
> health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good jobs
> going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --
> wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their
> basic skills learning online and if the instruction were
> contextualized or embedded in health care work?
>
>> Much of it "available in free
>> online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or smallgroup
>> instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL
>> listening and
>> ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us is
>> "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can use
>> directly online."
>
> Yes, that is the weakest link.
>
>> There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
>> to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to engage
>> self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and highly
>> self-motivated.
>
> Right you are.
>
>> So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think, but
>> only if most of us really want to get there at all.
>
> Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,
> border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as I
> am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful
> this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get teachers
> in Rhode Island to think about this.
>
>>  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
>> Howard D.
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> David Rosen wrote:
>>
>>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>>
>>> Marie wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>>
>>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are
>>>> legitimate needs.
>>>>
>>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>>> three.
>>>
>>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>>> Future.)
>>>
>>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
>>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>>> this is.)
>>>
>>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
>>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>>> standards.
>>>
>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
>>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
>>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>>
>>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>>
>>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>>
>>> David J. Rosen
>>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>>
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From bguthrie at tamdistrict.org  Wed Mar 15 18:21:10 2006
From: bguthrie at tamdistrict.org (Guthrie, Burr)
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:21:10 -0800
Subject: [Assessment 243] Re: FW: [AAACE-NLA] Question: Does learning to
	takeCASAS tests preparestudents to take the GED?
Message-ID: <49CB3434FAB899479558F6AF0F8D9318037F96E6@tammail.tuhsd.edu>

I think that merely exposing students to the CASAS with the hopes of
improving GED results is not worth it.  CASAS is designed as a needs
assessment (pre-test) and the results are correlated to CASAS
competencies and materials to teach those competencies.  Gains in
understanding the competencies are then revealed on a CASAS post-test.  

There is a research brief on the CASAS website (www.casas.org) that
suggests as students move up from CASAS level C to D, data shows a
significant increase in GED pass rates.  However, it is likely that
those students were exposed to materials based on their test results,
and had significant instruction time before they tackled the GED.  

Burr Guthrie 

-----Original Message-----
From: Marie Cora [mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 10:27 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Cc: kaizen at literacyworks.org
Subject: [Assessment 242] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Question: Does learning to
takeCASAS tests preparestudents to take the GED?

Dear List Colleagues,

I thought perhaps some of you might have thoughts on this post from the
NLA.

Thanks, 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

-----

Hello all,

I have been asked by a colleague if exposing students to the CASAS
tests can be considered preparation for teaching them to take the GED,
because learning to take CASAS tests involves learning to deal with
multiple
choice
questions and how to use standardized answer sheets. I don't really feel
that the CASAS provides much preparation for the GED because the kinds
of
questions that are required for the GED are far more complex and require
more academic knowledge than the CASAS, even the advanced CASAS tests.
This
is an ongoing discussion. So, I would be interested in what others
think,
including detailed explanations of why you think what you do.

Best,

Sylvie Kashdan, M.A.
Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator
KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations
810-A Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA  98144, U.S.A.
phone:  (206) 784-5619
email:  kaizen at literacyworks.org
web:  http://www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/



_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org




From khinson at future-gate.com  Wed Mar 15 18:21:04 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:21:04 +0100
Subject: [Assessment 244] Re: FW: [AAACE-NLA] Question: Does learning	to
	take CASAS tests preparestudents to take
In-Reply-To: <00d401c6485e$054b6270$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <00d401c6485e$054b6270$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <4418AF70020000A000002248@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

I'd have to agree with Sylvia, and have to say the concern she expresses is equally valid for both the TABE and CASAS. Neither test in and of itself is an adequate measure of being properly prepared to take the GED. Neither test has the same type of complex questions that a student may find on the GED -and the math area definitely high lights this.  I am a GED instructor among many hats that I wear. I see every day, students come in and are  given the TABE test, score what would be considered well on the 9/10 A level test but still have and demonstrate weaknesses in terms of being prepared for the GED. Our state policy is that if a student scores anywhere in the highschool range, then he/she can take the official practice test for that area- in other words, if a student scores 9.5 on Reading on the TABE, then he or she is allowed to practice test on Reading, SCI, and Social Studies. However the GED tests on a 12.9+ level and often the students don't get the minimum score on the practice tests that he/she needs to take Test on the GED.  For me it comes down to Apples and Oranges. The TABE and CASAS are placement tests but not always adequate or efficient measures of a person's ability to pass the GED test. I think they can be good guidelines for a teacher to use to best help a student achieve their goal of attaining his or her GED. I like to do  teacher made assessments to get a better feel for what my students really know...how they think and how they process information.  I want to see how they do when it comes to evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing data...which are higher order test questions that are on the GED and NOT on the TABE or CASAS.  Students can sometimes answer a question that is fairly cut and dry/black and white/concrete - but the moment that question becomes abstract in any way, even if the skills being tested are the same as one they might have just done, the student often struggles.   

I think students need to be exposed to many different kinds of questions and I don't think the TABE or CASAS alone should be what is used to measure a person's readiness. A more complete picture is needed that sometimes involves other assessment measures, whether it's teacher made materials, portfolios etc.

Regards
Katrina Hinson



>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 03/15/06 1:26 PM >>>
Dear List Colleagues,

I thought perhaps some of you might have thoughts on this post from the
NLA.

Thanks, 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

-----

Hello all,

I have been asked by a colleague if exposing students to the CASAS
tests can be considered preparation for teaching them to take the GED,
because learning to take CASAS tests involves learning to deal with
multiple
choice
questions and how to use standardized answer sheets. I don't really feel
that the CASAS provides much preparation for the GED because the kinds
of
questions that are required for the GED are far more complex and require
more academic knowledge than the CASAS, even the advanced CASAS tests.
This
is an ongoing discussion. So, I would be interested in what others
think,
including detailed explanations of why you think what you do.

Best,

Sylvie Kashdan, M.A.
Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator
KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations
810-A Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA  98144, U.S.A.
phone:  (206) 784-5619
email:  kaizen at literacyworks.org 
web:  http://www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/ 



_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org 
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla 
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org 

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From varshna at grandecom.net  Thu Mar 16 08:29:55 2006
From: varshna at grandecom.net (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 07:29:55 -0600
Subject: [Assessment 245]  FW: National standards
In-Reply-To: <00da01c64862$c58488b0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <C03EC473.92E1%varshna@grandecom.net>


Just continuing the thread that has been going on...we may have evolved
beyond this point...

Personally, I think there is way too much emphasis on standards development
when very good ones exist.  It?s interesting that the same battles we tend
to see in K12 over local control of education permeate adult education
circles.  Each state has to reinvent the wheel.  It?s a waste of public
funds and lacks the kind of policy direction that ED needs to exert.  And
this is, in my humble opinion, an area which ED will tackle once it has
dealt with higher education.  So, ABE can put itself ahead of the curve or
watch its funding continue to be challenged.

This leads me to some questions: what is the value we add to adults? lives
as providers of adult basic education?  Do people earn more money?  Do they
get to keep their jobs because they meet a requirement in the workplace?  Do
they move on to higher education?  There seems to be a real disconnect
between what adults need to accomplish in their lives and how we approach
our jobs.  

I highly recommend that people look at the attempts of Title I (Department
of Labor) programs to ensure uniformity of data, establish common measures
(and DOL has adopted the NRS definitions for math/literacy/ESOL), and look
at the more sweeping and fundamental changes that have been proposed.  The
argument goes: if we live in a 21st economy (global, knowledge-based), why
haven?t we updated the educational and training models that were developed
on the economies of early 20th century?
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From andreawilder at comcast.net  Thu Mar 16 08:47:30 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:47:30 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 246] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <7b751a8711a77147bf40fa2eb0647810@comcast.net>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
	<44183675.8040303@riral.org>
	<09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>
	<7b751a8711a77147bf40fa2eb0647810@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <f43337204a68b8bc971792770025c828@comcast.net>

  David,

Anyone else on  this list--

I feel more and more lately as though I am sunning myself on the 
Titanic.  We have 3 big challenges as a country, and as a member of the 
world community of nations:

1)	global warming
2)	energy
3)	population

All of these three  issues have the capacity to sink us as a global 
village.  People have talked about these issues as though they would 
happen in some following generation, but they happen now, are happening 
now.  One of those Greenland glaciers that is breaking off into 
icebergs could very well  sink our ship.

This may seem an odd place to bring this up,  but "assessment" is what 
we should be doing in relation to these three crises, and ANY 
curriculum we propose or support.

I suppose there is the "hope" that bird flu and HIV/AIDS will decimate 
enough populations  so everyone else will survive.  The Black Death 
took 1/3 of the population of Europe, after all, but that seems a 
chancy way of thinking.

If enough Greenland ice melts, then the Gulf Stream won't go as far 
north, will turn around and head south sooner, and northern 
Europe/Russia, start experiencing very cold weather, this makes 
northern living conditions difficult.  This probably happened this  
winter, earth science people have noted a slowing down of the GS.  Our 
weather is controlled by ribbon-like ocean currents that link the 
oceans in a conveyor belt.

If you want more info, troll the web.

Andrea



On Mar 15, 2006, at 4:17 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

> David,
>
> Another thought:  the text and module writing--how about getting some
> really well-known people to do some lessons?  With web help provided?
>
> In looking at texts, it is often the person who writes the text who
> interests me....
>
> Andrea
>
> On Mar 15, 2006, at 1:09 PM, David Rosen wrote:
>
>> Howard,
>>
>> Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope
>> others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list
>> and from the Content Standards list.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>> On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:
>>
>>> I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say 
>>> the
>>> plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push
>>> today
>>> to be able to look at success across states and throughout the
>>> country,
>>> and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a
>>> national
>>> system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best politics
>>> and
>>> the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that, right
>>> now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
>>> practitioners are not.
>>
>> I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult
>> education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to
>> establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure why,
>> but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that
>> curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of
>> local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest
>> the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a
>> "warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
>> [ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ] and
>> (through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the
>> development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum
>> standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that
>> exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us
>> know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack
>> standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of
>> standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.
>>
>>> Because, really, the benefits of such a system
>>> are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture people;
>>> for
>>> the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of 
>>> it?
>>> How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to get 
>>> a
>>> job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter a
>>> community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it
>>> matter?
>>
>> I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.
>> However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of
>> curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in programs
>> and states across the country.  But much of it is not published, and
>> if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good
>> curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for
>> example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have
>> much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest to
>> most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and use
>> -- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be  
>> found_.
>>
>> Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona
>> correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL
>> standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers
>> there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College
>> decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted to
>> have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they
>> spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a Web
>> page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/
>> ~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a
>> couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state to
>> tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.
>> This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by and
>> respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources found
>> and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other ESOL
>> teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national curriculum
>> development.
>>
>> Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for
>> developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most
>> teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked
>> to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced
>> national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or
>> learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum
>> standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer-
>> reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily-
>> accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects
>> database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,
>> level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in
>> place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in
>> California
>> [ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical format
>> for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and
>> nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in an
>> accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of finding
>> good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these
>> are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even by
>> teachers and their students together.)
>>
>>> I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
>>> pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it takes
>>> time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a
>>> wealth
>>> of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
>>> modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
>>> work-contextualized units, in English".
>>
>> Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is not
>> there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons which
>> students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student
>> lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in
>> health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good jobs
>> going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --
>> wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their
>> basic skills learning online and if the instruction were
>> contextualized or embedded in health care work?
>>
>>> Much of it "available in free
>>> online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or 
>>> smallgroup
>>> instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL
>>> listening and
>>> ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us 
>>> is
>>> "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can use
>>> directly online."
>>
>> Yes, that is the weakest link.
>>
>>> There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
>>> to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to engage
>>> self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and highly
>>> self-motivated.
>>
>> Right you are.
>>
>>> So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think, but
>>> only if most of us really want to get there at all.
>>
>> Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,
>> border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as I
>> am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful
>> this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get teachers
>> in Rhode Island to think about this.
>>
>>>  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
>>> Howard D.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> David Rosen wrote:
>>>
>>>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>>>
>>>> Marie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>>>
>>>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are
>>>>> legitimate needs.
>>>>>
>>>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>>>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>>>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>>>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>>>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>>>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>>>> three.
>>>>
>>>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>>>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>>>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>>>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>>>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>>>> Future.)
>>>>
>>>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>>>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>>>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in 
>>>> generic
>>>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>>>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>>>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>>>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>>>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>>>> this is.)
>>>>
>>>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national 
>>>> curriculum
>>>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>>>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>>>> standards.
>>>>
>>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>>>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>>>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>>>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals 
>>>> and
>>>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>>>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>>>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>>>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>>>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>>>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>>>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and 
>>>> who
>>>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>>>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>>>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>>>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>>>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>>>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>>>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>>>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>>>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>>>
>>>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>>>
>>>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>>>
>>>> David J. Rosen
>>>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>>>
>>>> -------------------------------
>>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>>> Assessment mailing list
>>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From khinson at future-gate.com  Thu Mar 16 20:12:42 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 02:12:42 +0100
Subject: [Assessment 247] Re: : A National System of Adult Education	and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <f43337204a68b8bc971792770025c828@comcast.net>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net>
	<44183675.8040303@riral.org>
	<09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>
	<7b751a8711a77147bf40fa2eb0647810@comcast.net>
	<f43337204a68b8bc971792770025c828@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <441A1B1A020000A00000225E@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

I can't do very much about global warming, nor any energy crisis that
may exist nor can I control the population. What I can do as an educator
is teach my students how to work towards stemming global warming in
their own environments; conserve energy and weather proof their homes,
save gas etc.,- and can counsel my younger and sometimes older students
that having more children than you can afford to take care of or want is
not the wisest course of action .

Teaching our students isn't always about teaching textbook material -
it's about helping to create a competent global citizenry. IT goes
beyond a book or test and into the day to day survival needs.

I think a bigger challenge we face as a country is educating the
population. Education is more than tests and there are many, many people
around the country that would argue we're no longer teaching students to
think independantly for themselves but we are teaching them how to pass
various multiple choice tests - whether it's the EOG, CASAS, TABE, GED
etc. yet we're not giving students the skills he/she needs to be able to
think creatively nor intuitively.  I heard a quote recently - "If you do
the same thing, the same way, all the time, you'll always get the same
results." The challenge is realizing that doing things the same way
doesn't always produce positive results.

Perhaps if we worked really hard on addressing the challenge of
education, the challenges of global warming, energy and population might
be met and overcome by the students we've yet to meet. Perhaps many of
the issues we face in the world would be, could be addressed by having
an educated and intelligent population that's open minded enough to see
outside their own small sphere of influence.

Just a thought.

Katrina


================
  David,

Anyone else on  this list--

I feel more and more lately as though I am sunning myself on the 
Titanic.  We have 3 big challenges as a country, and as a member of the

world community of nations:

1)	global warming
2)	energy
3)	population

All of these three  issues have the capacity to sink us as a global 
village.  People have talked about these issues as though they would 
happen in some following generation, but they happen now, are happening

now.  One of those Greenland glaciers that is breaking off into 
icebergs could very well  sink our ship.

This may seem an odd place to bring this up,  but "assessment" is what

we should be doing in relation to these three crises, and ANY 
curriculum we propose or support.

I suppose there is the "hope" that bird flu and HIV/AIDS will decimate

enough populations  so everyone else will survive.  The Black Death 
took 1/3 of the population of Europe, after all, but that seems a 
chancy way of thinking.

If enough Greenland ice melts, then the Gulf Stream won't go as far 
north, will turn around and head south sooner, and northern 
Europe/Russia, start experiencing very cold weather, this makes 
northern living conditions difficult.  This probably happened this  
winter, earth science people have noted a slowing down of the GS.  Our

weather is controlled by ribbon-like ocean currents that link the 
oceans in a conveyor belt.

If you want more info, troll the web.

Andrea



On Mar 15, 2006, at 4:17 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

> David,
>
> Another thought:  the text and module writing--how about getting
some
> really well-known people to do some lessons?  With web help
provided?
>
> In looking at texts, it is often the person who writes the text who
> interests me....
>
> Andrea
>
> On Mar 15, 2006, at 1:09 PM, David Rosen wrote:
>
>> Howard,
>>
>> Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope
>> others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list
>> and from the Content Standards list.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net 
>>
>> On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:
>>
>>> I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say

>>> the
>>> plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push
>>> today
>>> to be able to look at success across states and throughout the
>>> country,
>>> and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a
>>> national
>>> system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best
politics
>>> and
>>> the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that,
right
>>> now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
>>> practitioners are not.
>>
>> I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult
>> education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to
>> establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure
why,
>> but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that
>> curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of
>> local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest
>> the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a
>> "warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
>> [ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ]
and
>> (through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the
>> development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum
>> standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that
>> exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us
>> know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack
>> standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of
>> standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.
>>
>>> Because, really, the benefits of such a system
>>> are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture
people;
>>> for
>>> the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of

>>> it?
>>> How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to
get 
>>> a
>>> job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter
a
>>> community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it
>>> matter?
>>
>> I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.
>> However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of
>> curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in
programs
>> and states across the country.  But much of it is not published,
and
>> if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good
>> curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for
>> example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have
>> much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest
to
>> most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and
use
>> -- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be  
>> found_.
>>
>> Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona
>> correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL
>> standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers
>> there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College
>> decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted
to
>> have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they
>> spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a
Web
>> page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/ 
>> ~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a
>> couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state
to
>> tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.
>> This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by
and
>> respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources
found
>> and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other
ESOL
>> teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national
curriculum
>> development.
>>
>> Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for
>> developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most
>> teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked
>> to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced
>> national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or
>> learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum
>> standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer-
>> reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily-
>> accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects
>> database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,
>> level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in
>> place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in
>> California
>> [ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical
format
>> for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and
>> nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in
an
>> accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of
finding
>> good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these
>> are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even
by
>> teachers and their students together.)
>>
>>> I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
>>> pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it
takes
>>> time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a
>>> wealth
>>> of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
>>> modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
>>> work-contextualized units, in English".
>>
>> Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is
not
>> there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons
which
>> students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student
>> lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in
>> health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good
jobs
>> going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --
>> wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their
>> basic skills learning online and if the instruction were
>> contextualized or embedded in health care work?
>>
>>> Much of it "available in free
>>> online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or 
>>> smallgroup
>>> instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL
>>> listening and
>>> ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us

>>> is
>>> "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can
use
>>> directly online."
>>
>> Yes, that is the weakest link.
>>
>>> There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
>>> to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to
engage
>>> self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and
highly
>>> self-motivated.
>>
>> Right you are.
>>
>>> So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think,
but
>>> only if most of us really want to get there at all.
>>
>> Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,
>> border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as
I
>> am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful
>> this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get
teachers
>> in Rhode Island to think about this.
>>
>>>  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
>>> Howard D.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> David Rosen wrote:
>>>
>>>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>>>
>>>> Marie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most
important
>>>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>>>
>>>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both
are
>>>>> legitimate needs.
>>>>>
>>>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities,
and
>>>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of
what
>>>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy
which
>>>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards,
(Free)
>>>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>>>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at
these
>>>> three.
>>>>
>>>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult
ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>>>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>>>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>>>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the
field.
>>>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>>>> Future.)
>>>>
>>>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>>>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>>>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in 
>>>> generic
>>>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also
bilingual
>>>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be
available
>>>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in
their
>>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>>>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>>>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task
all
>>>> this is.)
>>>>
>>>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national 
>>>> curriculum
>>>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>>>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>>>> standards.
>>>>
>>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would
argue
>>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A
national
>>>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units
of
>>>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very
easily
>>>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals

>>>> and
>>>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>>>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>>>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues
with
>>>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose
students
>>>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>>>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using
numeracy
>>>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and

>>>> who
>>>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access
standards-
>>>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>>>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor. 
These
>>>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>>>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost. 
But,
>>>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>>>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>>>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>>>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>>>
>>>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>>>
>>>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>>>
>>>> David J. Rosen
>>>> djrosen at comcast.net 
>>>>
>>>> -------------------------------
>>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>>> Assessment mailing list
>>>> Assessment at nifl.gov 
>>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov 
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov 
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov 
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From varshna at grandecom.net  Thu Mar 16 20:24:52 2006
From: varshna at grandecom.net (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 19:24:52 -0600
Subject: [Assessment 248] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
 Literacy
In-Reply-To: <441A1B1A020000A00000225E@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>
Message-ID: <C03F6C04.9303%varshna@grandecom.net>

In both of these posts, I have to note a certain amount of ethnocentrism
which is an interesting tangent to follow as an educator, especially as it
concerns assessment.  Are adult education materials and testing instruments
subject to the same rigorous examination for bias against subcultures as k12
materials?  Furthermore, in the context of teaching 'culture' as well as
language to adult ESOL students, when does one move from merely informing to
teaching a 'eurocentric' or 'western liberal' or 'religious conservative'
agenda in the classroom?

on 3/16/06 7:12 PM, Katrina Hinson at khinson at future-gate.com wrote:

> I can't do very much about global warming, nor any energy crisis that
> may exist nor can I control the population. What I can do as an educator
> is teach my students how to work towards stemming global warming in
> their own environments; conserve energy and weather proof their homes,
> save gas etc.,- and can counsel my younger and sometimes older students
> that having more children than you can afford to take care of or want is
> not the wisest course of action .
> 
> Teaching our students isn't always about teaching textbook material -
> it's about helping to create a competent global citizenry. IT goes
> beyond a book or test and into the day to day survival needs.
> 
> I think a bigger challenge we face as a country is educating the
> population. Education is more than tests and there are many, many people
> around the country that would argue we're no longer teaching students to
> think independantly for themselves but we are teaching them how to pass
> various multiple choice tests - whether it's the EOG, CASAS, TABE, GED
> etc. yet we're not giving students the skills he/she needs to be able to
> think creatively nor intuitively.  I heard a quote recently - "If you do
> the same thing, the same way, all the time, you'll always get the same
> results." The challenge is realizing that doing things the same way
> doesn't always produce positive results.
> 
> Perhaps if we worked really hard on addressing the challenge of
> education, the challenges of global warming, energy and population might
> be met and overcome by the students we've yet to meet. Perhaps many of
> the issues we face in the world would be, could be addressed by having
> an educated and intelligent population that's open minded enough to see
> outside their own small sphere of influence.
> 
> Just a thought.
> 
> Katrina
> 
> 
> ================
>   David,
> 
> Anyone else on  this list--
> 
> I feel more and more lately as though I am sunning myself on the
> Titanic.  We have 3 big challenges as a country, and as a member of the
> 
> world community of nations:
> 
> 1) global warming
> 2) energy
> 3) population
> 
> All of these three  issues have the capacity to sink us as a global
> village.  People have talked about these issues as though they would
> happen in some following generation, but they happen now, are happening
> 
> now.  One of those Greenland glaciers that is breaking off into
> icebergs could very well  sink our ship.
> 
> This may seem an odd place to bring this up,  but "assessment" is what
> 
> we should be doing in relation to these three crises, and ANY
> curriculum we propose or support.
> 
> I suppose there is the "hope" that bird flu and HIV/AIDS will decimate
> 
> enough populations  so everyone else will survive.  The Black Death
> took 1/3 of the population of Europe, after all, but that seems a
> chancy way of thinking.
> 
> If enough Greenland ice melts, then the Gulf Stream won't go as far
> north, will turn around and head south sooner, and northern
> Europe/Russia, start experiencing very cold weather, this makes
> northern living conditions difficult.  This probably happened this
> winter, earth science people have noted a slowing down of the GS.  Our
> 
> weather is controlled by ribbon-like ocean currents that link the
> oceans in a conveyor belt.
> 
> If you want more info, troll the web.
> 
> Andrea
> 
> 
> 
> On Mar 15, 2006, at 4:17 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:
> 
>> David,
>> 
>> Another thought:  the text and module writing--how about getting
> some
>> really well-known people to do some lessons?  With web help
> provided?
>> 
>> In looking at texts, it is often the person who writes the text who
>> interests me....
>> 
>> Andrea
>> 
>> On Mar 15, 2006, at 1:09 PM, David Rosen wrote:
>> 
>>> Howard,
>>> 
>>> Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope
>>> others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list
>>> and from the Content Standards list.
>>> 
>>> David J. Rosen
>>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>> 
>>> On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say
> 
>>>> the
>>>> plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push
>>>> today
>>>> to be able to look at success across states and throughout the
>>>> country,
>>>> and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a
>>>> national
>>>> system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best
> politics
>>>> and
>>>> the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that,
> right
>>>> now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
>>>> practitioners are not.
>>> 
>>> I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult
>>> education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to
>>> establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure
> why,
>>> but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that
>>> curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of
>>> local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest
>>> the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a
>>> "warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
>>> [ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ]
> and
>>> (through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the
>>> development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum
>>> standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that
>>> exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us
>>> know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack
>>> standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of
>>> standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.
>>> 
>>>> Because, really, the benefits of such a system
>>>> are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture
> people;
>>>> for
>>>> the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of
> 
>>>> it?
>>>> How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to
> get 
>>>> a
>>>> job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter
> a
>>>> community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it
>>>> matter?
>>> 
>>> I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.
>>> However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of
>>> curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in
> programs
>>> and states across the country.  But much of it is not published,
> and
>>> if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good
>>> curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for
>>> example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have
>>> much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest
> to
>>> most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and
> use
>>> -- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be
>>> found_.
>>> 
>>> Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona
>>> correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL
>>> standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers
>>> there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College
>>> decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted
> to
>>> have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they
>>> spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a
> Web
>>> page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/
>>> ~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a
>>> couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state
> to
>>> tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.
>>> This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by
> and
>>> respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources
> found
>>> and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other
> ESOL
>>> teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national
> curriculum
>>> development.
>>> 
>>> Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for
>>> developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most
>>> teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked
>>> to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced
>>> national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or
>>> learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum
>>> standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer-
>>> reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily-
>>> accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects
>>> database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,
>>> level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in
>>> place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in
>>> California
>>> [ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical
> format
>>> for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and
>>> nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in
> an
>>> accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of
> finding
>>> good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these
>>> are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even
> by
>>> teachers and their students together.)
>>> 
>>>> I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
>>>> pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it
> takes
>>>> time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a
>>>> wealth
>>>> of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
>>>> modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
>>>> work-contextualized units, in English".
>>> 
>>> Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is
> not
>>> there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons
> which
>>> students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student
>>> lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in
>>> health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good
> jobs
>>> going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --
>>> wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their
>>> basic skills learning online and if the instruction were
>>> contextualized or embedded in health care work?
>>> 
>>>> Much of it "available in free
>>>> online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or
>>>> smallgroup
>>>> instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL
>>>> listening and
>>>> ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us
> 
>>>> is
>>>> "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can
> use
>>>> directly online."
>>> 
>>> Yes, that is the weakest link.
>>> 
>>>> There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
>>>> to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to
> engage
>>>> self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and
> highly
>>>> self-motivated.
>>> 
>>> Right you are.
>>> 
>>>> So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think,
> but
>>>> only if most of us really want to get there at all.
>>> 
>>> Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,
>>> border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as
> I
>>> am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful
>>> this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get
> teachers
>>> in Rhode Island to think about this.
>>> 
>>>>  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
>>>> Howard D.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> David Rosen wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Marie wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most
> important
>>>>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>>>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>>>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both
> are
>>>>>> legitimate needs.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities,
> and
>>>>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of
> what
>>>>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy
> which
>>>>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards,
> (Free)
>>>>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>>>>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at
> these
>>>>> three.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult
> ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>>>>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>>>>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>>>>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the
> field.
>>>>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>>>>> Future.)
>>>>> 
>>>>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>>>>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>>>>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in
>>>>> generic
>>>>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also
> bilingual
>>>>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be
> available
>>>>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in
> their
>>>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>>>>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>>>>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task
> all
>>>>> this is.)
>>>>> 
>>>>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national
>>>>> curriculum
>>>>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>>>>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>>>>> standards.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would
> argue
>>>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A
> national
>>>>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units
> of
>>>>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very
> easily
>>>>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals
> 
>>>>> and
>>>>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>>>>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>>>>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues
> with
>>>>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose
> students
>>>>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>>>>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using
> numeracy
>>>>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and
> 
>>>>> who
>>>>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access
> standards-
>>>>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>>>>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.
> These
>>>>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>>>>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.
> But,
>>>>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>>>>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>>>>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>>>>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>>>> 
>>>>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>>>> 
>>>>> David J. Rosen
>>>>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>>>> 
>>>>> -------------------------------
>>>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>>>> Assessment mailing list
>>>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> -------------------------------
>>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>>> Assessment mailing list
>>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>> 
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>> 
>> 
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 
> 




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Mar 17 12:43:25 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 12:43:25 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 249]  Q&A on New Assessments by ETS
Message-ID: <005e01c649ea$4bcb7e00$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear Colleagues,
 
The Assessment Discussion List will be hosting a Q&A during the week of
March 27 on 3 new assessments for adult learning being developed by ETS
(Educational Testing Service).  ETS is seeking states to collaborate on
the development of these new standards-based assessments.  Presently, 7
Charter states have been working with ETS on this project.  ETS is
recruiting several more states for the next phase of the project, which
includes:
 
*	Developing, reviewing and selecting tasks to be included in the
new measures; 
*	Contributing to the development of diagnostic score reports;
*	Participating in a standard-setting process that will map the
tests to the NRS levels; 
*	Piloting the tests with your adult learners;
*	Creating a test designed by you with your state's learners',
teachers', and administrators' needs in mind.
 
Julie Eastland, of ETS, will be joining us during the week of March 27
to answer your questions and comments regarding the project.  You can
send your questions to the List before the week of March 27, and I will
hold them for that week, or you can post your questions and comments
during that week.  Julie will be available to respond periodically
throughout that week.  
 
For more information, please see the attachment.  
 
Thanks and looking forward to your questions and comments.
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From andreawilder at comcast.net  Sat Mar 18 21:38:20 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:38:20 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 250] Re: : A National System of Adult	Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <s417d96f.038@mail.wcboe.org>
References: <s417d96f.038@mail.wcboe.org>
Message-ID: <e3e8bbbd08fc01338b5e445285203eb1@comcast.net>

David,

As a  believer  in performance based assessment, I am wondering  how 
this might work with your computer modules.

Andrea


On Mar 15, 2006, at 9:07 AM, PATRICIA HANDY wrote:

> David and All,
> As a practitioner for 27 years, now responsible for training new 
> staff, I applaud your suggestions. I would not be appauding if you had 
> proposed a rigid "this curriculum fits all" plan, but as to providing 
> standardized resources from which each teacher or learner could 
> customize a learning plan, YES! YES!
>
>
> Pat Handy
> 410-749-3217
> Coordinator, Wicomico County Adult Learning Center
> Philmore Commons, Salisbury
>
> Confidentiality Note:
> This message may contain confidential information intended only for 
> the use of the person named above and may contain communication 
> protected by law.  If you have received this message in error, you are 
> hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying or other 
> use of this message is prohibited and you are requested to notify the 
> sender immediately at his/her electronic mail.
>>>> djrosen at comcast.net 03/14/06 11:05 PM >>>
> Assessment Colleagues,
>
> Marie wrote:
>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>
>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both are
>> legitimate needs.
>>
>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>
> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
> three.
>
> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the 
> Future.)
>
> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
> this is.)
>
> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
> standards.
>
> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>
> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>
> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From djrosen at comcast.net  Sun Mar 19 10:10:52 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 10:10:52 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 251]  Online Performance-based Assessment
In-Reply-To: <e3e8bbbd08fc01338b5e445285203eb1@comcast.net>
References: <s417d96f.038@mail.wcboe.org>
	<e3e8bbbd08fc01338b5e445285203eb1@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <29D24278-AEF0-4535-96B9-5D8836C22FA0@comcast.net>

Andrea, and others,

On Mar 18, 2006, at 9:38 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote to the Assessment  
discussion list:

> As a  believer  in performance based assessment, I am wondering  how
> this might work with your computer modules.

Modularized, online competency-based instruction, which I talked  
about as modules or learning objects in an earlier posting,  opens up  
a world of interesting new possibilities for adult learning and  
assessment, including, for example:

1) A video library of short demonstrations.  For example, in the  
numeracy and science context, instead of a written story problem,  
imagine a streamed video of two students discussing a real problem  
which requires mathematics to solve it.  Let's imagine, for example,  
room mates or partners who live in a northern clime whose landlord  
has agreed to pay for a storm door if they install it and if they can  
get a good price on the door.  They need to understand how a storm  
door works -- how, if it is properly installed, it creates an  
insulating cushion of air.  They need to know how to do linear  
measurement, and how precise the measurements need to be.  They may  
need to know how to comparison shop, possibly using online pricing  
information.

Such a video could present the problem in steps and invite the learner 
(s) to offer possible solutions before viewing each next step.

Some of these examples could be low-cost video logs (Vlogs) which  
could also easily be downloaded to a portable video player such as a  
video i-pod. (For examples of Vlogs, go to
http://www.seriousmagic.com/products/vlogit/sampleVideos.cfm   Anyone  
have better examples of Vlogs used for educational purposes?)

2) Simulations. I recently looked at some online instruction for  
occupational health and safety (OSHA) compliance. [ http:// 
www.osha.gov/dts/osta/oshasoft/index.html ] The Web site uses virtual  
reality simulations of  rooms in hospitals which have health and  
safety hazards to identify, and procedures to choose for addressing  
the hazard.  From your keyboard you can move around the virtual room,  
sometimes 360 degrees, to find the hazards.  Video game technology  
may offer a lot which we could use well in online adult learning.

3) Natural language databases.  It is possible to carry on a kind of  
discussion with a computer, particularly in a topic area where most  
of the responses can be anticipated.  Perhaps this could be used for  
instruction, possibly even assessment.

Some of these technologies, along with online adaptive assessments  
(where depending on the response to a question, the computer adapts  
and gives one an easier or harder next question) could be used in  
performance based assessments.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-adaptive_test ]

Some of my favorite examples of assessments have been developed by  
adult reading specialist and interactive technology designer Mike  
Hillinger.
[ http://www.workingsimulations.com/ ] For example, several years ago  
Mike developed an online instruction and assessment application for  
manufacturing which involves the user choosing a tool (a micrometer,  
for example) and moving it to measure parts of machines.  It taught  
and assessed precise linear measurement -- actual measuring, not just  
answering questions about measuring. Mike is also the author of the  
(free) online basic skills simulation called The Office. [ http:// 
www.workingsimulations.com/main_site/basicskillHome.html ]

Some of these applications would not be expensive (teacher-made  
Vlogs, for example) and some (like Mike Hillinger's high quality  
work) might only be affordable in a business or military context  or  
with investments by the U.S. Department of Education (which paid for  
the development of The Office).  This is an exciting arena for  
creative development for adult educators who are interested in  
technology.

None of these examples, I would caution, is intended as a replacement  
for face-to-face learning or assessment.  However, online learning  
opens up new possibilities for students who  are limited in the  
amount of time they can attend class but who have more time available  
to study online from work or home, or for students who cannot attend  
face-to-face classes. Online learning is usually best when  
facilitated by an online teacher. And, a final caution,  there is no  
evidence that online learning is less expensive than face-to-face  
learning.

I wonder if anyone else on the Assessment or Technology lists has  
been looking at applications like these for instruction or  
assessment, and could add other examples.

David J. Rosen
www.newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net


>
>
> On Mar 15, 2006, at 9:07 AM, PATRICIA HANDY wrote:
>
>> David and All,
>> As a practitioner for 27 years, now responsible for training new
>> staff, I applaud your suggestions. I would not be appauding if you  
>> had
>> proposed a rigid "this curriculum fits all" plan, but as to providing
>> standardized resources from which each teacher or learner could
>> customize a learning plan, YES! YES!
>>
>>
>> Pat Handy
>> 410-749-3217
>> Coordinator, Wicomico County Adult Learning Center
>> Philmore Commons, Salisbury
>>
>> Confidentiality Note:
>> This message may contain confidential information intended only for
>> the use of the person named above and may contain communication
>> protected by law.  If you have received this message in error, you  
>> are
>> hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying or  
>> other
>> use of this message is prohibited and you are requested to notify the
>> sender immediately at his/her electronic mail.
>>>>> djrosen at comcast.net 03/14/06 11:05 PM >>>
>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>
>> Marie wrote:
>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>
>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both are
>>> legitimate needs.
>>>
>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>
>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>> three.
>>
>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>> Future.)
>>
>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>> this is.)
>>
>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>> standards.
>>
>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>
>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>
>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From andreawilder at comcast.net  Sun Mar 19 14:09:48 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 14:09:48 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 252] Re: : A National System of Adult	Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <e3e8bbbd08fc01338b5e445285203eb1@comcast.net>
References: <s417d96f.038@mail.wcboe.org>
	<e3e8bbbd08fc01338b5e445285203eb1@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <5a76fa3bf4cac90977638dba9a74dbb2@comcast.net>

Marie, others,

I first taught at a school run by teachers--there was a head, but  
there were curriculum outlines, deeply humanistic, which we followed.As 
teachers  we were evaluated by how we demonstrated mastery of this 
curriculum, which we had made up.  Meaning, really, that we were 
evaluated through our students and the topics  we had covered as they 
reflected broad curriculum outlines.  Everyone was happy, students, 
teachers, parents, he school.  (true story)  Each fall we gave the kids 
a spelling test to see  where we should start working.  Each spring the 
children took a standardized test to see how  our school ranked against 
others.

(At one point I worked (didn't teach) at an immense city school.  i 
managed book buying.  One teacher got for a second year in a row the 
first volume of a volume of two books.  She didn't protest that the 
kids would be taught the same material for two years in a row....)

So at the first school we had a dual system, assessment for us, 
assessment for the  school.

Now it seems to me, but I can be wrong about this, that when we talk 
about assessment we don't talk about the value of what we are 
teaching--is it good or not?

Take the TABE.  It functions  kind of like an index, like say taking 
one's temperature.  98.6 is just an index.  No one pretends that the 
TABE materials are earth shaking, having read them, for a point of 
interest they are dreadful.

If I were coming into class I would want to read materials that were 
important to me. (This may be another topic.)

At what point to we pay attention to TEXT?  What  the words on the page 
are telling us?  Who wrote the words, anyway?  And all that.  is this 
where we talk CRITICAL LITERACY?  Is this where standards come in?

Adult literacy is really different from kid lit..  Adults want to 
master what is  important for their lives.

I may have missed, mislaid, some large piece of knowledge which Marie 
and others have gone over already, or what i am asking may not be 
pertinent at all, so please bear with me.

Thanks.

Andrea


On Mar 18, 2006, at 9:38 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

> David,
>
> As a  believer  in performance based assessment, I am wondering  how
> this might work with your computer modules.
>
> Andrea
>
>
> On Mar 15, 2006, at 9:07 AM, PATRICIA HANDY wrote:
>
>> David and All,
>> As a practitioner for 27 years, now responsible for training new
>> staff, I applaud your suggestions. I would not be appauding if you had
>> proposed a rigid "this curriculum fits all" plan, but as to providing
>> standardized resources from which each teacher or learner could
>> customize a learning plan, YES! YES!
>>
>>
>> Pat Handy
>> 410-749-3217
>> Coordinator, Wicomico County Adult Learning Center
>> Philmore Commons, Salisbury
>>
>> Confidentiality Note:
>> This message may contain confidential information intended only for
>> the use of the person named above and may contain communication
>> protected by law.  If you have received this message in error, you are
>> hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying or other
>> use of this message is prohibited and you are requested to notify the
>> sender immediately at his/her electronic mail.
>>>>> djrosen at comcast.net 03/14/06 11:05 PM >>>
>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>
>> Marie wrote:
>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>
>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both are
>>> legitimate needs.
>>>
>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>
>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>> three.
>>
>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>> Future.)
>>
>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>> this is.)
>>
>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>> standards.
>>
>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>
>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>
>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From andreawilder at comcast.net  Sun Mar 19 16:32:15 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 16:32:15 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 253] Re: : A National System of Adult	Education and
	Literacy
In-Reply-To: <5a76fa3bf4cac90977638dba9a74dbb2@comcast.net>
References: <s417d96f.038@mail.wcboe.org>
	<e3e8bbbd08fc01338b5e445285203eb1@comcast.net>
	<5a76fa3bf4cac90977638dba9a74dbb2@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <8938fe688a5fd226d9c24d23da017221@comcast.net>

I need to follow up on one point--The Teacher Who Didn't Protest.  She 
worked in a bureaucratic system, she had always worked there.  She did 
a really good job with the kids  she  taught.  I can't explain her 
action anymore than this.  it was what it was.
AW

On Mar 19, 2006, at 2:09 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

> Marie, others,
>
> I first taught at a school run by teachers--there was a head, but
> there were curriculum outlines, deeply humanistic, which we followed.As
> teachers  we were evaluated by how we demonstrated mastery of this
> curriculum, which we had made up.  Meaning, really, that we were
> evaluated through our students and the topics  we had covered as they
> reflected broad curriculum outlines.  Everyone was happy, students,
> teachers, parents, he school.  (true story)  Each fall we gave the kids
> a spelling test to see  where we should start working.  Each spring the
> children took a standardized test to see how  our school ranked against
> others.
>
> (At one point I worked (didn't teach) at an immense city school.  i
> managed book buying.  One teacher got for a second year in a row the
> first volume of a volume of two books.  She didn't protest that the
> kids would be taught the same material for two years in a row....)
>
> So at the first school we had a dual system, assessment for us,
> assessment for the  school.
>
> Now it seems to me, but I can be wrong about this, that when we talk
> about assessment we don't talk about the value of what we are
> teaching--is it good or not?
>
> Take the TABE.  It functions  kind of like an index, like say taking
> one's temperature.  98.6 is just an index.  No one pretends that the
> TABE materials are earth shaking, having read them, for a point of
> interest they are dreadful.
>
> If I were coming into class I would want to read materials that were
> important to me. (This may be another topic.)
>
> At what point to we pay attention to TEXT?  What  the words on the page
> are telling us?  Who wrote the words, anyway?  And all that.  is this
> where we talk CRITICAL LITERACY?  Is this where standards come in?
>
> Adult literacy is really different from kid lit..  Adults want to
> master what is  important for their lives.
>
> I may have missed, mislaid, some large piece of knowledge which Marie
> and others have gone over already, or what i am asking may not be
> pertinent at all, so please bear with me.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Andrea
>
>
> On Mar 18, 2006, at 9:38 PM, Andrea Wilder wrote:
>
>> David,
>>
>> As a  believer  in performance based assessment, I am wondering  how
>> this might work with your computer modules.
>>
>> Andrea
>>
>>
>> On Mar 15, 2006, at 9:07 AM, PATRICIA HANDY wrote:
>>
>>> David and All,
>>> As a practitioner for 27 years, now responsible for training new
>>> staff, I applaud your suggestions. I would not be appauding if you 
>>> had
>>> proposed a rigid "this curriculum fits all" plan, but as to providing
>>> standardized resources from which each teacher or learner could
>>> customize a learning plan, YES! YES!
>>>
>>>
>>> Pat Handy
>>> 410-749-3217
>>> Coordinator, Wicomico County Adult Learning Center
>>> Philmore Commons, Salisbury
>>>
>>> Confidentiality Note:
>>> This message may contain confidential information intended only for
>>> the use of the person named above and may contain communication
>>> protected by law.  If you have received this message in error, you 
>>> are
>>> hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying or 
>>> other
>>> use of this message is prohibited and you are requested to notify the
>>> sender immediately at his/her electronic mail.
>>>>>> djrosen at comcast.net 03/14/06 11:05 PM >>>
>>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>>
>>> Marie wrote:
>>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>>
>>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student * and both are
>>>> legitimate needs.
>>>>
>>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>
>>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>>> three.
>>>
>>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>>> Future.)
>>>
>>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
>>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>>> this is.)
>>>
>>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
>>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>>> standards.
>>>
>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
>>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
>>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>>
>>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>>
>>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>>
>>> David J. Rosen
>>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>>
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Mar 20 09:57:10 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 09:57:10 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 254]  FW from Content Standards
Message-ID: <00ec01c64c2e$9142f990$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear Colleagues,

The following post is in response to comments made by David Rosen on the
Assessment Discussion List on Sunday, March 19 regarding standards and
on-line performance assessment.  Thanks, marie
----


all

A bottom-up, field (practitioner and learner) - represented set of
standards?  Sounds like EFF, no?  What am I missing here?  We have this
rich, useful resource in EFF.  Are we talking about starting over?
Something different?  Don't we have this already?  Aren't some of us
building on it?

Janet Isserlis


>> 
>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  

David Rosen
----------------------------------------------------




From andreawilder at comcast.net  Mon Mar 20 10:02:55 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 10:02:55 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 255] Re: FW from Content Standards
In-Reply-To: <00ec01c64c2e$9142f990$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <00ec01c64c2e$9142f990$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <7275563f5a931dbfb23359050d201e7b@comcast.net>

Janet,

Very good questions--

What i am understanding about David's  curriculum is that it would 
consist of units that could be plucked from the air..What are the 
strength of EFF?  What are the strengths of David's curriculum?  
Upsides and downsides to each?

How is success measured?  What values are enhanced?

Who puts up the money for each?

How about grassroots support?

Andrea

On Mar 20, 2006, at 9:57 AM, Marie Cora wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The following post is in response to comments made by David Rosen on 
> the
> Assessment Discussion List on Sunday, March 19 regarding standards and
> on-line performance assessment.  Thanks, marie
> ----
>
>
> all
>
> A bottom-up, field (practitioner and learner) - represented set of
> standards?  Sounds like EFF, no?  What am I missing here?  We have this
> rich, useful resource in EFF.  Are we talking about starting over?
> Something different?  Don't we have this already?  Aren't some of us
> building on it?
>
> Janet Isserlis
>
>
>>>
>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.
>
> David Rosen
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From atrawick at charter.net  Mon Mar 20 10:28:54 2006
From: atrawick at charter.net (Amy R. Trawick)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 10:28:54 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 256] Re: : A National System of Adult Education
	andLiteracy
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo><E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net><44183675.8040303@riral.org>
	<09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <00ee01c64c33$0045b810$3002a8c0@ben2ut66kkx7o3>

David, I think this is an intriguing idea.  Lots of issues are whirling 
around in my head, but let's deal with this one first:

Are you proposing the development of national standards or federal 
standards?  It is possible to have a set of national standards, supporting 
curriculum, and standardized assessments--developed and referenced by the 
field as a whole because of the collaborative nature of their development or 
adoption--without having these codified within the federal bureaucracy.  In 
this scenario, the federal government could even provide support through 
funding.  Is this what your getting at, or are you seeing a more hands-on 
role being played by the federal government?

Amy

Amy R. Trawick, M.S. Ed.
North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
atrawick at charter.net



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>
To: <hdooley at riral.org>; "The Assessment Discussion List" 
<assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:09 PM
Subject: [Assessment 239] Re: : A National System of Adult Education 
andLiteracy


Howard,

Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope
others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list
and from the Content Standards list.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:

> I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say the
> plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push
> today
> to be able to look at success across states and throughout the
> country,
> and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a
> national
> system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best politics
> and
> the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that, right
> now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
> practitioners are not.

I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult
education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to
establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure why,
but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that
curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of
local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest
the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a
"warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
[ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ] and
(through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the
development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum
standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that
exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us
know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack
standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of
standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.

> Because, really, the benefits of such a system
> are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture people;
> for
> the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of it?
> How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to get a
> job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter a
> community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it
> matter?

I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.
However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of
curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in programs
and states across the country.  But much of it is not published, and
if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good
curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for
example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have
much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest to
most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and use
-- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be
found_.

Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona
correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL
standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers
there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College
decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted to
have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they
spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a Web
page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/
~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a
couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state to
tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.
This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by and
respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources found
and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other ESOL
teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national curriculum
development.

Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for
developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most
teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked
to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced
national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or
learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum
standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer-
reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily-
accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects
database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,
level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in
place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in
California
[ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical format
for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and
nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in an
accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of finding
good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these
are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even by
teachers and their students together.)

> I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
> pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it takes
> time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a
> wealth
> of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
> modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
> work-contextualized units, in English".

Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is not
there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons which
students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student
lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in
health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good jobs
going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --
wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their
basic skills learning online and if the instruction were
contextualized or embedded in health care work?

> Much of it "available in free
> online in units that teachers could download and use in their
> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or smallgroup
> instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL
> listening and
> ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us is
> "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can use
> directly online."

Yes, that is the weakest link.

> There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
> to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to engage
> self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and highly
> self-motivated.

Right you are.

> So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think, but
> only if most of us really want to get there at all.

Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,
border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as I
am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful
this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get teachers
in Rhode Island to think about this.

>  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
> Howard D.


>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> David Rosen wrote:
>
>> Assessment Colleagues,
>>
>> Marie wrote:
>>
>>
>>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most important
>>> thing that will help combat these issues?
>>>
>>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
>>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
>>> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both are
>>> legitimate needs.
>>>
>>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities, and
>> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of what
>> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy which
>> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards, (Free)
>> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
>> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at these
>> three.
>>
>> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
>> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
>> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
>> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
>> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
>> Future.)
>>
>> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
>> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
>> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in generic
>> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also bilingual
>> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be available
>> free online in units that teachers could download and use in their
>> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
>> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
>> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task all
>> this is.)
>>
>> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national curriculum
>> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
>> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
>> standards.
>>
>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A national
>> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units of
>> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very easily
>> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals and
>> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
>> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
>> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues with
>> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose students
>> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
>> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using numeracy
>> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and who
>> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access standards-
>> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
>> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor.  These
>> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
>> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost.  But,
>> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
>> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
>> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
>> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
>>
>> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
>>
>> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>>
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
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From hdooley at riral.org  Mon Mar 20 11:13:29 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:13:29 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 257] Re: : A National System of Adult
	Education	andLiteracy
In-Reply-To: <00ee01c64c33$0045b810$3002a8c0@ben2ut66kkx7o3>
References: <002d01c64782$4b43c150$0402a8c0@frodo><E2DE7379-1A0C-4D94-85E4-203F0F6F5206@comcast.net><44183675.8040303@riral.org>	<09D7944F-651C-4AC2-B1EA-7F622BA1ABEA@comcast.net>
	<00ee01c64c33$0045b810$3002a8c0@ben2ut66kkx7o3>
Message-ID: <441ED4A9.8060100@riral.org>

Hi, Amy.

Would you say the current federal situation fits your description of 
"without having these codified within the federal bureaucracy"?  Ronna's 
work on the Standards Warehouse disseminates information about various 
standards developed, and of course the EFF website/s do that also; but 
the development of standards remains a local issue, with states 
developing standards or guidelines and then programs are able to align 
their curricula with those standards, based on learners' goals, needed 
certifications, next steps and so on.  If all the state and local 
standards are based on national models -- say, for example, basing all 
math standards on NCTM's work -- then we'd have a system like what you 
describe, and which right now seems to "work" for OVAE.

I could certainly get behind that.  We need to maintain local control 
over the specific standards taught to, so that instruction continues to 
be based on the learner's goals and needs and based within the learner / 
teacher interaction.  (I'm preaching to the choir now, right?)

Howard D.


Amy R. Trawick wrote:

>David, I think this is an intriguing idea.  Lots of issues are whirling 
>around in my head, but let's deal with this one first:
>
>Are you proposing the development of national standards or federal 
>standards?  It is possible to have a set of national standards, supporting 
>curriculum, and standardized assessments--developed and referenced by the 
>field as a whole because of the collaborative nature of their development or 
>adoption--without having these codified within the federal bureaucracy.  In 
>this scenario, the federal government could even provide support through 
>funding.  Is this what your getting at, or are you seeing a more hands-on 
>role being played by the federal government?
>
>Amy
>
>Amy R. Trawick, M.S. Ed.
>North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
>atrawick at charter.net
>
>  
>
>


From khinson at future-gate.com  Mon Mar 20 11:28:29 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 17:28:29 +0100
Subject: [Assessment 258] Re: FW from Content Standards
Message-ID: <441EE63E020000A0000022A3@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

Not everyone uses EFF. What about them?  How do you go about addressing the questions/concerns such people might have as to why they don't use a system if it's already in place?

Regards
Katrina

>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  >>>
Dear Colleagues,

The following post is in response to comments made by David Rosen on the
Assessment Discussion List on Sunday, March 19 regarding standards and
on-line performance assessment.  Thanks, marie
----


all

A bottom-up, field (practitioner and learner) - represented set of
standards?  Sounds like EFF, no?  What am I missing here?  We have this
rich, useful resource in EFF.  Are we talking about starting over?
Something different?  Don't we have this already?  Aren't some of us
building on it?

Janet Isserlis


>> 
>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  

David Rosen
----------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From djrosen at comcast.net  Mon Mar 20 12:06:59 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 12:06:59 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 259] Re: FW from Content Standards
In-Reply-To: <7275563f5a931dbfb23359050d201e7b@comcast.net>
References: <00ec01c64c2e$9142f990$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<7275563f5a931dbfb23359050d201e7b@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <82343987-9C40-4D0E-A49C-38504E13DF0A@comcast.net>

Janet, Andrea, and others:

To clarify, and for those who may not have seen my original, March  
15th, post, I am proposing a national system of Adult education and  
Literacy which has three aligned components: National Curriculum  
Standards, (Free) National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.

I wrote, regarding national curriculum standards:

"1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
(Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the  
Future.)"

I am among those who would argue that we already have that in EFF and  
agree with Janet that  we do not need to start over on this.

I am not sure what Andrea's  "units plucked from the air" means but I  
proposed that curriculum units (and assessments)  be based on these  
standards.

Success would be measured based on adult learner goals and contexts  
and national standards.

For this to succeed we would need national leadership and federal  
funding. Those who are interested in advocating for this could bring  
it up with Congressional and Presidential candidates  in the upcoming  
elections as well as with their current elected representatives.

David J. Rosen
www.newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net


On Mar 20, 2006, at 10:02 AM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

> Janet,
>
> Very good questions--
>
> What i am understanding about David's  curriculum is that it would
> consist of units that could be plucked from the air..What are the
> strength of EFF?  What are the strengths of David's curriculum?
> Upsides and downsides to each?
>
> How is success measured?  What values are enhanced?
>
> Who puts up the money for each?
>
> How about grassroots support?
>
> Andrea
>
> On Mar 20, 2006, at 9:57 AM, Marie Cora wrote:
>
>> Dear Colleagues,
>>
>> The following post is in response to comments made by David Rosen on
>> the
>> Assessment Discussion List on Sunday, March 19 regarding standards  
>> and
>> on-line performance assessment.  Thanks, marie
>> ----
>>
>>
>> all
>>
>> A bottom-up, field (practitioner and learner) - represented set of
>> standards?  Sounds like EFF, no?  What am I missing here?  We have  
>> this
>> rich, useful resource in EFF.  Are we talking about starting over?
>> Something different?  Don't we have this already?  Aren't some of us
>> building on it?
>>
>> Janet Isserlis
>>
>>
>>>>
>>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would  
>>>> argue
>>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.
>>
>> David Rosen
>> ----------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From andreawilder at comcast.net  Mon Mar 20 14:30:51 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 14:30:51 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 260] Re: FW from Content Standards
In-Reply-To: <82343987-9C40-4D0E-A49C-38504E13DF0A@comcast.net>
References: <00ec01c64c2e$9142f990$0402a8c0@frodo>
	<7275563f5a931dbfb23359050d201e7b@comcast.net>
	<82343987-9C40-4D0E-A49C-38504E13DF0A@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <67e9a0ef7f2d2c8525a7cc7ab136d425@comcast.net>

"Units plucked from the air" is my way of saying that the curriculum is 
downloadable, eg, plucked from the air.

Andrea


On Mar 20, 2006, at 12:06 PM, David Rosen wrote:

> Janet, Andrea, and others:
>
> To clarify, and for those who may not have seen my original, March
> 15th, post, I am proposing a national system of Adult education and
> Literacy which has three aligned components: National Curriculum
> Standards, (Free) National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.
>
> I wrote, regarding national curriculum standards:
>
> "1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult ESL/ESOL/ELL,
> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
> developed through a process which is widely respected by the field.
> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
> Future.)"
>
> I am among those who would argue that we already have that in EFF and
> agree with Janet that  we do not need to start over on this.
>
> I am not sure what Andrea's  "units plucked from the air" means but I
> proposed that curriculum units (and assessments)  be based on these
> standards.
>
> Success would be measured based on adult learner goals and contexts
> and national standards.
>
> For this to succeed we would need national leadership and federal
> funding. Those who are interested in advocating for this could bring
> it up with Congressional and Presidential candidates  in the upcoming
> elections as well as with their current elected representatives.
>
> David J. Rosen
> www.newsomeassociates.com
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
>
> On Mar 20, 2006, at 10:02 AM, Andrea Wilder wrote:
>
>> Janet,
>>
>> Very good questions--
>>
>> What i am understanding about David's  curriculum is that it would
>> consist of units that could be plucked from the air..What are the
>> strength of EFF?  What are the strengths of David's curriculum?
>> Upsides and downsides to each?
>>
>> How is success measured?  What values are enhanced?
>>
>> Who puts up the money for each?
>>
>> How about grassroots support?
>>
>> Andrea
>>
>> On Mar 20, 2006, at 9:57 AM, Marie Cora wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Colleagues,
>>>
>>> The following post is in response to comments made by David Rosen on
>>> the
>>> Assessment Discussion List on Sunday, March 19 regarding standards
>>> and
>>> on-line performance assessment.  Thanks, marie
>>> ----
>>>
>>>
>>> all
>>>
>>> A bottom-up, field (practitioner and learner) - represented set of
>>> standards?  Sounds like EFF, no?  What am I missing here?  We have
>>> this
>>> rich, useful resource in EFF.  Are we talking about starting over?
>>> Something different?  Don't we have this already?  Aren't some of us
>>> building on it?
>>>
>>> Janet Isserlis
>>>
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would
>>>>> argue
>>>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.
>>>
>>> David Rosen
>>> ----------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> -------------------------------
>>> National Institute for Literacy
>>> Assessment mailing list
>>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From andreawilder at comcast.net  Mon Mar 20 17:05:09 2006
From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 17:05:09 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 261] Re: FW from Content Standards
In-Reply-To: <441EE63E020000A0000022A3@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>
References: <441EE63E020000A0000022A3@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>
Message-ID: <16c93f0f35aabea8cf0101ed656e5154@comcast.net>

Katrina--

Do adult literacy teachers have a kind of internalized list of what 
adults need to know?  I am not thinking of EFF, i am thinking of a 
teacherly set of internalized content (and performance) standards.

Example:  one of the adults  living in my house this year can neither 
swim nor drive a car.  This stood out for me. My set of internalized 
standards says she should have these two skills.

Thanks for any light you can give on this subject.

Andrea

Andrea
On Mar 20, 2006, at 11:28 AM, Katrina Hinson wrote:

> Not everyone uses EFF. What about them?  How do you go about 
> addressing the questions/concerns such people might have as to why 
> they don't use a system if it's already in place?
>
> Regards
> Katrina
>
>>>> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  >>>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The following post is in response to comments made by David Rosen on 
> the
> Assessment Discussion List on Sunday, March 19 regarding standards and
> on-line performance assessment.  Thanks, marie
> ----
>
>
> all
>
> A bottom-up, field (practitioner and learner) - represented set of
> standards?  Sounds like EFF, no?  What am I missing here?  We have this
> rich, useful resource in EFF.  Are we talking about starting over?
> Something different?  Don't we have this already?  Aren't some of us
> building on it?
>
> Janet Isserlis
>
>
>>>
>>> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would argue
>>> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
>>> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
>>> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
>>> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.
>
> David Rosen
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Mar 22 07:31:09 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com)
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 05:31:09 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 262] Re: : A National System of Adult Education and
	Literacy
Message-ID: <20060322053109.25f5a32e926a0964fcd463de8558d100.0ee0bd1d1d.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net>

Dear Colleague,

The following post if from Linda Perry and was posted on March 21 to the
Content Standards Discussion List.
marie cora
_____


> 
> Interesting part of a discussion.  There are Scans competencies that are
> 
> followed in many areas in California and the testing for our program
> and 
> other ESL programs is from CAL, Center for Applied Linguistics,
> implying 
> some applied linguistic guidelines.  ORU recommends that doctoral
> students 
> who have studied for their undergraduate and/or master's degrees in
> their 
> education programs, study in other institutions for their doctorates so
> they 
> don't become ingrown and overly focused on one way of doing things.  
> The 
> idea is that it is broadening and keeps a person open to new and
> alternative 
> ways of teaching. Is David proposing national guidelines?  This is a
> good 
> idea, if it is an open ended recommendation that is regularly reviewed
> and 
> allows for input, research and inclusion of varied approaches.
> 
> 
> >From: "Amy R. Trawick" <atrawick at charter.net>
> >Reply-To: The Adult Education Content Standards Discussion 
> >List<contentstandards at nifl.gov>
> >To: "The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov>,"The Adult
> 
> >Education Content Standards Discussion
> List"<contentstandards at nifl.gov>
> >Subject: [ContentStandards 75] Re: [Assessment 239] Re: : A National 
> >Systemof Adult Education andLiteracy
> >Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 10:28:54 -0500
> >
> >David, I think this is an intriguing idea.  Lots of issues are
> whirling
> >around in my head, but let's deal with this one first:
> >
> >Are you proposing the development of national standards or federal
> >standards?  It is possible to have a set of national standards,
> supporting
> >curriculum, and standardized assessments--developed and referenced by
> the
> >field as a whole because of the collaborative nature of their
> development 
> >or
> >adoption--without having these codified within the federal
> bureaucracy.  In
> >this scenario, the federal government could even provide support
> through
> >funding.  Is this what your getting at, or are you seeing a more
> hands-on
> >role being played by the federal government?
> >
> >Amy
> >
> >Amy R. Trawick, M.S. Ed.
> >North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
> >atrawick at charter.net
> >
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "David Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>
> >To: <hdooley at riral.org>; "The Assessment Discussion List"
> ><assessment at nifl.gov>
> >Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:09 PM
> >Subject: [Assessment 239] Re: : A National System of Adult Education
> >andLiteracy
> >
> >
> >Howard,
> >
> >Thanks for your thoughtful comments.  See my replies below.  I hope
> >others will join in this discussion, too, from the Assessment list
> >and from the Content Standards list.
> >
> >David J. Rosen
> >djrosen at comcast.net
> >
> >On Mar 15, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. wrote:
> >
> > > I think David has a good, basic overall plan here.  I wouldn't say
> the
> > > plan is top-down either.  I think it recognizes that there is push
> > > today
> > > to be able to look at success across states and throughout the
> > > country,
> > > and for that we need a way to connect our local efforts into a
> > > national
> > > system.  Think globally; act locally -- as always the best
> politics
> > > and
> > > the best basis for a system of adult ed.  But my sense is that,
> right
> > > now, funders are in favor of such a national system, but most
> > > practitioners are not.
> >
> >I wish that funders _were_ in favor of this.  The largest adult
> >education funder, the U.S. Department of Education, is reluctant to
> >establish a set of national curriculum standards.  I am not sure why,
> >but guess that it is because a long-standing tradition that
> >curriculum standards  in American Education are in the control of
> >local school committees and state boards of education.  The closest
> >the USDOE has come to this is funding the development of a
> >"warehouse" of state curriculum standards,
> >[ http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp ] and
> >(through the National Institute for Literacy) supporting the
> >development -- but not the endorsement as national curriculum
> >standards - of Equipped for the Future. (I am not sure I have that
> >exactly right so if someone has better information, please let us
> >know.) The problem, as many people have said, is not that we lack
> >standards in the U.S., but that we have too many competing sets of
> >standards.  We lack a set of national standards that everyone uses.
> >
> > > Because, really, the benefits of such a system
> > > are largely for the funders, policy makers, and big-picture
> people;
> > > for
> > > the instructor and learner in the classroom, what is the impact of
> it?
> > > How does it matter that what I need to learn and am mastering to
> get a
> > > job in RI is also what someone needs to learn and master to enter
> a
> > > community college in AL?  It may be interesting, but what does it
> > > matter?
> >
> >I agree that a system such as I propose would benefit funders.
> >However, it would also benefit teachers and learners.  A lot of
> >curriculum -- often very good curriculum -- is developed in programs
> >and states across the country.  But much of it is not published, and
> >if it is, is not easily accessed.  It is possible to find some good
> >curriculum through NIFL LINCS, and in other places on the Web, for
> >example, but this takes time, a lot of time.  Teachers don't have
> >much time to search for curriculum.  It would be of great interest to
> >most teachers if high quality curriculum --ready to download and use
> >-- and adapt to local needs -- in class tomorrow could _easily be
> >found_.
> >
> >Let me give you an example.  As I understand it (folks from Arizona
> >correct me if I got this wrong) Arizona has a set of state ESOL
> >standards that are widely used, and respected by ESOL teachers
> >there.  A couple of ESOL teachers at Pima County Community College
> >decided that they were useful as far as they went, but they wanted to
> >have good web-based instruction linked to those standards.  So they
> >spent hours and hours finding -- and linking -- instruction on a Web
> >page that they call The Splendid ESOL Web [ http://cc.pima.edu/
> >~slundquist/index.htm ] When I was doing workshops in Arizona a
> >couple of years ago, ESOL teachers popped up from across the state to
> >tell me about The Splendid ESOL Web and how useful it is to them.
> >This is instructional for us all: a set of standards developed by and
> >respected by teachers, a set of online instructional resources found
> >and organized/linked by ESOL Teachers, and widely used by other ESOL
> >teachers.  This sounds like a model to emulate in national curriculum
> >development.
> >
> >Take this a step further.  Suppose we had an agreed-upon format for
> >developing instructional resources, nothing fancy, one that most
> >teachers found easy to understand, easy to use, and that was linked
> >to national standards.  Suppose further that the format referenced
> >national curriculum standards, that every lesson or module or
> >learning object built by a teacher referenced a national curriculum
> >standard.  Then suppose the modules teachers developed were peer-
> >reviewed and those that were approved were stored in an easily-
> >accessible Web-based instructional lesson/module/learning objects
> >database where other teachers could access them by standard, topic,
> >level, etc.  Some of the elements of what I have described are in
> >place. For example, the Lesson Plan Builder, developed by OTAN in
> >California
> >[ http://www.lessonplanbuilder.org/lessons/ ], has a practical format
> >for creating lesson plans online, and links them to California (and
> >nationally used) standards.  OTAN  plans to store these lessons in an
> >accessible database. When that's done, the teacher's chore of finding
> >good lesson plans will be easier. Also, I very much like that these
> >are lesson plans created "bottom up" by teachers (or perhaps even by
> >teachers and their students together.)
> >
> > > I also think that many of the standards, curriculum and assessment
> > > pieces already exist.  If one has the time -- and right now it
> takes
> > > time, believe me -- to peruse and ferret the web, you can find a
> > > wealth
> > > of excellent curricula that is the start of a "comprehensive,
> > > modularized [curriculum], available in generic as well as
> > > work-contextualized units, in English".
> >
> >Yes, much of it is there -- and it's hard to find.  Some of it is not
> >there, however.  Try to find work-contextualized online lessons which
> >students can access directly (not teacher lesson plans but student
> >lessons online.) I have been searching high and low for these -- in
> >health care work -- but haven't found much.  Yet, given the good jobs
> >going begging in health care in New England -- and elsewhere --
> >wouldn't it be useful if health care workers could do some of their
> >basic skills learning online and if the instruction were
> >contextualized or embedded in health care work?
> >
> > > Much of it "available in free
> > > online in units that teachers could download and use in their
> > > classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or
> smallgroup
> > > instruction".  We use several items for our EL Civics, ESL
> > > listening and
> > > ABE math curriculua that are from the web.  The weakest link for us
> is
> > > "material in self-instructional formats that adult learners can
> use
> > > directly online."
> >
> >Yes, that is the weakest link.
> >
> > > There's a lot of print stuff that's been transferred
> > > to the web, put it's not exciting or constructivist enough to
> engage
> > > self-directed learners, unless they are high level readers and
> highly
> > > self-motivated.
> >
> >Right you are.
> >
> > > So, I think we could get there more quickly than we might think,
> but
> > > only if most of us really want to get there at all.
> >
> >Your state, Rhode Island, the first wireless Internet access state,
> >border-to-border, would be a perfect "testbed" for a system such as I
> >am proposing.  I think if teachers and tutors understood how useful
> >this could be they would clamor for it.  Maybe you could get teachers
> >in Rhode Island to think about this.
> >
> > >  From a sincere, big-picture kind-of-guy,
> > > Howard D.
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > David Rosen wrote:
> > >
> > >> Assessment Colleagues,
> > >>
> > >> Marie wrote:
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> What do we need?  National standards?  Is that the most
> important
> > >>> thing that will help combat these issues?
> > >>>
> > >>> A different way to capture learning?  What would that look like?
> > >>> Remember that the needs of the funder and public are quite
> > >>> different than the needs of the teacher and student ? and both
> are
> > >>> legitimate needs.
> > >>>
> > >>> What are your thoughts on these issues?
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >> Ignore for the moment the current political political realities,
> and
> > >> consider just the merits and faults, not the practicalities, of
> what
> > >> I propose, a national System of Adult Education and Literacy
> which
> > >> has three aligned components: National Curriculum Standards,
> (Free)
> > >> National Curricula, and Standardized Assessments.  Such a system
> > >> could have other components, but for now, I suggest we look at
> these
> > >> three.
> > >>
> > >> 1. Sets of national curriculum standards for: a) adult
> ESL/ESOL/ELL,
> > >> b) ABE (including adult basic education) c) ASE (adult secondary
> > >> education/GED/EDP/ADP) and d) Transition to College programs ,
> > >> developed through a process which is widely respected by the
> field.
> > >> (Some would argue that we already have that in Equipped for the
> > >> Future.)
> > >>
> > >> 2. National curricula developed based on those standards and
> > >> available for states to adopt (or adapt) as they choose.  The
> > >> curricula need to be comprehensive, modularized, available in
> generic
> > >> as well as work-contextualized units, in English but also
> bilingual
> > >> in Spanish and possibly other languages.  It needs to be
> available
> > >> free online in units that teachers could download and use in
> their
> > >> classrooms, that tutors could use with their one-one-one or small
> > >> group instruction, and in self-instructional formats that adult
> > >> learners could use directly online.  (Yes I know how big a task
> all
> > >> this is.)
> > >>
> > >> 3. Standardized assessments developed against the national
> curriculum
> > >> standards (tests, but also performance-based, direct assessments)
> > >> which have a high degree of validity for measuring the national
> > >> standards.
> > >>
> > >> Some might think that what I propose is too top-down.  I would
> argue
> > >> that it could be very bottom-up if the field -- and adult learner
> > >> leaders -- are/have been/will be well-represented in setting the
> > >> standards, and if the modules can be be selected to meet specific
> > >> learner goals and contexts as well as to the standards.  A
> national
> > >> curriculum could be made up of a database of thousands of units
> of
> > >> instruction (modules, learning objects) which could be very
> easily
> > >> found and in minutes organized/reorganized to fit learners' goals
> and
> > >> contexts.  An adult learner or a group who need to improve their
> > >> reading skills and who are interested in the context of parenting
> > >> could easily access standards-based modules on parenting issues
> with
> > >> reading materials at the right level(s).  A teacher whose
> students
> > >> worked in health care and who needed to improve their math skills
> > >> could quickly find and download materials/lessons for using
> numeracy
> > >> in health care settings. A student who wanted to learn online and
> who
> > >> wanted a job in environmental cleanup work could access
> standards-
> > >> based basic skills/occupational education lessons in this area,
> > >> accompanied by an online career coach and and online tutor. 
> These
> > >> examples just hint at the complexity and sophistication of what I
> > >> propose, and will have some shaking their heads at the cost. 
> But,
> > >> consider that if this is a national curriculum, the costs of
> > >> developing such modules have the benefits of scale, that those
> > >> curricula could be widely used -- and freely available.  (Sorry
> > >> publishers, this could eat into your profits.)
> > >>
> > >> There is more, but I'll stop with this.
> > >>
> > >> Okay, let the questions and brickbats fly.
> > >>
> > >> David J. Rosen
> > >> djrosen at comcast.net
> > >>
> > >> -------------------------------
> > >> National Institute for Literacy
> > >> Assessment mailing list
> > >> Assessment at nifl.gov
> > >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > > -------------------------------
> > > National Institute for Literacy
> > > Assessment mailing list
> > > Assessment at nifl.gov
> > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> >
> >-------------------------------
> >National Institute for Literacy
> >Assessment mailing list
> >Assessment at nifl.gov
> >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> >
> >----------------------------------------------------
> >National Institute for Literacy
> >Adult Education Content Standards mailing list
> >ContentStandards at nifl.gov
> >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/contentstandards
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------------------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Adult Education Content Standards mailing list
> ContentStandards at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/contentstandards



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Mar 23 07:29:21 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com)
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 05:29:21 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 263]  ETS Assessments Q&A:  Reminder
Message-ID: <20060323052921.25f5a32e926a0964fcd463de8558d100.5634815c6e.wbe@email.email.secureserver.net>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  

I would like to remind folks that next week there will be a Guest Q&A on
the 3 new literacy assessments being developed by ETS (Educational
Testing Service).  They are seeking involvement from the field in the
next stages of the test development.   

Please post your questions or comments - you can post to me and I will
forward them next week, or you can wait til next week and post your
question yourself.  

Please note that this discussion is not synchronous as they usually are
- Julie Eastland will respond to questions periodically throughout the
week.

Thanks and looking forward to your questions and comments.
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
-----

This original post was sent to the Assessment Discussion List on Friday,
March 17.

Dear Colleagues,
 
The Assessment Discussion List will be hosting a Q&A during the week of
March 27 on 3 new assessments for adult learning being developed by ETS
(Educational Testing Service).  ETS is seeking states to collaborate on
the development of these new standards-based assessments.  Presently, 7
Charter states have been working with ETS on this project.  ETS is
recruiting several more states for the next phase of the project, which
includes:
 
*	Developing, reviewing and selecting tasks to be included in the
new measures; 
*	Contributing to the development of diagnostic score reports;
*	Participating in a standard-setting process that will map the
tests to the NRS levels; 
*	Piloting the tests with your adult learners;
*	Creating a test designed by you with your state's learners',
teachers', and administrators' needs in mind.
 
Julie Eastland, of ETS, will be joining us during the week of March 27
to answer your questions and comments regarding the project.  You can
send your questions to the List before the week of March 27, and I will
hold them for that week, or you can post your questions and comments
during that week.  Julie will be available to respond periodically
throughout that week.  
 
For more information, please see the attachment.  
 
Thanks and looking forward to your questions and comments.
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Mar 27 11:00:34 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:00:34 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 264]  Questions about the new ETS assessments
Message-ID: <003501c651b7$9575ace0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email
finds you well.
 
I would like to welcome Julie Eastland from Educational Testing
Services, here during this week to respond to your questions about the
development of three new assessments in ABE.  I understand that there
may also be some folks from the Charter states currently involved in the
project who can respond as well.  Thanks to you all for sharing
information and your thoughts with us.
 
I would like to start by asking if any of the Charter state members can
share with us how they feel they have benefited from participating in
this project, and what types of challenges they may have encountered.  
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Mar 27 11:08:22 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:08:22 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 265]  More questions for ETS
Message-ID: <003f01c651b8$ac694410$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hello everyone,
 
I have received a few questions to be posted for the discussion:
 
 
-Are these assessments that students will take on-line?
 
-Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What
if my state does not use EFF?
 
-What does a state need to do in order to join the project?
 
-If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?
 
 
 
If you have questions, please feel free to send your question to me for
posting - or feel free to post it yourself.
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From Marcia.Cook at maine.gov  Mon Mar 27 11:09:26 2006
From: Marcia.Cook at maine.gov (Cook, Marcia)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:09:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 266] Re: Questions about the new ETS assessments
Message-ID: <32E5C6B0B949584D9B6168C5F727916BB6E0F2@SOM-TEAQASMAIL1.som.w2k.state.me.us>

Maine began to participate as a Charter State.  Our biggest challenge is
money.  Although we have for years been actively involved in EFF and in many
areas still are, we do not have the money at this time to continue to
participate in the project.  Our biggest concern about the EFF assessments
is the cost of the assessments to each program.  We are a small state
population wise and receive a relatively small amount of money.  I will be
anxious to hear this addressed during the week.
 
Thanks,
 
Marcia

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:01 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 264] Questions about the new ETS assessments


Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email finds
you well.
 
I would like to welcome Julie Eastland from Educational Testing Services,
here during this week to respond to your questions about the development of
three new assessments in ABE.  I understand that there may also be some
folks from the Charter states currently involved in the project who can
respond as well.  Thanks to you all for sharing information and your
thoughts with us.
 
I would like to start by asking if any of the Charter state members can
share with us how they feel they have benefited from participating in this
project, and what types of challenges they may have encountered.  
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From S.Oconnor at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org  Mon Mar 27 11:19:48 2006
From: S.Oconnor at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org (O'Connor, Susan)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:19:48 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 267] Re: Questions about the new ETS assessments
Message-ID: <7C952CC727B6A94BA342634037F1F93505138DC2@bplwired2.BPL-CENTRAL.local>

 Brooklyn Public LIbrary considered participation in this project but the
cost was so high that we were unable to even consider participation.  This
leads me to wonder about the efficacy of such an expensive venture for adult
literacy programs that have no fat at all to expend on anything other than
instruction.

-----Original Message-----
From: Cook, Marcia
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Cc: Dyer, Becky
Sent: 3/27/06 11:09 AM
Subject: [Assessment 266] Re: Questions about the new ETS assessments

Maine began to participate as a Charter State.  Our biggest challenge is
money.  Although we have for years been actively involved in EFF and in
many areas still are, we do not have the money at this time to continue
to participate in the project.  Our biggest concern about the EFF
assessments is the cost of the assessments to each program.  We are a
small state population wise and receive a relatively small amount of
money.  I will be anxious to hear this addressed during the week.
 
Thanks,
 
Marcia

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:01 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 264] Questions about the new ETS assessments


Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email
finds you well.
 
I would like to welcome Julie Eastland from Educational Testing
Services, here during this week to respond to your questions about the
development of three new assessments in ABE.  I understand that there
may also be some folks from the Charter states currently involved in the
project who can respond as well.  Thanks to you all for sharing
information and your thoughts with us.
 
I would like to start by asking if any of the Charter state members can
share with us how they feel they have benefited from participating in
this project, and what types of challenges they may have encountered.  
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 <<ATT23245.txt>> 


From jeastland at ETS.ORG  Mon Mar 27 11:22:29 2006
From: jeastland at ETS.ORG (Eastland, Julie)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:22:29 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 268] Re: More questions for ETS
Message-ID: <95782C26106D904E814E554F47EACA9C01A813FF@rosnt115.etslan.org>

Hi Everyone,
I will be available periodically this week to answer the questions that
are posted.
 
1. Are these assessments that students will take on-line?

Yes. They will be developed for on-line use. The students will take the
assessments on-line, and the assessments will be scored and scaled in
real-time on -line and immediately produce score reports, which
institutions can release directly to the student and/or teacher. There
will be a tutorial developed for students to access if they need
assistance with basic computer skills such as using a mouse and
highlighting, and the tutorial will also allow students to become
familiar with the item types that will be seen on the test.


2. Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?
What if my state does not use EFF?

Yes, they are based on the EFF Reading and Math frameworks, and will use
real-life materials to assess student knowledge and proficiency in those
areas. We will work with participants to align the tests to meet the NRS
requirements, which should make the tests useful even in states where
the EFF frameworks are not utilized.

3. What does a state need to do in order to join the project?

A state would need to commit to the next phase of the project (a 2 year
period), which would mean signing a Memorandum of Understanding with
ETS, agreeing to attend development meetings, and piloting all of the
tests (reading with Understanding, Reading Components, and Using Math to
Solve Problems)  with a minimum of 330 adult test candidates. The cost
of piloting is expected to be $10,000 per state. If your state is
interested, I would encourage you to contact me directly for more
information about this effort - I would be happy to share a copy of the
MOU with you..

4. If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If your state decides to join this project, you will not be required to
use the assessments beyond the pilot stage. If you are involved in the
pilot stage, you will have input into the development of the tests,
including score reports. If you were not in the development project, the
tests will be made available for purchase after the development phase.
At this time, we anticipate the final costs of the test to be
approximately $10 per test.

I look forward to further discussion this week.
Best regards,
Julie

________________________ 
Julie K. Eastland 
Program Administrator 
Center for Global Assessment 
Educational Testing Service 
Rosedale Rd. 
Princeton, NJ 08541 
jeastland at ets.org


________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:08 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 265] More questions for ETS



Hello everyone,

 

I have received a few questions to be posted for the discussion:

 

 

-Are these assessments that students will take on-line?

 

-Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What
if my state does not use EFF?

 

-What does a state need to do in order to join the project?

 

-If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

 

 

 

If you have questions, please feel free to send your question to me for
posting - or feel free to post it yourself.

 

Thanks,

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 


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From djrosen at comcast.net  Mon Mar 27 11:38:17 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:38:17 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 269] Re: Questions about the new ETS assessments
In-Reply-To: <32E5C6B0B949584D9B6168C5F727916BB6E0F2@SOM-TEAQASMAIL1.som.w2k.state.me.us>
References: <32E5C6B0B949584D9B6168C5F727916BB6E0F2@SOM-TEAQASMAIL1.som.w2k.state.me.us>
Message-ID: <465E6E65-4CB2-4360-9D25-E2B8E167A765@comcast.net>

Assessment Colleagues,

Thanks for bringing this up, Marcia.  In K-12 and higher education,  
the costs of assessment relative to instruction are relatively  
small.  In vastly underfunded adult literacy education the additional  
costs may be relatively significant, and may severely drain resources  
from already thinly-provided instruction.  Does this mean we should  
abandon assessment?  Of course not.  But perhaps it is time to cost  
it out, and to ask Congress and state legislatures to pay for the  
increased costs.  It is possible that some state legislatures -- and  
possibly Congress -- would understand a line item increase needed to  
pay for assessment, even in times of fiscal restraint.

So, my question for Julie Eastland: What are the costs involved?

? For being a participating state?
? For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments?
? For the assessment instruments?

And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In  
other words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a  
legislator how much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments,  
what would be the answer? What would the additional cost per student  
be, recognizing that that would vary for states with larger or fewer  
numbers of students?

David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net



On Mar 27, 2006, at 11:09 AM, Cook, Marcia wrote:

> Maine began to participate as a Charter State.  Our biggest  
> challenge is money.  Although we have for years been actively  
> involved in EFF and in many areas still are, we do not have the  
> money at this time to continue to participate in the project.  Our  
> biggest concern about the EFF assessments is the cost of the  
> assessments to each program.  We are a small state population wise  
> and receive a relatively small amount of money.  I will be anxious  
> to hear this addressed during the week.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Marcia
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
> Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:01 AM
> To: assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 264] Questions about the new ETS assessments
>
> Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email  
> finds you well.
>
>
>
> I would like to welcome Julie Eastland from Educational Testing  
> Services, here during this week to respond to your questions about  
> the development of three new assessments in ABE.  I understand that  
> there may also be some folks from the Charter states currently  
> involved in the project who can respond as well.  Thanks to you all  
> for sharing information and your thoughts with us.
>
>
>
> I would like to start by asking if any of the Charter state members  
> can share with us how they feel they have benefited from  
> participating in this project, and what types of challenges they  
> may have encountered.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> marie cora
>
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From hdooley at riral.org  Mon Mar 27 15:55:46 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 15:55:46 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 270] Re: Questions about the new ETS assessments
In-Reply-To: <465E6E65-4CB2-4360-9D25-E2B8E167A765@comcast.net>
References: <32E5C6B0B949584D9B6168C5F727916BB6E0F2@SOM-TEAQASMAIL1.som.w2k.state.me.us>
	<465E6E65-4CB2-4360-9D25-E2B8E167A765@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <44285152.6090501@riral.org>

And my question about the costs is, what is the value added?  What will 
learners and instructors receive that will inform future learning, that 
other assessments don't already provide?  What will program managers 
receive that will inform program design and funding allocations, beyond 
what current assessments and evaluations already provide?  What will 
legislators and other funders learn that will benefit future funding, 
that they are not already learning from adult education advocates?  And, 
what will be reportable to the NRS that is not already reported?

My understanding of these assessments is that they are developing 
standardized assessments aligned to the EFF content standards.  Do we 
need this?  Aren't other assessments already aligned with EFF enough to 
provide the information each stakeholder needs to make their decisions?  
Isn't the current mix of formal and informal, standardized and local, 
performance and objective assessments essentially doing the necessary 
tasks (leaving room for continuous improvements, of course)?  I can see 
why some programs may want to have a highly aligned, standardized 
assessment, and perhaps they should have that option and be wiling to 
pay for it.  But will most of us need it?

I believe that in considering the most efficient use of scarce 
resources, we should look to value added by these investments.

Howard D.


David Rosen wrote:

>Assessment Colleagues,
>
>Thanks for bringing this up, Marcia.  In K-12 and higher education,  
>the costs of assessment relative to instruction are relatively  
>small.  In vastly underfunded adult literacy education the additional  
>costs may be relatively significant, and may severely drain resources  
>from already thinly-provided instruction.  Does this mean we should  
>abandon assessment?  Of course not.  But perhaps it is time to cost  
>it out, and to ask Congress and state legislatures to pay for the  
>increased costs.  It is possible that some state legislatures -- and  
>possibly Congress -- would understand a line item increase needed to  
>pay for assessment, even in times of fiscal restraint.
>
>So, my question for Julie Eastland: What are the costs involved?
>
>? For being a participating state?
>? For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments?
>? For the assessment instruments?
>
>And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In  
>other words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a  
>legislator how much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments,  
>what would be the answer? What would the additional cost per student  
>be, recognizing that that would vary for states with larger or fewer  
>numbers of students?
>
>David J. Rosen
>newsomeassociates.com
>djrosen at comcast.net
>  
>



From jgordon at fortunesociety.org  Mon Mar 27 17:07:30 2006
From: jgordon at fortunesociety.org (John Gordon)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 17:07:30 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 271] Re: More questions for ETS
Message-ID: <FCE5A738D738724AB9ED7A61D3E733F002A59A94@mail.fortunesociety.org>

Did you say $10 per test? Does that mean that each time we test someone,
it would cost $10?
 
John Gordon

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Eastland, Julie
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:22 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 268] Re: More questions for ETS



Hi Everyone, 
I will be available periodically this week to answer the questions that
are posted. 
  
1. Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

Yes. They will be developed for on-line use. The students will take the
assessments on-line, and the assessments will be scored and scaled in
real-time on -line and immediately produce score reports, which
institutions can release directly to the student and/or teacher. There
will be a tutorial developed for students to access if they need
assistance with basic computer skills such as using a mouse and
highlighting, and the tutorial will also allow students to become
familiar with the item types that will be seen on the test.


2. Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?
What if my state does not use EFF? 

Yes, they are based on the EFF Reading and Math frameworks, and will use
real-life materials to assess student knowledge and proficiency in those
areas. We will work with participants to align the tests to meet the NRS
requirements, which should make the tests useful even in states where
the EFF frameworks are not utilized.

3. What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

A state would need to commit to the next phase of the project (a 2 year
period), which would mean signing a Memorandum of Understanding with
ETS, agreeing to attend development meetings, and piloting all of the
tests (reading with Understanding, Reading Components, and Using Math to
Solve Problems)  with a minimum of 330 adult test candidates. The cost
of piloting is expected to be $10,000 per state. If your state is
interested, I would encourage you to contact me directly for more
information about this effort - I would be happy to share a copy of the
MOU with you..

4. If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If your state decides to join this project, you will not be required to
use the assessments beyond the pilot stage. If you are involved in the
pilot stage, you will have input into the development of the tests,
including score reports. If you were not in the development project, the
tests will be made available for purchase after the development phase.
At this time, we anticipate the final costs of the test to be
approximately $10 per test.

I look forward to further discussion this week. 
Best regards, 
Julie 

________________________
Julie K. Eastland
Program Administrator
Center for Global Assessment
Educational Testing Service
Rosedale Rd.
Princeton, NJ 08541 
jeastland at ets.org 


________________________________ 

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
<mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov> ] On Behalf Of Marie Cora 
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:08 AM 
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 265] More questions for ETS 



Hello everyone, 

I have received a few questions to be posted for the discussion: 

-Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

-Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What
if my state does not use EFF? 

-What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

-If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If you have questions, please feel free to send your question to me for
posting - or feel free to post it yourself. 

Thanks, 

marie cora 

Assessment Discussion List Moderator 

--------------------------------------------------
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or
confidential information.
It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if
addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not
disclose, copy, distribute,
or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and
delete it from
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From jeastland at ETS.ORG  Mon Mar 27 18:40:47 2006
From: jeastland at ETS.ORG (Eastland, Julie)
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 18:40:47 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 272] Re: More questions for ETS
Message-ID: <95782C26106D904E814E554F47EACA9C01AEA7A7@rosnt115.etslan.org>

Yes. The costs at this time are expected to be $10 per test.  The tests
are designed to be web-delivered and administered, scored on-line, and
give score reports, and a downloadable database of results in a file
format that is compatible with most spreadsheets (excel, access, etc).
There is almost no administrative burden, in that the instructors do not
have to score the tests or record the results. Administration can be
done in a computer lab and instructors do not need to administer the
test -once the student is set up at a computer, the test is administered
on the computer.
 
Julie

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of John Gordon
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 5:08 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 271] Re: More questions for ETS


Did you say $10 per test? Does that mean that each time we test someone,
it would cost $10?
 
John Gordon

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Eastland, Julie
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:22 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 268] Re: More questions for ETS



Hi Everyone, 
I will be available periodically this week to answer the questions that
are posted. 
  
1. Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

Yes. They will be developed for on-line use. The students will take the
assessments on-line, and the assessments will be scored and scaled in
real-time on -line and immediately produce score reports, which
institutions can release directly to the student and/or teacher. There
will be a tutorial developed for students to access if they need
assistance with basic computer skills such as using a mouse and
highlighting, and the tutorial will also allow students to become
familiar with the item types that will be seen on the test.


2. Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?
What if my state does not use EFF? 

Yes, they are based on the EFF Reading and Math frameworks, and will use
real-life materials to assess student knowledge and proficiency in those
areas. We will work with participants to align the tests to meet the NRS
requirements, which should make the tests useful even in states where
the EFF frameworks are not utilized.

3. What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

A state would need to commit to the next phase of the project (a 2 year
period), which would mean signing a Memorandum of Understanding with
ETS, agreeing to attend development meetings, and piloting all of the
tests (reading with Understanding, Reading Components, and Using Math to
Solve Problems)  with a minimum of 330 adult test candidates. The cost
of piloting is expected to be $10,000 per state. If your state is
interested, I would encourage you to contact me directly for more
information about this effort - I would be happy to share a copy of the
MOU with you..

4. If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If your state decides to join this project, you will not be required to
use the assessments beyond the pilot stage. If you are involved in the
pilot stage, you will have input into the development of the tests,
including score reports. If you were not in the development project, the
tests will be made available for purchase after the development phase.
At this time, we anticipate the final costs of the test to be
approximately $10 per test.

I look forward to further discussion this week. 
Best regards, 
Julie 

________________________
Julie K. Eastland
Program Administrator
Center for Global Assessment
Educational Testing Service
Rosedale Rd.
Princeton, NJ 08541 
jeastland at ets.org 


________________________________ 

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
<mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov> ] On Behalf Of Marie Cora 
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:08 AM 
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 265] More questions for ETS 



Hello everyone, 

I have received a few questions to be posted for the discussion: 

-Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

-Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What
if my state does not use EFF? 

-What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

-If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If you have questions, please feel free to send your question to me for
posting - or feel free to post it yourself. 

Thanks, 

marie cora 

Assessment Discussion List Moderator 

--------------------------------------------------
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or
confidential information.
It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if
addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not
disclose, copy, distribute,
or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and
delete it from
your system. Any other use of this e-mail is prohibited.

Thank you for your compliance.
--------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or confidential information.
It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not disclose, copy, distribute,
or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and delete it from
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Thank you for your compliance.
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From MKroege at ade.az.gov  Tue Mar 28 09:56:25 2006
From: MKroege at ade.az.gov (Kroeger, Miriam)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 07:56:25 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 273]  Cost factors for assessments
Message-ID: <1DE339C47662EC4E992656C5E72AABC401BF237F@prodmail2.prod.root>

 $10 - yikes! Particularly if we are conducting these types of
assessments more than twice. However, before we give thumbs down because
of cost, I think we have to remember to factor in the "hidden" costs of
what we do now.  We have teachers' or test administrators' time
"proctoring" the tests; we have time correcting the tests; sometimes
there is time taken from instruction.  And if we are testing when we
consider that it's time for the student to test (even if it's as little
as 4 weeks or 40 hours), as opposed to a set 8 weeks, or 80 - 100 hours,
then the teacher needs to keep on teaching those who are not ready to
test, so we need another person to administer the test.  So, again, what
are our true costs for what we do now as compared to this option?

Not that I'm gung-ho.  I'm trying to figure out how to assure that
everyone has access to the Internet!!

-Miriam Kroeger
Arizona
 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of assessment-request at nifl.gov
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:22 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: Assessment Digest, Vol 6, Issue 20

Send Assessment mailing list submissions to
	assessment at nifl.gov

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
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From jtaustin1 at core.com  Tue Mar 28 10:17:47 2006
From: jtaustin1 at core.com (james austin)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 10:17:47 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 274]  Questions for ETS
In-Reply-To: <FCE5A738D738724AB9ED7A61D3E733F002A59A94@mail.fortunesociety.org>
Message-ID: <000001c6527a$c614af90$2efdfea9@JimUpTwo>

Folks, this is a reply to the postings of yesterday on the EFF_ETS testing
system.

 

Q&A on the EFF_ETS Assessments for NIFL Listserv Assessment

 

My name is Jim Austin.  I wanted to provide an aggregate response to the
postings that addresses their diversity, but first let me provide some
background on my involvement in the EFF_ETS project.  

 

MY STAKE:  I am an advocate and I've been working on this testing project
for Ohio over four meetings since early 2005.  The process has been fruitful
and completely voluntary.  I believe that it carries much potential for
advancing the field of adult education.  Recently, with the initial NALS
results and Performance levels for adult literacy (NRC, 2005) there is a
focus on testing.  A major advantage that I see is the evidence-based nature
of this testing system, when this standard is a consistent chorus from
policymakers.  I also realize the practical and conceptual objections.

 

Technology requirements & cost ($10, which means $20 if we honor our
assurances of WIA Title II and OVAE requirements to pre- and post-test
learners) are two practical objections.  It is clear from the NRC (2002)
report on performance assessment for adults that much less than $1,000 is
spent on average per student per year in the ABLE system and that the
proposed cost would be an increase over the cheaper paper-pencil and
computer-delivered competitors. Cost was an overriding concern to most
posting on this question, and for the participant states as well.  I believe
that $10 per test is a rock-bottom price for ETS.

 

Conceptual objections are raised by participants in the request for
value-added logic, in understanding the development and evaluation of the
test, and in dealing with linkage to specific state content standards.  To
me, value-added crosses over into practicality because of the potential
benefits of the EFF_ETS tests.

 

HISTORY:  Prior discussions included a presentation at NIFL for testing
firms after which ETS was the only firm expressing interest in moving
forward.  Discussions at COABE in 2004 consisted of a dinner meeting at
which Dr. Irwin Kirsch of ETS presented about a multi-phase project that
would work through constructing test blueprints, developing pilot forms, and
completing field testing.  Interest in Ohio stemmed from a failure to obtain
permission from OVAE to use and continue to evaluate a portfolio system
which my work unit had developed to support assessment of a standards-based
system developed within EFF.  Ohio developed benchmarks with field
practitioners, national expert participation or review, and standards
validation via committees or surveys to create benchmarks for Reading,
Writing, and Mathematics as well as Reading-Writing and Speaking-Listening
domains.  Those standards and benchmarks have been increasingly accepted
across the 130+ local ABLE programs.  At this juncture Ohio was a state
interested in maintaining the momentum of standards-based education while
recognizing that existing test publishers were reluctant to push the
envelope (NOTE:  this viewpoint is mine and based on my experiences and
testing background.  It may not be the interpretation of all).  

 

Publishers were willing to perform or to commission crosswalks or alignments
of their test products against the Ohio benchmarks.  These alignments vary
in the level of detail, and must often be supplemented.

 

Publishers did not appear as willing to extend test designs to honor
advances in understanding literacy.  Likewise on test delivery and on
innovative methods of mapping items and response tasks together.

 

PROCESS:  Working as partners with ETS and EFF personnel, states have
contributed time and thought to map out a test specification using two
general definitions provided below.  We were aided by skilled (and patient!)
facilitators from ETS who guided the group across the meetings.  The basic
plan is to merge concepts of Prose, Document, & Quantitative literacy with
on-line delivery and advances in reading comprehension and adult numeracy.
PDQ is an area in which ETS has been working in its large-scale assessments
of adult literacy.  On-line (and only on-line) delivery permits multiple
advantages in scoring (item response theory) and reporting (comparison to
national and international surveys: ALL, NAAL).  Lastly, the fruits of the
Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) and Adult Numeracy frameworks are
visible in the proposed tests.  Using IRT and a construct approach to test
creation, the value-added will come from moving away from strictly choice
responses, more meaningful reporting via item maps that relate scores to
task performances, and diagnostics for teachers.  ETS Standards of Fairness
and Quality will be applied to ensure that the testing product conforms to
recognized standards.  

Using Math to Solve Problems (UMSP) means acting on, interpreting, and
communicating mathematical information in order to fulfill responsibilities
as parent/family member, citizen/community member, and worker.

 

Read with Understanding (RWU) means retrieving, analyzing, integrating, and
reflecting on information from text (continuous and non-continuous) in order
to fulfill responsibilities as parent/family member, citizen/community
member, and worker. 

 




POST #2 (Marie Cora of NIFL)

 

-Are these assessments that students will take on-line?

-Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What if
my state does not use EFF?

-What does a state need to do in order to join the project?

-If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

 

POST #3 (Marcia Cook of Maine)

 

Maine began to participate as a Charter State.  Our biggest challenge is
money.  Although we have for years been actively involved in EFF and in many
areas still are, we do not have the money at this time to continue to
participate in the project.  Our biggest concern about the EFF assessments
is the cost of the assessments to each program.  We are a small state
population wise and receive a relatively small amount of money.  I will be
anxious to hear this addressed during the week.

 

POST #4 (Susan O'Connor of Brooklyn Public Library)

 

Brooklyn Public Library considered participation in this project but the
cost was so high that we were unable to even consider participation.  This
leads me to wonder about the efficacy of such an expensive venture for adult
literacy programs that have no fat at all to expend on anything other than
instruction.

 

POST #5 (Julie Eastland of ETS)

 

1. Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

 

Yes. They will be developed for on-line use. The students will take the
assessments on-line, and the assessments will be scored and scaled in
real-time on -line and immediately produce score reports, which institutions
can release directly to the student and/or teacher. There will be a tutorial
developed for students to access if they need assistance with basic computer
skills such as using a mouse and highlighting, and the tutorial will also
allow students to become familiar with the item types that will be seen on
the test.

 

2. Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What if
my state does not use EFF? 

 

Yes, they are based on the EFF Reading and Math frameworks, and will use
real-life materials to assess student knowledge and proficiency in those
areas. We will work with participants to align the tests to meet the NRS
requirements, which should make the tests useful even in states where the
EFF frameworks are not utilized.

 

3. What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

 

A state would need to commit to the next phase of the project (a 2 year
period), which would mean signing a Memorandum of Understanding with ETS,
agreeing to attend development meetings, and piloting all of the tests
(reading with Understanding, Reading Components, and Using Math to Solve
Problems)  with a minimum of 330 adult test candidates. The cost of piloting
is expected to be $10,000 per state. If your state is interested, I would
encourage you to contact me directly for more information about this effort
- I would be happy to share a copy of the MOU with you..

4. If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

 

If your state decides to join this project, you will not be required to use
the assessments beyond the pilot stage. If you are involved in the pilot
stage, you will have input into the development of the tests, including
score reports. If you were not in the development project, the tests will be
made available for purchase after the development phase. At this time, we
anticipate the final costs of the test to be approximately $10 per test.

 

POST #6 (David Rosen of Newsome Associates)

 

Thanks for bringing this up, Marcia.  In K-12 and higher education, the
costs of assessment relative to instruction are relatively small.  In vastly
underfunded adult literacy education the additional costs may be relatively
significant, and may severely drain resources from already thinly-provided
instruction.  Does this mean we should abandon assessment?  Of course not.
But perhaps it is time to cost it out, and to ask Congress and state
legislatures to pay for the increased costs.  It is possible that some state
legislatures -- and possibly Congress -- would understand a line item
increase needed to pay for assessment, even in times of fiscal restraint.

 

So, my question for Julie Eastland: What are the costs involved?

 

. For being a participating state?

. For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments?

. For the assessment instruments?

 

And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In other
words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a legislator how
much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments, what would be the
answer? What would the additional cost per student be, recognizing that that
would vary for states with larger or fewer numbers of students?

 

POST #7 (Howard Dooley of Rhode Island Regional Adult Learning)

 

And my question about the costs is, what is the value added?  What will
learners and instructors receive that will inform future learning, that
other assessments don't already provide?  What will program managers receive
that will inform program design and funding allocations, beyond what current
assessments and evaluations already provide?  What will legislators and
other funders learn that will benefit future funding, that they are not
already learning from adult education advocates?  And, what will be
reportable to the NRS that is not already reported?

 

My understanding of these assessments is that they are developing
standardized assessments aligned to the EFF content standards.  Do we need
this?  Aren't other assessments already aligned with EFF enough to provide
the information each stakeholder needs to make their decisions?  Isn't the
current mix of formal and informal, standardized and local, performance and
objective assessments essentially doing the necessary tasks (leaving room
for continuous improvements, of course)?  I can see why some programs may
want to have a highly aligned, standardized assessment, and perhaps they
should have that option and be wiling to pay for it.  But will most of us
need it?

 

I believe that in considering the most efficient use of scarce resources, we
should look to value added by these investments.

 

POST #7 (John Gordon of )

 

Did you say $10 per test? Does that mean that each time we test someone, it
would cost $10?

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Mar 28 11:22:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:22:08 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 275]  Qs for ETS
Message-ID: <005f01c65283$c35a3460$0402a8c0@frodo>

The following questions are posted by request.
Thanks,
marie cora
 
 
My own personal concern is that the students have to take the tests on
the computer, yes? And if so, what happens if they are not computer
literate? And if the program does not have access to computers so they
can teach computer literacy?
 
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From bryan at cal.org  Tue Mar 28 11:30:26 2006
From: bryan at cal.org (Bryan Woerner)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:30:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 276] Re: Qs for ETS
Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8FF69555@MAIL.cal.local>

I don't want distract from the topic at hand, but there is a free
website available that that teaches students how to use a computer in a
easy to use and friendly manner.  It was developed by the Arlington
Education and Employment Program in Virginia.
 
www.reepworld.org
 
Anyway, sorry for the aside.
 
Bryan
Bryan Woerner 
BEST Plus Operations Assistant 
bryan at cal.org 
BEST Plus Contact Information 
Toll free: 1-866-845-BEST (2378) 
Fax:        1-888-700-3629 
Email:  best-plus at cal.org 
User Support Hours: M-F 9am-7pm EST 
Mail:     BEST Plus 
        c/o Center for Applied Linguistics 
        4646 40th Street, NW 
        Washington, DC  20016-1859 
Web site:  www.best-plus.net <http://www.best-plus.net/>  
Center for Applied Linguistics www.cal.org <http://www.cal.org/>  

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:22 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 275] Qs for ETS


The following questions are posted by request.
Thanks,
marie cora
 
 
My own personal concern is that the students have to take the tests on
the computer, yes? And if so, what happens if they are not computer
literate? And if the program does not have access to computers so they
can teach computer literacy?
 
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From jeastland at ETS.ORG  Tue Mar 28 11:34:10 2006
From: jeastland at ETS.ORG (Eastland, Julie)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:34:10 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 277] Re: Qs for ETS
Message-ID: <95782C26106D904E814E554F47EACA9C01AEAA4D@rosnt115.etslan.org>

Hi Everyone,
 
Yes, the tests will only be available on computer. We have designed the
interface for these tests to be as simple as possible. There will be a
tutorial that students can access which will familiarize them not only
with specific item types, but with other computer skills such as using a
mouse and highlighting. The tutorial will be free and students can
access it and practice their skills as often as they want prior to
taking the tests. An example of this kind of tutorial can be found by
going to www.ets.org/etsliteracy, then clicking on the 'Sample Questions
Available' link. Once you click on that link, you will see a page which
has the Sample Questions and a "Tutorial" tab. Click on the "Tutorial"
tab. Follow the instructions on that page to run the tutorial. 
 
Best regards,
Julie
 
 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:22 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 275] Qs for ETS


The following questions are posted by request.
Thanks,
marie cora
 
 
My own personal concern is that the students have to take the tests on
the computer, yes? And if so, what happens if they are not computer
literate? And if the program does not have access to computers so they
can teach computer literacy?
 

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If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not disclose, copy, distribute,
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From elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  Wed Mar 29 10:13:02 2006
From: elohimsgirl at adelphia.net (elohimsgirl at adelphia.net)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 7:13:02 -0800
Subject: [Assessment 277] Re: More questions for ETS
Message-ID: <22884717.1143645182145.JavaMail.root@web25>

--
What do you all feel about the cost?  That sounds expensive to me.  I am interested to hear others' thoughts.

Marlo Thomas Watson
Director of Adult and Workforce Education
Northeast Kingdom Learning Services (NEKLS)
364 Railroad Street, Suite 2
St. Johnsbury, VT  05819

(802) 748-5624 phone (802) 751-8071 fax

elohimsgirl at adelphia.net



You are only as great as your committment to make it happen!

---- John Gordon <jgordon at fortunesociety.org> wrote: 

=============
Did you say $10 per test? Does that mean that each time we test someone,
it would cost $10?
 
John Gordon

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Eastland, Julie
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:22 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 268] Re: More questions for ETS



Hi Everyone, 
I will be available periodically this week to answer the questions that
are posted. 
  
1. Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

Yes. They will be developed for on-line use. The students will take the
assessments on-line, and the assessments will be scored and scaled in
real-time on -line and immediately produce score reports, which
institutions can release directly to the student and/or teacher. There
will be a tutorial developed for students to access if they need
assistance with basic computer skills such as using a mouse and
highlighting, and the tutorial will also allow students to become
familiar with the item types that will be seen on the test.


2. Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?
What if my state does not use EFF? 

Yes, they are based on the EFF Reading and Math frameworks, and will use
real-life materials to assess student knowledge and proficiency in those
areas. We will work with participants to align the tests to meet the NRS
requirements, which should make the tests useful even in states where
the EFF frameworks are not utilized.

3. What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

A state would need to commit to the next phase of the project (a 2 year
period), which would mean signing a Memorandum of Understanding with
ETS, agreeing to attend development meetings, and piloting all of the
tests (reading with Understanding, Reading Components, and Using Math to
Solve Problems)  with a minimum of 330 adult test candidates. The cost
of piloting is expected to be $10,000 per state. If your state is
interested, I would encourage you to contact me directly for more
information about this effort - I would be happy to share a copy of the
MOU with you..

4. If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If your state decides to join this project, you will not be required to
use the assessments beyond the pilot stage. If you are involved in the
pilot stage, you will have input into the development of the tests,
including score reports. If you were not in the development project, the
tests will be made available for purchase after the development phase.
At this time, we anticipate the final costs of the test to be
approximately $10 per test.

I look forward to further discussion this week. 
Best regards, 
Julie 

________________________
Julie K. Eastland
Program Administrator
Center for Global Assessment
Educational Testing Service
Rosedale Rd.
Princeton, NJ 08541 
jeastland at ets.org 


________________________________ 

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
<mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov> ] On Behalf Of Marie Cora 
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 11:08 AM 
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 265] More questions for ETS 



Hello everyone, 

I have received a few questions to be posted for the discussion: 

-Are these assessments that students will take on-line? 

-Aren't these assessments based on EFF (Equipped for the Future)?  What
if my state does not use EFF? 

-What does a state need to do in order to join the project? 

-If my state joins this project, does that mean we must then use these
assessments?  If we don't join this project, can my state access these
assessments anyway, even if we were not in the development project?

If you have questions, please feel free to send your question to me for
posting - or feel free to post it yourself. 

Thanks, 

marie cora 

Assessment Discussion List Moderator 

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This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or
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It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if
addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not
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From hdooley at riral.org  Wed Mar 29 12:28:36 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 12:28:36 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 278] Re: More questions about the price
In-Reply-To: <22884717.1143645182145.JavaMail.root@web25>
References: <22884717.1143645182145.JavaMail.root@web25>
Message-ID: <442AC3C4.2050404@riral.org>

I think it's a little early to be overly-concerned about the price.  I 
am concerned that most of the postings this week are about this one point.

I do think that the field needs to develop these assessments, to see 
what these assessments are and what they can give our learners, our 
instructors, our managers, our directors, and our fellow stakeholders, 
particularly given the investment we have made in EFF over the past ten 
years.  To be effective for us, it needs to be a complete system, which 
means (among so many other things) having an assessment component.

The tests are in development, and it's not certain what the 
cost/administration will be once they are up and running, and large 
numbers of programs are using them.
Also, my organization uses performance tests in some classes and 
programs, and objective, pen-and-pencil tests in others, depending on 
the learners, their learning difficulties, the instructional content, 
and what we need from the standardized assessment piece of our learner 
assessments.  So, if we used these tests, we wouldn't necessarily be 
using them for every learner in every program.

Third, if you pre-test each learner, and then post-test each learner 
once or twice a year, that is a $20 or $30 cost/learner at the current 
rate.  Is that too much, to meet federal and state requirements?  And 
thus keep those grants?  I think you'd have to look at how much you are 
spending now, and how much of an increase this represents.  And, as I 
said previously, you would need to consider the value added by these 
assessments over what you are currently using.  I don't know that 
funders would balk at these costs (by which I mean I personally don't 
think they would), if you have a cogent explanation as to why these 
assessments are the best -- or perhaps necessary -- choice to 
demonstrate your learners success in achieving their educational and 
life goals.

Howard D.




elohimsgirl at adelphia.net wrote:

>--
>What do you all feel about the cost?  That sounds expensive to me.  I am interested to hear others' thoughts.
>
>Marlo Thomas Watson
>Director of Adult and Workforce Education
>Northeast Kingdom Learning Services (NEKLS)
>364 Railroad Street, Suite 2
>St. Johnsbury, VT  05819
>
>(802) 748-5624 phone (802) 751-8071 fax
>
>elohimsgirl at adelphia.net
>
>  
>




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Mar 30 10:32:47 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:32:47 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 279]   Re:  ETS Tutorial
In-Reply-To: <95782C26106D904E814E554F47EACA9C01AEAA4D@rosnt115.etslan.org>
Message-ID: <01d501c6540f$3312f1c0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
Has anyone tried out the Tutorial?  What do you think?  
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Eastland, Julie
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 277] Re: Qs for ETS
 
Hi Everyone,
 
Yes, the tests will only be available on computer. We have designed the
interface for these tests to be as simple as possible. There will be a
tutorial that students can access which will familiarize them not only
with specific item types, but with other computer skills such as using a
mouse and highlighting. The tutorial will be free and students can
access it and practice their skills as often as they want prior to
taking the tests. An example of this kind of tutorial can be found by
going to www.ets.org/etsliteracy, then clicking on the 'Sample Questions
Available' link. Once you click on that link, you will see a page which
has the Sample Questions and a "Tutorial" tab. Click on the "Tutorial"
tab. Follow the instructions on that page to run the tutorial. 
 
Best regards,
Julie
 
 
 
  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:22 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 275] Qs for ETS
The following questions are posted by request.
Thanks,
marie cora
 
 
My own personal concern is that the students have to take the tests on
the computer, yes? And if so, what happens if they are not computer
literate? And if the program does not have access to computers so they
can teach computer literacy?
 
 
--------------------------------------------------
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or
confidential information.
It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if
addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Mar 30 11:25:09 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:25:09 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 280]  Pending questions and discussion
Message-ID: <01da01c65416$83c46de0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,
 
There are clearly a series of questions here that we need to address.
Some of them Julie and ETS folks can respond to; others are probably for
us to pursue discussing and need the attention of policy-makers (local
and otherwise).  
 
Julie - I wonder if you might respond to these questions posed by David
Rosen:
 
What would be the cost:
>. For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments? . For the
assessment instruments?
 
Also, the description of a state's involvement includes attending
development meetings and piloting all the tests - how much time is
involved in completing these tasks?
 
I'm unsure who might respond to this series of David's questions -
anyone?:
 
>And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In
>other words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a  
>legislator how much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments,  
>what would be the answer? What would the additional cost per student  
>be, recognizing that that would vary for states with larger or fewer  
>numbers of students?
 
As for value added and present costs - Howard you asked some questions
related to how this might be better than what we have now.  I think
these are questions for Julie, ETS folks, and Jim Austin and other pilot
participants to respond to, if they can:
 
Howard Dooley wrote:
And my question about the costs is, what is the value added?  What will 
learners and instructors receive that will inform future learning, that 
other assessments don't already provide?  What will program managers 
receive that will inform program design and funding allocations, beyond 
what current assessments and evaluations already provide?  What will 
legislators and other funders learn that will benefit future funding, 
that they are not already learning from adult education advocates?  And,
what will be reportable to the NRS that is not already reported?
 
But Howard, I will respond back to you on these couple of questions from
my personal point of view:
 
Howard wrote:
Aren't other assessments already aligned with EFF enough to 
provide the information each stakeholder needs to make their decisions?

 
Marie:  I would say no, there aren't.  I also question "aligned enough"
- isn't that exactly what we want to get away from?  This Discussion
List had quite a conversation on standards a couple of weeks ago, and
that discussion clearly expressed people's frustrations with the lack of
national standards and aligned curriculum and assessment.
 
Howard:  Isn't the current mix of formal and informal, standardized and
local, performance and objective assessments essentially doing the
necessary tasks (leaving room for continuous improvements, of course)?
 
Marie:  Yes, I would say that it is - but at what *cost*?  The intense
juggling that programs and states must tackle in order to meet all the
demands they face is taxing to put it mildly.  Wouldn't it be better if
we had a system in which the pieces fit together so seamlessly that
there wouldn't be any juggling to do?
 
I invite everyone to join this discussion further.  Let us know your
thoughts, the answers to any of the above questions, or ask us your own
question.
 
Thanks,
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
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From samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org  Thu Mar 30 12:06:43 2006
From: samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org (Samuel McGraw III)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 09:06:43 -0800
Subject: [Assessment 281] Re: ETS Tutorial
Message-ID: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218AF5C@seamail.seagoodwill.org>

I just tried it.  

 

It is not bad.

 

It has all the usual problems (or the literacy student) will have using
a computer to take an assessment.  In other words there are inherent
problems when students use a computer to test/assess, however, I believe
it is a great start.

 

Samuel McGraw III M. Ed. 
Program Coordinator 

Goodwill 
Tel: 206.860.5789 
Fax: 206.325.9845 
http://www.seattlegoodwill.org 
Because jobs change lives 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 7:33 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 279] Re: ETS Tutorial

 

Hi everyone,

 

Has anyone tried out the Tutorial?  What do you think?  

 

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Eastland, Julie
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 277] Re: Qs for ETS

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Yes, the tests will only be available on computer. We have designed the
interface for these tests to be as simple as possible. There will be a
tutorial that students can access which will familiarize them not only
with specific item types, but with other computer skills such as using a
mouse and highlighting. The tutorial will be free and students can
access it and practice their skills as often as they want prior to
taking the tests. An example of this kind of tutorial can be found by
going to www.ets.org/etsliteracy, then clicking on the 'Sample Questions
Available' link. Once you click on that link, you will see a page which
has the Sample Questions and a "Tutorial" tab. Click on the "Tutorial"
tab. Follow the instructions on that page to run the tutorial. 

 

Best regards,

Julie

 

 

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:22 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 275] Qs for ETS

The following questions are posted by request.

Thanks,

marie cora

 

 

My own personal concern is that the students have to take the tests on
the computer, yes? And if so, what happens if they are not computer
literate? And if the program does not have access to computers so they
can teach computer literacy?

 

 
--------------------------------------------------
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It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if
addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Thu Mar 30 12:17:05 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:17:05 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 282] Re: Pending questions and discussion
Message-ID: <OF68401855.88B12700-ON07257141.005EF2B6-07257141.005EF2BB@yc.edu>

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Mar 31 11:23:00 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 11:23:00 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 283] Re: ETS Tutorial
Message-ID: <032d01c654df$61649620$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear everyone,
 
I have received the following email to post.
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
I went online to try the tutorial as you suggested and I wasn't clear if
those were sample questions in general or if they are specific to the
new EFF assessments.  If they are, I saw a great connection to authentic
texts, but not a clear tie to the components of the standards.
Basically, they looked a lot like GED (or TABE) questions, but in a
computerized format.  Also, I'm pretty sure there's an error on one of
the sample questions in the health section.  The question asks how many
minutes you'd have to run to burn off calories from eating a tuna
sandwich, but then you're supposed to highlight the answer in the chart,
but all the chart says is how many calories you burn per minute running.
I would think there'd need to be a box to fill in the response.  I was
hoping that you might be able to clarify for me.  Thank you.
 
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From jeastland at ETS.ORG  Fri Mar 31 11:30:31 2006
From: jeastland at ETS.ORG (Eastland, Julie)
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 11:30:31 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 284] Re: ETS Tutorial
Message-ID: <95782C26106D904E814E554F47EACA9C01B3BA59@rosnt115.etslan.org>

Hi Everyone,
In answer to your questions about the sample items - these items are not
specific to the EFF frameworks. The items that we plan to develop for
the new assessments will be more closely tied to the EFF standards. The
items you saw are examples of the kinds of items items that are tied to
the IALS and ALL Prose, Document, and Quantitative scales. We worked
very hard to develop items using real-life content that adults are
likely to encounter in their daily lives. I am glad that the connection
to authentic texts was apparent!
 
The sample question you refer to about the tuna sandwich does not have
an error - the chart contains information about how many calories there
are in a tuna sandwich and the various minutes per activity it would
take to burn off those calories. Please feel free to take a second look.
Regards,
 
Julie Eastland

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 11:23 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 283] Re: ETS Tutorial


Dear everyone,
 
I have received the following email to post.
 
Thanks,
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
I went online to try the tutorial as you suggested and I wasn't clear if
those were sample questions in general or if they are specific to the
new EFF assessments.  If they are, I saw a great connection to authentic
texts, but not a clear tie to the components of the standards.
Basically, they looked a lot like GED (or TABE) questions, but in a
computerized format.  Also, I'm pretty sure there's an error on one of
the sample questions in the health section.  The question asks how many
minutes you'd have to run to burn off calories from eating a tuna
sandwich, but then you're supposed to highlight the answer in the chart,
but all the chart says is how many calories you burn per minute running.
I would think there'd need to be a box to fill in the response.  I was
hoping that you might be able to clarify for me.  Thank you.
 

--------------------------------------------------
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It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not disclose, copy, distribute,
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From jeastland at ETS.ORG  Mon Apr  3 09:54:48 2006
From: jeastland at ETS.ORG (Eastland, Julie)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 09:54:48 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 285] Re: Pending questions and discussion
Message-ID: <95782C26106D904E814E554F47EACA9C01B3BE60@rosnt115.etslan.org>

Hi Everyone,
In response to the questions below:
 

>* What would be the cost:
For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments? * For the
assessment instruments?

 
The tests are designed to be administered on-line. directly with the
students. The teachers would only need to be available to get the
students started with the tests, so we believe that the time and cost
for these activities would be minimal. I believe that we would be able
to better determine these costs during the pilot stage.

>*Also, the description of a state's involvement includes attending
development meetings and piloting all the tests - how much time is
involved in completing these tasks?

The states would need to be involved in attending 3-4 meetings during
the pilot stage (over a two year period), one that is mainly about item
development and development of score reports, one for pilot
implementation, one to participate in a standard setting process to map
the tests to NRS levels, and one at the end of the pilot to discuss the
results. The meetings would be 2-3 days each.
 

>And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In
other words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a  
legislator how much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments,  
what would be the answer? What would the additional cost per student  
be, recognizing that that would vary for states with larger or fewer  
numbers of students?

The tests are planned to cost $10 per test, and there will be 2 forms of
each test for pre- and post-testing purposes. I think that the costs per
student would vary by state, depending on the number of students tested,
the tests they take (Read with Understanding, Reading Components, Using
Math to Solve Problems) and the number of times they are tested. 

And my question about the costs is, what is the value added?  What will 
learners and instructors receive that will inform future learning, that 
other assessments don't already provide?  What will program managers 
receive that will inform program design and funding allocations, beyond 
what current assessments and evaluations already provide?  What will 
legislators and other funders learn that will benefit future funding, 
that they are not already learning from adult education advocates?  
And, what will be reportable to the NRS that is not already reported?

We believe the value added will take many forms. These assessments will
be based on current research in the areas of reading and numeracy
skills; provide diagnostic information, especially with the reading
components measures, which can be used to profile adult learners, inform
them of their progress, and guide instructional planning; allow
measurement of gains at the lowest skill levels; map to existing
standards-based professional development and curricula; use open-ended
tasks based on authentic materials selected from adult roles and
contexts; offer an integrated system which administers, scores, and
analyzes responses in real time and which can be used in conjunction
with existing state information management systems; be linked to the
National Adult Literacy Survey, the International Adult Literacy Survey,
and the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, making it easy for policy
makers and program managers to make connections to social and economic
benchmarks and to track changes over time; and predict student success
in educational and workforce environments. Score reports will be
designed with input from literacy practitioners, to better reflect the
kinds of information that will be useful to test takers, teachers, and
policy makers.  
 

The discussion about this project has been quite informative and I hope
that you will contact me directly if you are interested in
participating.

Best regards,

Julie K. Eastland 
Program Administrator 
Center for Global Assessment 
Educational Testing Service 
Rosedale Rd. 
Princeton, NJ 08541 
jeastland at ets.org

 

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 11:25 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 280] Pending questions and discussion



Hi everyone,

 

There are clearly a series of questions here that we need to address.
Some of them Julie and ETS folks can respond to; others are probably for
us to pursue discussing and need the attention of policy-makers (local
and otherwise).  

 

Julie - I wonder if you might respond to these questions posed by David
Rosen:

 

What would be the cost:

>* For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments? * For the
assessment instruments?

 

Also, the description of a state's involvement includes attending
development meetings and piloting all the tests - how much time is
involved in completing these tasks?

 

I'm unsure who might respond to this series of David's questions -
anyone?:

 

>And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In

>other words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a  

>legislator how much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments,  

>what would be the answer? What would the additional cost per student  

>be, recognizing that that would vary for states with larger or fewer  

>numbers of students?

 

As for value added and present costs - Howard you asked some questions
related to how this might be better than what we have now.  I think
these are questions for Julie, ETS folks, and Jim Austin and other pilot
participants to respond to, if they can:

 

Howard Dooley wrote:

And my question about the costs is, what is the value added?  What will 

learners and instructors receive that will inform future learning, that 

other assessments don't already provide?  What will program managers 

receive that will inform program design and funding allocations, beyond 

what current assessments and evaluations already provide?  What will 

legislators and other funders learn that will benefit future funding, 

that they are not already learning from adult education advocates?  And,
what will be reportable to the NRS that is not already reported?

 

But Howard, I will respond back to you on these couple of questions from
my personal point of view:

 

Howard wrote:

Aren't other assessments already aligned with EFF enough to 

provide the information each stakeholder needs to make their decisions?


 

Marie:  I would say no, there aren't.  I also question "aligned enough"
- isn't that exactly what we want to get away from?  This Discussion
List had quite a conversation on standards a couple of weeks ago, and
that discussion clearly expressed people's frustrations with the lack of
national standards and aligned curriculum and assessment.


 

Howard:  Isn't the current mix of formal and informal, standardized and
local, performance and objective assessments essentially doing the
necessary tasks (leaving room for continuous improvements, of course)?

 

Marie:  Yes, I would say that it is - but at what *cost*?  The intense
juggling that programs and states must tackle in order to meet all the
demands they face is taxing to put it mildly.  Wouldn't it be better if
we had a system in which the pieces fit together so seamlessly that
there wouldn't be any juggling to do?

 

I invite everyone to join this discussion further.  Let us know your
thoughts, the answers to any of the above questions, or ask us your own
question.

 

Thanks,

 

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 


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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Apr  3 11:11:20 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 11:11:20 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 286]  Discussion thanks
Message-ID: <005b01c65730$dd641bd0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear everyone,
 
I would like to thank Julie Eastland and her colleagues at ETS for
answering our questions regarding the new assessments last week.  If you
have further questions or are interested in participating in this
project, I encourage you to email Julie at jeastland at ets.org.
 
If you have further thoughts or ideas that you would like to continue to
discuss regarding this or a related topic, please let us carry on.
 
Thanks!
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Apr  3 14:12:46 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 14:12:46 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 287] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 301] FW: Oregon
	Instructor at Sea
Message-ID: <00b801c6574a$3629e6f0$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone,

I usually don't post messages that are not assessment-related in some
way, but the following is too interesting and exciting not to share.  So
just to be 'aligned' with this List mission, if you decide to take
advantage of the following opportunity, tell us about it, and let us
know how you ended up assessing your experience.

:)
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


-----Original Message-----
From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of jataylor
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 1:39 PM
To: professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov
Cc: kristen.kulongoski at state.or.us
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 301] FW: Oregon Instructor at Sea

PD Colleagues:
I am pleased to share the announcement below from Kristen Kulongoski,
Oregon 
State Director of Adult Basic Education. Two Oregon adult education 
instructors have been chosen this year to go on Teacher at Sea
Expeditions to 
the Mariana Arc and the Antarctic with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric 
Administration. Instructors and students from all over the country can
follow 
these adult education teachers during their trips via a website and
email, ask 
them questions, participate in "real time" adult education math and
science lessons, and use "real time" scientific research.

Information about the first expedition (April 18 - May 13, 2006) can be
found 
below. Please note that the information via the web will not be live
until 
closer to the expedition departure date.

Please share this teaching and learning opportunity with teachers in
your 
area.

Best, Jackie
Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator, 
jataylor at utk.edu
===================================================

Oregon Adult Education Instructor Chosen for Professional Development 
Opportunity in the Ring of Fire


NOAA Ocean Explorer Research Mission:  Submarine Ring of Fire
2006-Mariana Arc
The upcoming NOAA-Explorer expedition "Submarine Ring of Fire 2006 -
Mariana 
Arc" sails from Guam on April 18, 2006.   Joining the scientists and
crew 
aboard the R/V Melville is Lori Savage, an instructor at Rogue Community

College, Grants Pass, Oregon.   Lori teaches math, science and life
skills 
classes to teenagers and adults who are working to obtain their General 
Educational Development (GED) certificates.

During this research mission, scientists will explore the active
undersea 
volcanoes of the Mariana Arc.  The expedition ends May 13, 2006, in
Yokohama, 
Japan.  Students, instructors, and the general public can follow this
mission 
and learn about the scientific research on the Ocean Explorer
interactive 
website
(http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06fire/welcome.html).  The 
website includes background information, live mission logs updated
during the 
expedition, slideshows and videos, and an education module featuring
lesson 
plans and links to other resources.

You can write to Lori Savage or other scientists while they are at sea
by 
using the "Ask an Explorer" button on the Ocean Explorer website.  Using
the 
website, Lori will have a unique opportunity to connect "real time"
ocean 
exploration with adult learners and the general public.

Lori Savage is a participant in the Oregon Ocean Sciences and Math 
Collaborative Project.  This project, now in its second year, delivers 
professional development through a series of institutes for instructors
who 
teach in federally-funded Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult
Secondary 
Education (ASE) programs administered through the Oregon Department of 
Community Colleges and Workforce Development.  The website for
educational 
support of our program and our participating teachers at sea is "Ocean
Science 
Station" http://literacyworks.org/ocean.  Partners in this project are
the 
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University;
Oregon 
Sea Grant; the Hatfield Marine Science Center; and the Oregon Department
of 
Community Colleges and Workforce Development.

In this year-long program, instructors learn about ocean sciences and 
integrate these themes into their classroom instruction.  Themes include
ocean 
and earth processes, human impacts on the marine environment, and the 
application of technology in research.   This project provides the
instructors 
and their adult learners with a compelling and relevant focus for 
strengthening general literacy and numeracy skills and gaining the
knowledge 
necessary for work, further education, family self-sufficiency, and
community 
involvement.

Fourteen adult basic instructors are participating in this year's
professional 
development project.  They represent such diverse instructional programs
as 
workforce training (pre-employment), workplace education, adult basic 
education, adult secondary education, English to Speakers of Other
Languages, 
Family Literacy, and corrections education.

------------------------------------------------------
Kristen Kulongoski
State Director of Adult Basic Education
Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development
255 Capitol Street NE/PSB
Salem, OR 97310
503-378-8648 ext. 375
503-378-3365 fax
kristen.kulongoski at state.or.us
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From hdooley at riral.org  Wed Apr  5 12:18:52 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:18:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 288]  (no subject)
In-Reply-To: <00b801c6574a$3629e6f0$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <00b801c6574a$3629e6f0$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <4433EDEC.2030203@riral.org>

Hi, everyone.  I hope everyone is well, and enjoying spring -- though 
here, today in Woonsocket RI it's snowing if you can believe it...

I am looking for information on adult basic skills certifications, 
particularly those issued by a state-level agency or a consortium.  A 
certification that is recognized as valid and useful by programs, 
colleges, providers, businesses across your state.  Does your state have 
a process for recognizing skill attainment before a secondary credential 
is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what standards are 
included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What assessements 
are being used?

If your state doesn't have such certifications, do you think it would be 
valuable to have them?  If so, I have the same questions as above.  RI 
is considering if and what certifications would benefit our learners as 
they move from our adult ed programs into their next-steps--work, 
college, training, citizenship, and so on.  We'd appreciate your 
guidance, ( and the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal or buy the best 
from the best....)

Thanks for the assist!

Howard D.
Project RIRAL



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Apr  5 13:16:54 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:16:54 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 289]  Focus on Basics Discussion
Message-ID: <00b601c658d4$bd2e7f90$0402a8c0@frodo>

 
Dear Colleagues, 
 
The following Guest Discussion will be help April 10-14 on the Focus on
Basics Discussion List.
marie
______


 
Focus on Basics (FOB) is a quarterly publication from the National
Center for Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), which connects research
to practice in adult literacy education. The report from the recent
evaluation of FOB is complete and highlights the variety of ways that it
impacts its readers. Barb Garner, FOB's editor, will lead a discussion
on the list the week of April 10-14 to discuss the survey results and
how these results can guide our use of FOB as professionals. Please take
a look at the evaluation and think about comments or questions you may
have.
 
If you are not subscribed to the FOB list, you can easily subscribe for
this discussion, and unsubscribe afterwards. Just go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics
 
Feel free to contact me with any question.
All the best,
Julie McKinney, moderator, Focus on Basics Discussion List
julie_mckinney at worlded.org
 
 
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From elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  Thu Apr  6 05:59:17 2006
From: elohimsgirl at adelphia.net (elohimsgirl at adelphia.net)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 2:59:17 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 290] Re: (no subject)
Message-ID: <26147375.1144317557259.JavaMail.root@web19>

--
We do not have such in Vermont, but are having discussions around the 'certification' issue.  I will be happy to share as we move forward from discussion.







---- "Howard L. Dooley wrote: 

=============
Hi, everyone.  I hope everyone is well, and enjoying spring -- though 
here, today in Woonsocket RI it's snowing if you can believe it...

I am looking for information on adult basic skills certifications, 
particularly those issued by a state-level agency or a consortium.  A 
certification that is recognized as valid and useful by programs, 
colleges, providers, businesses across your state.  Does your state have 
a process for recognizing skill attainment before a secondary credential 
is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what standards are 
included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What assessements 
are being used?

If your state doesn't have such certifications, do you think it would be 
valuable to have them?  If so, I have the same questions as above.  RI 
is considering if and what certifications would benefit our learners as 
they move from our adult ed programs into their next-steps--work, 
college, training, citizenship, and so on.  We'd appreciate your 
guidance, ( and the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal or buy the best 
from the best....)

Thanks for the assist!

Howard D.
Project RIRAL

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From khinson at future-gate.com  Thu Apr  6 12:48:08 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 18:48:08 +0200
Subject: [Assessment 291] Re: (no subject)
Message-ID: <44355A25020000A000002441@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

We don't have any such certification in NC either, as far as I know. I've heard whispers that the state administrators are looking into certification for Adult Educators though. I don't know where that discussion stands though.



>>> elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  >>>
--
We do not have such in Vermont, but are having discussions around the 'certification' issue.  I will be happy to share as we move forward from discussion.







---- "Howard L. Dooley wrote: 

=============
Hi, everyone.  I hope everyone is well, and enjoying spring -- though 
here, today in Woonsocket RI it's snowing if you can believe it...

I am looking for information on adult basic skills certifications, 
particularly those issued by a state-level agency or a consortium.  A 
certification that is recognized as valid and useful by programs, 
colleges, providers, businesses across your state.  Does your state have 
a process for recognizing skill attainment before a secondary credential 
is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what standards are 
included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What assessements 
are being used?

If your state doesn't have such certifications, do you think it would be 
valuable to have them?  If so, I have the same questions as above.  RI 
is considering if and what certifications would benefit our learners as 
they move from our adult ed programs into their next-steps--work, 
college, training, citizenship, and so on.  We'd appreciate your 
guidance, ( and the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal or buy the best 
from the best....)

Thanks for the assist!

Howard D.
Project RIRAL

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  Thu Apr  6 19:08:58 2006
From: elohimsgirl at adelphia.net (elohimsgirl at adelphia.net)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 16:08:58 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 292] Re: (no subject)
Message-ID: <8496176.1144364938425.JavaMail.root@web12.mail.adelphia.net>

--
It leads to many implications...on one hand it is nice to provide instructors with background information on adult education, assessments, best practices, etc....BUT it will require more funding to pay teachers higher wages if higher credentials are required.  I believe in that, but the money is not there...not in Vermont anyway.  It is a difficult situation.  WHat do you think?
Marlo Thomas Watson
Director of Adult and Workforce Education
Northeast Kingdom Learning Services (NEKLS)
364 Railroad Street, Suite 2
St. Johnsbury, VT  05819

(802) 748-5624 phone (802) 751-8071 fax

elohimsgirl at adelphia.net



You are only as great as your committment to make it happen!

---- Katrina Hinson <khinson at future-gate.com> wrote: 

=============
We don't have any such certification in NC either, as far as I know. I've heard whispers that the state administrators are looking into certification for Adult Educators though. I don't know where that discussion stands though.



>>> elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  >>>
--
We do not have such in Vermont, but are having discussions around the 'certification' issue.  I will be happy to share as we move forward from discussion.







---- "Howard L. Dooley wrote: 

=============
Hi, everyone.  I hope everyone is well, and enjoying spring -- though 
here, today in Woonsocket RI it's snowing if you can believe it...

I am looking for information on adult basic skills certifications, 
particularly those issued by a state-level agency or a consortium.  A 
certification that is recognized as valid and useful by programs, 
colleges, providers, businesses across your state.  Does your state have 
a process for recognizing skill attainment before a secondary credential 
is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what standards are 
included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What assessements 
are being used?

If your state doesn't have such certifications, do you think it would be 
valuable to have them?  If so, I have the same questions as above.  RI 
is considering if and what certifications would benefit our learners as 
they move from our adult ed programs into their next-steps--work, 
college, training, citizenship, and so on.  We'd appreciate your 
guidance, ( and the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal or buy the best 
from the best....)

Thanks for the assist!

Howard D.
Project RIRAL

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Apr  7 08:16:26 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 08:16:26 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 293]  Subject line reminders
Message-ID: <01e701c65a3d$18806390$0402a8c0@frodo>

Hi everyone, I hope this email finds you well.
 
Just a quick reminder:  please remember to put the topic at hand in your
subject line so that we know what we are opening and/or what thread of
the discussion the post belongs to.
 
Also:  if you reply to a post and your message shifts the conversation
or changes it completely - please *change* the subject line to a title
that better describes the email you are sending.
 
Before the Lists went fully-moderated, the Moderators were able to make
these helpful changes themselves, but with the new system we cannot.  So
we are relying on you to help us - it really makes a difference for the
reader as well as for the Moderators.  
 
Thank you so much!
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Apr  7 12:21:20 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 12:21:20 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 294] Linking Research and Practice: NCSALL'sResearch
	Strand at COABE
Message-ID: <021f01c65a5f$4e8e7630$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear Colleagues:
 
The following announcement describes sessions being offered by NCSALL at
the COABE conference.  A number of sessions are focused on topics that
might be of interest to you including evaluating the impact of
strategies used to increase learner persistence, how learners'
engagement affects their learning outcomes, and a session on the ARCS
Reading Diagnostic.  Please see below.
 
Thanks,
marie cora
 
 
For those of you attending the 2006 COABE Conference in Houston April
26-29, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
(NCSALL) invites you to attend its sessions during the conference.
 
Presenters will highlight NCSALL research findings and share
professional development activities and instructional strategies for
strengthening the quality of adult literacy programs.
 
Attached is a list of the NCSALL sessions.
 
See you at COABE! Stop by and visit our booth (#119) in the exhibit
area.
 
 
****************
Kaye Beall
Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project
World Education
4401 S. Madison St.
Muncie, IN  47302
Tel: 765-717-3942
Fax: 208-694-8262
kaye_beall at worlded.org
http://www.ncsall.net
 
 
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From pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us  Mon Apr 10 13:29:23 2006
From: pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us (JO PAMMENT)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:29:23 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 295]   Re: (no subject)
Message-ID: <s43a5dbb.044@mail.haslett.k12.mi.us>

In Michigan, all adult educators are part of the K-12 system and must be certified in a related subject area.  However teachers may get an ESL endorsement attached to their certification if they take an additional 18 hours of ceredit in the ESL field, and pass a test.

Currently, an endorsement is not required in order to be hired as an ESL teacher.

Jo Pamment

Jo Pamment
ESL Coordinator
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us

>>> khinson at future-gate.com 4/6/06 12:48 PM >>>
We don't have any such certification in NC either, as far as I know. I've heard whispers that the state administrators are looking into certification for Adult Educators though. I don't know where that discussion stands though.



>>> elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  >>>
--
We do not have such in Vermont, but are having discussions around the 'certification' issue.  I will be happy to share as we move forward from discussion.







---- "Howard L. Dooley wrote: 

=============
Hi, everyone.  I hope everyone is well, and enjoying spring -- though 
here, today in Woonsocket RI it's snowing if you can believe it...

I am looking for information on adult basic skills certifications, 
particularly those issued by a state-level agency or a consortium.  A 
certification that is recognized as valid and useful by programs, 
colleges, providers, businesses across your state.  Does your state have 
a process for recognizing skill attainment before a secondary credential 
is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what standards are 
included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What assessements 
are being used?

If your state doesn't have such certifications, do you think it would be 
valuable to have them?  If so, I have the same questions as above.  RI 
is considering if and what certifications would benefit our learners as 
they move from our adult ed programs into their next-steps--work, 
college, training, citizenship, and so on.  We'd appreciate your 
guidance, ( and the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal or buy the best 
from the best....)

Thanks for the assist!

Howard D.
Project RIRAL

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Mon Apr 10 15:17:49 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:17:49 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 296] Re: (no subject)
Message-ID: <OFBDE46438.1377CBC6-ON0725714C.006A00AE-0725714C.006A00B3@yc.edu>

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From elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  Wed Apr 12 21:23:28 2006
From: elohimsgirl at adelphia.net (elohimsgirl at adelphia.net)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:23:28 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 297] Re: certification for adult ed teachers
Message-ID: <3527709.1144891408100.JavaMail.root@web24>

--
Tina, is your pay comprable to the K-12 teachers?  Also, can you give me a website that I could look into the certification?
Thanks
Marlo Thomas Watson
Director of Adult and Workforce Education
Northeast Kingdom Learning Services (NEKLS)
364 Railroad Street, Suite 2
St. Johnsbury, VT  05819

(802) 748-5624 phone (802) 751-8071 fax

elohimsgirl at adelphia.net



You are only as great as your committment to make it happen!

---- Tina_Luffman at yc.edu wrote: 

=============
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From ludlowr at maine.com  Thu Apr 13 06:06:33 2006
From: ludlowr at maine.com (Ramsey Ludlow)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:06:33 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 298] Re: (no subject)
References: <s43a5dbb.044@mail.haslett.k12.mi.us>
Message-ID: <001a01c65ee1$f1bf0c80$6401a8c0@Ramsey>

Hello-

I believe Howard Dooley was asking whether any program awards certificates 
to adults for skills attainment- not whether teachers are certified:
 "Does your state have a process for recognizing skill attainment before a 
secondary credential is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what 
standards are included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What 
assessments are being used?"

I'd be very interested to hear answers to this; there are many learners who 
attain useful and marketable skills, but who are many semesters away from a 
diploma. Do programs award certifications that a learner  show a potential 
employer what the learner knows and is able to do- before a learner has 
attained a diploma or GED?

thank you,
Ramsey Ludlow
Oxford Hills Adult Education
256 Main Street
South Paris, Maine 04281
ludlowr at sad17.k12.me.us

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "JO PAMMENT" <pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us>
To: <assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 1:29 PM
Subject: [Assessment 295] Re: (no subject)


> In Michigan, all adult educators are part of the K-12 system and must be 
> certified in a related subject area.  However teachers may get an ESL 
> endorsement attached to their certification if they take an additional 18 
> hours of ceredit in the ESL field, and pass a test.
>
> Currently, an endorsement is not required in order to be hired as an ESL 
> teacher.
>
> Jo Pamment
>
> Jo Pamment
> ESL Coordinator
> Haslett Public Schools
> 1118 S. Harrison
> East Lansing, Michigan 48823
>
> TEL:  517 337-8353
> FAX:  517 337-3195
> E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us
>
>>>> khinson at future-gate.com 4/6/06 12:48 PM >>>
> We don't have any such certification in NC either, as far as I know. I've 
> heard whispers that the state administrators are looking into 
> certification for Adult Educators though. I don't know where that 
> discussion stands though.
>
>
>
>>>> elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  >>>
> --
> We do not have such in Vermont, but are having discussions around the 
> 'certification' issue.  I will be happy to share as we move forward from 
> discussion.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---- "Howard L. Dooley wrote:
>
> =============
> Hi, everyone.  I hope everyone is well, and enjoying spring -- though
> here, today in Woonsocket RI it's snowing if you can believe it...
>
> I am looking for information on adult basic skills certifications,
> particularly those issued by a state-level agency or a consortium.  A
> certification that is recognized as valid and useful by programs,
> colleges, providers, businesses across your state.  Does your state have
> a process for recognizing skill attainment before a secondary credential
> is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what standards are
> included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What assessements
> are being used?
>
> If your state doesn't have such certifications, do you think it would be
> valuable to have them?  If so, I have the same questions as above.  RI
> is considering if and what certifications would benefit our learners as
> they move from our adult ed programs into their next-steps--work,
> college, training, citizenship, and so on.  We'd appreciate your
> guidance, ( and the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal or buy the best
> from the best....)
>
> Thanks for the assist!
>
> Howard D.
> Project RIRAL
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Apr 13 12:26:42 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:26:42 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 299]  Seeking math placements
Message-ID: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo>

Dear Colleagues,
 
I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
_______________


 
We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level offerings
of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are meeting at
the end of April to either develop or use parts of standardized
assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources (either
electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist me/us?
 
 
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From ltaylor at casas.org  Thu Apr 13 12:22:45 2006
From: ltaylor at casas.org (Linda Taylor)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:22:45 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 300] Re: Seeking math placements
In-Reply-To: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <0IXO00HE85FAQVB5@vms044.mailsrvcs.net>

Marie,

 

CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 

 

Linda Taylor, CASAS

(800) 255-1036

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to gather
some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for math.
Please read on.

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

_______________



 

We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level offerings of
math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are meeting at the end
of April to either develop or use parts of standardized assessments for
placement.  Can you suggest some resources (either electronic or places you
could guide me to) that could assist me/us?

 

 

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From prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET  Thu Apr 13 12:29:56 2006
From: prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET (Patti White)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:29:56 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 301] Re: learner certification
References: <s43a5dbb.044@mail.haslett.k12.mi.us>
	<001a01c65ee1$f1bf0c80$6401a8c0@Ramsey>
Message-ID: <05e501c65f17$80808270$6501a8c0@PattiAALRC>

Arkansas has a "Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy" (WAGE) program 
that awards certificates to learners in 3 areas:  industrial, clerical, and 
employability.  Further information about the WAGE program is located at 
http://aalrc.org/resources/wage/index.aspx  including a PowerPoint that 
outlines the process for adult education programs, employers, and learners.

Patti White
Disabilities Project Manager
Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center
prwhite at madisoncounty.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ramsey Ludlow
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 5:06 AM
Subject: [Assessment 298] Re: (no subject)


Hello-

I believe Howard Dooley was asking whether any program awards certificates
to adults for skills attainment- not whether teachers are certified:
 "Does your state have a process for recognizing skill attainment before a
secondary credential is awarded?  Is it considering one?  If so, what
standards are included?  What levels of performance are recognized? What
assessments are being used?"

I'd be very interested to hear answers to this; there are many learners who
attain useful and marketable skills, but who are many semesters away from a
diploma. Do programs award certifications that a learner  show a potential
employer what the learner knows and is able to do- before a learner has
attained a diploma or GED?

thank you,
Ramsey Ludlow
Oxford Hills Adult Education
256 Main Street
South Paris, Maine 04281
ludlowr at sad17.k12.me.us 



From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Thu Apr 13 14:15:52 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:15:52 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 302] Re: Seeking math placements
Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A9303B471E7@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

AND GED

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Linda Taylor
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 9:23 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 300] Re: Seeking math placements

 

Marie,

 

CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 

 

Linda Taylor, CASAS

(800) 255-1036

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

_______________

 

We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level offerings
of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are meeting at
the end of April to either develop or use parts of standardized
assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources (either
electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist me/us?

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
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From lwilkins at mills.edu  Thu Apr 13 14:27:50 2006
From: lwilkins at mills.edu (Lynne Wilkins)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:27:50 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 303] Re: Seeking math placements
In-Reply-To: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo>
References: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <443E9826.1050902@mills.edu>

Hello

CASAS tests math in their employability series.

Best of luck!
Lynne Wilkins

Lynne Wilkins, Associate Director for Programs
English Center for International Women at Mills College
P.O. Box 9968, Oakland, CA 94613
(510)430-2285
lwilkins at mills.edu 

Marie Cora wrote:

>Dear Colleagues,
> 
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
>gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
>math.  Please read on.
>marie cora
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>_______________
>
>
> 
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level offerings
>of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are meeting at
>the end of April to either develop or use parts of standardized
>assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources (either
>electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist me/us?
> 
> 
>
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>  
>


-- 
Lynne Wilkins, Associate Director for Programs
English Center for International Women at Mills College
P.O. Box 9968, Oakland, CA 94613
(510)430-2285
lwilkins at mills.edu 



From stange at gcnet.com  Thu Apr 13 14:38:36 2006
From: stange at gcnet.com (Karen Stange)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:38:36 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 304] Re: Seeking math placements
In-Reply-To: <0IXO00HE85FAQVB5@vms044.mailsrvcs.net>
References: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo>
Message-ID: <20060413183810.351F3EF5EE@skat.hubris.net>

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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Thu Apr 13 15:19:02 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:19:02 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 305] Re: certification for adult ed teachers
Message-ID: <OF41024A73.5F02A20C-ON0725714F.006A1D0C-0725714F.006A1D10@yc.edu>

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From khinson at future-gate.com  Thu Apr 13 19:18:45 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 01:18:45 +0200
Subject: [Assessment 306]   Re: Seeking math placements
In-Reply-To: <20060413183810.351F3EF5EE@skat.hubris.net>
References: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo><0IXO00HE85FAQVB5@vms044.mailsrvcs.net>
	<20060413183810.351F3EF5EE@skat.hubris.net>
Message-ID: <443EF875020000A0000024EB@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>

Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular reason for that?

Regards
Katrina Hinson

>>> stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level placement is quite flexible. 
In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote: 

Marie,

 

CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 

 

Linda Taylor, CASAS

(800) 255-1036

 

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for math.  Please read on.

marie cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

_______________

 

We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources (either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist me/us?

 

 

------------------------------- 
National Institute for Literacy 
Assessment mailing list 
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 

Karen Stange
stange at gcnet.com 
Curriculum Specialist
Finney County Community Learning Center
1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
Garden City, KS 67846 



From elohimsgirl at adelphia.net  Thu Apr 13 20:30:48 2006
From: elohimsgirl at adelphia.net (elohimsgirl at adelphia.net)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 17:30:48 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 307] Re: certification for adult ed teachers
Message-ID: <2559894.1144974648379.JavaMail.root@web25>

--
Thanks Tina!  This was amazingly helpful!
elohimsgirl at adelphia.net



You are only as great as your committment to make it happen!

---- Tina_Luffman at yc.edu wrote: 

=============
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From hdooley at riral.org  Fri Apr 14 09:33:38 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 09:33:38 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 308] Re: Seeking math placements
In-Reply-To: <443EF875020000A0000024EB@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>
References: <01c201c65f17$0d1bcc90$0402a8c0@frodo><0IXO00HE85FAQVB5@vms044.mailsrvcs.net>	<20060413183810.351F3EF5EE@skat.hubris.net>
	<443EF875020000A0000024EB@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com>
Message-ID: <443FA4B2.8020303@riral.org>

Katrina,

When our program reviewed standardized tests, we decided to use the 
CASAS because the competencies assessed were more in line with our 
instruction than the more academic skills approach of the TABE, and 
provides diagnostice information that helps guide instruction.  We still 
use the TABE in those instances where a collaborating partner "needs" a 
very specific grade level score for their purposes, such as a 9.0 
reading score to enter a job training program, or for learners who have 
a specific academic skills goal.  We integrated the CASAS assessments 
into our program, because we did not want it to stand alone as a 
high-stake test for accountability.

We discovered that the CASAS placement tests placed individuals into 
class levels as accurately as our previous in-house assessments, and 
does so in less time than previously.  So, we moved to using the CASAS 
for this purpose.  Using it in this way integrates it into our 
curriculum and provides one benchmark for learner success.

Howard D.



Katrina Hinson wrote:

>Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular reason for that?
>
>Regards
>Katrina Hinson
>
>  
>
>>>>stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level placement is quite flexible. 
>In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
>At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote: 
>
>Marie,
>
> 
>
>CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 
>
> 
>
>Linda Taylor, CASAS
>
>(800) 255-1036
>
> 
>
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov 
>Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements
>
> 
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
> 
>
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for math.  Please read on.
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>_______________
>
> 
>
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources (either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist me/us?
>
> 
>
> 
>
>------------------------------- 
>National Institute for Literacy 
>Assessment mailing list 
>Assessment at nifl.gov 
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>
>Karen Stange
>stange at gcnet.com 
>Curriculum Specialist
>Finney County Community Learning Center
>1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
>Garden City, KS 67846 
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>  
>




From stange at gcnet.com  Fri Apr 14 11:17:41 2006
From: stange at gcnet.com (Karen Stange)
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 10:17:41 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 309]  PBS Locator Tests
Message-ID: <20060414151704.EC424EF5E5@skat.hubris.net>

An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Mon Apr 17 18:41:16 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:41:16 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 310] Re: Seeking math placements
Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A9303BA4977@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

CASAS has created grade level charts for those partners who need that
non-adult type score
Va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 6:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 308] Re: Seeking math placements

Katrina,

When our program reviewed standardized tests, we decided to use the 
CASAS because the competencies assessed were more in line with our 
instruction than the more academic skills approach of the TABE, and 
provides diagnostice information that helps guide instruction.  We still

use the TABE in those instances where a collaborating partner "needs" a 
very specific grade level score for their purposes, such as a 9.0 
reading score to enter a job training program, or for learners who have 
a specific academic skills goal.  We integrated the CASAS assessments 
into our program, because we did not want it to stand alone as a 
high-stake test for accountability.

We discovered that the CASAS placement tests placed individuals into 
class levels as accurately as our previous in-house assessments, and 
does so in less time than previously.  So, we moved to using the CASAS 
for this purpose.  Using it in this way integrates it into our 
curriculum and provides one benchmark for learner success.

Howard D.



Katrina Hinson wrote:

>Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in
the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use
CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular
reason for that?
>
>Regards
>Katrina Hinson
>
>  
>
>>>>stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic
score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is
for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for
CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is
for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level
placement is quite flexible. 
>In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are
easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the
goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
>At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote: 
>
>Marie,
>
> 
>
>CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 
>
> 
>
>Linda Taylor, CASAS
>
>(800) 255-1036
>
> 
>
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov 
>Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements
>
> 
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
> 
>
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>_______________
>
> 
>
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level
offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are
meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of
standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources
(either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist
me/us?
>
> 
>
> 
>
>------------------------------- 
>National Institute for Literacy 
>Assessment mailing list 
>Assessment at nifl.gov 
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>
>Karen Stange
>stange at gcnet.com 
>Curriculum Specialist
>Finney County Community Learning Center
>1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
>Garden City, KS 67846 
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>  
>


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Apr 18 10:58:10 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:58:10 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 311]  National Practitioner-Researcher Symposium
Message-ID: <002e01c662f8$85f9a620$0b02a8c0@LITNOW>

The following post is from Mary Ann Corely.
____________


SAVE the DATES:  November 30-December 2, 2006!

ANNOUNCING: A MEETING OF THE MINDS II SYMPOSIUM!

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
(NCSALL), the California Department of Education (CDE) Adult Education
Office, and the California Adult Literacy Professional Development
Project (CALPRO) of the American Institutes for Research are pleased to
announce a Meeting of the Minds II: A National Adult Education
Practitioner-Researcher Symposium. 

Scheduled for November 30-December 2, 2006, at the Sheraton Grand hotel
in Sacramento, California, the symposium is designed to provide
opportunities for adult education practitioners and researchers to share
and discuss the most current research findings and practitioner wisdom.
It will engage practitioners and researchers with questions related to
goals, accountability, and efficacy and efficiency in policy, practice,
and research. The ultimate goals of the symposium are to highlight
systemic changes that can enhance literacy practice and increase student
learning gains. The theme of this year's symposium is Systemic Change
and Student Success: What Does Research Tell Us? 

As in the first Meeting of the Minds Symposium that was held in 2004,
each session of the 2006 Symposium will be structured so that the
research presentation is followed by a panel of practitioners who will
discuss implications for practice or policy. In addition, conference
attendees will have opportunities for small group interaction and
networking with researcher-presenters to discuss not only how research
can inform practice and policy, but also how practice and policy can
inform and suggest a research agenda.      

More information about the Meeting of the Minds II symposium will be
available soon on the symposium Web site,  www.researchtopractice.org.
(This Web site currently lists presenters' PowerPoints and abstracts of
sessions held at the 2004 Meeting of the Minds symposium as well as
thoughts generated by attendees regarding implications of the research
findings.) We are in the process of updating this Web site to house
information about online registration for the 2006 symposium as well as
information about hotel registration. We will send out another notice
after the Web site has been updated. In the meantime, please save the
dates and plan to join us in November in Sacramento!

Thank you.

-Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D.
Symposium Coordinator and
CALPRO Director, American Institutes for Research





From samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org  Tue Apr 18 12:51:50 2006
From: samuel.mcgraw at seattlegoodwill.org (Samuel McGraw III)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 09:51:50 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 312] Re: Seeking math placements
Message-ID: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218AFF7@seamail.seagoodwill.org>

Is the chart posted?

Samuel McGraw III M. Ed. 
Goodwill 
Tel: 206.860.5789 
Fax: 206.325.9845 
http://www.seattlegoodwill.org 
Because jobs change lives 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 3:41 PM
To: hdooley at riral.org; The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 310] Re: Seeking math placements

CASAS has created grade level charts for those partners who need that
non-adult type score
Va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 6:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 308] Re: Seeking math placements

Katrina,

When our program reviewed standardized tests, we decided to use the 
CASAS because the competencies assessed were more in line with our 
instruction than the more academic skills approach of the TABE, and 
provides diagnostice information that helps guide instruction.  We still

use the TABE in those instances where a collaborating partner "needs" a 
very specific grade level score for their purposes, such as a 9.0 
reading score to enter a job training program, or for learners who have 
a specific academic skills goal.  We integrated the CASAS assessments 
into our program, because we did not want it to stand alone as a 
high-stake test for accountability.

We discovered that the CASAS placement tests placed individuals into 
class levels as accurately as our previous in-house assessments, and 
does so in less time than previously.  So, we moved to using the CASAS 
for this purpose.  Using it in this way integrates it into our 
curriculum and provides one benchmark for learner success.

Howard D.



Katrina Hinson wrote:

>Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in
the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use
CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular
reason for that?
>
>Regards
>Katrina Hinson
>
>  
>
>>>>stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic
score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is
for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for
CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is
for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level
placement is quite flexible. 
>In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are
easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the
goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
>At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote: 
>
>Marie,
>
> 
>
>CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 
>
> 
>
>Linda Taylor, CASAS
>
>(800) 255-1036
>
> 
>
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov 
>Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements
>
> 
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
> 
>
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>_______________
>
> 
>
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level
offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are
meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of
standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources
(either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist
me/us?
>
> 
>
> 
>
>------------------------------- 
>National Institute for Literacy 
>Assessment mailing list 
>Assessment at nifl.gov 
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>
>Karen Stange
>stange at gcnet.com 
>Curriculum Specialist
>Finney County Community Learning Center
>1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
>Garden City, KS 67846 
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>  
>


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From jeguez at casas.org  Tue Apr 18 13:13:47 2006
From: jeguez at casas.org (Jane Eguez)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:13:47 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 313] Re: Seeking math placements
Message-ID: <2716C9F0CFC0A54C8D0E1F429681AE78934E80@XNG.casas.org>


Yes, the chart "CASAS SCALED SCORE REFERENCES FOR GRADE LEVELS" can be accessed at:
http://www.casas.org/Downloads/more.cfm?mfile_id=866&bhcp=1

You may be interested in another paper that discusses "Why Scaled Scores are Better than Grade Level Equivalents" located at:
http://www.casas.org/DirctDwnlds.cfm?mfile_id=1231&selected_id=715&wtarget=body

Jane Eg?ez
CASAS Director Program Planning
jeguez at casas.org
www.casas.org
800-255-1036 x125

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Samuel McGraw III
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 9:52 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List; hdooley at riral.org
Subject: [Assessment 312] Re: Seeking math placements

Is the chart posted?

Samuel McGraw III M. Ed. 
Goodwill 
Tel: 206.860.5789 
Fax: 206.325.9845 
http://www.seattlegoodwill.org 
Because jobs change lives 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 3:41 PM
To: hdooley at riral.org; The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 310] Re: Seeking math placements

CASAS has created grade level charts for those partners who need that
non-adult type score
Va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 6:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 308] Re: Seeking math placements

Katrina,

When our program reviewed standardized tests, we decided to use the 
CASAS because the competencies assessed were more in line with our 
instruction than the more academic skills approach of the TABE, and 
provides diagnostice information that helps guide instruction.  We still

use the TABE in those instances where a collaborating partner "needs" a 
very specific grade level score for their purposes, such as a 9.0 
reading score to enter a job training program, or for learners who have 
a specific academic skills goal.  We integrated the CASAS assessments 
into our program, because we did not want it to stand alone as a 
high-stake test for accountability.

We discovered that the CASAS placement tests placed individuals into 
class levels as accurately as our previous in-house assessments, and 
does so in less time than previously.  So, we moved to using the CASAS 
for this purpose.  Using it in this way integrates it into our 
curriculum and provides one benchmark for learner success.

Howard D.



Katrina Hinson wrote:

>Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in
the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use
CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular
reason for that?
>
>Regards
>Katrina Hinson
>
>  
>
>>>>stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic
score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is
for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for
CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is
for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level
placement is quite flexible. 
>In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are
easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the
goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
>At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote: 
>
>Marie,
>
> 
>
>CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL. 
>
> 
>
>Linda Taylor, CASAS
>
>(800) 255-1036
>
> 
>
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov 
>Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements
>
> 
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
> 
>
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>_______________
>
> 
>
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level
offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are
meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of
standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources
(either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist
me/us?
>
> 
>
> 
>
>------------------------------- 
>National Institute for Literacy 
>Assessment mailing list 
>Assessment at nifl.gov 
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>
>Karen Stange
>stange at gcnet.com 
>Curriculum Specialist
>Finney County Community Learning Center
>1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
>Garden City, KS 67846 
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>  
>


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Tue Apr 18 13:59:30 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:59:30 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 314] Re: Seeking math placements
References: <802F2B4590320142A57872DC43A2BFD20218AFF7@seamail.seagoodwill.org>
Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A935D551E@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

Samuel
I haven't looked recently but I'd guess this chart would be on the CASAS web page
I know it used to be in their manual.
Va

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Samuel McGraw III
Sent: Tue 04/18/2006 09:51
To: The Assessment Discussion List; hdooley at riral.org
Subject: [Assessment 312] Re: Seeking math placements



Is the chart posted?

Samuel McGraw III M. Ed.
Goodwill
Tel: 206.860.5789
Fax: 206.325.9845
http://www..org
Because jobs change lives

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 3:41 PM
To: hdooley at riral.org; The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 310] Re: Seeking math placements

CASAS has created grade level charts for those partners who need that
non-adult type score
Va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 6:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 308] Re: Seeking math placements

Katrina,

When our program reviewed standardized tests, we decided to use the
CASAS because the competencies assessed were more in line with our
instruction than the more academic skills approach of the TABE, and
provides diagnostice information that helps guide instruction.  We still

use the TABE in those instances where a collaborating partner "needs" a
very specific grade level score for their purposes, such as a 9.0
reading score to enter a job training program, or for learners who have
a specific academic skills goal.  We integrated the CASAS assessments
into our program, because we did not want it to stand alone as a
high-stake test for accountability.

We discovered that the CASAS placement tests placed individuals into
class levels as accurately as our previous in-house assessments, and
does so in less time than previously.  So, we moved to using the CASAS
for this purpose.  Using it in this way integrates it into our
curriculum and provides one benchmark for learner success.

Howard D.



Katrina Hinson wrote:

>Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in
the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use
CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular
reason for that?
>
>Regards
>Katrina Hinson
>
> 
>
>>>>stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
>>>>       
>>>>
>At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic
score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is
for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for
CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is
for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level
placement is quite flexible.
>In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are
easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the
goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
>At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Marie,
>
>
>
>CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL.
>
>
>
>Linda Taylor, CASAS
>
>(800) 255-1036
>
>
>
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov
>Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements
>
>
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>
>
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>_______________
>
>
>
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level
offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are
meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of
standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources
(either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist
me/us?
>
>
>
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>Karen Stange
>stange at gcnet.com
>Curriculum Specialist
>Finney County Community Learning Center
>1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
>Garden City, KS 67846
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
> 
>


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


-------------- next part --------------
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From jgore at readingconnections.org  Tue Apr 18 14:52:30 2006
From: jgore at readingconnections.org (Jenny Gore)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:52:30 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 315] Re: Seeking math placements
References: <2716C9F0CFC0A54C8D0E1F429681AE78934E80@XNG.casas.org>
Message-ID: <030301c66319$3f47a530$0201a8c0@RCLAB8>

see below.

Jennifer B. Gore
Executive Director
Reading Connections, Inc.
122 N. Elm Street, Suite 520
Greensboro, NC  27401
336-230-2223
www.readingconnections.org

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and help them become 
what they are capable of being.  Goethe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jane Eguez" <jeguez at casas.org>
To: "The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov>; 
<hdooley at riral.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 1:13 PM
Subject: [Assessment 313] Re: Seeking math placements



Yes, the chart "CASAS SCALED SCORE REFERENCES FOR GRADE LEVELS" can be 
accessed at:
http://www.casas.org/Downloads/more.cfm?mfile_id=866&bhcp=1

You may be interested in another paper that discusses "Why Scaled Scores are 
Better than Grade Level Equivalents" located at:
http://www.casas.org/DirctDwnlds.cfm?mfile_id=1231&selected_id=715&wtarget=body

Jane Eg?ez
CASAS Director Program Planning
jeguez at casas.org
www.casas.org
800-255-1036 x125

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On 
Behalf Of Samuel McGraw III
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 9:52 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List; hdooley at riral.org
Subject: [Assessment 312] Re: Seeking math placements

Is the chart posted?

Samuel McGraw III M. Ed.
Goodwill
Tel: 206.860.5789
Fax: 206.325.9845
http://www.seattlegoodwill.org
Because jobs change lives

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 3:41 PM
To: hdooley at riral.org; The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 310] Re: Seeking math placements

CASAS has created grade level charts for those partners who need that
non-adult type score
Va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 6:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 308] Re: Seeking math placements

Katrina,

When our program reviewed standardized tests, we decided to use the
CASAS because the competencies assessed were more in line with our
instruction than the more academic skills approach of the TABE, and
provides diagnostice information that helps guide instruction.  We still

use the TABE in those instances where a collaborating partner "needs" a
very specific grade level score for their purposes, such as a 9.0
reading score to enter a job training program, or for learners who have
a specific academic skills goal.  We integrated the CASAS assessments
into our program, because we did not want it to stand alone as a
high-stake test for accountability.

We discovered that the CASAS placement tests placed individuals into
class levels as accurately as our previous in-house assessments, and
does so in less time than previously.  So, we moved to using the CASAS
for this purpose.  Using it in this way integrates it into our
curriculum and provides one benchmark for learner success.

Howard D.



Katrina Hinson wrote:

>Can I get some more information on the PBS Locator tests mentioned in
the email below?  Also, I see on the list that a lot of programs use
CASAS or appear to use CASAS more than TABE. Is there a particular
reason for that?
>
>Regards
>Katrina Hinson
>
>
>
>>>>stange at gcnet.com 04/13/06 2:38 PM >>>
>>>>
>>>>
>At the FCCLC, we base our class placements on the CASAS diagnostic
score.  Since we only offer two levels of class, the Level one class is
for CASAS ABE levels 1and 2 (Up to a 212 score), Level two class is for
CASAS  ABE level 3 and 4 (up to a 235 score) and the fast track class is
for above 235).  It would be better to have four levels, but our level
placement is quite flexible.
>In individual classes I like to use the PBS Locator tests, as they are
easier to make specific placement of needs of the class members if the
goal is most commonly, "get my GED".
>At 12:22 PM 4/13/06 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Marie,
>
>
>
>CASAS Math appraisals and pre/post tests can be used for ABE or ESOL.
>
>
>
>Linda Taylor, CASAS
>
>(800) 255-1036
>
>
>
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 12:27 PM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov
>Subject: [Assessment 299] Seeking math placements
>
>
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>
>
>I have received the following email from a colleague who is trying to
gather some resources on developing or finding placement assessments for
math.  Please read on.
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>_______________
>
>
>
>We are having departmental meetings to address the multi-level
offerings of math across all departments (ESOL, ABE, and ASE).  We are
meeting at the end of April to either develop or use parts of
standardized assessments for placement.  Can you suggest some resources
(either electronic or places you could guide me to) that could assist
me/us?
>
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------- 
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>Karen Stange
>stange at gcnet.com
>Curriculum Specialist
>Finney County Community Learning Center
>1401 West Buffalo Jones Avenue
>Garden City, KS 67846
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 



From kabeall at comcast.net  Tue Apr 18 14:31:41 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:31:41 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 316]  New from NCSALL
Message-ID: <008401c66316$56893220$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

Two new publications are now available from NCSALL. For more information,
please visit the NCSALL Web site at: http://www.ncsall.net
<http://www.ncsall.net/> 

 

An Evidence-based Adult Education Program Model Appropriate for Research 

by John Comings, Lisa Soricone, and Maricel Santos 

The document reviews the available empirical evidence and professional
wisdom in order to define a program model that meets the requirements for
good practice. This program model describes what teachers, adult students,
counselors, administrators, volunteers, and program partners should do to
provide both effective instruction and the support services adults need to
persist in their learning long enough to be successful. This paper describes
a program model as having a program quality support component and three
chronological program components, which are entrance into a program,
participation in a program, and reengagement in learning. Though this model
could also be used as a description of good programs for other purposes,
here it describes the context in which research on approaches to instruction
and support services could be productive. 

To download the NCSALL Occasional Paper, visit NCSALL's Web site:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=26#ebae

 

Learner's Engagement in Adult Literacy Education  

by Hal Beder, Jessica Tomkins, Patsy Medina, Regina Riccioni, and Weiling
Deng 

Engagement is mental effort focused on learning and is a precondition to
learning progress. It is important to understand how and why adult learners
engage in literacy instruction because engagement is a precondition to
learning progress. This study focused on how learning context shapes
engagement. The practical reason for doing so is that to a great extent
adult educators control the educational context. Thus if they understand how
the educational context shapes engagement, they can influence engagement in
positive ways.

To download the NCSALL Report, visit NCSALL's Web site:
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#28

To order the NCSALL Report at $10.00/copy, go to the Order Form:
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=681

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Apr 24 10:51:27 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 10:51:27 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 317]  COABE session
Message-ID: <009101c667ae$96364fb0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues:
 
Please join us in the following session at this year's COABE National
Conference
in Houston, Texas:
 
Professional Development From Your "Inbox": Making the Most of National
Discussion Lists
Saturday, 9:45 - 11:00
Presented by NIFL Discussion List Moderators:
Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List
Marie Cora, Assessment List
Daphne Greenberg, Women & Literacy List
 
National online discussion lists provide an opportunity for ongoing
professional development with colleagues, researchers,
nationally-recognized experts and leaders in the field. Presenters will
provide information regarding the National Institute for Literacy's
discussion lists, emerging and key issues for each topic, upcoming
discussion activities, and how to get the most from your discussion list
subscription.
 
To this end, we encourage you to attend the session to discuss your own
experience being a subscriber (writer or lurker!) on any of the
Institute's Lists.  Please come and share your thoughts on how newcomers
can get the most out of their subscription, as well as provide us with
feedback so that we can better serve your needs.  
 
We look forward to meeting you in person!
 
Jackie Taylor, Moderator
Adult Literacy Professional Development List
 
Marie Cora, Moderator
Assessment List
 
Daphne Greenberg, Moderator
Women & Literacy List
 
The National Institute for Literacy's Discussion Lists are: Adult
Literacy Professional Development, Assessment, Adult Education Content
Standards, English Language Learners, Family Literacy, Focus on Basics,
Health and Literacy, Learning Disabilities, Poverty, Race, and Literacy,
Program Leadership and Improvement, Technology and Literacy, Women and
Literacy, and Workplace Literacy.
 
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From djgbrian at utk.edu  Mon Apr 24 11:08:42 2006
From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Donna Brian)
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:08:42 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 318]  Invitation to a COABE Session
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060424110820.03ba9190@pop.utk.edu>

Dear Colleagues:
Please join us in the following session at this year's COABE National
Conference in Houston, Texas:


Learning Disabilities & Work Issues: How Can We Help?

Thursday, April 27 at 11:00 AM in the computer lab
Presented by Aaron Kohring, Content Coordinator of the Literacy and 
Learning Disabilities Special Collection
and Donna Brian, Content Coordinator of the Workforce Education Special 
Collection


Learning disabilities among workers are common, though often unrecognized, 
and they frequently contribute to job loss. As an educator, what can you do 
to prepare adults with LD for greater success in the world of work? How do 
you assist an adult to self-assess for their strengths, their struggles, 
and helpful accommodations? What proactive steps can make the difference 
between success and frustration for LD workers? What is the role of 
self-advocacy? Are there learning strategies that are especially effective 
with LD workers? Where can you go for resources?

This session begins with a participatory activity to heighten awareness of 
the nature of LD in the workplace. Participants will then consider ways to 
discern strengths and weaknesses of an adult with learning disabilities and 
provide appropriate accommodations to foster success. Learning and work 
strategies particularly effective for those with LD will be introduced. The 
recounted experiences of successful LD workers will bring to life the 
critical role that self-advocacy plays.

Throughout the presentation, the presenters will highlight pertinent 
resources from the Literacy and Learning Disabilities and Workforce 
Education Special Collections. We will demonstrate on-line how the 
collections can be used to find free resources. The organization and 
content of the special collections will be explored through using the 
collections to find information about issues. Attendees will be able to 
extend their learning beyond the presentation through access to a 
self-paced tutorial (authored by the presenters) plus a list of applicable 
online resources.

Participation of attendees in providing examples of their experiences with 
adults with LD will be encouraged throughout the presentation. Discussion 
will invite feedback from participants to guide the presenters' continued 
future efforts in collecting and organizing on-line resources responsive to 
the needs of workplace and workforce educators in mentoring adults with 
learning disabilities.





Donna JG Brian
Moderator, NIFL Workplace Literacy Discussion List, and
Coordinator/Developer LINCS Workforce Education Special Collection at 
http://worklink.coe.utk.edu/
Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee
600 Henley Street, Suite 312
Knoxville, TN 37996-4135

865-974-3420 (desk phone) FAX 865-974-3857
djgbrian at utk.edu



From DonMcCabe at aol.com  Mon Apr 24 13:43:56 2006
From: DonMcCabe at aol.com (DonMcCabe at aol.com)
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 13:43:56 EDT
Subject: [Assessment 319] Re: Invitation to a COABE Session
Message-ID: <384.1b1fbf7.317e685c@aol.com>

Dear Colleagues:
Please join us in the following session at this year's  COABE National
Conference in Houston, Texas:
 

Practical Applications of Research in the Teaching of Spelling/Reading  to 
Adults.
 
Saturday, April 29
8:00 - 11:00 am 
 
Presented by Don McCabe, Research Director AVKO Educational Research  
Foundation

Don McCabe
spelling.org (http://www.spelling.org) 


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Apr 27 10:29:36 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 10:29:36 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 320] Family Health and Literacy - A New Resource Guide!
Message-ID: <008d01c66a07$08fbe8c0$7b82fea9@LITNOW>


Dear colleagues:

The following announcement is from Julie McKinney.
Marie

**************************************
I would like to announce a new health literacy resource guide that has
just been published in print and on the Web!

Family Health and Literacy 

This guide to easy-to-read health materials and websites is for adult
literacy practitioners and health educators alike. It lists resources to
teach health to families with lower literacy skills, but also discusses
how to integrate health and literacy education, how to get started and
engage adult learners, and how to build connections between literacy
programs and local health services.  

You can find Family Health and Literacy online at:

www.worlded.org/us/health/docs/family

This is a PDF, and with Adobe Reader 7 or higher you can click on the
live links! 

Hard copies are also available free of charge for a limited time: please
contact Leah_Peterson at worlded.org

I hope you find it helpful.

All the best,

Julie


Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org






From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Apr 27 10:37:19 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 10:37:19 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 321]  Literacy President 2008
Message-ID: <008e01c66a08$1eeda050$7b82fea9@LITNOW>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.

The following post is from David Rosen.  Your voice needs to be heard in
terms of letting our country's leadership know how important ABE and
ESOL services are for our economy, our families, and our ability to
compete in the global market.  We need to send a strong message to our
next President - please vote and let your voice be heard!

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
-----------------------

Dear Colleague,

We need your opinion and your vote. Literacy President 2008 is a non-
partisan effort to increase national awareness of adult literacy
regardless of whom is elected. Literacy President provides members of
the adult education community with ways to be active participants in the
2008 Presidential election. The first activity was generating possible
questions to ask the candidates. We now have 20 possible questions, and
they need to be narrowed to the top five.

This is your chance to vote on these, to help us narrow them to the top
five 
best questions. In the 2004 election, Literacy President had over 1000
people -- practitioners, adult learners and others -- who voted for the
top priority questions. This time our goal is 1500 people participating:
students, practitioners and other advocates for adult literacy.

To vote, please go to

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=85102489618

If the address breaks into two lines, you can try this one instead:

http://tinyurl.com/s553p


For the Literacy President Group,

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net






From hdooley at riral.org  Mon May  1 13:29:27 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 13:29:27 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 322]  Literacy President 2008
Message-ID: <44564577.4090703@riral.org>

Hello, everyone hello!  I received the following email, and believe it 
is an excellent Civics opportunity for you and your learners.  You can 
simply complete the survey and have your voice heard, or you can use the 
  "Literacy President 2008" materials to develop lessons that delve 
deeper in the issues with research, discussion, writing, and so on. 
Even if you decide not to share this with your learners, please consider 
voting yourself, so that practitioners' voices will be heard in the 
upcoming elections.

Thank you.




The following post is from David Rosen.  Your voice needs to be heard in 
terms of letting our country's leadership know how important ABE and
ESOL services are for our economy, our families, and our ability to
compete in the global market.  We need to send a strong message to our
next President - please vote and let your voice be heard!

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

-----------------------

Dear Colleague,

We need your opinion and your vote. Literacy President 2008 is a non-
partisan effort to increase national awareness of adult literacy
regardless of whom is elected. Literacy President provides members of
the adult education community with ways to be active participants in the
2008 Presidential election. The first activity was generating possible
questions to ask the candidates. We now have 20 possible questions, and
they need to be narrowed to the top five.

This is your chance to vote on these, to help us narrow them to the top
five best questions. In the 2004 election, Literacy President had over 
1000 people -- practitioners, adult learners and others -- who voted for 
the top priority questions. This time our goal is 1500 people 
participating: students, practitioners and other advocates for adult 
literacy.

To vote, please go to

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=85102489618

If the address breaks into two lines, you can try this one instead:

http://tinyurl.com/s553p


For the Literacy President Group,

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed May  3 08:25:59 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 08:25:59 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 323]  FW: [ProgramLeadership 48]  Guest next week
Message-ID: <011601c66eac$bfbef170$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  The following post is
from Kim Chaney, Moderator of the Program Leadership and Improvement.
To subscribe to this Discussion List, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Programleadership

marie
________________________


Dear "Program Leadership and Improvement" List Subscribers:

I am pleased to announce that Esmerelda Doreste, Program Director with
the 
Union City (NJ) Adult Learning Center, will be a guest on the list from 
Monday, May 8 through Friday, May 12.  As a participant in the UPS 
Foundation-funded "Leadership for Community Literacy" Initiative that
was 
administered by the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Center in the late 
winter, Ms. Doreste worked with her program to implement a program 
improvement process based on the EFF program quality model.

Along with the four other participants, Ms. Doreste wrote about that 
experience...her story is now accessible on the "Program Leadership and 
Improvement" web site.  Go to [http://pli.cls.utk.edu] and click the 
"Stories of Program Improvement" button, then click/open "Union City
Adult 
Learning Center: A Program Improvement Process."

Please read the story in preparation for Ms. Doreste's visit next 
week.  She will be ready to answer your questions about the nuts and
bolts 
of implementing the process, as well as any other related issues.

Looking forward to next week,
Kim






From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed May  3 08:30:05 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 08:30:05 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 324]  FW:  Literacy President Update
Message-ID: <012a01c66ead$52479ba0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues, 

The following post is from David Rosen.
marie cora

--------------

Dear Colleague,

The nonpartisan Literacy President survey is off to a good start.  We  
now have over 325 people who have voted on the questions to ask the  
candidates for President.  The top state, way in the lead, is  
Pennsylvania, with over 68 votes on the questions.  Next is  
California with 28, Illinois with 15, then Florida, Massachusetts,  
North Carolina, and New Jersey. Other states also have a few  
participants who have voted.

We have a way to go to reach our goal of 1500 survey participants.   
And currently only one student has voted, so we need to do a lot more  
to get students involved.

If you haven't voted yet, please do. To vote, please go to:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=85102489618

If the address breaks into two lines, you can try this one instead:

http://tinyurl.com/s553p

Even if you have voted, please help to get the message out to others.  
Post the message below to adult literacy education electronic lists  
of your organization or state. Voting will take place over the next  
several weeks, but it's important to get the word out as soon as  
possible.

Thanks for your help.

David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen at theworld.com



On Apr 25, 2006, at 8:20 AM, David Rosen wrote:


> Dear Colleague,
>
> We need your opinion and your vote.  Literacy President 2008 is a non-
> partisan effort to increase national awareness of adult literacy
> regardless of whom is elected.  Literacy President provides members
> of the adult education community with ways to be active participants
> in the 2008 Presidential election.  The first activity was generating
> possible questions to ask the candidates.  We now have 20 possible
> questions, and they need to be narrowed to the top five.
>
> This is your chance to vote on these, to help us narrow them to the
> top five best questions.  In the 2004 election, Literacy President
> had over 1000 people -- practitioners, adult learners and others --
> who voted for  the top priority questions. This time our goal is 1500
> people participating: students, practitioners and other advocates for
> adult literacy.
>
> To vote, please go to
>
> http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=85102489618
>
> If the address breaks into two lines, you can try this one instead:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/s553p
>
>
> For the Literacy President Group,
>
> David Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>









From info at nifl.gov  Wed May  3 09:02:27 2006
From: info at nifl.gov (Sandra Baxter)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 09:02:27 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Assessment 325]  News from the National Institute for Literacy
Message-ID: <20060503130227.7634546555@dev.nifl.gov>

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to announce that the National Institute for Literacy has launched a new web page design to help provide easily accessible, high quality information about literacy. New features clearly highlight the Institute's work in all areas of literacy, including early childhood, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. You will continue to find the links to all of the Institute's projects, such as Bridges to Practice, LINCS, Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles under Programs and Services. The Institute's publications, including the recently released Teaching Reading to Adults can be found under the Publications link. Please visit http://www.nifl.gov for more information.

This is phase one of the redesign. We will soon be incorporating all the Institute's projects into this new design.  As many of you know, websites are always a work in progress and we intend to continue improving the Institute's site in order to provide you with the best available resources.	

We would love to hear your thoughts regarding the new look. Please send your comments to Jo Maralit at mmaralit at nifl.gov.   

Thanks,

Sandra Baxter, Ed.D.
Director
National Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed May  3 12:40:17 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 12:40:17 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 326]  First Discussion on Special Topics List
Message-ID: <019401c66ed0$45c68990$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

Below please fine the announcement of the new Special Topics List
sponsored by the National Institute for Literacy. The moderator of the
List is David Rosen.  Please read further for a full description of this
new List.

David's first topic will be focused on the Adult Reading Components
Study, or ARCS, as it is known.  A discussion on ARCS was held on the
Assessment Discussion List in April of 2005 - just over a year ago - and
you can find information on ARCS as well as a summary of that Discussion
at the ALE Wiki by going to the Discussions in the Assessment section:

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information#Discussion
s

and clicking on:  ARCS Reading Diagnostic

For those of you who are not familiar with ARCS, I highly recommend that
you sign on to this Discussion to learn more about the resource tool.
For those of you who were here last year for that Discussion, I
encourage you to sign on to find out what has been learned about ARCS
over the past year, or to ask questions and make comments if you have
been using ARCS.

Thanks and hope to see you there!

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com


_____________

New Special Topics Discussion List

Dear Colleague,

On May 23rd we will begin a week-long discussion on the new National  
Institute for Literacy Special Topics electronic list.  The topic is  
the Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS).  Dr. Rosalind Davidson and  
Dr. John Strucker, the co-researchers, will join us to answer your  
questions.

Special Topics will be an intermittent discussion list.  The topics  
will open and close throughout the year, so there will be periods  
where there will be no discussion or postings. You can subscribe to  
the e-list for a particular topic of interest, and then unsubscribe,  
or you can stay subscribed throughout the year.  To participate in  
this first topic, the Adult Reading Components Study, and to learn  
more about the ARCS interactive Web site -- which has lots of reading  
help for teachers --  please subscribe to the Special Topics list now  
by going to:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics

Before the discussion begins on May 23rd please look at a 30-minute  
streaming video introduction to the discussion with researcher  
panelists Rosalind Davidson and John Strucker, and practitioners Kay  
Vaccaro and Jane Meyer.

http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20040204/webcast02-04a.html
(Note: Macintosh users will need to have Real Player installed, and  
for them performance may not be optimal.)

After you subscribe, you can send your questions to the discussion  
list.  Note, however, that messages will not be posted until May 22nd.

I look forward to having you join us in this discussion.


David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion List Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net








From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon May  8 09:08:43 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 09:08:43 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 327]  New FOB on the Web
Message-ID: <034501c672a0$8c238630$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

The newest Focus On Basics, on learners' Experiences, is now available
on NCSALL's web site, www.ncsall.net. 

Quick, tell me about your students' self esteem. Low, because of their
academic struggles? That's not what a recent NCSALL-Rutgers study
showed.

And how about reading? Do your learners know that to increase their
reading fluency, they need to...read? What kind of and how much reading
do they do outside of class? Another NCSALL-Rutgers study follows three
learners as they go about their days and finds quite a variety in the
amount of reading the learners do on their own.

Teachers, have you ever seen yourself teach? Or noticed just what that
clump of students was doing while you were engaged with one person on
another side of the classroom? Teachers working with NCSALL-Rutgers
found that videos taken of their classroom for research purposes
provided them with rich information useful to their own professional
development. Learn how useful video can be in helping pinpoint issues
and suggest new ways of doing things in the classroom.

There's lots more, particularly around learner engagement.
Go to www.ncsall.net and click on "Newest Issue of Focus on Basics"
Printed copies and a text-only web version will not be out for another
two weeks.
Regards,
Barb Garner, Editor

_______________________________________________





From djrosen at comcast.net  Wed May 10 04:43:28 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (djrosen at comcast.net)
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 08:43:28 +0000
Subject: [Assessment 328]  Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <051020060843.17767.4461A7AF000B8580000045672200761394020A9C019D060B@comcast.net>

Assessment colleagues,

The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of us working in adult literacy education in the United States. It is more widely used in Europe, and possibly in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and more common in elementary and secondary education. I am quite interested in this topic and would be interested to learn about examples in adult literacy education in the U.S., especially of systematic formative assessment. 

So, what is formative assessment?

It's the opposite of summative assessment. Its focus is assessment _for_ learning; whereas summative assessment's focus is assessment _of_ learning. Formative assessments give teachers and learners information about learners' goals and objectives, about how they are progressing toward them, about what methods do -- and do not -- work for them. Formative assessments are carried out by a learner on her/his own (self-assessment) , by a group of learners (peer assessment) by a teacher and learner together, and possibly by a learner and a counselor or intake worker.  Formative assessments are not usually standardized tests. They do not usually result in a grade, official score or certificate. They provide information for decision-making by learners and teachers, often together, about the learning itself. Some people in the U.S. use the term " alternative assessment," or are familiar with one formative assessment process referred to as "portfolio assessment."  Some teachers, when they un
derstand what "formative assessment" means say "Yes, of course, I do this all the time. It's part of the learning process. I just don't have a name for it."  

I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.  I am especially interested because I am doing a case study right now on how formative assessment is being used in Belgium, part of a larger OECD study being carried out in several countries where formative assessment is used in adult literacy education. I am also interested because there is evidence from elementary and secondary education research that formative assessment works, that is, that its use results in higher student achievement.

If you use a formative assessment process in your classroom, or if you have studied formative assessment and/or if you know of good studies of formative assessment, please let us all know -- here -- or email me a djrosen at comcast.net.

David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu May 11 08:38:09 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 08:38:09 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 328] Re: Formative Assessment
In-Reply-To: <051020060843.17767.4461A7AF000B8580000045672200761394020A9C019D060B@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <001001c674f7$c6207d80$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hi everyone,
 
Thanks for your post David ? subscribers:  I?m surprised that no one has
responded to David?s post!  Isn?t one of our biggest conundrums/topics
of discussion the ?formative assessment versus summative assessment?
situation (although we may not call it this)?  In the on-line assessment
course that I facilitate, participants talked about this fairly
in-depth, and pointed out that formative assessment is what happens all
the time in teachers? classrooms ? where the ?real? substance of
teaching and learning are gauged.  This has been touched on here before
as well ? if you go to the Assessment Archives at:  
http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/search_discussions?cq=2 
and type ?formative assessment? in the search box you get 21 entries.
 
But David is looking for studies and further info ? there are nearly 500
subscribers here so I?m pretty sure someone has some resources to share.
And if not, you have your experiences to share.  David said:
?I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of
where it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.?
 
Perhaps this is a good place to start.  Please let?s hear from you,
Thanks!
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of djrosen at comcast.net
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 4:43 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 328] Formative Assessment
 
Assessment colleagues,
 
The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of us
working in adult literacy education in the United States. It is more
widely used in Europe, and possibly in Canada, Australia and New
Zealand, and more common in elementary and secondary education. I am
quite interested in this topic and would be interested to learn about
examples in adult literacy education in the U.S., especially of
systematic formative assessment. 
 
So, what is formative assessment?
 
It's the opposite of summative assessment. Its focus is assessment _for_
learning; whereas summative assessment's focus is assessment _of_
learning. Formative assessments give teachers and learners information
about learners' goals and objectives, about how they are progressing
toward them, about what methods do -- and do not -- work for them.
Formative assessments are carried out by a learner on her/his own
(self-assessment) , by a group of learners (peer assessment) by a
teacher and learner together, and possibly by a learner and a counselor
or intake worker.  Formative assessments are not usually standardized
tests. They do not usually result in a grade, official score or
certificate. They provide information for decision-making by learners
and teachers, often together, about the learning itself. Some people in
the U.S. use the term " alternative assessment," or are familiar with
one formative assessment process referred to as "portfolio assessment."
S ome te achers, when they understand what "formative assessment" means
say "Yes, of course, I do this all the time. It's part of the learning
process. I just don't have a name for it."  
 
I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where
it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.  I am
especially interested because I am doing a case study right now on how
formative assessment is being used in Belgium, part of a larger OECD
study being carried out in several countries where formative assessment
is used in adult literacy education. I am also interested because there
is evidence from elementary and secondary education research that
formative assessment works, that is, that its use results in higher
student achievement.
 
If you use a formative assessment process in your classroom, or if you
have studied formative assessment and/or if you know of good studies of
formative assessment, please let us all know -- here -- or email me a
djrosen at comcast.net.
 
David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net
 
 
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From akohring at utk.edu  Thu May 11 09:58:07 2006
From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 09:58:07 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 329] Re: Formative Assessment
In-Reply-To: <001001c674f7$c6207d80$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
References: <
	<051020060843.17767.4461A7AF000B8580000045672200761394020A9C019D060B@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060511095549.04881a88@pop.utk.edu>

Marie,

I hope any teachers or programs using EFF might share what they are 
doing.  The EFF teaching/learning cycle embeds assessment (both formative 
and summative) within the teaching process.
Aaron

At 08:38 AM 5/11/2006 -0400, you wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>
>
>
>Thanks for your post David subscribers:  I m surprised that no one has 
>responded to David s post!  Isn t one of our biggest conundrums/topics of 
>discussion the formative assessment versus summative assessment situation 
>(although we may not call it this)?  In the on-line assessment course that 
>I facilitate, participants talked about this fairly in-depth, and pointed 
>out that formative assessment is what happens all the time in teachers 
>classrooms where the real substance of teaching and learning are 
>gauged.  This has been touched on here before as well if you go to the 
>Assessment Archives at:
>
><http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/search_discussions?cq=2>http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/search_discussions?cq=2 
>
>
>and type formative assessment in the search box you get 21 entries.
>
>
>
>But David is looking for studies and further info there are nearly 500 
>subscribers here so I m pretty sure someone has some resources to 
>share.  And if not, you have your experiences to share.  David said:
>
>I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where 
>it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.
>
>
>
>Perhaps this is a good place to start.  Please let s hear from you,
>
>Thanks!
>
>marie cora
>
>Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On 
>Behalf Of djrosen at comcast.net
>Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 4:43 AM
>To: assessment at nifl.gov
>Subject: [Assessment 328] Formative Assessment
>
>
>
>Assessment colleagues,
>
>
>
>The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of us working 
>in adult literacy education in the United States. It is more widely used 
>in Europe, and possibly in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and more 
>common in elementary and secondary education. I am quite interested in 
>this topic and would be interested to learn about examples in adult 
>literacy education in the U.S., especially of systematic formative assessment.
>
>
>
>So, what is formative assessment?
>
>
>
>It's the opposite of summative assessment. Its focus is assessment _for_ 
>learning; whereas summative assessment's focus is assessment _of_ 
>learning. Formative assessments give teachers and learners information 
>about learners' goals and objectives, about how they are progressing 
>toward them, about what methods do -- and do not -- work for them. 
>Formative assessments are carried out by a learner on her/his own 
>(self-assessment) , by a group of learners (peer assessment) by a teacher 
>and learner together, and possibly by a learner and a counselor or intake 
>worker.  Formative assessments are not usually standardized tests. They do 
>not usually result in a grade, official score or certificate. They provide 
>information for decision-making by learners and teachers, often together, 
>about the learning itself. Some people in the U.S. use the term " 
>alternative assessment," or are familiar with one formative assessment 
>process referred to as "portfolio assessment."  S ome te achers, when they 
>understand what "formative assessment" means say "Yes, of course, I do 
>this all the time. It's part of the learning process. I just don't have a 
>name for it."
>
>
>
>I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where 
>it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.  I am 
>especially interested because I am doing a case study right now on how 
>formative assessment is being used in Belgium, part of a larger OECD study 
>being carried out in several countries where formative assessment is used 
>in adult literacy education. I am also interested because there is 
>evidence from elementary and secondary education research that formative 
>assessment works, that is, that its use results in higher student achievement.
>
>
>
>If you use a formative assessment process in your classroom, or if you 
>have studied formative assessment and/or if you know of good studies of 
>formative assessment, please let us all know -- here -- or email me a 
><mailto:djrosen at comcast.net>djrosen at comcast.net.
>
>
>
>David J. Rosen
>
>newsomeassociates.com
>
><mailto:djrosen at comcast.net>djrosen at comcast.net
>
>
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu



From MWPotts2001 at aol.com  Thu May 11 10:09:58 2006
From: MWPotts2001 at aol.com (MWPotts2001 at aol.com)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 10:09:58 EDT
Subject: [Assessment 330] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <41c.af40de.31949fb6@aol.com>

David and All,
 
David says, The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of  
us working in adult literacy education in the United States. Well, if many of 
us  do not know the term, "formative assessment," many of us have missed the  
boat!
 
I am not in the classroom now, but I am an evaluator, and I find that  
formative assessment is more important to the programs that I work with than  
summative assessment. Formative assessment is, after all, technical assistance,  if 
done correctly, i.e., data collection with feedback, the purpose of which is  
program improvement. 
 
In the past year, I made 4 trips of two days each to my programs, during  
which I spent a lot of time observing, some time interviewing, less time  
writing, and no time judging. What seems to help most is the time we spend  
reflecting, reviewing and discussing what is working and what is not.
 
Each time I return to the program, I expect to see changes in accordance  
with our discussion and conclusions from the previous visit.  Generally, it  
happens.
 
What a shame it would be if I waited for summative evaluation to note the  
need for change and growth.  And what a waste.
 
David, you always throw out the best questions.  This may not be the  best 
answer, but I had to put in my 2 cents worth.
 
Meta Potts
FOCUS on Literacy
Glen Allen, VA
 
 
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From sreid at workbase.org.nz  Thu May 11 11:45:56 2006
From: sreid at workbase.org.nz (Susan Reid)
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 03:45:56 +1200
Subject: [Assessment 331] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <14794889A1E3AF419042F64CC5425A1E23BEAE@server1.wbeductrust.local>

Hi David 
I am replying in a rush and so don't have a chance to add a great deal of detail - more to come later 
Perhaps the most influential text on formative assessment in the UK system which has percolated down to the NZ system and into the adult education sector is Inside the Black Box by Black and Wiliam which advocates exactly what you are saying - that formative assessment, designed to improve teaching and thus  learning can improve learner outcomes. Here are some references below 
 
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/phpnews/wmprint.php?ArtID=225
 
Formative assessment forms a key part of Reading and Writing Professional Development that Workbase offers in New Zealand, Two colleagues from New Zealand John Benseman and Alison Sutton have also worked on an OECD project around formative assessment and I will put them in touch with you 
will provide more information later 
 
Kind regards Susan Reid 
Manager Professional Development 
Workbase the NZ Centre for Workforce Literacy 
www.workbase.org.nz
www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of djrosen at comcast.net
Sent: Wed 10/05/2006 8:43 p.m.
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 328] Formative Assessment


Assessment colleagues,
 
The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of us working in adult literacy education in the United States. It is more widely used in Europe, and possibly in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and more common in elementary and secondary education. I am quite interested in this topic and would be interested to learn about examples in adult literacy education in the U.S., especially of systematic formative assessment. 
 
So, what is formative assessment?
 
It's the opposite of summative assessment. Its focus is assessment _for_ learning; whereas summative assessment's focus is assessment _of_ learning. Formative assessments give teachers and learners information about learners' goals and objectives, about how they are progressing toward them, about what methods do -- and do not -- work for them. Formative assessments are carried out by a learner on her/his own (self-assessment) , by a group of learners (peer assessment) by a teacher and learner together, and possibly by a learner and a counselor or intake worker.  Formative assessments are not usually standardized tests. They do not usually result in a grade, official score or certificate. They provide information for decision-making by learners and teachers, often together, about the learning itself. Some people in the U.S. use the term " alternative assessment," or are familiar with one formative assessment process referred to as "portfolio assessment."  S ome te achers, when they understand what "formative assessment" means say "Yes, of course, I do this all the time. It's part of the learning process. I just don't have a name for it."  
 
I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.  I am especially interested because I am doing a case study right now on how formative assessment is being used in Belgium, part of a larger OECD study being carried out in several countries where formative assessment is used in adult literacy education. I am also interested because there is evidence from elementary and secondary education research that formative assessment works, that is, that its use results in higher student achievement.
 
If you use a formative assessment process in your classroom, or if you have studied formative assessment and/or if you know of good studies of formative assessment, please let us all know -- here -- or email me a djrosen at comcast.net.
 
David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net
 
 
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Thu May 11 11:59:57 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 08:59:57 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 332] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <OF218C1291.90C3B574-ON0725716B.0057E323-0725716B.0057E327@yc.edu>

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From djrosen at comcast.net  Fri May 12 15:16:21 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (djrosen at comcast.net)
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 19:16:21 +0000
Subject: [Assessment 332] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <051220061916.22075.4464DF04000E3B270000563B2205886442020A9C019D060B@comcast.net>

Hello Tina,

I would agree that the use of tests, including standardized multiple choice tests for diagnostic or placement purposes, is an example of formative assessment.  It is good to hear that you can use the TABE for this purpose and that you and your students find this useful.  Are the TABE diagnostics you refer to something put out by a publisher or something you have made yourself?  

Do other teachers have examples of using formal assessments for formative assessment, to help the students in the learing process, not just as a measure of outcomes or for measurement of pre-post gains?

How about informal ongoing assessment strategies or tools? Do you have any of these you could share with us?

David J. Rosen 
djrosen at comcast.net

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu 

Hi Formative Assessment teammates,

Here at Yavapai College, when I give a TABE test to students for follow-up testing, I have a set of TABE diagnostics which tell us which kind of questions the student is still struggling with. Then we have TABE study booklets put out by Steck-Vaughn that are excellent for helping us teach directly to the area that student still needs to study. We also have them go back and work on those areas in the Contemporary satellite books. I would consider this process formative assessment. Do you agree?

Thanks,

Tina




Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu
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From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
Subject: [Assessment 332] Re: Formative Assessment
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From djrosen at comcast.net  Fri May 12 15:32:50 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (djrosen at comcast.net)
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 19:32:50 +0000
Subject: [Assessment 333] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <051220061932.27730.4464E2E200051B1A00006C522200750330020A9C019D060B@comcast.net>

Hello Susan and others,

You are right on target, Susan, and have perfectly understood my question.  It was the Black and William study I had in mind, and I am currently in Belgium conducting three case studies, with a Belgian colleague, under the auspices of OECD -- the same "What Works" project to which you have referred. It is this experience that has prompted me to learn more about what might be happening with formative assessment in North America now.

For several years SABES/World Education published an alternative adult literacy education assessment journal called "Adventures in Assessment."  You will find these journals online at:
http://sabes.org/resources/adventures/index.htm
Volume after volume is filled with rich exanples from practitioners' experiences of formative assessments, although not usually called that.  Since the journal stopped publishing, there is a huge gap in knowledge in the U.S.  I think we no longer know if teachers are using these assessments, and if so, how.  I was hoping for a rich discussion on this list by teachers, for a picture of what is happining now with the use of formative assessments.  I hope that formative assessment has not disappeared or gone underground, or been dispaced by summative, outcomes-based assessment.  We need both.  North American teacher colleagues: are the?"adventures" in assessment over? Or do they continue .... for example in your classroom?  I would really like to know.
 
David J. Rosen 
djrosen at comcast.net

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Susan Reid" <sreid at workbase.org.nz> 

> Hi David 
> I am replying in a rush and so don't have a chance to add a great deal of detail 
> - more to come later 
> Perhaps the most influential text on formative assessment in the UK system which 
> has percolated down to the NZ system and into the adult education sector is 
> Inside the Black Box by Black and Wiliam which advocates exactly what you are 
> saying - that formative assessment, designed to improve teaching and thus 
> learning can improve learner outcomes. Here are some references below 
> 
> http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm 
> http://www.kcl.ac.uk/phpnews/wmprint.php?ArtID=225 
> 
> Formative assessment forms a key part of Reading and Writing Professional 
> Development that Workbase offers in New Zealand, Two colleagues from New Zealand 
> John Benseman and Alison Sutton have also worked on an OECD project around 
> formative assessment and I will put them in touch with you 
> will provide more information later 
> 
> Kind regards Susan Reid 
> Manager Professional Development 
> Workbase the NZ Centre for Workforce Literacy 
> www.workbase.org.nz 
> www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz 
> 
> ________________________________ 
> 
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of djrosen at comcast.net 
> Sent: Wed 10/05/2006 8:43 p.m. 
> To: assessment at nifl.gov 
> Subject: [Assessment 328] Formative Assessment 
> 
> 
> Assessment colleagues, 
> 
> The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of us working in 
> adult literacy education in the United States. It is more widely used in Europe, 
> and possibly in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and more common in elementary 
> and secondary education. I am quite interested in this topic and would be 
> interested to learn about examples in adult literacy education in the U.S., 
> especially of systematic formative assessment. 
> 
> So, what is formative assessment? 
> 
> It's the opposite of summative assessment. Its focus is assessment _for_ 
> learning; whereas summative assessment's focus is assessment _of_ learning. 
> Formative assessments give teachers and learners information about learners' 
> goals and objectives, about how they are progressing toward them, about what 
> methods do -- and do not -- work for them. Formative assessments are carried out 
> by a learner on her/his own (self-assessment) , by a group of learners (peer 
> assessment) by a teacher and learner together, and possibly by a learner and a 
> counselor or intake worker. Formative assessments are not usually standardized 
> tests. They do not usually result in a grade, official score or certificate. 
> They provide information for decision-making by learners and teachers, often 
> together, about the learning itself. Some people in the U.S. use the term " 
> alternative assessment," or are familiar with one formative assessment process 
> referred to as "portfolio assessment." S ome te achers, when they understand 
> what "formative assessment" means say "Yes, of course, I do this all the time. 
> It's part of the learning process. I just don't have a name for it." 
> 
> I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where it is 
> done especially well, and where it is systematically used. I am especially 
> interested because I am doing a case study right now on how formative assessment 
> is being used in Belgium, part of a larger OECD study being carried out in 
> several countries where formative assessment is used in adult literacy 
> education. I am also interested because there is evidence from elementary and 
> secondary education research that formative assessment works, that is, that its 
> use results in higher student achievement. 
> 
> If you use a formative assessment process in your classroom, or if you have 
> studied formative assessment and/or if you know of good studies of formative 
> assessment, please let us all know -- here -- or email me a djrosen at comcast.net. 
> 
> David J. Rosen 
> newsomeassociates.com 
> djrosen at comcast.net 
> 
> 
> 
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From: "Susan Reid" <sreid at workbase.org.nz>
Subject: [Assessment 331] Re: Formative Assessment
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sat May 13 08:45:45 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 08:45:45 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 333]  FW: [AAACE-NLA] Literacy President Update May 12,
	2006
Message-ID: <012501c6768b$2a4b56b0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues:  below please read an update on the Literacy President
campaign.  Have YOU responded? 
marie cora 
__________________________


The Literacy President survey to determine the top five questions to ask
the Presidential Candidates is going well.  Nearly 800 people have
responded, and about 6% of the participants are adult learners (not
including college students). The two states which have the most number
of
participants are Pennsylvania and Washington State.  Many states have
particpated however.

Our goal is 1500 people, and we have a little under two weeks left to
reach it.  To meet the goal we need to be sure the word is getting out. 
So far I am aware of only one national organization that has asked its
members to particpate in this survey, VALUE. I know that VALUE Executive
Director, Marty Finsterbusch has made getting out the word to VALUE
members a priority and that this does seem to have made a difference in
the number of adult learners participating. But it is disappointing if
other national adult literacy organizations are not making this a
priority.  I know that the Literacy Presideent message has been posted
on
some state lists -- and clearly advocates in several states are working
on
this.  My congratulations especially to Pennsylvania and Washington.

If you are a member of a national adult literacy organization, please
call
or email your leadership and ask them to get the word out to their
members
now.

Thanks.

David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
Member, the Literacy President Group
DJRosen at the world.org
_______________________________________________





From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Sat May 13 13:35:31 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 10:35:31 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 334] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <OFBC227D39.967FBD21-ON0725716D.0060A2B7-0725716D.0060A2BC@yc.edu>

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon May 15 12:10:49 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 12:10:49 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 335]  job announcement
Message-ID: <009501c6783a$266be7c0$0702a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues:

The following is an announcement for a new position at the Literacy
Assistance Center in New York City:


Project Leader

The Literacy Assistant Center (LAC), a not-for-profit organization that
supports and promotes the expansion of quality literacy services in New
York, is looking for a Project Leader to join its dynamic work team.  

This individual's primary responsibility is to lead the three-year
Statewide Staff Development Project beginning June 1, 2006.  The goal of
the project is to improve instruction in adult basic education, ESOL,
and GED classes.  Specific responsibilities include developing a
specialized training curriculum; providing related professional
development sessions to adult educators, program managers and
administrators; and creating four policy/resource manuals.  This work
will incorporate New York State Adult Education Learning Standards,
reflect essential concepts for teaching adults, and integrate core
principles of teaching reading, writing, mathematics, and English
language attainment.  Statewide travel required.  

The Project Leader will be an expert in adult and literacy education,
knowledgeable about current trends in the field, and have a proven
ability to work with key external constituents, including state
education department personnel, and with diverse local organizations and
individuals.  This highly qualified educator will have an advanced
degree (masters required, doctorate preferred) with commensurate
experience and demonstrated skill in new project development.  S/he will
be expected to describe the impact of the project in published articles
and/or professional conference presentations.

LAC offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with
experience.  Send resume and cover letter to hr at lacnyc.org or fax to
212-952-1359 by May 25, 2006.  No phone calls, please.


Mariann Fedele
Coordinator of Professional Development, 
Literacy Assistance Center
Moderator,
NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
32 Broadway 10th Floor
New York, New York 10004
212-803-3325
mariannf at lacnyc.org
www.lacnyc.org


_______________________________________________
National Institute for Literacy 
Moderators mailing list: Moderators at nifl.gov 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/moderators 
Moderator's Resource Page: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs_dlms/contents.html
Moderator's List Archive page:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/private/moderators





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue May 16 11:42:52 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 11:42:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 336]  Special Topics Discussion next week:  ARCS
Message-ID: <012601c678ff$67bcd520$0702a8c0@LITNOW>

To subscribe to the Special Topics Discussion List, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics
 
Dear subscribers,
 
We invite you to join us on the National Institute for Literacy's new
SPECIAL TOPICS List.  This list was established to provide opportunities
throughout the year for focused discussion topics with invited
researchers
and other experts in the field of adult education and literacy
(including
English language learning and numeracy). 
 
The Special Topics Discussion List will be moderated by David Rosen,
Ed.D.,
Senior Associate, Newsome Associates.  This list is an intermittent
discussion list.  The topics will open and close throughout the year, so
there are periods when there will be no discussion or postings. You can
subscribe to the discussion list for a
particular topic of interest, and then unsubscribe, or you can stay
subscribed throughout the year.
 
We look forward to the upcoming discussion, beginning May 23, with Dr.
Rosalind Davidson and Dr. John Strucker, co-researchers on the Adult
Reading
Components Study (ARCS).  You may have seen the previous announcement
for
this on the list, if not, please visit the list archives at:
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/assessment/2006/000310.html.  The DVD of
the
video is also available free of charge, please send your mailing address
to
info at nifl.gov to request a copy.
 
For more information, or suggestions of topics, contact David J. Rosen
at
djrosen1 at comcast.net
 
Regards,
Jo Maralit
National Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov
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From djrosen at comcast.net  Fri May 19 19:24:57 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 19:24:57 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 337] ARCS Discussion Begins May 23rd on New
	SpecialTopics List
Message-ID: <FBA8FD4A-A714-4ED8-A002-70D84810D7FD@comcast.net>

Assessment Colleagues,

A last reminder that on May 23rd we will begin an important
discussion on the Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) with the
researchers.  To sign up for this discussion go to

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics

You will find a 30-minute video panel discussion with ARCS
researchers,  Rosalind Davidson and John Strucker, and practitioners
Kay Vaccaro and Jane Meyer at

http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20040204/webcast02-04.html

The video panel introduction is also available on DVD from the
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy [ http://
www.ncsall.net/?id=24 ] or from the National Institute for Literacy.
(Send a request for the Adult Readiing Components Study (ARCS) Panel
(free) DVD to: info at nifl.gov  Be sure to include your mailing
address.)

Other ARCS introductory materials include:

1. Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) [PDF document]
by John Strucker and Rosalind Davidson
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=27   (ninth item down)

2. How the ARCS Was Done
http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_arcs.pdf

3. Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS)
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=27#arcs

We do hope you will be able to join us, from May 23rd through May
30th to learn about and explore the uses of the ARCS.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net








From sreid at workbase.org.nz  Sat May 27 19:49:38 2006
From: sreid at workbase.org.nz (Susan Reid)
Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 11:49:38 +1200
Subject: [Assessment 338] Re: Formative Assessment
Message-ID: <14794889A1E3AF419042F64CC5425A1E23BF40@secure.workbase.org.nz>

Just a follow up to my original post about the work of Black and Wiliam following David's question about formative assessment 
here are a couple of other urls people might be interested in 
the last one is an online  provfessional development workshop that our Minsistry of Education developed for K-12 teachers but it is equally applicable to adult literacy in terms of its explanations etc  
 
Black and Wiliam 
 
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/keystage3ictstrategy/Assessment/blackbox.pdf <http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/keystage3ictstrategy/Assessment/blackbox.pdf> 
 
 
MOE online workshop 
 
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/atol_online/ppt/online_workshop_1.ppt <http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/atol_online/ppt/online_workshop_1.ppt> 
Regards Susan Reid 
Manager, Professional Development 
Workbase the NZ Centre for Workforce Literacy Development 
www.workbase.org.nz
Check out the New Zealand literacy portal www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz
 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Marie Cora
Sent: Fri 12/05/2006 12:38 a.m.
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 328] Re: Formative Assessment


Hi everyone,
 
Thanks for your post David - subscribers:  I'm surprised that no one has responded to David's post!  Isn't one of our biggest conundrums/topics of discussion the 'formative assessment versus summative assessment' situation (although we may not call it this)?  In the on-line assessment course that I facilitate, participants talked about this fairly in-depth, and pointed out that formative assessment is what happens all the time in teachers' classrooms - where the 'real' substance of teaching and learning are gauged.  This has been touched on here before as well - if you go to the Assessment Archives at:  
http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/search_discussions?cq=2 
and type 'formative assessment' in the search box you get 21 entries.
 
But David is looking for studies and further info - there are nearly 500 subscribers here so I'm pretty sure someone has some resources to share.  And if not, you have your experiences to share.  David said:
"I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used."
 
Perhaps this is a good place to start.  Please let's hear from you,
Thanks!
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of djrosen at comcast.net
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 4:43 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 328] Formative Assessment
 
Assessment colleagues,
 
The term ?formative assessment" may not be familiar to many of us working in adult literacy education in the United States. It is more widely used in Europe, and possibly in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and more common in elementary and secondary education. I am quite interested in this topic and would be interested to learn about examples in adult literacy education in the U.S., especially of systematic formative assessment. 
 
So, what is formative assessment?
 
It's the opposite of summative assessment. Its focus is assessment _for_ learning; whereas summative assessment's focus is assessment _of_ learning. Formative assessments give teachers and learners information about learners' goals and objectives, about how they are progressing toward them, about what methods do -- and do not -- work for them. Formative assessments are carried out by a learner on her/his own (self-assessment) , by a group of learners (peer assessment) by a teacher and learner together, and possibly by a learner and a counselor or intake worker.  Formative assessments are not usually standardized tests. They do not usually result in a grade, official score or certificate. They provide information for decision-making by learners and teachers, often together, about the learning itself. Some people in the U.S. use the term " alternative assessment," or are familiar with one formative assessment process referred to as "portfolio assessment."  S ome te achers, when they understand what "formative assessment" means say "Yes, of course, I do this all the time. It's part of the learning process. I just don't have a name for it."  
 
I am interested in the details of how this is done, in examples of where it is done especially well, and where it is systematically used.  I am especially interested because I am doing a case study right now on how formative assessment is being used in Belgium, part of a larger OECD study being carried out in several countries where formative assessment is used in adult literacy education. I am also interested because there is evidence from elementary and secondary education research that formative assessment works, that is, that its use results in higher student achievement.
 
If you use a formative assessment process in your classroom, or if you have studied formative assessment and/or if you know of good studies of formative assessment, please let us all know -- here -- or email me a djrosen at comcast.net.
 
David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun May 28 10:19:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 10:19:08 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 339] Upcoming Discussions on FOB List: Learners'
	Experiences
Message-ID: <000501c68261$b03d16f0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

The following post is from Julie McKinney, Moderator of the Focus on
Basics (FOB) Discussion List.

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


******************************************************
I want to give you a heads-up on next month's rich schedule of weekly
discussions with Focus On Basics authors. The following authors will
discuss their articles from the recent issue of Focus On Basics, Vol.
8B, which is about Learners' Experiences.

Find the whole issue at:
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1103

June 5-9:  
Jessica Tomkins
Video as a Professional Development Tool
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107

June 12-16:
Alisa Belzer
Influences on the Reading Practices of Adults in ABE
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1108
       and
Learners on Learning to Read
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110

June 25-30:
Hal Beder
Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in Individualized Group
Instruction Classrooms
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106

Please pass on the word to colleagues who may be interested in these
discussions! Anyone can subscribe to the list at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics

*****************************************

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue May 30 12:25:30 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 12:25:30 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 340]  FW: [AAACE-NLA] Literacy President Update, May 28,
	2006
Message-ID: <001d01c68405$abd4c9f0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

Please see the Literacy President update below.  We are SO CLOSE to
reaching our goal of 1500 responses!  If you have not voted, please do
so.  And remember: friends encourage friends to vote!

Thank you!

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of David
Rosen
Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 8:08 PM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Literacy President Update, May 28, 2006

AAACE-NLA Colleagues,

As of 8:00 P.M. Sunday, May 28th we have 1472 responses to the  
Literacy President questions online survey.  We are close to reaching  
our goal of 1500 responding by May 31st.  Please help us reach that  
goal.

To vote on the questions, go to:

http://www.litpresident.org and select "Survey."

So far, the top twelve voting states, in order of the most votes, are:

1. PA: 178
2. TN 137
3. WA: 96
4. KS: 94
5. IL:93
6. CA: 90
7. MA: 81
8. OH: 71
9. GA: 64
10. VA: 51
11. NJ: 43
12. MN: 41

Pennsylvania had an early lead, which it has maintained, and  
Tennessee is now strong in second place,

David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen at theworld.com




_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org



From djrosen at comcast.net  Thu Jun  1 06:39:25 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 06:39:25 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 341]  New Assessment study
Message-ID: <24087FF0-0BB0-4A8C-9110-B88D530FB1FC@comcast.net>

Assessment colleagues,

You may find of interest a new study on assessment practices across  
Canada by Pat Campbell:
Student Assessment in Adult Basic Education: (2006), A Canadian Snapshot

 From the description on the NALD web page:

The purpose of this document is to report on the findings from a  
national survey on student assessment in adult basic education. This  
report is one of several outcomes from a national project entitled  
Assessment Practices in Adult Basic Education. This project will also  
produce an edited book on assessment practices and three videos.

http://library.nald.ca/research/item/5995


David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net





From djrosen at comcast.net  Thu Jun  1 06:47:52 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 06:47:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 342] Another Canadian study -- assessment from
	learners' perspectives
Message-ID: <B0DFC30A-5634-4669-AE3D-B4F9EB1E8449@comcast.net>

Assessment colleagues,

Another new Canadian assessment study which may be of interest is  
"I've opened up" (2006) By: Susan Lefebvre, Patricia Belding, Mary  
Brehaut, Sarah Dermer, Anne-Marie Kaskens, Emily Lord, Wayne McKay,  
Nadine Sookermany.

Here's a description from the NALD web page:

This project explored what constitutes progress in community-based  
literacy programs from the perspective of learners. The research took  
place between December 2004 and January 2006.

This project explored learners? experiences and understanding of  
progress and sought to define and articulate this knowledge. The  
research showed the importance of understanding and valuing the  
perspectives learners have of their progress. We discovered numerous  
nonacademic outcomes critical to learners? progress that they  
associated with adult literacy programs. Learners realized very well  
what literacy can do for them and value the many nonacademic outcomes  
they experience in various facets of their lives. The learners?  
comments also provided insight into the richness and complexity of  
the learning outcomes and of the interactions between these outcomes,  
their program environment, the learning process and non-academic  
learning outcomes they achieved.

http://library.nald.ca/research/item/6008


David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net





From mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu  Fri Jun  2 12:21:11 2006
From: mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu (Mae Dick)
Date: Fri, 02 Jun 2006 12:21:11 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 343]  TABE testing for non-native English speakers
Message-ID: <44802D370200000A0019D111@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>

Hi. I am posting to this list for the first time. Currently I direct an adult literacy program at LaGuardia Community College  in the City University of New York.  We serve primarily an immigrant population and offer classes in basic education, GED and ESL.

We have large numbers of non-native English speakers in our basic education and GED classes.  We have WIA funding and, as you know, are required to administer the TABE test for BE and GED students in reading comprehension in order to measure gain and movement from one NRS level to another.  While our students do quite well on the GED Practice test and subsequently on the actual GED exam, their TABE reading scores are often erratic, and we can have students scoring at 6th and 7th grade on the TABE M and D who take and pass the GED exam after scoring well on the GED Predictor.  I realize that the TABE reading test has its difficulties and it is criticized in NYC (and probably elsewhere) as a measure of progress.  Whatever its limitations may be,  my understanding is that the TABE was normed on native English speakers.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience and/or knowledge of the appropriateness of the TABE for non-native English speakers?



From hdooley at riral.org  Sat Jun  3 10:58:53 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Sat, 03 Jun 2006 10:58:53 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 344] Re: TABE testing for non-native English speakers
In-Reply-To: <44802D370200000A0019D111@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>
References: <44802D370200000A0019D111@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>
Message-ID: <4481A3AD.3080708@riral.org>

Most ESOL practitioners I know believe the current TABE is not 
appropriate for non-native English speakers.  However, the TABE folks 
are currently piloting a version for non-native speakers.  They have an 
anticipated roll-out date of this fall.  You might be able to contact a 
pilot site to get some initial thoughts and responses.  I know one 
program in RI participated.

My program also finds discrepancies between TABE scores, GED OPT's and 
CASAS scores, in the small number of cases where learners have taken 
multiple tests.  I agree that there seems to be more going on than just 
the facts that each test tests different skills and knowledge, but I 
don't know of any research or case studies that look at or try to 
explain these discrepancies.  Let me know if you hear anything.

Howard D.
Project RIRAL


Mae Dick wrote:
> Hi. I am posting to this list for the first time. Currently I direct an adult literacy program at LaGuardia Community College  in the City University of New York.  We serve primarily an immigrant population and offer classes in basic education, GED and ESL.
>
> We have large numbers of non-native English speakers in our basic education and GED classes.  We have WIA funding and, as you know, are required to administer the TABE test for BE and GED students in reading comprehension in order to measure gain and movement from one NRS level to another.  While our students do quite well on the GED Practice test and subsequently on the actual GED exam, their TABE reading scores are often erratic, and we can have students scoring at 6th and 7th grade on the TABE M and D who take and pass the GED exam after scoring well on the GED Predictor.  I realize that the TABE reading test has its difficulties and it is criticized in NYC (and probably elsewhere) as a measure of progress.  Whatever its limitations may be,  my understanding is that the TABE was normed on native English speakers.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience and/or knowledge of the appropriateness of the TABE for non-native English speakers?
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>   





From prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET  Mon Jun  5 10:45:51 2006
From: prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET (Patti White)
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 09:45:51 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 345] Fw: TABE testing for non-native English speakers
Message-ID: <00a001c688ae$bdd9ea60$6501a8c0@PattiAALRC>

I shot this question to our state ESL expert and here's his reply:

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Philip Less 
To: Patti White 
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 9:26 AM
Subject: RE: [Assessment 343] TABE testing for non-native English speakers


Hi Patti,
Interesting question. I wonder what kind of response she will get from other NY folks or people in the field.

I know that TABE is developing and pilot testing a TABE-ESL exam this year.  I don't know if it will be accepted by the feds to use in NRS instead of the BEST or TABE or help in the situation mentioned below.  Of course, the problem in a nutshell (in the example below) is that the GED tests are not the same as the TABE.  In other words, it is not really that surprising (if you think about it) that a student with a 6th or 7th grade reading level can pass the GED.  Some people's reading skills in 7th grade are probably as good as they will ever get.  The only improvements we tend to make are in the realms of critical thinking (gained with wisdom and experience perhaps) and vocabulary development (gained over time). 

Philip


Dr. Philip Less, ESL Program Advisor
Arkansas Department of Workforce Education
Adult Education Section
Three Capitol Mall
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Tel: 501-682-1970
Fax: 501-682-1706
Email: philip.less at arkansas.gov 
Web: http://dwe.arkansas.gov 






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Patti White [mailto:prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET] 
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 8:13 PM
To: Philip Less
Subject: Fw: [Assessment 343] TABE testing for non-native English speakers


Another one with your name all over it.......Thanks~
Patti


Patti White, M.Ed.

Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center

Disabilities Project Manager

479 232 5760 / 800 569 3539  v/tty/fax


prwhite at madisoncounty.net 

www.aalrc.org/html/ld/disab2.htm


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mae Dick 
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 11:21 AM
Subject: [Assessment 343] TABE testing for non-native English speakers


Hi. I am posting to this list for the first time. Currently I direct an adult literacy program at LaGuardia Community College  in the City University of New York.  We serve primarily an immigrant population and offer classes in basic education, GED and ESL.

We have large numbers of non-native English speakers in our basic education and GED classes.  We have WIA funding and, as you know, are required to administer the TABE test for BE and GED students in reading comprehension in order to measure gain and movement from one NRS level to another.  While our students do quite well on the GED Practice test and subsequently on the actual GED exam, their TABE reading scores are often erratic, and we can have students scoring at 6th and 7th grade on the TABE M and D who take and pass the GED exam after scoring well on the GED Predictor.  I realize that the TABE reading test has its difficulties and it is criticized in NYC (and probably elsewhere) as a measure of progress.  Whatever its limitations may be,  my understanding is that the TABE was normed on native English speakers.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience and/or knowledge of the appropriateness of the TABE for non-native English speakers?

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jun  6 06:12:12 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 06:12:12 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 346] FW: [AAACE-NLA] Results of Literacy President
	Questions Survey
Message-ID: <005701c68951$ae42fda0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

The following post/update is from David Rosen.
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
_____________


AAACE-NLA Colleagues,

The Literacy President survey was conducted in April and May, 2006.  
Participants selected their top eight questions from an online survey  
of twenty possible questions to ask the candidates for President in  
2008.  The questions from the survey came primarily from  
practitioners, in response to a series of requests on the AAACE- 
National literacy Advocacy electronic list, and also from questions  
on the 2004 Literacy President survey.

1666 people responded.

. Practitioners: 82.7%
. Learners (e.g. adult new reader, adult education program graduate)  
6.3%
. College or university students in adult education: 3.8%
. Other: 10.8%

. Female: 82.2%

The top 12 participating states in order of the most participants, were:

1. Pennsylvania:   193
2. Tennessee: 142
3. Washington: 140
4. Massachusetts: 104
5. Kansas: 99
6. Illinois: 97
7. California: 95
8. Ohio: 80
9. Georgia: 65
10. Virgnia: 61
11. New Jersey: 52
12. Minnesota: 49

Taking into account both the number of people who selected a given  
question and its assigned priority it was difficult to determine the  
top five questions.  Instead, I have listed the top seven questions.  
Note that questions 6 and 7 were close in number of votes  and that  
they had a higher percentage of people choosing them in their top  
three priorities.

Top Seven Questions

The Working Poor.

1. In 2000, 6.4 million American adults were classified as the  
"working poor." The majority -three-fifths- worked full-time but  
remained in poverty. To make a "living wage" many of these adults  
require further education and training. For many, the lack of a high  
school diploma and strong literacy skills is a barrier to the  
training needed to obtain a job with a living wage. What will you do  
to address this issue?

Total respondents who chose this:                         790
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     43%

2. Priority of Adult Education

As President, will you make adult education and literacy one of your  
top three educational priorities?

Total respondents who chose this:                         710
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     74%

3. Professional Development and Support for Teachers

Given the importance of adult literacy education and its impact on  
the workforce, what will you do to ensure sufficient training,  
salaries, and benefits for adult basic education teachers?

Total respondents who chose this:                         683
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     32%

4. Competitiveness in a World Economy

A recent government survey indicates that 93 million individuals are  
at risk at home, at work and in the community because of low levels  
of literacy. What new investment in adult education will you make to  
increase access for the unemployed, new immigrants and other at risk  
populations in order to keep our nation competitive?

Total respondents who chose this:                         673
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     51%

5. Adults Left Behind

What role should the federal government take in providing services  
for adults and out-of-school youth who have been "left behind" by the  
educational system in their states?

Total respondents who chose this:                         652
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     41%

6. Intergenerational Literacy

Children who do not get an education now will become adults who need  
literacy skills. Then, as parents, they are unable help their  
children with schoolwork. Without strong parental support for  
education, children of these individuals may also be left behind.  
What do you see as the role of adult education programs in addressing  
this intergenerational literacy issue?

Total respondents who chose this:                         645
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     44%

7. Funding

Do you believe that Adult Education and Literacy services (including  
English language learning and family literacy) should be available to  
all residents who need and seek those services? If so, are you  
willing to support an increase in funding that would eliminate long  
waiting lists for these services?

Total respondents who chose this:                         641
%age which chose this as one of top 3 priorities:     46%


Comments from participants:

There were 135 participants who chose to comment on the questionnaire  
or its process:

. Twenty two said they thought the questions were good, that it was  
hard to choose, that all the questions are important, that all should  
be asked.

. Nine said the survey was hard to complete, cumbersome, complicated,  
time-consuming, difficult mechanically.

. Nine said we shouldn't ask yes/no questions.  One said we shouldn't  
ask open-ended questions.

. Three said the questions should be shorter.

. Three objected to the wording of some of the questions, which  
appeared to them to include illegal immigrants.

. Two said the questionnaire was too hard for some students.


David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen at theworld.com










From mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu  Tue Jun  6 11:49:38 2006
From: mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu (Mae Dick)
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 11:49:38 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 347] Re: Fw: TABE testing for non-native
	English	speakers
In-Reply-To: <00a001c688ae$bdd9ea60$6501a8c0@PattiAALRC>
References: <00a001c688ae$bdd9ea60$6501a8c0@PattiAALRC>
Message-ID: <44856BD20200000A0019D694@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>

Thank you. Much appreciated. 

>>> "Patti White" <prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET> 06/05/06 10:45 AM >>>
I shot this question to our state ESL expert and here's his reply:

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Philip Less 
To: Patti White 
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 9:26 AM
Subject: RE: [Assessment 343] TABE testing for non-native English
speakers


Hi Patti,
Interesting question. I wonder what kind of response she will get from
other NY folks or people in the field.

I know that TABE is developing and pilot testing a TABE-ESL exam this
year.  I don't know if it will be accepted by the feds to use in NRS
instead of the BEST or TABE or help in the situation mentioned below. 
Of course, the problem in a nutshell (in the example below) is that the
GED tests are not the same as the TABE.  In other words, it is not
really that surprising (if you think about it) that a student with a 6th
or 7th grade reading level can pass the GED.  Some people's reading
skills in 7th grade are probably as good as they will ever get.  The
only improvements we tend to make are in the realms of critical thinking
(gained with wisdom and experience perhaps) and vocabulary development
(gained over time). 

Philip


Dr. Philip Less, ESL Program Advisor
Arkansas Department of Workforce Education
Adult Education Section
Three Capitol Mall
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Tel: 501-682-1970
Fax: 501-682-1706
Email: philip.less at arkansas.gov 
Web: http://dwe.arkansas.gov 






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Patti White [mailto:prwhite at MadisonCounty.NET] 
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 8:13 PM
To: Philip Less
Subject: Fw: [Assessment 343] TABE testing for non-native English
speakers


Another one with your name all over it.......Thanks~
Patti


Patti White, M.Ed.

Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center

Disabilities Project Manager

479 232 5760 / 800 569 3539  v/tty/fax


prwhite at madisoncounty.net 

www.aalrc.org/html/ld/disab2.htm 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mae Dick 
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 11:21 AM
Subject: [Assessment 343] TABE testing for non-native English speakers


Hi. I am posting to this list for the first time. Currently I direct an
adult literacy program at LaGuardia Community College  in the City
University of New York.  We serve primarily an immigrant population and
offer classes in basic education, GED and ESL.

We have large numbers of non-native English speakers in our basic
education and GED classes.  We have WIA funding and, as you know, are
required to administer the TABE test for BE and GED students in reading
comprehension in order to measure gain and movement from one NRS level
to another.  While our students do quite well on the GED Practice test
and subsequently on the actual GED exam, their TABE reading scores are
often erratic, and we can have students scoring at 6th and 7th grade on
the TABE M and D who take and pass the GED exam after scoring well on
the GED Predictor.  I realize that the TABE reading test has its
difficulties and it is criticized in NYC (and probably elsewhere) as a
measure of progress.  Whatever its limitations may be,  my understanding
is that the TABE was normed on native English speakers.  I was wondering
if anyone has had experience and/or knowledge of the appropriateness of
the TABE for non-native English speakers?

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 


From kabeall at comcast.net  Wed Jun  7 12:55:14 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 12:55:14 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 348]  New from NIFL & NCSALL-ARCS Video
Message-ID: <001301c68a53$262893f0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) and the National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) announce the "Adult Reading
Components Study (ARCS) Panel," a 30-minute video on NCSALL's ARCS research
produced by the Institute.  This video is available in streaming format and
can be viewed by going to:

 

http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20040204/webcast02-04.html 

 

ARCS was the first large-scale attempt to use a battery of individually
administered reading and language tests to describe the reading of students
enrolled in adult basic education (ABE) and English for speakers of other
languages (ESOL) programs. Nearly 1,000 adult learners from 30 learning
centers in seven states were assessed in order to develop instructionally
relevant cluster profiles of adult readers. 

 

The video offers a panel discussion about NCSALL's ARCS research and ways in
which programs can use the Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles, an
on-line assessment tool based on the ARCS research, to assess students and
plan instruction tailored to their specific profiles. Panel participants
are:

 

Dr. John Strucker - Researcher and ARCS Director, NCSALL

Dr. Rosalind Davidson - Researcher and ARCS Assistant Director, NCSALL

Kay Vaccaro - Program Assistant, Harris County, TX Department of Education,
Adult Education Division

Jane Meyer - Coordinator, ABLE-funded adult literacy project, Canton, OH

David J. Rosen (moderator) - Senior Associate, Newsome Associates, Boston,
MA

 

To visit the Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles ARCS Web site,
please go to: http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/

To learn more about the ARCS, please see NCSALL's "Seminar Guide - Reading
Profiles" http://www.ncsall.net/?id=597 available from the CPPR section of
the NCSALL Web site. 

A NCSALL study circle guide on reading research and teaching materials on
reading are available from the Publications section of the NCSALL Web site:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=25

The ARCS video panel introduction is also available free on DVD:

Order from NCSALL at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=24 for $5.00/copy (shipping
and handling), or send your request to NIFL at info at nifl.gov, and be sure to
include your mailing address.

 

The ARCS video is the first in a series of videos based on NCSALL research
that are being produced by the National Institute for Literacy.   As each
video is completed, streaming versions will be posted to the Web, with
accompanying announcements on the Institute's listservs and web sites and
NCSALL's Web site. Once the entire series is completed, all of the videos
will be packaged in a single DVD, which the Institute and NCSALL will make
available to the field.  The National Institute for Literacy and NCSALL
present these videos as introductions to key research topics in adult
learning and literacy.  We hope the field finds them useful as professional
and program development tools.

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jun 12 19:59:23 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:59:23 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 349]  Guest Discussion next week on Mathematics
Message-ID: <008d01c68e7c$3af15060$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,  
 
I hope this email finds you well.
 
I'm pleased to announce the following Guest Discussion, which will begin
on Monday of next week:
 
June 19 - 23, 2006
 
Topic:  Assessment in Mathematics 
 
Guest:  Myrna Manly - please see Myrna's bio below.
 
Myrna will respond to your email posts once per day - feel free to send
your post to the Assessment Discussion List, or to me so that I can post
it for you (marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com).
 
Bio
Myrna Manly, a mathematics teacher with experience at many academic
levels, retired in 2001 from a position as professor of mathematics at
El Camino College.  In addition to instruction, she has been involved
with the assessment of the mathematics proficiency of adults in various
roles: as the Mathematics Specialist for the 1988 version of the GED
test; as a member of the numeracy team for the Adult Literacy and
Lifeskills Survey (ALL); and as the numeracy consultant for a similar
international survey to be used in developing countries, the Literacy
Assessment and Monitoring Programme (LAMP). She is the Past President of
the Adult Numeracy Network (ANN), is the author of The GED Math Problem
Solver, and also works with states and programs facilitating
staff-development workshops aimed at improving mathematics instruction
to adults. 
 
Myrna is presently writing a paper with Mary Jane Schmidt and Lynda
Ginsburg on the components of numeracy for NCSALL (National Center for
the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy). The paper reviews the
literature, describes the fundamental elements of adult numeracy, and
makes recommendations for further research, particularly with respect to
curriculum and assessment.  Look for this resource soon from NCSALL.
 
Recommended preparations for this discussion
 
Myrna has provided several questions below to get you thinking about
math assessment:
 
*	It is known that students and teachers come to value what is
assessed.  What is your opinion of the influence that the standardized
mathematics assessments (GED, TABE, CASAS) have in your classrooms? Are
they assessing the mathematics that is important for the 21st century?
Do you think that they all assess the same mathematics? What do you
think is missing from each?
 
*	Computation skills are easy to assess.  How can we assess other
important aspects of mathematics like strategic problem solving,
conceptual understanding, and reasoning?
 
*	Describe instances where you have seen a student's "math
anxiety" interfere with an accurate assessment of his/her abilities. Do
you assess math anxiety in any way? What strategies have you used to
reduce it? Any luck with them?
 
*	Which classroom techniques do you recommend for informal,
ongoing assessment of a student's progress in learning mathematics?
 
In addition to the above questions to stimulate discussion, Myrna has
provided these sites for math assessment.  Please take a look at these
sites and post your questions and comments to the Discussion:

http://www.literacy.org/products/ncal/pdf/TR9805.pdf  Assessing
Mathematical Knowledge of Adult Learners: Are We Looking at What Counts?
This technical report from NCAL was written by Joy Cumming, Iddo Gal,
and Lynda Ginsburg in 1998.  It discusses assessment principles and
evaluates their implementation in common numeracy assessment tools.
 
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=573 The Inclusion of Numeracy in Adult Basic
Education, Dave Tout and Mary Jane Schmitt, 2002.  This chapter from
NCSALL's annual review contains a section on assessment that includes a
description of assessments in adult education from Australia and The
Netherlands. 
 
http://www.nctm.org/news/assessment/2005_12nb.htm Will This Be on the
Test? This article discusses the importance of including significant
mathematics on tests.  It includes a good example of a test item that
goes beyond procedural skills. 
 
http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter2/assess.htm  This document in
an overview of NCTM's assessment principle for K-12 mathematics.  
 
Large-scale surveys of adult skills:
Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL)
                Numeracy Framework (begins on p.137):
 
http://www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/downpub/listpub.cgi?catno=89-552-MIE200501
3 
                First results:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-603-XIE/2005001/pdf.htm 
                Data Tool: http://litdata.ets.org/ialdata/search.asp 
 
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
                First results:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006470 
 
Hard Copy Resource:
Adult Numeracy Development: Theory, Policy and Practice, Iddo Gal, ed.,
2000.  Hampton Press, Inc. This book has a section on numeracy
assessment with one article discussing assessment issues and principles
using examples from the US and Australia and another article describing
the use of "Supermarket Strategy" materials for diagnosing the skills of
individual learners in The Netherlands.
 
 
Thanks everyone, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all next week to
chat about math assessment!
 
Marie Cora
Moderator
NIFL Assessment Discussion List
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Jun 14 07:12:42 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:12:42 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 350] FW: [ContentStandards 160] Using standards for
	instruction and assessment
Message-ID: <00de01c68fa3$752a8580$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear all,

There is an interesting discussion happening right now on the Content
Standards Discussion List, starting with this thread by Moderator Aaron
Kohring from Monday.  I won't forward messages, so I encourage you to go
join that discussion at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/contentstandards
You can also view the archives for any posts you have missed by going
to:
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/contentstandards/2006/date.html

marie cora
______________________________________


Greetings all,

I've received a request for feedback from several instructors who would 
like to hear from other teachers using standards for instruction and 
assessment.  What have been your challenges in using standards in the 
classroom?  What types of support do you need from your program or 
state?  Did you participate in any specific professional development 
activities?


Aaron


Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards
Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Jun 14 07:17:40 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:17:40 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 351] FW: [Moderators 761] Discussion on Health Lit:
	June 19, Health Literacy Study Circles+
Message-ID: <00e401c68fa4$26b1e8c0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hi again!

Lots of interesting things going on on the Lists these days!

The Health Literacy List is hosting the following discussion.  Moderator
Julie McKinney notes:

"The Health Literacy Study Circles+ is a method of training
teachers which may draw some interesting conversation. It would also
relate to ESOL and Family Literacy, given the population of literacy
students who participated in this pilot. It is about teaching basic
skills with health literacy as the context."

This should certainly be of interest to some of you, please take
advantage!

To subscribe to this Discussion, go to:
www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

marie cora


**********************************************************
I am happy to announce a discussion next week on the Health Literacy
list. We will be
talking about the Health Literacy Study Circles+, a series of
facilitator guides published by NCSALL, which introduces teachers to a
skills-based approach
to Health Literacy. 

Our guest speakers will be Winston Lawrence, senior professional
development associate with the Literacy Assistance Center in New York
City, and Lisa Soricone, a research associate and former fellow at the
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL). 

Together they piloted these study circles with adult learners in New
York City, and wrote about their experience through an interview in
"Focus on Basics" (FOB). Please see this article for more information
about the study circles, and to prepare for this discussion:

A Conversation with FOB: Learning How to Teach Health Literacy
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=995

We look forward to our first formal discussion on the Health Literacy
List! Please pass on this information to any colleagues who may be
interested, they can join the list (and then unsubscribe afterwards if
they wish) at the following link:

www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy 

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org





From cathayreta at sbcglobal.net  Thu Jun 15 00:16:08 2006
From: cathayreta at sbcglobal.net (Cathay Reta)
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 21:16:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 352]  California Literacy Conference
Message-ID: <20060615041608.55616.qmail@web82708.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hello All,
  California Literacy will be holding its annual statewide conference in Pasadena, California October 19 ? 21, 2006, and we are looking for some outstanding presenters.  Please check out the Call for Presenters form on the website:   www.caliteracy.org    We are particularly interested in proposals for workshops of benefit to basic literacy tutors and teachers, ESL tutors and teachers, and program administrators.  And, we are happy to waive the registration fee for the day you present.  
   
  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me offline.
   
  Cathay Reta
  Interim Executive Director
  California Literacy
  1000 E. Walnut St., Suite 201
  Pasadena CA   91106
  (626) 405-9272
  cathayreta at caliteracy.org
   
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 16 09:40:09 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:40:09 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 353]  FW: Adults Can't Learn to Read
Message-ID: <003701c6914a$636c30c0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

I thought the following post from Tom Sticht might be of interest to
some of you.  
marie cora
_________________________

June 12, 2006

Theoretically You Can't Teach Adults to Read and Write:
But Just Keep On Doing It

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

Why is it so hard to get funding for adult literacy education?
Innumerable
studies, reports, TV shows, and statistical surveys in most of the
industrialized nations of the world declare that their nation is being
brought to its economic knees because of widespread low basic skills
(literacy, numeracy) amongst the adult population. But repeated calls
for
funding commensurate with the size of the problem go unanswered. Why?

Beneath the popular pronouncements of educators, industry leaders, and
government officials about the importance of adult basic skills
development
there flows an undercurrent of disbelief about the abilities of
illiterates
or the poorly literate to ever improve much above their present
learning.
This was encountered close to a hundred years ago when Cora Wilson
Stewart
started the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky in 1911. Her claim that adults
could learn to read and write met with skepticism. As she reported,
Quote:
"Some educators, however, declared preposterous the claims we made that
grown people were learning to read and write. It was contrary to the
principles of psychology, they said."   End Quote

Today that undercurrent of disbelief still flows, but today it carries
with
it the flotsam and jetsam of "scientific facts" from genetics science,
brain science, and psychological science. Look here at objects snatched
from the undercurrent of disbelief stretching back for just a decade and
a
half.

2006. Ann Coulter is a major voice in the conservative political arena.
In
her new book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism (Chapter 7 The Left's
War
on Science: Burning Books to Advance "Science" pages 172-174)  she
clearly
defends the ideas given in Murray & Hernstein's book The Bell Curve
regarding the genetic basis of intelligence. By extension,  since The
Bell
Curve uses reading and math tests in the Armed Forces Qualification Test
(AFQT), Coulter is discussing the genetic basis of literacy and
numeracy.
In her book she says about The Bell Curve book:

Quote: "Contrary to the party line denying that such a thing as IQ
existed,
the book methodically demonstrated that IQ exists, it is easily
measured,
it is heritable, and it is extremely important. .Among many other
things,
IQ is a better predictor than socioeconomic status of poverty,
unemployment, criminality, divorce, single motherhood, workplace
injuries,
and high school dropout rates.  .Although other factors influence IQ,
such
as a good environment and nutrition, The Bell Curve authors estimated
that
IQ was about 40 to 80 percent genetic." (p. 173) End Quote

Coulter goes on to discuss the misuse of science in the same chapter in
relation to AIDS and homosexuality, feminism, trial-lawyers law suits,
DDT
and environmentalists, abortion and stem cell research, and other topics
that are controversial among large segments of the population but of
mainstream concern in the far right conservative base in the United
States.
Because of her position as a best-selling author and spokesperson for
conservative groups, Ann Coulter's ideas about the genetic basis of
intelligence and high school dropouts can have a profound impact upon
political thinking about basic skills education among adults who have
not
achieved well.

2005. The Nobel Prize winning economist James J. Heckman  in an
interview at
the Federal Reserve Bank region in Chicago discussed his ideas about
cognitive skills and their malleability in later life with  members of a
presidential commission consisting of  former U.S. senators, heads of
federal agencies, tax attorneys and academic economists. Later in his
interview he discusses what Adam Smith, in his The Wealth of Nations
said
and why he, Heckman, disagrees with Smith.

According to Heckman, Adam Smith said, Quote: ". people are basically
born
the same and at age 8 one can't really see much difference among them.
But
then starting at age 8, 9, 10, they pursue different fields, they
specialize and they diverge. In his mind, the butcher and the lawyer and
the journalist and the professor and the mechanic, all are basically the
same person at age 8." End Quote Heckman disagrees with this and says:

Quote: This is wrong. IQ is basically formed by age 8, and there are
huge
differences in IQ among people. Smith was right that people specialize
after 8, but they started specializing before 8. On the early formation
of
human skill, I think Smith was wrong, although he was right about many
other things. . I think these observations on human skill formation are
exactly why the job training programs aren't working in the United
States
and why many remediation programs directed toward disadvantaged young
adults are so ineffective. And that's why the distinction between
cognitive
and noncognitive skill is so important, because a lot of the problem
with
children from disadvantaged homes is their values, attitudes and
motivations. .Cognitive skills such as IQ can't really be changed much
after ages 8 to 10. But with noncognitive skills there's much more
malleability. That's the point I was making earlier when talking about
the
prefrontal cortex. It remains fluid and adaptable until the early 20s.
That's why adolescent mentoring programs are as effective as they are.
Take
a 13-year-old. You're not going to raise the IQ of a 13-year-old, but
you
can talk the 13-year-old out of dropping out of school. Up to a point
you
can provide surrogate parenting. End Quote

Here Heckman seems to think of the IQ as something relatively fixed at
an
early age and not likely to be changed later in life. But if IQ is
measured
in The Bell Curve, a book in which Heckman found some merit, using the
AFQT,
which in turn is a literacy and numeracy test, then this would imply
that
Heckman thinks the latter may not be very malleable in later life. This
seems consistent with his belief that remediation programs for adults
are
ineffective and do not make very wise investments.

2000. It is easy to slip from talking about adults with low literacy
ability
to talking about adults with low intelligence. On October 2, 2000, Dan
Seligman, columnist at Forbes magazine, wrote about the findings of the
National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and said, Quote: "But note
that what's being measured here is not what you've been thinking all
your
life as "literacy. " The cluster of abilities being examined is
obviously a
proxy for plain old "intelligence." End Quote He then goes on to argue
that
government programs won't do much about this problem of low
intelligence,
and, by extension, of low literacy.

These types of popular press articles can stymie funding for adult
literacy
education. That is one reason why it is critical that when national
assessments of cognitive skills, including literacy, are administered,
we
need to be certain about just what it is we are
measuring.  Unfortunately, that is not the case with the 1993 NALS or
the
more recent 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). These
assessments leave open the possibility of being called "intelligence"
tests
leading some, like Seligman, to the general conclusion that the less
literate are simply the less intelligent and society might as well cast
them off - their "intelligence genes" will not permit them to ever reach
Level 3 or any other levels at the high end of cognitive tests.

1998.  Dr. G. Reid L yon of the National Institute of Child Health and
Human
Development provided an Overview of Reading and Literacy Initiatives to
the
U. S. Congress Committee on Labor and Human Resources on April 28, 1998.
In
his testimony he stated that in learning to read it is important for
children to possess good abilities in phonemic analysis. He stated:

Quote: Difficulties in developing phoneme awareness can have genetic and
neurobiological origins or can be attributable to a lack of exposure to
language patterns and usage during the preschool years.. It is for this
reason that the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) considers reading
failure to reflect not only an educational problem, but a significant
public health problem as well. Within this context, a large research
network consisting of 41 research sites in North America, Europe, and
Asia
are working hard to identify (1) the critical environmental,
experiential,
cognitive, genetic, neurobiological, and instructional conditions that
foster strong reading development; (2) the risk factors that predispose
youngsters to reading failure; and (3) the instructional procedures that
can be applied to ameliorate reading deficits at the earliest possible
time. End Quote

Discussing why some children may have difficulties learning to read,
Lyon
went on to say:

Quote: Children raised in poverty, youngsters with limited proficiency
in
English, children with speech and hearing impairments, and children from
homes where the parent's reading levels are low are relatively
predisposed
to reading failure. Likewise, youngsters with sub-average intellectual
capabilities have difficulties learning to read, particularly in the
reading comprehension domain. End Quote

Taken together, these statements by a senior government scientist
advisor to
both the President and the Congress of the United States indicates that
the
NICHD considers that in some cases low literacy may result from genetic,
neurological, sub-average intellectual capability or a combination of
these
and other factors. Again, this may contribute to wide-spread beliefs
that
adults with low literacy may possess faulty genes, brains, and/or
intellectual abilities and are unlikely to benefit from adult literacy
education programs. From a policy perspective, then, policymakers may
think
that funding such programs may be regarded as a poor use of public
funds.

1997. In a January 7, 1997 article in the Washington Times , a prominent
newspaper
published in Washington DC and read by many members of Congress,
columnist
Ken Adelman wrote:

Quotes: The age-old nature vs. nurture debate assumes immediacy as the
new
Congress
and new administration gin up to address such issues as poverty, crime,
drugs, etc. .This, the most intellectually intriguing debate around, is
moving far toward
nature (and far from nurture) with new evidence presented by an odd pair
-
gay activist Chandler Burr and conservative scholar Charles Murray. .In
brief, their new findings show that 1) homosexuality and 2)
educational-economic achievement are each largely a matter of genes -
not
of upbringing. .If true, as appears so, the scope of effective
government
programs narrows. Fate, working through chromosomes, bestows both sexual
orientation and brainpower, which shape one's life and success. Little
can
be altered - besides fostering tolerance and helping in any narrow
window
left open - through even an ideally designed public program.   (page
B-6)
End Quotes

The juxtaposition of homosexuals and those of lower educational and
economic
achievement is an obvious rhetorical device meant to stir negative
emotions
about both groups, This is a rhetorical device brought back into play by
Coulter in her 2006 book  cited above.

1991. One of the beliefs in our culture is that the brain and its 
intellectual  capacity  is   developed   in   early   childhood. There
is a
widespread belief that if children's early childhood development  is not
properly stimulated, then there is likely to be intellectual
underdevelopment leading  to  academic   failures, low aptitude, and
social
problems such as criminal activity, teenage pregnancy and welfare. It
will
be difficult if not impossible to overcome the disadvantages of
deficiencies in early childhood stimulation later in adulthood. So why
invest much in adult education? We need instead to put billions of
dollars
into early childhood education.

That these beliefs about the consequence of early childhood development
are
widespread is revealed by articles written by prominent journalists in
major newspapers. For instance, on Sunday, October 13, 1991 the San
Diego
Union newspaper reprinted an article by Joan Beck, a columnist for the  
Chicago  Tribune , that  argued  for  early  childhood education
because,
Quote: "Half of adult intellectual capacity is already present by age 4
and 80 percent by age 8, ... the opportunity to influence [a child's]
basic
intelligence - considered to be a stable characteristic by age 17 - is
greatest in early life." End Quote

A  year earlier in the same newspaper on October 14, 1990  an adult
family
literacy educator was quoted as saying, Quote: "Between the ages of zero
to
4 we have learned half of everything we'll ever learn in our lives. Most
of
that has to do with language, imagination, and inquisitiveness." End
Quote
This doesn't hold out much hope for the adults in family literacy
programs.

Joan Beck was quoting research by Benjamin Bloom in the 1960s. But Bloom
did
not show that half of one's intellect was achieved by age 4. Rather, he
argued that IQ at age 4 was correlated +.70 with IQ at age 17. Since the
square of .7 is .49, Bloom stated that half of the variance among a
group
of adults' IQ scores at age 17 could be predicted from their group of
scores at age 4. But half of the variability among a group of people's
IQ
scores is a long way from the idea that half of a given person's IQ is
developed by age 4. This is not even conceptually possible because for
one
thing there is no universally agreed to
understanding of what "intelligence" is. Further, even if we could agree
on
what "intelligence" is, there is no such thing as "half of one's
intellect"
because no one knows what 0 or 100 percent intelligence is. Without
knowing
the beginning and end of something we can't know when we have half of
it.

1990. A report by the Department of Defense shows how these beliefs
about
the
possibility of doing much for adults can affect government policy. After
studying the job performance and post-service lives of "lower aptitude,"
less literate personnel, the report claimed that they had been failures
both in and out of the military. Then,  on February 24, 1990, the
Director
of Accession Policy of the Department of Defense commented  in the
Washington Post newspaper, Quote: "The lesson is that low-aptitude
people,
whether in the military or not, are always going to be at a
disadvantage.
That's a sad conclusion." End Quote  A similar report of the Department
of
Defense study was carried in the New York Times of  March 12, 1990. Then
on
April 8, 1990 Jack Anderson's column in the Washington Post quoted one
of
the Department of Defense researchers saying, Quote: "...by the age of
18
or 19, it's too late. The school system in early childhood is the only
place to really help, and that involves heavy participation by the
parents." End Quote

Regarding the news articles about the Department of Defense studies of
"low
aptitude" troops, the conclusions were based on analyses of the job
performance of hundreds of thousands of personnel in both the 1960s and
1980s with Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores between the
10th
and the 30th percentiles, the range of  scores which the  Department
of 
Defense  studies  called "low aptitude."

But contrary to what the Department of Defense researchers and accession
policy maker stated, the actual  data  show that in both time periods, 
while  the   low aptitude personnel  did  not   perform  quite   as
well  
as   those   personnel  with aptitudes above the 30th percentile,  over
80
percent of the low aptitude personnel did, in fact, perform
satisfactorily
and many performed in an outstanding manner. As veterans they had
employment rates and earnings far exceeding their rates and earnings at
the
beginning of the study. Further investigation by the media would have
revealed these discrepancies between what the Department of Defense's
researchers said and what the actual findings were. But as it stands,
these
popular media types of stories reinforce the stereotypes about adults
with
who score low on intelligence or aptitude tests and perform poorly on
tests
of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.

We can find these pieces of scientific debris all the way back to the
Moonlight Schools of 1911.  Following her account of those educators and
academics who declared that teaching grown people to read and write was
contrary to the principles of psychology, Cora Wilson Stewart said,
Quote:
While they went around saying it couldn't be done, we went on doing it.
We
asked the doubters this question, "When a fact disputes a theory, is it
not
time to discard the theory? There was no reply. End Quote

Today when we ask why the funding for adult literacy education is so
little
so late, there is still no reply. So we just keep on teaching adults to
read and write. And we do it on the cheap, even though it is
theoretically
impossible.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net







From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 16 09:56:29 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:56:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 354]  WE LEARN Newsletter
Message-ID: <004701c6914c$ab2f3ea0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

The following is posted on behalf of Mev Miller of
WE LEARN
Women Expanding: Literacy Education Action Resource Network
________________________________



Looking for some good summer reading?
Have a look at the news & updates from WE LEARN...Please be sure to 
check out these links...

April 2006 Newsletter: http://www.litwomen.org/news/06april.pdf

New titles to our database: http://www.litwomen.org/learnmats/06new.html

Annual Conference -- 2006 Report & 2007 early news: 
http://www.litwomen.org/conference.html

Excepts from the 1st issue of Women's Perspectives - Health & Wellness 
student writing Initiative also available:
http://www.litwomen.org/perspectives/2006/06excerpts.pdf

For complete details about Women's Perspectives go to: 
http://www.litwomen.org/perspectives.html

We also invite you to get involved in our many projects: 
http://www.litwomen.org/projects.html

2005 Annual Report: http://www.litwomen.org/reports/2005annual.pdf

Enjoy your summer.


WE LEARN
Women Expanding: Literacy Education Action Resource Network
www.litwomen.org/welearn.html

Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director
182 Riverside Ave.
Cranston, RI 02910
401-383-4374
welearn at litwomen.org





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 16 11:49:56 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:49:56 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 355]  Reminder:  Mathematics Discussion begins Monday!
Message-ID: <007201c6915c$854d4410$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear everyone,
 
I hope this email finds you well.  I just wanted to remind you all that
next week we will host Myrna Manly as our guest discussing assessment in
math.  I've received a few posts already from folks for next week - keep
them coming or feel free to post yourself!  
 
If you haven't yet checked out any of the resources that Myrna has
suggested, please do so - they are really great!  
 
Looking forward to seeing you all during next week's discussion,
 
Thanks!
 
marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Jun 18 10:13:33 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:13:33 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 356]  Math Discussion Guest on Women & Lit
Message-ID: <001901c692e1$6274b370$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear colleagues,

The following announcement comes from Daphne Greenberg, Moderator of the
Women and Literacy Discussion List.  She is hosting a discussion on
adult numeracy and women with guest Judy Ward next week.  Daphne and I
will not be cross-posting emails, so I highly encourage you to sign on
to the Women and Literacy List so you can participate in this joint math
discussion (you can also choose to visit the archives).  To sign on to
the adult numeracy and women discussion, go to:

 http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Womenliteracy

See you next week for discussions on Assessment in Mathematics and Adult
Numeracy and Women.
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
_____________________________________________


I am pleased to announce that from Monday June 19th through Friday June
30th, Judy Ward, as a guest facilitator on this listserv, will lead a
discussion on adult numeracy and women. Here is her introduction:

Previous to earning my doctorate in adult education, I was a seventh
grade mathematics teacher. Many of my students had experiences that
manifested as mathematics anxiety. I found that by changing my teaching
techniques to a more hands-on and visual approach and teaching for
understanding, the anxiety level decreased drastically. About ten years
ago I stumbled into adult education and found there was a need for my
expertise. I am in the second year of a two year term as President Elect
of the Adult Numeracy Network (ANN). ANN is dedicated to upgrading
mathematics instruction for the adult learner.

Once again, the discussion will be conducted from Monday June 19th
through Friday June 30th. You may want to encourage friends and
colleagues to join for this discussion (they can subscribe at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Womenliteracy 

>From now until the 19th, here are some questions that you may want to
think about:

When you think about yourself, how would you answer the following:
How do you feel about math?
Do you remember any situations both in and out of school that affected
how you feel about math?
Which mathematical topics/concepts would you say are your best?
Which mathematical topics/concepts would you say are your most
difficult?
Do you or have you experienced "math anxiety"? 

If you have or currently teach your students math, how would you answer
the following:
How do most of your students feel about math?
Have they ever shared any situations both in and out of school that
affected how they feel about math?
Which mathematical topics/concepts would you say are the easiest for
your students to learn?
Which mathematical topics/concepts would you say are the most difficult
for your students to learn?
Have any students shared with you that they experience "math anxiety"? 

Judy will be joining us on the 19th of June and looks foward to your
comments and reactions.

Daphne


Daphne Greenberg
Assistant Professor
Educational Psych. & Special Ed.
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3979
Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3979
phone: 404-651-0127
fax:404-651-4901
dgreenberg at gsu.edu 


 





From jataylor at utk.edu  Sun Jun 18 12:00:57 2006
From: jataylor at utk.edu (jataylor)
Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:00:57 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 357]  Math anxiety and assessment
Message-ID: <44A80ED0@webmail.utk.edu>

Hello Myrna and All ~
Myrna, thanks for joining us for this discussion! Sounds like it will be a 
good week ahead. I have a question for you and the group.

I believe math anxiety can be a clear barrier for some students in seeing 
themselves as successful at math (self-efficacy), and ultimately inhibiting 
their ability to make progress with math. What strategies do you use to help 
learners reduce math anxiety? How do you know (assess) whether or not the 
strategy does indeed reduce anxiety? (of course there?s simply asking them 
what they thought of the activity
) But are there also quick tools or other 
formative assessments you use to gauge student comfort with learning math?

I?ve asked a similar question on the Women and Literacy List. I?d be glad to 
collect any strategies or resources posted to either list (pertaining to math 
anxiety), and share them with the group when the discussion is over.

Best, Jackie

Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator, 
jataylor at utk.edu



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jun 19 08:42:44 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 08:42:44 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 358]  LD and math
Message-ID: <000501c6939d$dcd8ebb0$0902a8c0@LITNOW>


Hi, I have one for Mrs. Manley:

My student has a learning disability with math. He is in 
his thirties, made 500's on all his GED tests except 
writing which was a 420. HE Passed. But he cannot get 
passed 400 on math. He does not respond with logical 
methods when doing problems. He cannot make change so he 
cannot pass a math test for employment either. This is 
sad. This has been going on for two years.

I have started giving him worksheets with the answers and 
he has to set it up and find how I got it. Do you think 
this reversal will help him? what more can I do??? He and 
I are both frustrated./ What seems so easy to me is 
impossible for him. What he know yesterday he cannot do 
today.

I teach at Halifax Community College (NC) FT and at SVCC 
in Emporia (VA) PT.

Brenda Cousins



From djrosen at comcast.net  Mon Jun 19 09:30:36 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (djrosen at comcast.net)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:30:36 +0000
Subject: [Assessment 359]  Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki
Message-ID: <061920061330.14293.4496A6FB000D4DBB000037D52206998499020A9C019D060B@comcast.net>

Colleagues,

The Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki now has 30 topics, a newly designed 
front page, over 730 pages of content, and more  than 600 subscribers.  Every week adult literacy educators add new content.

The ALE Wiki is a community of practice and a professional development 
treasurehouse.  Check it out -- or visit again -- at:

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page

For some of the topic areas we still nead Topic Area Leaders.  If you are interested in learning more about this, please email me.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jun 19 10:51:23 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:51:23 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 360]  Assessing abstract math concepts
Message-ID: <000901c693af$d61c8130$0902a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Everyone,
 
I would like to welcome Myrna Manly to our List this week.  A reminder
that Myrna will be responding to our posts once per day.
 
I am very interested in hearing what you all, as well as Myrna, have to
say about the following prep question that Myrna provided:
 
*	Computation skills are easy to assess.  How can we assess other
important aspects of mathematics like strategic problem solving,
conceptual understanding, and reasoning?
 
 
How do folks approach assessing these skills?  Do you use any existing
tests or assessments to do this?  Which ones?  Do you develop your own?
What do they look like?  
 
What are some of the things you do in the classroom to try and gauge a
person's knowledge and abilities of the more abstract concepts in math?
 
Thanks!


Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Mon Jun 19 14:14:53 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:14:53 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 361] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
Message-ID: <OF12AABC7A.37289495-ON07257192.00643D53-07257192.00643D58@yc.edu>

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From juddia at sbcglobal.net  Mon Jun 19 16:26:40 2006
From: juddia at sbcglobal.net (Judith Diamond)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:26:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 362] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <OF12AABC7A.37289495-ON07257192.00643D53-07257192.00643D58@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <20060619202640.86038.qmail@web80824.mail.yahoo.com>

Just a brief comment about Math and LD.  If skills are taught through connections both with each other and daily life (one we all use, money and percentages ) and students need to practice activities that integrate those skills (such as making a budget, creating graphs and charts for that budget -- including percentages, fractions, percents and addition, mult., div., sub.), then using one skill will generate memory of others.


----- Original Message ----
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
To: The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 1:14:53 PM
Subject: [Assessment 361] Re: Math anxiety and assessment


Hi Jackie,
 
I had a similar student in my GED class who would understand algebra, and then would forget percentages. Then she would relearn percentages and forget algebra, for example. She continued taking the GED test and getting 380, 400, 370, etc. She had been with our GED program for almost three years. 
 
What finally helped her were 1) the instructor creating lots of additional problems for her to practice beyond what was in the book 2) Skills Tutor software which she did additional study on at home and through the entire summer and 3) one of her classmates started peer tutoring with her after passing the GED exam. For some reason students sometimes can explain concepts better to another student than we can. Students sometimes have the same challenges with learning the concepts, and having this additional support really helped my student reach the 410 mark. I hope this helps. 
 
I know how it feels to wonder if a student will ever pass the GED test. :) I believe that no matter how fancy we get with learning tools, there is no substitute for practice, practice, practice, good old fashioned determination, and a lot of support and confidence from someone who believes in them.
 
Tina





Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
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From mmanly at earthlink.net  Mon Jun 19 23:23:22 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:23:22 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 363] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <44A80ED0@webmail.utk.edu>
Message-ID: <E1FsWq7-0002by-VN@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Jackie said:
	I believe math anxiety can be a clear barrier for some students in
seeing themselves as successful at math (self-efficacy), and ultimately
inhibiting their ability to make progress with math. What strategies do you
use to help learners reduce math anxiety? How do you know (assess) whether
or not the strategy does indeed reduce anxiety? (of course there's simply
asking them what they thought of the activity.) But are there also quick
tools or other formative assessments you use to gauge student comfort with
learning math?

Tina responded:
	I know how it feels to wonder if a student will ever pass the GED
test. :) I believe that no matter how fancy we get with learning tools,
there is no substitute for practice, practice, practice, good old fashioned
determination, and a lot of support and confidence from someone who believes
in them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I will add that, in my experience, math anxiety varies with each
person who suffers it and teachers need many different interventions to try
in order to conquer it.  Certainly math-anxious students need work to
reverse their negative perception of their math abilities. Many can do it by
opening up about their feelings and their understanding of math with a
supportive and knowledgeable person.

   However, we need to recognize that those feelings most often have a basis
in their experiences with math. They may be the victims of teachers who
thought that there was only one way to find an answer or to solve a problem.
Often students memorize procedures without understanding what each step does
and why it works that way. It's no wonder that they panic at the thought of
having to remember the procedure when they are under the pressure of taking
a test!

I'd like to start a list of interventions or techniques that you all can add
to during the week.  
	- For computation problems, (including all operations with whole
numbers, fractions and percents) work on estimating an answer. Use different
approaches to estimating so that students recognize that there is not just
one 'rule' to follow.
	- Insist that your student talks about his/her reasoning while
solving a simple problem that you know she/he can do. (It may be easier to
begin by sharing with another student.) You want students to know that their
reasoning is as important as getting the right answers.
	- Judith Diamond mentioned practicing computation with real-life
familiar situations that can help them to understand what they are doing as
well as providing a reference when trying to remember how they did it.

It's your turn - what can you add?

Myrna

  




From mmanly at earthlink.net  Mon Jun 19 23:23:22 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:23:22 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 364] Re: LD and math
In-Reply-To: <000501c6939d$dcd8ebb0$0902a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <E1FsWq7-0002by-Bw@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Brenda,

You describe a very difficult situation. I really have no particular
expertise in dealing with math learning disabilities.  The GEDTS does allow
some accommodations for those with documented disabilities - Have you tried
to qualify him for that?

Are there others who can give Brenda some advice?

Myrna


-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 4:43 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 358] LD and math


Hi, I have one for Mrs. Manley:

My student has a learning disability with math. He is in 
his thirties, made 500's on all his GED tests except 
writing which was a 420. HE Passed. But he cannot get 
passed 400 on math. He does not respond with logical 
methods when doing problems. He cannot make change so he 
cannot pass a math test for employment either. This is 
sad. This has been going on for two years.

I have started giving him worksheets with the answers and 
he has to set it up and find how I got it. Do you think 
this reversal will help him? what more can I do??? He and 
I are both frustrated./ What seems so easy to me is 
impossible for him. What he know yesterday he cannot do 
today.

I teach at Halifax Community College (NC) FT and at SVCC 
in Emporia (VA) PT.

Brenda Cousins

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Mon Jun 19 23:32:48 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:32:48 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 365] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
Message-ID: <OF35F997DB.0CE7AE60-ON07257193.00137BC7-07257193.00137BCD@yc.edu>

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From ginsburg at rci.rutgers.edu  Tue Jun 20 10:31:58 2006
From: ginsburg at rci.rutgers.edu (Lynda Ginsburg)
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:31:58 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 366] Re: LD and math
In-Reply-To: <E1FsWq7-0002by-Bw@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
References: <E1FsWq7-0002by-Bw@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <449806DE.5020708@rci.rutgers.edu>

Brenda and others,

Regarding LD and adult math learning, there is a very helpful book 
chapter titled, "Teaching mathematics to adults with specific learning 
difficulties." It is in the book, "Adult Numeracy Development" (2000) 
edited by Iddo Gal and published by Hampton Press. The authors, Martha 
Sacks and Dorothy Cebula, are two individuals with special 
education/disability credentials and a particular interest in adults.

The authors describe a number of different types of learning 
difficulties relating to numeracy learning, provide suggestions for 
identifying them (informally, not using validated assessment 
instruments) and suggest appropriate strategies.

Lynda

-- 
Lynda Ginsburg
Senior Research Associate, MetroMath
Rutgers University
118 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Tel: 732-445-1409       Fax:  732-445-2894


Myrna Manly wrote:

>Brenda,
>
>You describe a very difficult situation. I really have no particular
>expertise in dealing with math learning disabilities.  The GEDTS does allow
>some accommodations for those with documented disabilities - Have you tried
>to qualify him for that?
>
>Are there others who can give Brenda some advice?
>
>Myrna
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
>Behalf Of Marie Cora
>Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 4:43 AM
>To: Assessment at nifl.gov
>Subject: [Assessment 358] LD and math
>
>
>Hi, I have one for Mrs. Manley:
>
>My student has a learning disability with math. He is in 
>his thirties, made 500's on all his GED tests except 
>writing which was a 420. HE Passed. But he cannot get 
>passed 400 on math. He does not respond with logical 
>methods when doing problems. He cannot make change so he 
>cannot pass a math test for employment either. This is 
>sad. This has been going on for two years.
>
>I have started giving him worksheets with the answers and 
>he has to set it up and find how I got it. Do you think 
>this reversal will help him? what more can I do??? He and 
>I are both frustrated./ What seems so easy to me is 
>impossible for him. What he know yesterday he cannot do 
>today.
>
>I teach at Halifax Community College (NC) FT and at SVCC 
>in Emporia (VA) PT.
>
>Brenda Cousins
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>  
>




From ginsburg at rci.rutgers.edu  Tue Jun 20 10:49:05 2006
From: ginsburg at rci.rutgers.edu (Lynda Ginsburg)
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:49:05 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 367] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <E1FsWq7-0002by-VN@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
References: <E1FsWq7-0002by-VN@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <44980AE1.50503@rci.rutgers.edu>

One strategy I have used for bringing issues of fear, anxiety, and 
negative self-image regarding math to the fore for open discussion is 
creating a "math history graph." Each person creates his/her own graph, 
with school grade levels (K-12) and then adult years across the 
horizontal axis and 1-10 on the vertical axis. They then draw a line 
graph charting how they felt about math ("On a scale of 1 to 10, how did 
you feel about math at each grade?"). All my learners have at least one 
deep dip and maybe some shallow ones. We all (me included -- I sometimes 
go first) explain our graphs and tell the stories that go with the dips. 
My own negative stories are pretty minor, but I think everyone's 
feelings are validated when we all participate. Often there are 
opportunities for most to see that  feelings were caused by events and 
the situations don't have to be repeated. Often the stories are, "I 
didn't understand and the teacher wouldn't explain it again" or "I 
didn't want to ask again..." or "I couldn't pass the time test..."

Lynda

-- 
Lynda Ginsburg
Senior Research Associate, MetroMath
Rutgers University
118 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Tel: 732-445-1409       Fax:  732-445-2894



Myrna Manly wrote:

>Jackie said:
>	I believe math anxiety can be a clear barrier for some students in
>seeing themselves as successful at math (self-efficacy), and ultimately
>inhibiting their ability to make progress with math. What strategies do you
>use to help learners reduce math anxiety? How do you know (assess) whether
>or not the strategy does indeed reduce anxiety? (of course there's simply
>asking them what they thought of the activity.) But are there also quick
>tools or other formative assessments you use to gauge student comfort with
>learning math?
>
>Tina responded:
>	I know how it feels to wonder if a student will ever pass the GED
>test. :) I believe that no matter how fancy we get with learning tools,
>there is no substitute for practice, practice, practice, good old fashioned
>determination, and a lot of support and confidence from someone who believes
>in them.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>	I will add that, in my experience, math anxiety varies with each
>person who suffers it and teachers need many different interventions to try
>in order to conquer it.  Certainly math-anxious students need work to
>reverse their negative perception of their math abilities. Many can do it by
>opening up about their feelings and their understanding of math with a
>supportive and knowledgeable person.
>
>   However, we need to recognize that those feelings most often have a basis
>in their experiences with math. They may be the victims of teachers who
>thought that there was only one way to find an answer or to solve a problem.
>Often students memorize procedures without understanding what each step does
>and why it works that way. It's no wonder that they panic at the thought of
>having to remember the procedure when they are under the pressure of taking
>a test!
>
>I'd like to start a list of interventions or techniques that you all can add
>to during the week.  
>	- For computation problems, (including all operations with whole
>numbers, fractions and percents) work on estimating an answer. Use different
>approaches to estimating so that students recognize that there is not just
>one 'rule' to follow.
>	- Insist that your student talks about his/her reasoning while
>solving a simple problem that you know she/he can do. (It may be easier to
>begin by sharing with another student.) You want students to know that their
>reasoning is as important as getting the right answers.
>	- Judith Diamond mentioned practicing computation with real-life
>familiar situations that can help them to understand what they are doing as
>well as providing a reference when trying to remember how they did it.
>
>It's your turn - what can you add?
>
>Myrna
>
>  
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>  
>




From lmullins89 at yahoo.com  Tue Jun 20 11:01:44 2006
From: lmullins89 at yahoo.com (Lisa Mullins)
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:01:44 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 368] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <E1FsWq7-0002by-VN@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <20060620150144.18178.qmail@web30214.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Myrna, 
In your book The Problem Solver you tackle algebraic
concepts in the very beginning of the book.  This is
in contrast to many books on the market.  I use this
technique as well.  My students are caught by the fact
that algebra (a scary term for some) is so simple and
can be used for many reasons. However, some people are
skeptical that this will result in better scores or
better understanding. 

Can you discuss the contrasts of learning math
beginning with whole numbers and working up to
algrebra versus using algebra as a problem solving
method with all number systems throughout the math
learning process.  Are the results better scores
sooner? 
 
Thanks, 
Lisa Mullins
Hawkins County Adult Ed
Rogersville, Tennessee

--- Myrna Manly <mmanly at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Jackie said:
> 	I believe math anxiety can be a clear barrier for
> some students in
> seeing themselves as successful at math
> (self-efficacy), and ultimately
> inhibiting their ability to make progress with math.
> What strategies do you
> use to help learners reduce math anxiety? How do you
> know (assess) whether
> or not the strategy does indeed reduce anxiety? (of
> course there's simply
> asking them what they thought of the activity.) But
> are there also quick
> tools or other formative assessments you use to
> gauge student comfort with
> learning math?
> 
> Tina responded:
> 	I know how it feels to wonder if a student will
> ever pass the GED
> test. :) I believe that no matter how fancy we get
> with learning tools,
> there is no substitute for practice, practice,
> practice, good old fashioned
> determination, and a lot of support and confidence
> from someone who believes
> in them.
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 	I will add that, in my experience, math anxiety
> varies with each
> person who suffers it and teachers need many
> different interventions to try
> in order to conquer it.  Certainly math-anxious
> students need work to
> reverse their negative perception of their math
> abilities. Many can do it by
> opening up about their feelings and their
> understanding of math with a
> supportive and knowledgeable person.
> 
>    However, we need to recognize that those feelings
> most often have a basis
> in their experiences with math. They may be the
> victims of teachers who
> thought that there was only one way to find an
> answer or to solve a problem.
> Often students memorize procedures without
> understanding what each step does
> and why it works that way. It's no wonder that they
> panic at the thought of
> having to remember the procedure when they are under
> the pressure of taking
> a test!
> 
> I'd like to start a list of interventions or
> techniques that you all can add
> to during the week.  
> 	- For computation problems, (including all
> operations with whole
> numbers, fractions and percents) work on estimating
> an answer. Use different
> approaches to estimating so that students recognize
> that there is not just
> one 'rule' to follow.
> 	- Insist that your student talks about his/her
> reasoning while
> solving a simple problem that you know she/he can
> do. (It may be easier to
> begin by sharing with another student.) You want
> students to know that their
> reasoning is as important as getting the right
> answers.
> 	- Judith Diamond mentioned practicing computation
> with real-life
> familiar situations that can help them to understand
> what they are doing as
> well as providing a reference when trying to
> remember how they did it.
> 
> It's your turn - what can you add?
> 
> Myrna
> 
>   
> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,
> please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 


From mmanly at earthlink.net  Tue Jun 20 17:03:22 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:03:22 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 369] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <20060620150144.18178.qmail@web30214.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <E1FsnO9-000421-2W@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Hi Lisa,
I'm happy to hear that you and your students are enjoying the book.
Introducing algebraic thinking early in student's math study has now become
widespread in the reform math efforts in K-12. (It is also a hallmark of the
new EMPower series for adults.) In 1992, when I wrote the first edition of
the book, I based my early-algebra-integration decision on my own experience
as one who had taught algebra to students at many levels and as an 'insider'
with respect to the GED Math test. (I had just left my job at GEDTS.)
 
The overarching principle when formulating items for the GED math test is to
assess the "major and lasting outcomes and skills of a high school
education." For the most part, this means that the skills and concepts that
are tested are ones that have some practical value. With respect to algebra,
I felt that using the concept of a variable, solving simple equations, and
graphing linear functions were the most obvious topics to be represented. 

As an algebra teacher, I had seen the difficulty that students had in making
the transition to using variables and had added extra lessons to the
textbooks that reviewed arithmetic principles by using variables in place of
specific numbers - that is, I used algebra to generalize arithmetic.
So, it was an easy decision for me to integrate algebra early - both from a
mathematics pedagogy standpoint and from an adult student attitude
perspective (knowing that many feel insulted by a review of arithmetic even
if their entrance scores indicate that need).  

As to your question about the results obtained when students are introduced
to algebraic ideas early in their mathematics study, I'm afraid that I have
no data to substantiate better scores sooner.  (That topic may be one that a
practitioner would like to investigate as a project for the ANN practitioner
research grants.)

Thanks for the question,
Myrna



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Lisa Mullins
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:02 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 368] Re: Math anxiety and assessment

Myrna, 
In your book The Problem Solver you tackle algebraic
concepts in the very beginning of the book.  This is
in contrast to many books on the market.  I use this
technique as well.  My students are caught by the fact
that algebra (a scary term for some) is so simple and
can be used for many reasons. However, some people are
skeptical that this will result in better scores or
better understanding. 

Can you discuss the contrasts of learning math
beginning with whole numbers and working up to
algrebra versus using algebra as a problem solving
method with all number systems throughout the math
learning process.  Are the results better scores
sooner? 
 
Thanks, 
Lisa Mullins
Hawkins County Adult Ed
Rogersville, Tennessee

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Jun 21 07:06:43 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 07:06:43 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 370]  Suggestions on GED Math
Message-ID: <004101c69522$c7ee2ea0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

The following post is from Tom Mechem.
 
 
Brenda, et al.---

In the situation you describe, I would recommend starting the GED Math
instruction with learning the GED math notation (how the test asks you
to
add, subtract, multiply, and divide) and the Order of Operations. This
will
start to use your student's high literacy level to "get into" the math
test.
Then I would give only set-up problems, which necessitate the thinking
through of the problems but do not require calculations. Meanwhile, I
would
have the student officially diagnosed with a math learning disability so
that a calculator could be used on both parts of the GED Math test. (Go
onto
our website, www.doe.mass.edu/ged, then click on the link, "Applicants
with
Disabilities." From that you can print the appropriate Accommodations
Request form, which will give you a good idea of what kind of
documentation
is needed.) Hopefully your student can then go from the proper set-up of
the
problem to the answer using the calculator to do the calculations.

In any case, if you have any further questions, please feel free to
e-mail
me directly: rmechem at doe.mass.edu.

Good luck in your quest.

Tom Mechem
GED State Chief Examiner
Massachusetts Department of Education
781-338-6621
"GED to Ph.D."
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From mmanly at earthlink.net  Wed Jun 21 14:44:20 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:44:20 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 371] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <OF35F997DB.0CE7AE60-ON07257193.00137BC7-07257193.00137BCD@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <E1Ft7gp-0004zy-EZ@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

I've added Lynda's graph idea and Tina's suggestions below to the list of
ideas.  Great additions!

 

Tina mentioned using manipulatives to learn about fractions and that
reminded me of the website from NCTM that I found:
http://www.nctm.org/news/assessment/2005_12nb.htm Will This Be on the Test?


 

Check it out and see what you think about the test item involving fractions.
Too tricky or really clever?

 

Myrna

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 7:33 PM
To: Judith Diamond; The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 365] Re: Math anxiety and assessment

 

Hi Judy,

 

Yes, I do agree with you about using the practical aspects of daily life to
help math connect with students. It is a rule of mnemonics to link what is
known to what is not known to help students remember.

 

I also like to have the students work together in groups after giving the
lesson to hear how they perceive the material and to locate error in
understanding. When students work together, they have to restate what the
teacher teaches and then explain it to someone else. That helps with memory
retention. 

 

Another great tool with math is the manipulatives. We have various colored
disks that represent fractions. One disk is whole which equals 1 or 1/1. The
next is broken in half, and another into thirds and so on. When students lay
three 1/4 disks on top of a 1/2 and a 1/4 disk, they can see in a tangible
manner how 1/2 + 1/4 really does = 3/4.  

 

I also tell students to draw the word problems to figure out how to solve
the math problems. Some students really work well with drawing the five
piles of ten logs to know that they need to multiply to see how many logs
they have.

Tina


Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu

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From mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu  Wed Jun 21 17:19:06 2006
From: mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu (Mae Dick)
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:19:06 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 372]   Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <E1FsnO9-000421-2W@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
References: <20060620150144.18178.qmail@web30214.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<E1FsnO9-000421-2W@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <44997F8A0200000A0019F4D9@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>

Hi there. I thought you might be interested in a math resource that was developed by Steve Hinds, a staff developer for adult literacy programs in the City University of New York.  Here's a quote from a workshop Steve recently offered at the Literacy Assistance Center in NYC.  He says " Adult Literacy programs traditionally limit students in low-level classes to computation practice out of workbooks. Algebra, data and geometry topics are considered too difficult for these students until they have 'mastered the basics.'  Steve believes that students can increase their mathematical reasoning, number sense and enjoyment of math through the kinds of exercises he presents on the CUNY web site. Check it out. Go to <www.literacy.cuny.edu>.  The user name is literacy and the password is resources06. 

>>> "Myrna Manly" <mmanly at earthlink.net> 06/20/06 5:03 PM >>>
Hi Lisa,
I'm happy to hear that you and your students are enjoying the book.
Introducing algebraic thinking early in student's math study has now become
widespread in the reform math efforts in K-12. (It is also a hallmark of the
new EMPower series for adults.) In 1992, when I wrote the first edition of
the book, I based my early-algebra-integration decision on my own experience
as one who had taught algebra to students at many levels and as an 'insider'
with respect to the GED Math test. (I had just left my job at GEDTS.)
 
The overarching principle when formulating items for the GED math test is to
assess the "major and lasting outcomes and skills of a high school
education." For the most part, this means that the skills and concepts that
are tested are ones that have some practical value. With respect to algebra,
I felt that using the concept of a variable, solving simple equations, and
graphing linear functions were the most obvious topics to be represented. 

As an algebra teacher, I had seen the difficulty that students had in making
the transition to using variables and had added extra lessons to the
textbooks that reviewed arithmetic principles by using variables in place of
specific numbers - that is, I used algebra to generalize arithmetic.
So, it was an easy decision for me to integrate algebra early - both from a
mathematics pedagogy standpoint and from an adult student attitude
perspective (knowing that many feel insulted by a review of arithmetic even
if their entrance scores indicate that need).  

As to your question about the results obtained when students are introduced
to algebraic ideas early in their mathematics study, I'm afraid that I have
no data to substantiate better scores sooner.  (That topic may be one that a
practitioner would like to investigate as a project for the ANN practitioner
research grants.)

Thanks for the question,
Myrna



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Lisa Mullins
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:02 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 368] Re: Math anxiety and assessment

Myrna, 
In your book The Problem Solver you tackle algebraic
concepts in the very beginning of the book.  This is
in contrast to many books on the market.  I use this
technique as well.  My students are caught by the fact
that algebra (a scary term for some) is so simple and
can be used for many reasons. However, some people are
skeptical that this will result in better scores or
better understanding. 

Can you discuss the contrasts of learning math
beginning with whole numbers and working up to
algrebra versus using algebra as a problem solving
method with all number systems throughout the math
learning process.  Are the results better scores
sooner? 
 
Thanks, 
Lisa Mullins
Hawkins County Adult Ed
Rogersville, Tennessee

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From Mdr151 at aol.com  Thu Jun 22 09:02:49 2006
From: Mdr151 at aol.com (Mdr151 at aol.com)
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 09:02:49 EDT
Subject: [Assessment 373] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
Message-ID: <506.11e0e13.31cbeef9@aol.com>

I would agree with the recent posts about the materials presented in both  
Myrna's GED Math Problem solver and the new Empower series. Since our topic of  
discussion is math anxiety and assessment, I would say that this approach to  
teaching math content conceptually definitely helps to reduce the anxiety  
students bring to the math classroom. Recently I have been piloting the Empower  
books on Benchmark Fractions and Split it Up and am amazed by how quickly  and 
confidently my students can see the relationship between decimals, fractions  
and percents. What is even more amazing is how easily they can solve percent  
problems, particularly percent problems that require finding the total. All 
of  this is done conceptually thinking about what the part is and building to 
the  total. 
 
Pam Meader
President
Adult Numeracy Network
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From lmullins89 at yahoo.com  Thu Jun 22 09:14:33 2006
From: lmullins89 at yahoo.com (Lisa Mullins)
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 06:14:33 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 374] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <E1Ft7gp-0004zy-EZ@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <20060622131433.5950.qmail@web30204.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hello Myrna and all,
I enjoyed the link you gave us yesterday.  I am very
interested in the open-ended questions section.  I
think it is a great guide for formulating open-ended
math questions.  

One challenge I encounter when I provide open-ended
questions for my learners is being prepared for the
"out of the box" thinking.  In other words, when a
learner thinks of the problem in a orginial way and
solves it correctly, I am left dumbfounded as to why
it worked.  What should I do at that point?

Also, the learners often want a fast, set in stone,
rule to help them solve a problem.  For example,
percentages can be calculated using a number of
stratgies.  Some students want one good way to solve
percentages and they are confused if I provide
alternative methods of solving. I think this
contributes to math anxiety.
How would you handle this situation?
Thanks, 
Lisa Mullins
Tennessee


--- Myrna Manly <mmanly at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I've added Lynda's graph idea and Tina's suggestions
> below to the list of
> ideas.  Great additions!
> 
>  
> 
> Tina mentioned using manipulatives to learn about
> fractions and that
> reminded me of the website from NCTM that I found:
> http://www.nctm.org/news/assessment/2005_12nb.htm
> Will This Be on the Test?
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Check it out and see what you think about the test
> item involving fractions.
> Too tricky or really clever?
> 
>  
> 
> Myrna
> 
>  
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
> [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
> Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
> Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 7:33 PM
> To: Judith Diamond; The Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 365] Re: Math anxiety and
> assessment
> 
>  
> 
> Hi Judy,
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, I do agree with you about using the practical
> aspects of daily life to
> help math connect with students. It is a rule of
> mnemonics to link what is
> known to what is not known to help students
> remember.
> 
>  
> 
> I also like to have the students work together in
> groups after giving the
> lesson to hear how they perceive the material and to
> locate error in
> understanding. When students work together, they
> have to restate what the
> teacher teaches and then explain it to someone else.
> That helps with memory
> retention. 
> 
>  
> 
> Another great tool with math is the manipulatives.
> We have various colored
> disks that represent fractions. One disk is whole
> which equals 1 or 1/1. The
> next is broken in half, and another into thirds and
> so on. When students lay
> three 1/4 disks on top of a 1/2 and a 1/4 disk, they
> can see in a tangible
> manner how 1/2 + 1/4 really does = 3/4.  
> 
>  
> 
> I also tell students to draw the word problems to
> figure out how to solve
> the math problems. Some students really work well
> with drawing the five
> piles of ten logs to know that they need to multiply
> to see how many logs
> they have.
> 
> Tina
> 
> 
> Tina Luffman
> Coordinator, Developmental Education
> Verde Valley Campus
> 928-634-6544
> tina_luffman at yc.edu
> 
> > -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,
> please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
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From mmanly at earthlink.net  Thu Jun 22 14:36:36 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 11:36:36 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 375] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <44997F8A0200000A0019F4D9@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>
Message-ID: <E1FtU31-0007kt-AO@smtpauth08.mail.atl.earthlink.net>

Thanks, Mae, for this web site. It is encouraging to see that more people
around the country are recommending that all content areas of math be
studied in ABE at all levels of student learning.  It brings up an
interesting question:
 
	"What is influencing so many ABE teachers to focus only on numerical
computation procedures at the early levels?"

Is it the state standard documents, the workbooks, the NRS indicators, the
TABE test, or their own experience learning math?  What do you see out
there?

Myrna



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Mae Dick
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 1:19 PM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 372] Re: Math anxiety and assessment

Hi there. I thought you might be interested in a math resource that was
developed by Steve Hinds, a staff developer for adult literacy programs in
the City University of New York.  Here's a quote from a workshop Steve
recently offered at the Literacy Assistance Center in NYC.  He says " Adult
Literacy programs traditionally limit students in low-level classes to
computation practice out of workbooks. Algebra, data and geometry topics are
considered too difficult for these students until they have 'mastered the
basics.'  Steve believes that students can increase their mathematical
reasoning, number sense and enjoyment of math through the kinds of exercises
he presents on the CUNY web site. Check it out. Go to
<www.literacy.cuny.edu>.  The user name is literacy and the password is
resources06. 

.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




From bddavis at butlercc.edu  Thu Jun 22 16:14:02 2006
From: bddavis at butlercc.edu (Beverly Davis)
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 15:14:02 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: [Assessment 376] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
Message-ID: <4583411.1151007242913.JavaMail.bddavis@butlercc.edu>

Mae, I went to the website you listed and couldn't get to any math 
problems.  Could you tell me what I am doing wrong.  Thank you!


Mae Dick wrote:


>Hi there. I thought you might be interested in a math resource that was 
developed by Steve Hinds, a staff developer for adult literacy programs 
in the City University of New York.  Here's a quote from a workshop 
Steve recently offered at the Literacy Assistance Center in NYC.  He 
says " Adult Literacy programs traditionally limit students in 
low-level classes to computation practice out of workbooks. Algebra, 
data and geometry topics are considered too difficult for these 
students until they have 'mastered the basics.'  Steve believes that 
students can increase their mathematical reasoning, number sense and 
enjoyment of math through the kinds of exercises he presents on the 
CUNY web site. Check it out. Go to <www.literacy.cuny.edu>.  The user 
name is literacy and the password is resources06. 
>
>>>> "Myrna Manly" <mmanly at earthlink.net> 06/20/06 5:03 PM >>>
>Hi Lisa,
>I'm happy to hear that you and your students are enjoying the book.
>Introducing algebraic thinking early in student's math study has now 
become
>widespread in the reform math efforts in K-12. (It is also a hallmark 
of the
>new EMPower series for adults.) In 1992, when I wrote the first edition 
of
>the book, I based my early-algebra-integration decision on my own 
experience
>as one who had taught algebra to students at many levels and as an 
'insider'
>with respect to the GED Math test. (I had just left my job at GEDTS.)
> 
>The overarching principle when formulating items for the GED math test 
is to
>assess the "major and lasting outcomes and skills of a high school
>education." For the most part, this means that the skills and concepts 
that
>are tested are ones that have some practical value. With respect to 
algebra,
>I felt that using the concept of a variable, solving simple equations, 
and
>graphing linear functions were the most obvious topics to be 
represented. 
>
>As an algebra teacher, I had seen the difficulty that students had in 
making
>the transition to using variables and had added extra lessons to the
>textbooks that reviewed arithmetic principles by using variables in 
place of
>specific numbers - that is, I used algebra to generalize arithmetic.
>So, it was an easy decision for me to integrate algebra early - both 
from a
>mathematics pedagogy standpoint and from an adult student attitude
>perspective (knowing that many feel insulted by a review of arithmetic 
even
>if their entrance scores indicate that need).  
>
>As to your question about the results obtained when students are 
introduced
>to algebraic ideas early in their mathematics study, I'm afraid that I 
have
>no data to substantiate better scores sooner.  (That topic may be one 
that a
>practitioner would like to investigate as a project for the ANN 
practitioner
>research grants.)
>
>Thanks for the question,
>Myrna
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] 
On
>Behalf Of Lisa Mullins
>Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:02 AM
>To: The Assessment Discussion List
>Subject: [Assessment 368] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
>
>Myrna, 
>In your book The Problem Solver you tackle algebraic
>concepts in the very beginning of the book.  This is
>in contrast to many books on the market.  I use this
>technique as well.  My students are caught by the fact
>that algebra (a scary term for some) is so simple and
>can be used for many reasons. However, some people are
>skeptical that this will result in better scores or
>better understanding. 
>
>Can you discuss the contrasts of learning math
>beginning with whole numbers and working up to
>algrebra versus using algebra as a problem solving
>method with all number systems throughout the math
>learning process.  Are the results better scores
>sooner? 
> 
>Thanks, 
>Lisa Mullins
>Hawkins County Adult Ed
>Rogersville, Tennessee
>
>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>
>
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov 
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>

---------------------------------------
It is not the load that breaks you, it 
is the way you carry it. 

Beverly Davis
ABE/GEDButler Community College
Instructional Coordinator
(316) 321-4030, ext. 113


From djrosen at comcast.net  Thu Jun 22 16:23:04 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:23:04 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 377] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <4583411.1151007242913.JavaMail.bddavis@butlercc.edu>
References: <4583411.1151007242913.JavaMail.bddavis@butlercc.edu>
Message-ID: <A503C16D-2809-4CC5-A048-9EC9646F796E@comcast.net>

Beverly and others,

On Jun 22, 2006, at 4:14 PM, Beverly Davis wrote:

> Mae, I went to the website you listed and couldn't get to any math
> problems.  Could you tell me what I am doing wrong.  Thank you!


1. Go to http://www.literacy.cuny.edu/
2. Select "Resources"
3. At the prompt, type in the user name literacy and the password   
resources06

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.ne


>
>
> Mae Dick wrote:
>
>
>> Hi there. I thought you might be interested in a math resource  
>> that was
> developed by Steve Hinds, a staff developer for adult literacy  
> programs
> in the City University of New York.  Here's a quote from a workshop
> Steve recently offered at the Literacy Assistance Center in NYC.  He
> says " Adult Literacy programs traditionally limit students in
> low-level classes to computation practice out of workbooks. Algebra,
> data and geometry topics are considered too difficult for these
> students until they have 'mastered the basics.'  Steve believes that
> students can increase their mathematical reasoning, number sense and
> enjoyment of math through the kinds of exercises he presents on the
> CUNY web site. Check it out. Go to <www.literacy.cuny.edu>.  The user
> name is literacy and the password is resources06.
>>
>>>>> "Myrna Manly" <mmanly at earthlink.net> 06/20/06 5:03 PM >>>
>> Hi Lisa,
>> I'm happy to hear that you and your students are enjoying the book.
>> Introducing algebraic thinking early in student's math study has now
> become
>> widespread in the reform math efforts in K-12. (It is also a hallmark
> of the
>> new EMPower series for adults.) In 1992, when I wrote the first  
>> edition
> of
>> the book, I based my early-algebra-integration decision on my own
> experience
>> as one who had taught algebra to students at many levels and as an
> 'insider'
>> with respect to the GED Math test. (I had just left my job at GEDTS.)
>>
>> The overarching principle when formulating items for the GED math  
>> test
> is to
>> assess the "major and lasting outcomes and skills of a high school
>> education." For the most part, this means that the skills and  
>> concepts
> that
>> are tested are ones that have some practical value. With respect to
> algebra,
>> I felt that using the concept of a variable, solving simple  
>> equations,
> and
>> graphing linear functions were the most obvious topics to be
> represented.
>>
>> As an algebra teacher, I had seen the difficulty that students had in
> making
>> the transition to using variables and had added extra lessons to the
>> textbooks that reviewed arithmetic principles by using variables in
> place of
>> specific numbers - that is, I used algebra to generalize arithmetic.
>> So, it was an easy decision for me to integrate algebra early - both
> from a
>> mathematics pedagogy standpoint and from an adult student attitude
>> perspective (knowing that many feel insulted by a review of  
>> arithmetic
> even
>> if their entrance scores indicate that need).
>>
>> As to your question about the results obtained when students are
> introduced
>> to algebraic ideas early in their mathematics study, I'm afraid  
>> that I
> have
>> no data to substantiate better scores sooner.  (That topic may be one
> that a
>> practitioner would like to investigate as a project for the ANN
> practitioner
>> research grants.)
>>
>> Thanks for the question,
>> Myrna
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
>> bounces at nifl.gov]
> On
>> Behalf Of Lisa Mullins
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:02 AM
>> To: The Assessment Discussion List
>> Subject: [Assessment 368] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
>>
>> Myrna,
>> In your book The Problem Solver you tackle algebraic
>> concepts in the very beginning of the book.  This is
>> in contrast to many books on the market.  I use this
>> technique as well.  My students are caught by the fact
>> that algebra (a scary term for some) is so simple and
>> can be used for many reasons. However, some people are
>> skeptical that this will result in better scores or
>> better understanding.
>>
>> Can you discuss the contrasts of learning math
>> beginning with whole numbers and working up to
>> algrebra versus using algebra as a problem solving
>> method with all number systems throughout the math
>> learning process.  Are the results better scores
>> sooner?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Lisa Mullins
>> Hawkins County Adult Ed
>> Rogersville, Tennessee
>>
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>>
>
> ---------------------------------------
> It is not the load that breaks you, it
> is the way you carry it.
>
> Beverly Davis
> ABE/GEDButler Community College
> Instructional Coordinator
> (316) 321-4030, ext. 113
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

t





From mmanly at earthlink.net  Thu Jun 22 17:39:32 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 14:39:32 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 378] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <20060622131433.5950.qmail@web30204.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <E1FtWtw-0005vm-QE@smtpauth04.mail.atl.earthlink.net>

Lisa said:

	"Also, the learners often want a fast, set in stone,
rule to help them solve a problem.  For example,
percentages can be calculated using a number of
strategies.  Some students want one good way to solve
percentages and they are confused if I provide
alternative methods of solving. I think this
contributes to math anxiety."

I encounter this issue a lot when I do workshops with teachers. From
previous posts you know that, in my opinion, it induces anxiety when
students think that there is only one right way to get an answer to a
problem and they need to remember it during the stressful atmosphere of a
high stakes test like the GED.  A person who can be flexible in solving
problems is one who is confident both in testing situations and in meeting
the demands of the real world. 

I recommended using estimation, not only for its intrinsic value in the real
world, but also as a vehicle to convince students that they can think
differently and still be correct. (They are more likely to accept that with
estimation than with something like computation techniques that were taught
in such a didactic manner.) Others have commented that group work is also
helpful in that they see others' methods and have the opportunity to discuss
them.  Being flexible instead of being at the mercy of "the right way" is a
goal that teachers need to work on every day with their students. We all
know that the key to being flexible is having a deeper conceptual
understanding of the subject than merely knowing a procedure. 
  
Sheila Tobias uses the words, "learned helplessness" in describing math
anxious people. On a recent Oprah show where Bill Gates was the guest and
the topic was the burgeoning HS dropout problem, they used the same phrase
to characterize the attitude of the majority of dropouts. They have been
encouraged to imitate, not to think for themselves.

Myrna






-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Lisa Mullins
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 5:15 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 374] Re: Math anxiety and assessment

Hello Myrna and all,
I enjoyed the link you gave us yesterday.  I am very
interested in the open-ended questions section.  I
think it is a great guide for formulating open-ended
math questions.  

One challenge I encounter when I provide open-ended
questions for my learners is being prepared for the
"out of the box" thinking.  In other words, when a
learner thinks of the problem in a orginial way and
solves it correctly, I am left dumbfounded as to why
it worked.  What should I do at that point?

Also, the learners often want a fast, set in stone,
rule to help them solve a problem.  For example,
percentages can be calculated using a number of
stratgies.  Some students want one good way to solve
percentages and they are confused if I provide
alternative methods of solving. I think this
contributes to math anxiety.
How would you handle this situation?
Thanks, 
Lisa Mullins
Tennessee


--- Myrna Manly <mmanly at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I've added Lynda's graph idea and Tina's suggestions
> below to the list of
> ideas.  Great additions!
> 
>  
> 
> Tina mentioned using manipulatives to learn about
> fractions and that
> reminded me of the website from NCTM that I found:
> http://www.nctm.org/news/assessment/2005_12nb.htm
> Will This Be on the Test?
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Check it out and see what you think about the test
> item involving fractions.
> Too tricky or really clever?
> 
>  
> 
> Myrna
> 
>  
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
> [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
> Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
> Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 7:33 PM
> To: Judith Diamond; The Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 365] Re: Math anxiety and
> assessment
> 
>  
> 
> Hi Judy,
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, I do agree with you about using the practical
> aspects of daily life to
> help math connect with students. It is a rule of
> mnemonics to link what is
> known to what is not known to help students
> remember.
> 
>  
> 
> I also like to have the students work together in
> groups after giving the
> lesson to hear how they perceive the material and to
> locate error in
> understanding. When students work together, they
> have to restate what the
> teacher teaches and then explain it to someone else.
> That helps with memory
> retention. 
> 
>  
> 
> Another great tool with math is the manipulatives.
> We have various colored
> disks that represent fractions. One disk is whole
> which equals 1 or 1/1. The
> next is broken in half, and another into thirds and
> so on. When students lay
> three 1/4 disks on top of a 1/2 and a 1/4 disk, they
> can see in a tangible
> manner how 1/2 + 1/4 really does = 3/4.  
> 
>  
> 
> I also tell students to draw the word problems to
> figure out how to solve
> the math problems. Some students really work well
> with drawing the five
> piles of ten logs to know that they need to multiply
> to see how many logs
> they have.
> 
> Tina
> 
> 
> Tina Luffman
> Coordinator, Developmental Education
> Verde Valley Campus
> 928-634-6544
> tina_luffman at yc.edu
> 
> > -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,
> please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
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-------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
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From djrosen at comcast.net  Fri Jun 23 07:59:11 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 07:59:11 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 379]  Math as a puzzle, or swimming
Message-ID: <EFE517E9-06B1-4B0B-B02C-8D4317291F4C@comcast.net>

Myrna, Judy, and others,

I am cross-posting this question to both the Women Literacy and  
Assessment lists, and hope that anyone who wishes to will join in.

On National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday, in the Will Shortz   
"Puzzle Master" segment, the Public Radio host, Liane Hansen, often  
asks the contestant, "Are you a puzzle person?"  How would you answer  
this question? For me, it's complicated. If I knew I wouldn't have to  
compete on the radio, and if I had as much time as I needed,  I might  
say "sometimes," depending on the kind of puzzle.

Those who would without waffling say yes, do not have "puzzle  
anxiety." They confidently dive into the deepest, coldest puzzle  
knowing that even if they thrash about they won't sink, and that they  
also know several strokes (strategies) in addition to treading water.  
Those who hesitate, qualify their "yes", or answer "no" have probably  
gulped water a few times, and it wasn't fun.  They may be thinking  
that these waters are dangerous.

So here's my question.  How do you as a teacher help those who are  
not "puzzle people," or "math people," become more confident?  Is it  
best for them to learn a few strokes first in shallow water?  Or to  
dive right in to the deep parts with a buddy who can swim?  What is  
the teacher's role as lifeguard? What are some strategies to help the  
most anxious to put their toes in the water?  How do you help a  
mature fish to not feel foolish learning to swim next to all these  
smart fry swimming circles around them?  How do you help an cautious  
swimmer become a strong swimmer?

And since overcoming any anxiety is tough work, what do you tell your  
students is the reward?  What's so great about swimming when you can  
enjoy sitting on a sunny beach or walking on the shore?

And do you have any good stories? Let's hear about one of your  
students who was "aquaphobic" and who now loves to dive and to play  
water polo, or who at least can enjoy an occasional swim.  How,  
exactly did that transformation happen?  What was your role?

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 23 13:57:04 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 13:57:04 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 380] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
Message-ID: <002a01c696ee$7052df60$6f49e947@LITNOW>

The following post is from Bertha Mo.
Marie Cora
 
 
I attended some of San Francisco's best public schools and so I thought
I was to blame for my learning anxieties.
 
I really didn't understand the process and mechanics of writing until I
participated in the Bay Area Writer's Process while I was struggling
with my Ph.D. dissertation. 
 
Here are some of the things I learned about writing and learning almost
anything:
 
1)  Writing (learning) is a process
 
2)  Remote writing, mind mapping, experimentation all help one to
relax...use colors or crayons to begin if that will relax you...
 
2)  Writing need not be an isolating and lonely process...writing can be
and probably should be shared.
 
3)  Finished, published products have been shared with many people
before reaching your eyes.
 
4)  "Writing Prose" is the book that helped me crack a pretty serious
writing anxiety.
 
Bertie
Bertha Mo 
 
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From varshna at grandecom.net  Fri Jun 23 14:09:55 2006
From: varshna at grandecom.net (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson)
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 13:09:55 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 381] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
In-Reply-To: <002a01c696ee$7052df60$6f49e947@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <C0C198A3.A661%varshna@grandecom.net>

I?ve found that reading about writing from prolific and successful writers ?
their struggles, methods, anxiety ? has been inspirational.

A recent website I visited is Thomas Sowell?s page on his own experiences as
a writer (http://www.tsowell.com/About_Writing.html). I just want to make
the disclaimer that if you?re an editor or have editorial aspirations (like
me), you will probably want to skip the parts he has to say about working
with editors, copywriters, and the rest of the publishing world...While he
is humorous(!) and takes a light-hearted approach, it?s hit home a couple of
times...  

Good luck, and keep writing!


on 6/23/06 12:57 PM, Marie Cora at marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com wrote:

> The following post is from Bertha Mo.
> 
> Marie Cora
>  
>  
> I attended some of San Francisco's best public schools and so I thought I was
> to blame for my learning anxieties.
>  
> I really didn't understand the process and mechanics of writing until I
> participated in the Bay Area Writer's Process while I was struggling with my
> Ph.D. dissertation.
>  
> Here are some of the things I learned about writing and learning almost
> anything:
>  
> 1)  Writing (learning) is a process
>  
> 2)  Remote writing, mind mapping, experimentation all help one to relax...use
> colors or crayons to begin if that will relax you...
>  
> 2)  Writing need not be an isolating and lonely process...writing can be and
> probably should be shared.
>  
> 3)  Finished, published products have been shared with many people before
> reaching your eyes.
>  
> 4)  "Writing Prose" is the book that helped me crack a pretty serious writing
> anxiety.
>  
> Bertie
> Bertha Mo 
>  
> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 23 16:08:27 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 16:08:27 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 382]  Final questions on math
Message-ID: <000501c69700$cab71c70$6f49e947@LITNOW>

Hi everyone, 
 
What a great and rich discussion this is, thank you all for making this
so!  There has been a wonderful exchange of interventions, techniques,
and strategies to draw from in working with students in math.  This is
the last day with our guest, so I encourage you to ask any final
questions or make any comments.  
 
Myrna asked this question in a post or two ago and I also would like to
hear from folks on what they think:
 
      "What is influencing so many ABE teachers to focus only on
numerical computation procedures at the early levels?"
 
Is it the state standard documents, the workbooks, the NRS indicators,
the TABE test, or their own experience learning math?  What do you see
out there?
 
Myrna also mentioned ANN in another post, and I just wanted to make sure
folks had the information on this:
 
Adult Numeracy Network
http://www.literacynet.org/ann/
 
Ok!  Let's hear any final thoughts!  It's your last chance!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Fri Jun 23 16:52:25 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 13:52:25 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 383] Re: Final questions on math
Message-ID: <OF966D7FB9.FDA65913-ON07257196.0072A987-07257196.0072A98C@yc.edu>

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From Mdr151 at aol.com  Fri Jun 23 22:52:17 2006
From: Mdr151 at aol.com (Mdr151 at aol.com)
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 22:52:17 EDT
Subject: [Assessment 384] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
Message-ID: <2c5.9efbf7b.31ce02e1@aol.com>

One of the greatest joys of being a math teacher is to see students dread  
and hate of math turn to joy for math. One student that comes to mind just  
recently graduated from a technical college. She shared with me that it took her  
9 years to consider coming back to school and facing math.  I was so  
fortunate to have her for a student and watch her fear of math melt away.   One way I 
address math phobia is through journal writing. Students are required  to 
respond to a math prompt, provide examples, make connections and lastly to  
reflect on their learning. It is in the reflections that the fear and struggles  are 
revealed. I journal back, giving them encouragement and offering  suggestions.
 
This particular student's journals showed her excitement in finally  
understanding math and seeing connections. She continues today to send me emails  
about math websites she has found or successes she has had since being in  
college.She was so proud to share that she got an A in technical physics and  
graduated with honors.
 
I truly believe we must develop a safe environment for math learners, one  in 
which they dare to take risks and not feel stupid in trying and one that  
offers support in their stuggles.
 
Pam Meader
President,  Adult Numeracy Network
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From juddia at sbcglobal.net  Sat Jun 24 08:04:37 2006
From: juddia at sbcglobal.net (Judith Diamond)
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 08:04:37 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 385] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
In-Reply-To: <2c5.9efbf7b.31ce02e1@aol.com>
Message-ID: <000501c69786$60f468c0$81bd044b@Judith>

Hi Pam,
 
One of the things that is so enjoyable about an online discussion is
that occasionally you read something that changes the way you see things
and that you will clip and save and use.  Your idea of journals and how
you structure them might not resonate with all students.for some writing
is just another headache.but I can see it being a really meaningful
connection both to math and to their teacher for others.  Thanks.
 
Judith Diamond
Adult Learning Resource Center
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Mdr151 at aol.com
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 10:52 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 384] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
 
One of the greatest joys of being a math teacher is to see students
dread and hate of math turn to joy for math. One student that comes to
mind just recently graduated from a technical college. She shared with
me that it took her 9 years to consider coming back to school and facing
math.  I was so fortunate to have her for a student and watch her fear
of math melt away.  One way I address math phobia is through journal
writing. Students are required to respond to a math prompt, provide
examples, make connections and lastly to reflect on their learning. It
is in the reflections that the fear and struggles are revealed. I
journal back, giving them encouragement and offering suggestions.
 
This particular student's journals showed her excitement in finally
understanding math and seeing connections. She continues today to send
me emails about math websites she has found or successes she has had
since being in college.She was so proud to share that she got an A in
technical physics and graduated with honors.
 
I truly believe we must develop a safe environment for math learners,
one in which they dare to take risks and not feel stupid in trying and
one that offers support in their stuggles.
 
Pam Meader
President,  Adult Numeracy Network
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From mmanly at earthlink.net  Sat Jun 24 15:01:16 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 12:01:16 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 386] Re: Final questions on math
In-Reply-To: <OF966D7FB9.FDA65913-ON07257196.0072A987-07257196.0072A98C@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <E1FuDO5-0003oR-Ff@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Tina and all,

 

Each of your postings brings up so many interesting aspects.  For example,
in Tina's message below, I see that the program uses the TABE to diagnose
learner weaknesses in computation when they enter the program and then
focuses instruction on the computation basics by using workbooks and study
guides. It seems as though Tina is agreeing with that policy in that the
students show a quick gain in skills and funding is maintained. That is
certainly an important aspect - we need to keep the doors open.

 

She also mentions that she includes all levels of students in an algebra
lesson and even the low-level learners gain self esteem (and learn about
variables and making generalizations) by succeeding with it.   However, it
is safe to assume that this learning does not have direct value in helping
to raise their scores when they retake the TABE for accountability purposes
because the test items at the early levels concern themselves mostly with
naked computation (no context).  This exposes a huge problem for math
assessment, and in turn for math instruction, in ABE.  If there is value
added to the students' learning by early algebra exposure, it should be
recognized in the accountability measures.  

 

In the meantime, what can a program or its teachers do? You all have made
great suggestions: use manipulatives or realia to facilitate deeper
understanding of the operations with number, teach computational skills
along with conceptual understanding, insist that computations be motivated
by a real situation or an application in measurement or data, use benchmarks
and estimation as a check for reasonableness.  These tactics serve both
masters - improving student understanding and attitude and, at the same
time, raising test scores.  Actually, there may be a third - keeping
students in the program longer than a month.

 

Thanks for sharing this, Tina.  I also would like to hear other's opinions.

 

Myrna

 

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 12:52 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 383] Re: Final questions on math

 

Myrna and all,

 

I believe the reason I place many students into numeracy workbooks first is
that I want to be sure students can do basic adding, subtracting,
multiplying, and dividing so that when they perform the other functions of
fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, and geometry, that their incorrect
responses are due to not understanding the new level of math rather than
just making a calculation error. Of course, even we as instructors still
make calculation errors, but I would like to minimize the frustration. I
have had numerous students with math anxiety or other math disability get
really frustrated with themselves when getting the answer wrong adding
fractions, for example, when all they did was make a simple calculation
error. Identifying where the error came from is paramount to these students'
sense of capability.

 

The primary reason I begin most students with basic calculation skills is
due to our program's methodology. We are instructed as new instructors to
give the TABE and then to give a math pretest even if the student is 11th
grade + level. (One interesting finding I have is having recent high school
students come to me able to do geometry and algebra, but they have forgotten
how to divide. I am sure many of you have had similar experiences.) This
pretest identifies challenge points in +, -, X, & ./. as well as decimals,
fractions, percents, ratio, proportion, and measurement. Then we are
instructed to place the students into the lowest level book and work them up
to the top level using study guides. We are a highly linearly structured
program. The reason for this linear system setup, I believe, is indeed
because we often only see students for a month before they disappear, and we
need to get an educational gain from these students in about as many weeks
to maintain our funding.

 

However, I do have the entire class do all lessons no matter what their
grade level is on their most recent TABE. Even if a student just started
coming to class and are at a fourth grade math level, he or she will do the
algebra lesson with the rest of us. I am a firm believer that just because a
student doesn't know his/her timestables yet, that doesn't mean that same
student won't be able to understand that if 10 + a = 12, a = 2. I also
believe that when a student sees that he/she can do algebra, it builds self
esteem.

 

I hope this answers you question. I hope to hear other people's ideas as
well!

Thanks,


Tina

 


Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu

 

 

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From mmanly at earthlink.net  Sat Jun 24 17:37:39 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 14:37:39 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 387] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
In-Reply-To: <EFE517E9-06B1-4B0B-B02C-8D4317291F4C@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <E1FuFpU-0002Af-Sl@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

It is uncanny that David would mention puzzles and swimming as analogies to
math anxiety.  We just met a few months ago and he doesn't know that, not
only am I a devoted puzzle person, but I taught swimming for many years!
  
I started to write some detailed comparisons between the steps in learning
to swim and similar benchmarks when learning to be comfortable with math,
but that soon got too complex.  However, I can confidently say that in both
cases, an anxious person overcomes fear by becoming familiar with how the
"medium" works. For example, the learner gains security by knowing how
buoyancy is affected by the different positions of your body (you can float
and glide on top of the water more effectively when your head is submerged)
and how numbers act in consistent ways in various applications (the
properties hold whether you are finding an average or a perimeter.  

Stimulating questions!

Myrna

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 3:59 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List; The Women and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 379] Math as a puzzle, or swimming

Myrna, Judy, and others,

I am cross-posting this question to both the Women Literacy and  
Assessment lists, and hope that anyone who wishes to will join in.

On National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday, in the Will Shortz   
"Puzzle Master" segment, the Public Radio host, Liane Hansen, often  
asks the contestant, "Are you a puzzle person?"  How would you answer  
this question? For me, it's complicated. If I knew I wouldn't have to  
compete on the radio, and if I had as much time as I needed,  I might  
say "sometimes," depending on the kind of puzzle.

Those who would without waffling say yes, do not have "puzzle  
anxiety." They confidently dive into the deepest, coldest puzzle  
knowing that even if they thrash about they won't sink, and that they  
also know several strokes (strategies) in addition to treading water.  
Those who hesitate, qualify their "yes", or answer "no" have probably  
gulped water a few times, and it wasn't fun.  They may be thinking  
that these waters are dangerous.

So here's my question.  How do you as a teacher help those who are  
not "puzzle people," or "math people," become more confident?  Is it  
best for them to learn a few strokes first in shallow water?  Or to  
dive right in to the deep parts with a buddy who can swim?  What is  
the teacher's role as lifeguard? What are some strategies to help the  
most anxious to put their toes in the water?  How do you help a  
mature fish to not feel foolish learning to swim next to all these  
smart fry swimming circles around them?  How do you help an cautious  
swimmer become a strong swimmer?

And since overcoming any anxiety is tough work, what do you tell your  
students is the reward?  What's so great about swimming when you can  
enjoy sitting on a sunny beach or walking on the shore?

And do you have any good stories? Let's hear about one of your  
students who was "aquaphobic" and who now loves to dive and to play  
water polo, or who at least can enjoy an occasional swim.  How,  
exactly did that transformation happen?  What was your role?

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net



-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




From djrosen at comcast.net  Sat Jun 24 18:07:31 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:07:31 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 388] Re: Final questions on math
In-Reply-To: <E1FuDO5-0003oR-Ff@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
References: <E1FuDO5-0003oR-Ff@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <95FBAD05-B8BE-4A70-BF8D-1967DE35012E@comcast.net>

Hello Myrna,

As you know, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)  
several years ago established standards for the teaching of  
mathematics.  These were the inspiration and basis for adult  
mathematics curriculum frameworks standards in my state, and possibly  
others.  I believe these standards are embraced by the Adult Numeracy  
Network.  Curriculum materials (EMPower, for example) have been  
developed to help teachers who want to teach to these standards.

Do we have any adult math assessments which are congruent with these  
standards?  If so, which ones?

If the most widely used pre-post assessment for measuring adult math  
level gains (Educational Functional Level in NRS language) is the  
TABE, and if the TABE is measuring the wrong things, then doesn't  
that mean that teachers who are effectively teaching math in the  
right way, and students who are learning to think mathematically, to  
get the most important mathematics learning, are being punished and  
penalized?

And , from a national perspective, doesn't that mean that the NRS  
math level gain data are not valid?

Is it time for a revolution in adult numeracy assessment?  Should the  
federal government be making that investment if the private sector is  
not interested?

David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net

On Jun 24, 2006, at 3:01 PM, Myrna Manly wrote:

> Tina and all,
>
>
>
> Each of your postings brings up so many interesting aspects.  For  
> example, in Tina?s message below, I see that the program uses the  
> TABE to diagnose learner weaknesses in computation when they enter  
> the program and then focuses instruction on the computation basics  
> by using workbooks and study guides. It seems as though Tina is  
> agreeing with that policy in that the students show a quick gain in  
> skills and funding is maintained. That is certainly an important  
> aspect ? we need to keep the doors open.
>
>
>
> She also mentions that she includes all levels of students in an  
> algebra lesson and even the low-level learners gain self esteem  
> (and learn about variables and making generalizations) by  
> succeeding with it.   However, it is safe to assume that this  
> learning does not have direct value in helping to raise their  
> scores when they retake the TABE for accountability purposes  
> because the test items at the early levels concern themselves  
> mostly with naked computation (no context).  This exposes a huge  
> problem for math assessment, and in turn for math instruction, in  
> ABE.  If there is value added to the students? learning by early  
> algebra exposure, it should be recognized in the accountability  
> measures.
>
>
>
> In the meantime, what can a program or its teachers do? You all  
> have made great suggestions: use manipulatives or realia to  
> facilitate deeper understanding of the operations with number,  
> teach computational skills along with conceptual understanding,  
> insist that computations be motivated by a real situation or an  
> application in measurement or data, use benchmarks and estimation  
> as a check for reasonableness.  These tactics serve both masters ?  
> improving student understanding and attitude and, at the same time,  
> raising test scores.  Actually, there may be a third ? keeping  
> students in the program longer than a month.
>
>
>
> Thanks for sharing this, Tina.  I also would like to hear other?s  
> opinions.
>
>
>
> Myrna
>
>
>
>
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
> Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 12:52 PM
> To: The Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 383] Re: Final questions on math
>
>
>
> Myrna and all,
>
>
>
> I believe the reason I place many students into numeracy workbooks  
> first is that I want to be sure students can do basic adding,  
> subtracting, multiplying, and dividing so that when they perform  
> the other functions of fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, and  
> geometry, that their incorrect responses are due to not  
> understanding the new level of math rather than just making a  
> calculation error. Of course, even we as instructors still make  
> calculation errors, but I would like to minimize the frustration. I  
> have had numerous students with math anxiety or other math  
> disability get really frustrated with themselves when getting the  
> answer wrong adding fractions, for example, when all they did was  
> make a simple calculation error. Identifying where the error came  
> from is paramount to these students' sense of capability.
>
>
>
> The primary reason I begin most students with basic calculation  
> skills is due to our program's methodology. We are instructed as  
> new instructors to give the TABE and then to give a math pretest  
> even if the student is 11th grade + level. (One interesting finding  
> I have is having recent high school students come to me able to do  
> geometry and algebra, but they have forgotten how to divide. I am  
> sure many of you have had similar experiences.) This pretest  
> identifies challenge points in +, -, X, & ./. as well as decimals,  
> fractions, percents, ratio, proportion, and measurement. Then we  
> are instructed to place the students into the lowest level book and  
> work them up to the top level using study guides. We are a highly  
> linearly structured program. The reason for this linear system  
> setup, I believe, is indeed because we often only see students for  
> a month before they disappear, and we need to get an educational  
> gain from these students in about as many weeks to maintain our  
> funding.
>
>
>
> However, I do have the entire class do all lessons no matter what  
> their grade level is on their most recent TABE. Even if a student  
> just started coming to class and are at a fourth grade math level,  
> he or she will do the algebra lesson with the rest of us. I am a  
> firm believer that just because a student doesn't know his/her  
> timestables yet, that doesn't mean that same student won't be able  
> to understand that if 10 + a = 12, a = 2. I also believe that when  
> a student sees that he/she can do algebra, it builds self esteem.
>
>
>
> I hope this answers you question. I hope to hear other people's  
> ideas as well!
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Tina
>
>
>
>
> Tina Luffman
> Coordinator, Developmental Education
> Verde Valley Campus
> 928-634-6544
> tina_luffman at yc.edu
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment







From djrosen at comcast.net  Sun Jun 25 08:22:39 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 08:22:39 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 389] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
In-Reply-To: <E1FuFpU-0002Af-Sl@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
References: <E1FuFpU-0002Af-Sl@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <78F20CD9-83F1-49C8-8C3A-9F0821728A97@comcast.net>

Hello Myrna,

Please do write a detailed comparison between learning to swim, doing  
puzzles, and learning math -- on the ALE Wiki and/or for publication  
elsewhere.  The complexities and details would be fascinating. Many  
of us could benefit, as teachers and learners, from your experience.

David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net



On Jun 24, 2006, at 5:37 PM, Myrna Manly wrote:

> It is uncanny that David would mention puzzles and swimming as  
> analogies to
> math anxiety.  We just met a few months ago and he doesn't know  
> that, not
> only am I a devoted puzzle person, but I taught swimming for many  
> years!
>
> I started to write some detailed comparisons between the steps in  
> learning
> to swim and similar benchmarks when learning to be comfortable with  
> math,
> but that soon got too complex.  However, I can confidently say that  
> in both
> cases, an anxious person overcomes fear by becoming familiar with  
> how the
> "medium" works. For example, the learner gains security by knowing how
> buoyancy is affected by the different positions of your body (you  
> can float
> and glide on top of the water more effectively when your head is  
> submerged)
> and how numbers act in consistent ways in various applications (the
> properties hold whether you are finding an average or a perimeter.
>
> Stimulating questions!
>
> Myrna
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov] On
> Behalf Of David Rosen
> Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 3:59 AM
> To: The Assessment Discussion List; The Women and Literacy  
> Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 379] Math as a puzzle, or swimming
>
> Myrna, Judy, and others,
>
> I am cross-posting this question to both the Women Literacy and
> Assessment lists, and hope that anyone who wishes to will join in.
>
> On National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday, in the Will Shortz
> "Puzzle Master" segment, the Public Radio host, Liane Hansen, often
> asks the contestant, "Are you a puzzle person?"  How would you answer
> this question? For me, it's complicated. If I knew I wouldn't have to
> compete on the radio, and if I had as much time as I needed,  I might
> say "sometimes," depending on the kind of puzzle.
>
> Those who would without waffling say yes, do not have "puzzle
> anxiety." They confidently dive into the deepest, coldest puzzle
> knowing that even if they thrash about they won't sink, and that they
> also know several strokes (strategies) in addition to treading water.
> Those who hesitate, qualify their "yes", or answer "no" have probably
> gulped water a few times, and it wasn't fun.  They may be thinking
> that these waters are dangerous.
>
> So here's my question.  How do you as a teacher help those who are
> not "puzzle people," or "math people," become more confident?  Is it
> best for them to learn a few strokes first in shallow water?  Or to
> dive right in to the deep parts with a buddy who can swim?  What is
> the teacher's role as lifeguard? What are some strategies to help the
> most anxious to put their toes in the water?  How do you help a
> mature fish to not feel foolish learning to swim next to all these
> smart fry swimming circles around them?  How do you help an cautious
> swimmer become a strong swimmer?
>
> And since overcoming any anxiety is tough work, what do you tell your
> students is the reward?  What's so great about swimming when you can
> enjoy sitting on a sunny beach or walking on the shore?
>
> And do you have any good stories? Let's hear about one of your
> students who was "aquaphobic" and who now loves to dive and to play
> water polo, or who at least can enjoy an occasional swim.  How,
> exactly did that transformation happen?  What was your role?
>
> David Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net





From donnac at gwi.net  Sun Jun 25 11:35:37 2006
From: donnac at gwi.net (Donna Curry)
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:35:37 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 390] Re: Final questions on math
References: <OF966D7FB9.FDA65913-ON07257196.0072A987-07257196.0072A98C@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <019c01c6986d$3e2fe020$8793c3d8@donnarq57f7nbg>

Tina and all,

Most adult education workbooks still use the scope and sequence that you've referred to below (add, subtract, etc. with whole numbers before moving on to fractions, then decimals, then percents . . . and, if students are fortunate enough to make it through all that, they tackle algebra).  However, in K - 12, the curriculum is now typically based on the research on how people learn math. Algebra, data, number sense, and geometry are taught at all levels and are integrated. 

It's very rare to find an adult who cannot figure out what half of an amount is. Yet, we don't allow them to work on fractions until they have mastered all their whole number facts. It's actually much easier to figure what 1/2 of 240 is than to multiply 240 x 24 yet that's not the order of skills presented in typical adult ed. math workbooks.

You can show students the application of number sense skills by having them explore geometry concepts such as perimeter and area. Students, when they draw pictures of rectangular shapes can add and group and see how multiplication is repeated addition.  

They can explore algebraic reasoning by looking at patterns in their lives: for example, if I make $10 an hour, I can make a simple table to show how much I would make in 2 hours, 5 hours, etc. Again, this gives them an opportunity to practice their basic facts but in the context of algebra.  Those simple patterns (such as $$ per hour) lead to general rules, which can then eventually lead to expressions (total pay = $10 x number of hours worked). 

Given the opportunity to collect simple data (such as those who have children and those who do not), students can then create simple graphs and begin to make verbal comparisons, including fractions and percents (over 50% of the class have children).  
 
This early exposure to algebra, geometry, and data, along with number sense, will ensure that students can apply what they are learning in different situations rather than having to learn isolated skills before they understand how those skills are used in other contexts.

Donna

Donna Curry
Center for Literacy Studies
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
   

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu 
  To: The Assessment Discussion List 
  Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 4:52 PM
  Subject: [Assessment 383] Re: Final questions on math


  Myrna and all,

  I believe the reason I place many students into numeracy workbooks first is that I want to be sure students can do basic adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing so that when they perform the other functions of fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, and geometry, that their incorrect responses are due to not understanding the new level of math rather than just making a calculation error. Of course, even we as instructors still make calculation errors, but I would like to minimize the frustration. I have had numerous students with math anxiety or other math disability get really frustrated with themselves when getting the answer wrong adding fractions, for example, when all they did was make a simple calculation error. Identifying where the error came from is paramount to these students' sense of capability.

  The primary reason I begin most students with basic calculation skills is due to our program's methodology. We are instructed as new instructors to give the TABE and then to give a math pretest even if the student is 11th grade + level. (One interesting finding I have is having recent high school students come to me able to do geometry and algebra, but they have forgotten how to divide. I am sure many of you have had similar experiences.) This pretest identifies challenge points in +, -, X, & ./. as well as decimals, fractions, percents, ratio, proportion, and measurement. Then we are instructed to place the students into the lowest level book and work them up to the top level using study guides. We are a highly linearly structured program. The reason for this linear system setup, I believe, is indeed because we often only see students for a month before they disappear, and we need to get an educational gain from these students in about as many weeks to maintain our funding.

  However, I do have the entire class do all lessons no matter what their grade level is on their most recent TABE. Even if a student just started coming to class and are at a fourth grade math level, he or she will do the algebra lesson with the rest of us. I am a firm believer that just because a student doesn't know his/her timestables yet, that doesn't mean that same student won't be able to understand that if 10 + a = 12, a = 2. I also believe that when a student sees that he/she can do algebra, it builds self esteem.

  I hope this answers you question. I hope to hear other people's ideas as well!

  Thanks,

  Tina


  Tina Luffman
  Coordinator, Developmental Education
  Verde Valley Campus
  928-634-6544
  tina_luffman at yc.edu



  -----assessment-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: -----


    To: <Assessment at nifl.gov>
    From: "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com>
    Sent by: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
    Date: 06/23/2006 01:08PM
    Subject: [Assessment 382] Final questions on math


    Hi everyone,



    What a great and rich discussion this is, thank you all for making this so!   There has been a wonderful exchange of interventions, techniques, and strategies to draw from in working with students in math.   This is the last day with our guest, so I encourage you to ask any final questions or make any comments.   



    Myrna asked this question in a post or two ago and I also would like to hear from folks on what they think: 



          "What is influencing so many ABE teachers to focus only on numerical computation procedures at the early levels?" 



    Is it the state standard documents, the workbooks, the NRS indicators, the TABE test, or their own experience learning math?   What do you see out there? 



    Myrna also mentioned ANN in another post, and I just wanted to make sure folks had the information on this: 



    Adult Numeracy Network 

    http://www.literacynet.org/ann/ 



    Ok!   Let?s hear any final thoughts!   It?s your last chance! 



    Marie Cora 

    Assessment Discussion List Moderator 



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From mmanly at earthlink.net  Sun Jun 25 14:07:55 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:07:55 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 391] Re: Final questions on math
In-Reply-To: <95FBAD05-B8BE-4A70-BF8D-1967DE35012E@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <E1FuZ24-0006IZ-Fc@elasmtp-mealy.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Hi David and all.

Your statements in the message below are powerful ones. It is indeed time
for a revolution in adult numeracy assessment. And, as in any revolution, we
can use help from both the grass roots and the establishment.

Although our present-day politicians seem to believe that they need to
overstate their side of an argument in order to get what they really want
when a compromise is reached, I think we should be clear from the start as
to our position. So I will try to amend your statement a little (and welcome
suggestions from others):

"If the most widely used pre-post assessment for measuring adult math level
gains (Educational Functional Level in NRS language) is the TABE, and if the
TABE is measuring ONLY A NARROW BAND OF MATHEMATICAL SKILLS, then doesn't
that mean that teachers who are effectively teaching MATHEMATICS IN A FULLER
SENSE, and students who are learning to think mathematically to get the most
important mathematics learning, are being punished and penalized? 

And, from a national perspective, doesn't that mean that the NRS math level
gain data are not valid?"

We are not saying that computation algorithms are the WRONG thing, but that
they are not the ONLY thing.  In addition, we do not yet have the kind of
evidence that is required to say that our (and NCTM's) way of instruction is
THE RIGHT way. But we are saying that the most important mathematics for
today's requirements is not being assessed so the validity of the assessment
is in question (using validity to mean the degree to which an instrument is
representative of the domain it is testing.)

I have heard numerous complaints about adult numeracy assessment from all
areas of the country.  In Massachusetts they funded the development of a new
test. What do you know about its composition?

Myrna

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 2:08 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 388] Re: Final questions on math

Hello Myrna,

As you know, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)  
several years ago established standards for the teaching of  
mathematics.  These were the inspiration and basis for adult  
mathematics curriculum frameworks standards in my state, and possibly  
others.  I believe these standards are embraced by the Adult Numeracy  
Network.  Curriculum materials (EMPower, for example) have been  
developed to help teachers who want to teach to these standards.

Do we have any adult math assessments which are congruent with these  
standards?  If so, which ones?

If the most widely used pre-post assessment for measuring adult math  
level gains (Educational Functional Level in NRS language) is the  
TABE, and if the TABE is measuring the wrong things, then doesn't  
that mean that teachers who are effectively teaching math in the  
right way, and students who are learning to think mathematically, to  
get the most important mathematics learning, are being punished and  
penalized?


Is it time for a revolution in adult numeracy assessment?  Should the  
federal government be making that investment if the private sector is  
not interested?

David J. Rosen
newsomeassociates.com
djrosen at comcast.net

On Jun 24, 2006, at 3:01 PM, Myrna Manly wrote:

> Tina and all,
>
>
>
> Each of your postings brings up so many interesting aspects.  For  
> example, in Tina's message below, I see that the program uses the  
> TABE to diagnose learner weaknesses in computation when they enter  
> the program and then focuses instruction on the computation basics  
> by using workbooks and study guides. It seems as though Tina is  
> agreeing with that policy in that the students show a quick gain in  
> skills and funding is maintained. That is certainly an important  
> aspect - we need to keep the doors open.
>
>
>
> She also mentions that she includes all levels of students in an  
> algebra lesson and even the low-level learners gain self esteem  
> (and learn about variables and making generalizations) by  
> succeeding with it.   However, it is safe to assume that this  
> learning does not have direct value in helping to raise their  
> scores when they retake the TABE for accountability purposes  
> because the test items at the early levels concern themselves  
> mostly with naked computation (no context).  This exposes a huge  
> problem for math assessment, and in turn for math instruction, in  
> ABE.  If there is value added to the students' learning by early  
> algebra exposure, it should be recognized in the accountability  
> measures.
>
>
>
> In the meantime, what can a program or its teachers do? You all  
> have made great suggestions: use manipulatives or realia to  
> facilitate deeper understanding of the operations with number,  
> teach computational skills along with conceptual understanding,  
> insist that computations be motivated by a real situation or an  
> application in measurement or data, use benchmarks and estimation  
> as a check for reasonableness.  These tactics serve both masters -  
> improving student understanding and attitude and, at the same time,  
> raising test scores.  Actually, there may be a third - keeping  
> students in the program longer than a month.
>
>
>
> Thanks for sharing this, Tina.  I also would like to hear other's  
> opinions.
>
>
>
> Myrna
>
>
>
>
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
> Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 12:52 PM
> To: The Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 383] Re: Final questions on math
>
>
>
> Myrna and all,
>
>
>
> I believe the reason I place many students into numeracy workbooks  
> first is that I want to be sure students can do basic adding,  
> subtracting, multiplying, and dividing so that when they perform  
> the other functions of fractions, decimals, percents, algebra, and  
> geometry, that their incorrect responses are due to not  
> understanding the new level of math rather than just making a  
> calculation error. Of course, even we as instructors still make  
> calculation errors, but I would like to minimize the frustration. I  
> have had numerous students with math anxiety or other math  
> disability get really frustrated with themselves when getting the  
> answer wrong adding fractions, for example, when all they did was  
> make a simple calculation error. Identifying where the error came  
> from is paramount to these students' sense of capability.
>
>
>
> The primary reason I begin most students with basic calculation  
> skills is due to our program's methodology. We are instructed as  
> new instructors to give the TABE and then to give a math pretest  
> even if the student is 11th grade + level. (One interesting finding  
> I have is having recent high school students come to me able to do  
> geometry and algebra, but they have forgotten how to divide. I am  
> sure many of you have had similar experiences.) This pretest  
> identifies challenge points in +, -, X, & ./. as well as decimals,  
> fractions, percents, ratio, proportion, and measurement. Then we  
> are instructed to place the students into the lowest level book and  
> work them up to the top level using study guides. We are a highly  
> linearly structured program. The reason for this linear system  
> setup, I believe, is indeed because we often only see students for  
> a month before they disappear, and we need to get an educational  
> gain from these students in about as many weeks to maintain our  
> funding.
>
>
>
> However, I do have the entire class do all lessons no matter what  
> their grade level is on their most recent TABE. Even if a student  
> just started coming to class and are at a fourth grade math level,  
> he or she will do the algebra lesson with the rest of us. I am a  
> firm believer that just because a student doesn't know his/her  
> timestables yet, that doesn't mean that same student won't be able  
> to understand that if 10 + a = 12, a = 2. I also believe that when  
> a student sees that he/she can do algebra, it builds self esteem.
>
>
>
> I hope this answers you question. I hope to hear other people's  
> ideas as well!
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Tina
>
>
>
>
> Tina Luffman
> Coordinator, Developmental Education
> Verde Valley Campus
> 928-634-6544
> tina_luffman at yc.edu
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment





-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




From mmanly at earthlink.net  Sun Jun 25 14:29:05 2006
From: mmanly at earthlink.net (Myrna Manly)
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:29:05 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 392] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming
In-Reply-To: <000501c69786$60f468c0$81bd044b@Judith>
Message-ID: <E1FuZMJ-0001wO-5r@elasmtp-mealy.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Greetings,

 

Judith has summed up the experience of this week of discussion very well.
While every comment may not have been perfectly suited for your particular
situation, we did learn from each other.  My week as a guest on the list
serve is over, but I will continue to be available here as just another
member of the assessment discussion list.  Thanks to Marie for arranging
this opportunity to bring math and numeracy to the forefront and thanks to
all of you who participated.

 

Myrna

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Judith Diamond
Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 4:05 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 385] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming

 

Hi Pam,

 

One of the things that is so enjoyable about an online discussion is that
occasionally you read something that changes the way you see things and that
you will clip and save and use.  Your idea of journals and how you structure
them might not resonate with all students.for some writing is just another
headache.but I can see it being a really meaningful connection both to math
and to their teacher for others.  Thanks.

 

Judith Diamond

Adult Learning Resource Center

 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Mdr151 at aol.com
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 10:52 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 384] Re: Math as a puzzle, or swimming

 

One of the greatest joys of being a math teacher is to see students dread
and hate of math turn to joy for math. One student that comes to mind just
recently graduated from a technical college. She shared with me that it took
her 9 years to consider coming back to school and facing math.  I was so
fortunate to have her for a student and watch her fear of math melt away.
One way I address math phobia is through journal writing. Students are
required to respond to a math prompt, provide examples, make connections and
lastly to reflect on their learning. It is in the reflections that the fear
and struggles are revealed. I journal back, giving them encouragement and
offering suggestions.

 

This particular student's journals showed her excitement in finally
understanding math and seeing connections. She continues today to send me
emails about math websites she has found or successes she has had since
being in college.She was so proud to share that she got an A in technical
physics and graduated with honors.

 

I truly believe we must develop a safe environment for math learners, one in
which they dare to take risks and not feel stupid in trying and one that
offers support in their stuggles.

 

Pam Meader

President,  Adult Numeracy Network

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jun 26 11:56:47 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:56:47 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 393]  Discussion Thanks!
Message-ID: <005d01c69939$21907a20$6f49e947@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,
 
I would like to thank Myrna Manly for being our Guest last week and
facilitating a super conversation on math and assessment!  Thanks as
well to all of you who contributed to the discussion - I'm sure
subscribers found the discussion as interesting and as informative as I
did. 
 
I will prepare the Math Discussion in user-friendly format, and post it
this week at the following locations for your use (I'll send out an
alert when it's posted):
 
*	The archive on the NIFL Discussion Lists Homepage
(http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html):  click on the
Guest Speaker button in the left toolbar for the archives of Guests on
the NIFL Lists.  
*	The ALE Wiki Assessment Section
(http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information):  click
on Discussions.  
*	You can read the entire thread now if you go to the Assessment
archive at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Assessment:  click on
Read Current Posted Messages.
 
Thanks again to Myrna for leading such a wonderful discussion on math
and assessment.  For anyone who wishes to continue the discussion, I
encourage you to do so - there were a number of points and questions
raised toward the end of the week that I've no doubt folks have opinions
about.
 
Thanks to all again,
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
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From mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu  Mon Jun 26 13:46:54 2006
From: mdick at lagcc.cuny.edu (Mae Dick)
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 13:46:54 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 394]   Re: Math anxiety and assessment
In-Reply-To: <A503C16D-2809-4CC5-A048-9EC9646F796E@comcast.net>
References: <4583411.1151007242913.JavaMail.bddavis@butlercc.edu>
	<A503C16D-2809-4CC5-A048-9EC9646F796E@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <449FE54E0200000A0019FC94@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>

Hi David et al. I'm sorry, but the adult literacy site I recommended for
math resources is intended as an internal one, and is not supposed to be
public. Putting out the username and password was an error. 
Having said that, what is it you are interested in? If you email Steve
at 
steve.hinds at mail.cuny.edu he could make suggestions for math material 
appropriate for your students.


>>> David Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> 06/22/06 4:23 PM >>>
Beverly and others,

On Jun 22, 2006, at 4:14 PM, Beverly Davis wrote:

> Mae, I went to the website you listed and couldn't get to any math
> problems.  Could you tell me what I am doing wrong.  Thank you!


1. Go to http://www.literacy.cuny.edu/ 
2. Select "Resources"
3. At the prompt, type in the user name literacy and the password   
resources06

David Rosen
djrosen at comcast.ne 


>
>
> Mae Dick wrote:
>
>
>> Hi there. I thought you might be interested in a math resource  
>> that was
> developed by Steve Hinds, a staff developer for adult literacy  
> programs
> in the City University of New York.  Here's a quote from a workshop
> Steve recently offered at the Literacy Assistance Center in NYC.  He
> says " Adult Literacy programs traditionally limit students in
> low-level classes to computation practice out of workbooks. Algebra,
> data and geometry topics are considered too difficult for these
> students until they have 'mastered the basics.'  Steve believes that
> students can increase their mathematical reasoning, number sense and
> enjoyment of math through the kinds of exercises he presents on the
> CUNY web site. Check it out. Go to <www.literacy.cuny.edu>.  The
user
> name is literacy and the password is resources06.
>>
>>>>> "Myrna Manly" <mmanly at earthlink.net> 06/20/06 5:03 PM >>>
>> Hi Lisa,
>> I'm happy to hear that you and your students are enjoying the book.
>> Introducing algebraic thinking early in student's math study has
now
> become
>> widespread in the reform math efforts in K-12. (It is also a
hallmark
> of the
>> new EMPower series for adults.) In 1992, when I wrote the first  
>> edition
> of
>> the book, I based my early-algebra-integration decision on my own
> experience
>> as one who had taught algebra to students at many levels and as an
> 'insider'
>> with respect to the GED Math test. (I had just left my job at
GEDTS.)
>>
>> The overarching principle when formulating items for the GED math  
>> test
> is to
>> assess the "major and lasting outcomes and skills of a high school
>> education." For the most part, this means that the skills and  
>> concepts
> that
>> are tested are ones that have some practical value. With respect to
> algebra,
>> I felt that using the concept of a variable, solving simple  
>> equations,
> and
>> graphing linear functions were the most obvious topics to be
> represented.
>>
>> As an algebra teacher, I had seen the difficulty that students had
in
> making
>> the transition to using variables and had added extra lessons to
the
>> textbooks that reviewed arithmetic principles by using variables in
> place of
>> specific numbers - that is, I used algebra to generalize
arithmetic.
>> So, it was an easy decision for me to integrate algebra early -
both
> from a
>> mathematics pedagogy standpoint and from an adult student attitude
>> perspective (knowing that many feel insulted by a review of  
>> arithmetic
> even
>> if their entrance scores indicate that need).
>>
>> As to your question about the results obtained when students are
> introduced
>> to algebraic ideas early in their mathematics study, I'm afraid  
>> that I
> have
>> no data to substantiate better scores sooner.  (That topic may be
one
> that a
>> practitioner would like to investigate as a project for the ANN
> practitioner
>> research grants.)
>>
>> Thanks for the question,
>> Myrna
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
>> bounces at nifl.gov] 
> On
>> Behalf Of Lisa Mullins
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:02 AM
>> To: The Assessment Discussion List
>> Subject: [Assessment 368] Re: Math anxiety and assessment
>>
>> Myrna,
>> In your book The Problem Solver you tackle algebraic
>> concepts in the very beginning of the book.  This is
>> in contrast to many books on the market.  I use this
>> technique as well.  My students are caught by the fact
>> that algebra (a scary term for some) is so simple and
>> can be used for many reasons. However, some people are
>> skeptical that this will result in better scores or
>> better understanding.
>>
>> Can you discuss the contrasts of learning math
>> beginning with whole numbers and working up to
>> algrebra versus using algebra as a problem solving
>> method with all number systems throughout the math
>> learning process.  Are the results better scores
>> sooner?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Lisa Mullins
>> Hawkins County Adult Ed
>> Rogersville, Tennessee
>>
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov 
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov 
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>>
>
> ---------------------------------------
> It is not the load that breaks you, it
> is the way you carry it.
>
> Beverly Davis
> ABE/GEDButler Community College
> Instructional Coordinator
> (316) 321-4030, ext. 113
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov 
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 

t



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From mnguyen at nifl.gov  Wed Jun 28 11:41:24 2006
From: mnguyen at nifl.gov (My Linh Nguyen)
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 11:41:24 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Assessment 395] National Institute for Literacy Appoints New Staff
Message-ID: <20060628154124.4535546555@dev.nifl.gov>

Hello everyone,

My name is My Linh Nguyen, and I am the new Associated Director of
Communications for the National Institute for Literacy. I would like to take
this opportunity to introduce myself along with three other new hires at the
Institute. The press release below introduces each of the four new hires and
identifies our roles and backgrounds. Thank you, and I look forward to
working with all of you. 


       National Institute for Literacy Appoints New Staff

The National Institute for Literacy has appointed four new staff members to
expand its capacity to contribute to improvements in adult, adolescent,
childhood and early childhood literacy.  

Andrea Grimaldi has joined the Institute as Senior Project Officer
in Early Childhood Literacy. She will be responsible for planning and
managing the Institute's work on early childhood literacy. She will also
oversee dissemination of the National Early Literacy Panel Report, expected
to be released in late 2006. 

My Linh Nguyen has joined the Institute as Associate Director of
Communications. In this capacity, she will plan and manage communications
activities designed raise awareness of literacy issues and the Institute's
products and services. 

The two other new staffers will join the Institute in July. Susan
Boorse, who will serve as Executive Officer, will have responsibility for
budgetary and financial management activities as well as administrative
functions. Heather Wright has been selected to serve as Dissemination
Specialist. In this capacity, she will plan and oversee implementation of
the Institute's print and electronic products to ensure that they are widely
and easily available.

"The arrival of these four individuals signals an exciting new era for the
National Institute for Literacy," said Dr. Sandra Baxter, the Institute's
Director. "Each of them brings fresh ideas and new perspectives along with
their diverse backgrounds and expertise. Their presence will reenergize our
existing programs and help us carry out new efforts to better serve the
adult and childhood literacy communities."

All four new appointees have a wide variety of experience in their
fields.

Ms. Grimaldi has more than a decade of experience as an early
childhood education teacher, program manager, and trainer. Most recently,
she served as the training manager for professional development with the
Public Broadcasting Service's (PBS) five-year Ready To Learn Initiative to
prepare young children for success in school through educational television,
web-based media and training for parents and teachers.

Ms. Nguyen comes to the Institute from the Delaware River Port
Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where she served as manager of
corporate communications and public information officer. She is a former
general assignment reporter and copy editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ms. Boorse served in the Peace Corps for eight years as an
administrative and budget officer. She also served four years as a VISTA
volunteer, working with a literacy program in Philadelphia, a rural school
district in Mississippi, and a fledgling Philadelphia Habitat for Humanity
affiliate. 

Ms. Wright comes to the Institute from the Montgomery County
Department of Public Libraries in Maryland, where, as Children's Librarian,
she was involved in early literacy programs for babies, toddlers,
preschoolers and elementary-school children. Her previous professional
background is in the field of marketing research, where she conducted many
research studies to measure the needs of customers and target markets, both
in the library setting and in the private sector. 
	
The National Institute for Literacy provides leadership on literacy
issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children,
youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education,
Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Institute serves as a national
resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice, and policy.


My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jun 29 12:33:27 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:33:27 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 396]  Math discussion available
Message-ID: <001d01c69b99$c0b5f690$6f49e947@LITNOW>

Hi everyone,
 
I've prepared the Math Discussion with Myrna and it is now posted at the
ALE Wiki:  http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
and click on Discussions.
 
This will also be posted shortly at the NIFL Assessment Discussion Guest
Archives:  http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guests.html
 
I hope you find this useful - if you do use it in some way, please let
me know how you have done so.  This is really helpful information for us
- the more we know about how you use the Discussion Lists, the better we
can serve your needs.
 
Also - I just wanted to note that the math discussion on the Women & Lit
List is carrying on and it continues to be extremely interesting.  
 
Thanks!!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 30 09:02:52 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:02:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 397]  FW: [AAACE-NLA] testing
Message-ID: <000f01c69c45$7f92ee50$6f49e947@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

I thought you would find this email exchange of interest.  The following
response to both Janet's and Hal's posts comes from Bob Bickerton.
(Read from the bottom up to get the thread in the correct order!).

Thoughts?  Comments?  Is your state satisfied with the elements that
make up its accountability system?  Is anyone else developing their own
assessments?  How do we hold onto the good purpose of standardization
("level the playing field") and improve how we (or test publishers)
understand the scope of content as well as test design?  Do you find
that our present landscape of tests and testing "adds value" or not?
What do you think?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
______________________________________


Dear Colleagues,

Janet's question is key as are the observations from Hal Beder's study.
There is an aspect of this conversation that I hope will be explored and
vetted on this list and that is:  Under what circumstances does testing
have/add value, to what extent, and what other measures must accompany
the
value that testing (may) bring?

My concern is that the volume of criticism of standardized testing leads
some (many?) to a conclusion that there is no such thing as "added
value" by
such testing.  I disagree.

Much of the criticism of standardized testing is right on target.  Many
such
tests are poorly designed.  Perhaps even worse, many standardized tests,
whether well or poorly designed, are used for purposes for which they
were
not designed and are not appropriate for.  Complicating this second
point is
that many test marketers are all to ready to blur the line between what
is
and is not an appropriate use of the test -- for them, testing ethics
come
second after profits.

When I started as an adult educator (some 35 years ago) I was an adamant
opponent of standardized testing -- primarily based on what I had heard
in
the media, re, test bias -- particularly when used on African American
and
other "minority" populations.  There was already some pressure back then
to
use standardized tests so I decided the learn everything I could about
the
"enemy" so I could push back with "facts" rather than just my opinions
and
my emotional response.  While teaching (part time in 3 different
programs) I
completed four semesters of relatively advanced statistics and two
courses
in tests and measures.  What I learned is that it isn't as clear cut as
I
had thought.  I have continued to read the research and study the pros
and
cons of standardized testing (I highly recommend reading the "Standards
for
Educational and Psychological Testing," AERA, APA, NCME) and have
concluded
that it is possible to develop and conduct standardized testing that
adds
real value, but that it is extraordinarily difficult (and expensive) to
do
so.  

In response to all the problems we were aware of with the TABE and other
standardized tests in Massachusetts, we entered into a partnership with
the
REEP program in Arlington, VA to adapt their ESOL writing assessment to
our
purposes, helped field test and ultimately adopted the BEST+ for ESOL
oral
assessment, and this July 1st we will be transitioning from using the
TABE
(we held our noses for 2 years) to a MAPT, a brand new ABE online test
we
developed in partnership with the U.Mass Center for Educational
Assessment
-- a portion of which is computer adaptive.  We've invested a lot of
time
and money (including hundreds of adult educators and thousands of
students)
to align this test with the learning standards in our curriculum
frameworks
(more than 5 years in the making and based on the work of hundreds of
adult
educators), to pilot the test getting reams of feedback from teachers
and
students including many face-to-face interviews and real time
observations,
and we believe the test we begin implementing in a few days WILL add
value
to the teaching and learning process as well as provide more valid,
reliable, fair and legitimate data for our state's ABE performance
accountability system.  I've copied Jane Schwerdtfeger because she's
labored
tirelessly in the office -- but even more in the field with our
colleagues
to help us reach this point.  Thank you Jane!

Each state will approach these issues differently -- and for the most
part,
this can be good.  What I believe we shouldn't do is:
1.  Accept the claims of test publishers.  It's the test users
responsibility to determine how appropriate a test is for the intended
use.
2.  Write off all standardized tests as bad and hope they'll just go
away --
or spend hours commiserating when they don't.  We can use our time
better
than that.

[NOTE:  the "Standards" referenced above took 10 years of debate among
AERA,
APA and NCME during the very time when criticisms of standardized
testing
were at their peak.  Many of those involved in the debate had very
strong
reservations about the quality of many standardized tests and how they
were
often misused.  The standards are designed to address these very
issues.]

take care,
bob bickerton, MA associate commissioner of education and come 7/1/06
past
chair of NCSDAE/NAEPDC (welcome back to the chair role to Israel Mendoza
of
WA) and former MA state director of adult education (3 cheers for Anne
Serino, MA SDAE!).  

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of Janet
Isserlis
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 9:14 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] testing


AND

what do the tests actually test?

Janet Isserlis


> From: Jon Steinberg <jons at lacnyc.org>
> Reply-To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
>> Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:48:37 -0400
> 
> Re: Adult Literacy Assessment
> Another NCSALL publication, "Lessons from NCSALL's Outcomes and
Impacts
> Study" by Hal Beder in FOB (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=386) summarizes
an
> analysis of 17 studies of adult literacy programs. This article notes
> that although standardized tests showed little evidence of progress,
> most learners asserted that they had made significant gains. Beder
> offers various hypotheses that might explain this discrepancy. At a
> minimum, his analysis should make us wary of asserting that
> disappointing test results accurately measure the effectiveness of
adult
> education programs even though the students in them are so convinced
> they are learning that they attend class week after week, often
despite
> great obstacles. As Marx (Groucho) said, "Who are you going to
believe,
> me or your own eyes?"
> 

_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org



From edl at world.std.com  Thu Jun 29 16:55:25 2006
From: edl at world.std.com (Esther D Leonelli)
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:55:25 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 398] Re: Math discussion available
In-Reply-To: <001d01c69b99$c0b5f690$6f49e947@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <Pine.SGI.4.30.0606291651360.29143-100000@world.std.com>

Hello, Marie - some of the math discussion spilled over on to the Numeracy
list as well with people responding to the NIFL announcement which I
cross-posted there. If you want I will copy them also to your discussion
although they may be more responsive to the women & literacy list.

Thanks for hosting the discussion and thanks to Myrna for a lively week of
math talk.

Esther

Moderator, ANN Numeracy list
(numeracy at world.std.com)


On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, Marie Cora wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I've prepared the Math Discussion with Myrna and it is now posted at the
> ALE Wiki:  http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
> and click on Discussions.
>
> This will also be posted shortly at the NIFL Assessment Discussion Guest
> Archives:  http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guests.html
>
> I hope you find this useful - if you do use it in some way, please let
> me know how you have done so.  This is really helpful information for us
> - the more we know about how you use the Discussion Lists, the better we
> can serve your needs.
>
> Also - I just wanted to note that the math discussion on the Women & Lit
> List is carrying on and it continues to be extremely interesting.
>
> Thanks!!
>
> Marie Cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jun 30 09:28:02 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:28:02 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 399] Re: Math discussion available
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SGI.4.30.0606291651360.29143-100000@world.std.com>
Message-ID: <000501c69c49$037961b0$6f49e947@LITNOW>

Hi Esther - thanks for this.  FYI everyone:  to subscribe to the
Numeracy Discussion List and to view the archives, go to:

http://www.literacynet.org/ann/numeracylist.html

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Esther D Leonelli
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 4:55 PM
To: Marie Cora
Cc: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 398] Re: Math discussion available

Hello, Marie - some of the math discussion spilled over on to the
Numeracy
list as well with people responding to the NIFL announcement which I
cross-posted there. If you want I will copy them also to your discussion
although they may be more responsive to the women & literacy list.

Thanks for hosting the discussion and thanks to Myrna for a lively week
of
math talk.

Esther

Moderator, ANN Numeracy list
(numeracy at world.std.com)


On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, Marie Cora wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I've prepared the Math Discussion with Myrna and it is now posted at
the
> ALE Wiki:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
> and click on Discussions.
>
> This will also be posted shortly at the NIFL Assessment Discussion
Guest
> Archives:  http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guests.html
>
> I hope you find this useful - if you do use it in some way, please let
> me know how you have done so.  This is really helpful information for
us
> - the more we know about how you use the Discussion Lists, the better
we
> can serve your needs.
>
> Also - I just wanted to note that the math discussion on the Women &
Lit
> List is carrying on and it continues to be extremely interesting.
>
> Thanks!!
>
> Marie Cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
>
>

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From bgiven at gmu.edu  Fri Jun 30 09:46:03 2006
From: bgiven at gmu.edu (Barbara K Given)
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:46:03 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 400] Re: FW: [AAACE-NLA] testing
In-Reply-To: <000f01c69c45$7f92ee50$6f49e947@LITNOW>
References: <000f01c69c45$7f92ee50$6f49e947@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <f6f7f305952f.44a4f2db@gmu.edu>

since my colleagues and I are in the throws of developing a computer-driven adult assessment tool in reading, I'd like to learn more about the MAPT to avoid redundancy. We have a prototype developed and are moving forward with item development, but we are a long way from having a tool ready for field testing. When we get that far, I trust there will be practitioners out there willing to assist us in standardization. Yes, standardization is essential even for tests used to measure specific progress. barb given

Barbara K. Given, Ph.D.
Director, Adolescent and Adult Learning Research Center
Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, and
Director, Center for Honoring Individual Learning Diversity, an International Learning Styles Center 
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
Fax: 703-993-4325
Ph:  703-993-4406


----- Original Message -----
From: Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com>
Date: Friday, June 30, 2006 9:02 am
Subject: [Assessment 397]  FW: [AAACE-NLA] testing

> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> I thought you would find this email exchange of interest.  The 
> followingresponse to both Janet's and Hal's posts comes from Bob 
> Bickerton.(Read from the bottom up to get the thread in the 
> correct order!).
> 
> Thoughts?  Comments?  Is your state satisfied with the elements that
> make up its accountability system?  Is anyone else developing 
> their own
> assessments?  How do we hold onto the good purpose of standardization
> ("level the playing field") and improve how we (or test publishers)
> understand the scope of content as well as test design?  Do you find
> that our present landscape of tests and testing "adds value" or not?
> What do you think?
> 
> Marie Cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
> ______________________________________
> 
> 
> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> Janet's question is key as are the observations from Hal Beder's 
> study.There is an aspect of this conversation that I hope will be 
> explored and
> vetted on this list and that is:  Under what circumstances does 
> testinghave/add value, to what extent, and what other measures 
> must accompany
> the
> value that testing (may) bring?
> 
> My concern is that the volume of criticism of standardized testing 
> leadssome (many?) to a conclusion that there is no such thing as 
> "addedvalue" by
> such testing.  I disagree.
> 
> Much of the criticism of standardized testing is right on target.  
> Manysuch
> tests are poorly designed.  Perhaps even worse, many standardized 
> tests,whether well or poorly designed, are used for purposes for 
> which they
> were
> not designed and are not appropriate for.  Complicating this second
> point is
> that many test marketers are all to ready to blur the line between 
> whatis
> and is not an appropriate use of the test -- for them, testing ethics
> come
> second after profits.
> 
> When I started as an adult educator (some 35 years ago) I was an 
> adamantopponent of standardized testing -- primarily based on what 
> I had heard
> in
> the media, re, test bias -- particularly when used on African American
> and
> other "minority" populations.  There was already some pressure 
> back then
> to
> use standardized tests so I decided the learn everything I could about
> the
> "enemy" so I could push back with "facts" rather than just my opinions
> and
> my emotional response.  While teaching (part time in 3 different
> programs) I
> completed four semesters of relatively advanced statistics and two
> courses
> in tests and measures.  What I learned is that it isn't as clear 
> cut as
> I
> had thought.  I have continued to read the research and study the pros
> and
> cons of standardized testing (I highly recommend reading the 
> "Standardsfor
> Educational and Psychological Testing," AERA, APA, NCME) and have
> concluded
> that it is possible to develop and conduct standardized testing that
> adds
> real value, but that it is extraordinarily difficult (and 
> expensive) to
> do
> so.  
> 
> In response to all the problems we were aware of with the TABE and 
> otherstandardized tests in Massachusetts, we entered into a 
> partnership with
> the
> REEP program in Arlington, VA to adapt their ESOL writing 
> assessment to
> our
> purposes, helped field test and ultimately adopted the BEST+ for ESOL
> oral
> assessment, and this July 1st we will be transitioning from using the
> TABE
> (we held our noses for 2 years) to a MAPT, a brand new ABE online test
> we
> developed in partnership with the U.Mass Center for Educational
> Assessment
> -- a portion of which is computer adaptive.  We've invested a lot of
> time
> and money (including hundreds of adult educators and thousands of
> students)
> to align this test with the learning standards in our curriculum
> frameworks
> (more than 5 years in the making and based on the work of hundreds of
> adult
> educators), to pilot the test getting reams of feedback from teachers
> and
> students including many face-to-face interviews and real time
> observations,
> and we believe the test we begin implementing in a few days WILL add
> value
> to the teaching and learning process as well as provide more valid,
> reliable, fair and legitimate data for our state's ABE performance
> accountability system.  I've copied Jane Schwerdtfeger because she's
> labored
> tirelessly in the office -- but even more in the field with our
> colleagues
> to help us reach this point.  Thank you Jane!
> 
> Each state will approach these issues differently -- and for the most
> part,
> this can be good.  What I believe we shouldn't do is:
> 1.  Accept the claims of test publishers.  It's the test users
> responsibility to determine how appropriate a test is for the intended
> use.
> 2.  Write off all standardized tests as bad and hope they'll just go
> away --
> or spend hours commiserating when they don't.  We can use our time
> better
> than that.
> 
> [NOTE:  the "Standards" referenced above took 10 years of debate among
> AERA,
> APA and NCME during the very time when criticisms of standardized
> testing
> were at their peak.  Many of those involved in the debate had very
> strong
> reservations about the quality of many standardized tests and how they
> were
> often misused.  The standards are designed to address these very
> issues.]
> 
> take care,
> bob bickerton, MA associate commissioner of education and come 7/1/06
> past
> chair of NCSDAE/NAEPDC (welcome back to the chair role to Israel 
> Mendozaof
> WA) and former MA state director of adult education (3 cheers for Anne
> Serino, MA SDAE!).  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
> [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of Janet
> Isserlis
> Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 9:14 AM
> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] testing
> 
> 
> AND
> 
> what do the tests actually test?
> 
> Janet Isserlis
> 
> 
> > From: Jon Steinberg <jons at lacnyc.org>
> > Reply-To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> >> Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:48:37 -0400
> > 
> > Re: Adult Literacy Assessment
> > Another NCSALL publication, "Lessons from NCSALL's Outcomes and
> Impacts
> > Study" by Hal Beder in FOB (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=386) 
> summarizesan
> > analysis of 17 studies of adult literacy programs. This article 
> notes> that although standardized tests showed little evidence of 
> progress,> most learners asserted that they had made significant 
> gains. Beder
> > offers various hypotheses that might explain this discrepancy. 
> At a
> > minimum, his analysis should make us wary of asserting that
> > disappointing test results accurately measure the effectiveness of
> adult
> > education programs even though the students in them are so convinced
> > they are learning that they attend class week after week, often
> despite
> > great obstacles. As Marx (Groucho) said, "Who are you going to
> believe,
> > me or your own eyes?"
> > 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
> http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
> LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
> http://literacytent.org
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From edl at world.std.com  Fri Jun 30 10:31:25 2006
From: edl at world.std.com (Esther D Leonelli)
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:31:25 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 401] Re: Math discussion available
In-Reply-To: <000501c69c49$037961b0$6f49e947@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <Pine.SGI.4.30.0606301023170.4894-100000@world.std.com>

Hello, Marie - unfortunately the Numeracy list is no longer archived on
the NIFL LINCS web-site.

The Numeracy list is still archived on The Math Forum at Drexel:

http://mathforum.org/kb/forum.jspa?forumID=219

Folks can also subscribe without joining ANN (although we welcome all
adult math educators to do so):

To subscribe to the Numeracy list, write to: majordomo at world.std.com
In the message area, type: subscribe numeracy
Click here now to subscribe.

There is also a Numeracy Research and Practice topic section on the ALE
Wiki -

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Numeracy_Research_and_Practice

I will post a link there to your discussion section and copy some of the
Numeracy list discussion there.

Esther
Moderator, Numeracy list
ALE Wikiteer for Numeracy


On Fri, 30 Jun 2006, Marie Cora wrote:

> Hi Esther - thanks for this.  FYI everyone:  to subscribe to the
> Numeracy Discussion List and to view the archives, go to:
>
> http://www.literacynet.org/ann/numeracylist.html
>
> Marie Cora
> Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
> On Behalf Of Esther D Leonelli
> Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 4:55 PM
> To: Marie Cora
> Cc: Assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 398] Re: Math discussion available
>
> Hello, Marie - some of the math discussion spilled over on to the
> Numeracy
> list as well with people responding to the NIFL announcement which I
> cross-posted there. If you want I will copy them also to your discussion
> although they may be more responsive to the women & literacy list.
>
> Thanks for hosting the discussion and thanks to Myrna for a lively week
> of
> math talk.
>
> Esther
>
> Moderator, ANN Numeracy list
> (numeracy at world.std.com)
>
>
> On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, Marie Cora wrote:
>
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I've prepared the Math Discussion with Myrna and it is now posted at
> the
> > ALE Wiki:
> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
> > and click on Discussions.
> >
> > This will also be posted shortly at the NIFL Assessment Discussion
> Guest
> > Archives:  http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guests.html
> >
> > I hope you find this useful - if you do use it in some way, please let
> > me know how you have done so.  This is really helpful information for
> us
> > - the more we know about how you use the Discussion Lists, the better
> we
> > can serve your needs.
> >
> > Also - I just wanted to note that the math discussion on the Women &
> Lit
> > List is carrying on and it continues to be extremely interesting.
> >
> > Thanks!!
> >
> > Marie Cora
> > Assessment Discussion List Moderator
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



From barguedas at sfccnm.edu  Fri Jun 30 11:11:11 2006
From: barguedas at sfccnm.edu (Barbara Arguedas)
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:11:11 -0600
Subject: [Assessment 402] Re: FW: [AAACE-NLA] testing
Message-ID: <4CFDD6B88B634C409A76C0F44B3509BE029C47CD@ex01.sfcc.edu>

Thank you for the great dialogue on standardized assessment.  Bob
Bickerton says "...this July 1st we will be transitioning from using the
TABE (we held our noses for 2 years) to a MAPT, a brand new ABE online
test we developed in partnership with the U.Mass Center for Educational
Assessment
-- a portion of which is computer adaptive."  

May I ask if this test -- the MAPT -- is available to other states to
purchase?  I understand that there was a large investment made so I
would expect that there would be a cost for others to use it, if in fact
it is found to meet the needs of programs outside Massachusetts.  It
seems we should also adopt the curriculum standards that the MAPT is
correlated to.  Anyway, just wondering about how to access this
instrument rather than reinventing. 

Thank you.
Barbara Arguedas
ABE Director
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, NM


-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 7:03 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 397] FW: [AAACE-NLA] testing

Dear Colleagues,

I thought you would find this email exchange of interest.  The following
response to both Janet's and Hal's posts comes from Bob Bickerton.
(Read from the bottom up to get the thread in the correct order!).

Thoughts?  Comments?  Is your state satisfied with the elements that
make up its accountability system?  Is anyone else developing their own
assessments?  How do we hold onto the good purpose of standardization
("level the playing field") and improve how we (or test publishers)
understand the scope of content as well as test design?  Do you find
that our present landscape of tests and testing "adds value" or not?
What do you think?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
______________________________________


Dear Colleagues,

Janet's question is key as are the observations from Hal Beder's study.
There is an aspect of this conversation that I hope will be explored and
vetted on this list and that is:  Under what circumstances does testing
have/add value, to what extent, and what other measures must accompany
the
value that testing (may) bring?

My concern is that the volume of criticism of standardized testing leads
some (many?) to a conclusion that there is no such thing as "added
value" by
such testing.  I disagree.

Much of the criticism of standardized testing is right on target.  Many
such
tests are poorly designed.  Perhaps even worse, many standardized tests,
whether well or poorly designed, are used for purposes for which they
were
not designed and are not appropriate for.  Complicating this second
point is
that many test marketers are all to ready to blur the line between what
is
and is not an appropriate use of the test -- for them, testing ethics
come
second after profits.

When I started as an adult educator (some 35 years ago) I was an adamant
opponent of standardized testing -- primarily based on what I had heard
in
the media, re, test bias -- particularly when used on African American
and
other "minority" populations.  There was already some pressure back then
to
use standardized tests so I decided the learn everything I could about
the
"enemy" so I could push back with "facts" rather than just my opinions
and
my emotional response.  While teaching (part time in 3 different
programs) I
completed four semesters of relatively advanced statistics and two
courses
in tests and measures.  What I learned is that it isn't as clear cut as
I
had thought.  I have continued to read the research and study the pros
and
cons of standardized testing (I highly recommend reading the "Standards
for
Educational and Psychological Testing," AERA, APA, NCME) and have
concluded
that it is possible to develop and conduct standardized testing that
adds
real value, but that it is extraordinarily difficult (and expensive) to
do
so.  

In response to all the problems we were aware of with the TABE and other
standardized tests in Massachusetts, we entered into a partnership with
the
REEP program in Arlington, VA to adapt their ESOL writing assessment to
our
purposes, helped field test and ultimately adopted the BEST+ for ESOL
oral
assessment, and this July 1st we will be transitioning from using the
TABE
(we held our noses for 2 years) to a MAPT, a brand new ABE online test
we
developed in partnership with the U.Mass Center for Educational
Assessment
-- a portion of which is computer adaptive.  We've invested a lot of
time
and money (including hundreds of adult educators and thousands of
students)
to align this test with the learning standards in our curriculum
frameworks
(more than 5 years in the making and based on the work of hundreds of
adult
educators), to pilot the test getting reams of feedback from teachers
and
students including many face-to-face interviews and real time
observations,
and we believe the test we begin implementing in a few days WILL add
value
to the teaching and learning process as well as provide more valid,
reliable, fair and legitimate data for our state's ABE performance
accountability system.  I've copied Jane Schwerdtfeger because she's
labored
tirelessly in the office -- but even more in the field with our
colleagues
to help us reach this point.  Thank you Jane!

Each state will approach these issues differently -- and for the most
part,
this can be good.  What I believe we shouldn't do is:
1.  Accept the claims of test publishers.  It's the test users
responsibility to determine how appropriate a test is for the intended
use.
2.  Write off all standardized tests as bad and hope they'll just go
away --
or spend hours commiserating when they don't.  We can use our time
better
than that.

[NOTE:  the "Standards" referenced above took 10 years of debate among
AERA,
APA and NCME during the very time when criticisms of standardized
testing
were at their peak.  Many of those involved in the debate had very
strong
reservations about the quality of many standardized tests and how they
were
often misused.  The standards are designed to address these very
issues.]

take care,
bob bickerton, MA associate commissioner of education and come 7/1/06
past
chair of NCSDAE/NAEPDC (welcome back to the chair role to Israel Mendoza
of
WA) and former MA state director of adult education (3 cheers for Anne
Serino, MA SDAE!).  

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of Janet
Isserlis
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 9:14 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] testing


AND

what do the tests actually test?

Janet Isserlis


> From: Jon Steinberg <jons at lacnyc.org>
> Reply-To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
>> Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:48:37 -0400
> 
> Re: Adult Literacy Assessment
> Another NCSALL publication, "Lessons from NCSALL's Outcomes and
Impacts
> Study" by Hal Beder in FOB (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=386) summarizes
an
> analysis of 17 studies of adult literacy programs. This article notes
> that although standardized tests showed little evidence of progress,
> most learners asserted that they had made significant gains. Beder
> offers various hypotheses that might explain this discrepancy. At a
> minimum, his analysis should make us wary of asserting that
> disappointing test results accurately measure the effectiveness of
adult
> education programs even though the students in them are so convinced
> they are learning that they attend class week after week, often
despite
> great obstacles. As Marx (Groucho) said, "Who are you going to
believe,
> me or your own eyes?"
> 

_______________________________________________
AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org

-------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jul  6 09:05:38 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 09:05:38 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 403] Persistence Study to be discussed on Special
	Topics Discussion List
Message-ID: <005501c6a0fc$e0efc310$0302a8c0@LITNOW>



Colleagues,

On the Special Topics discussion list from July 10th-18th, Dr. John  
Comings, Director of the National Center for the Study of Adult  
Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), will  be a guest to discuss his  
research on student persistence in adult literacy education.

John introduces the discussion this way:

"When a group of us at World Education were preparing to write the  
proposal for the funds that have supported NCSALL, we surveyed  
practitioners and policy makers around the country to help us design  
our research agenda. Almost 500 people participated in the survey. We  
asked the survey participants to send us the questions that they  
wanted answered to help them improve practice in ABE, ESOL, and GED  
programs. One question was at the top of the list for teachers and  
second on everyone else's list. One teacher phrased it this way,  
"Just when they begin to make progress, many students leave the  
program.   How can I keep those students long enough that they can  
meet their educational goals?"

That question formed the basis of a three-phase study of persistence.  
The first two phases are complete.  The first phase surveyed the  
literature, interviewed 150 students in the six New England states,  
and identified ways that programs were trying to support the  
persistence of their students. The report of that first phase can be  
found at:

<http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/report12.pdf>

In the second phase, 9 library literacy programs were provided with  
funds to implement interventions that might help improve persistence,  
and our study team observed the programs and interviewed their staff  
and students. We also followed a cohort of 180 students for 14  
months.  The report of that second phase can be found at:

<http://www.mdrc.org/publications/401/overview.html>

We are prepared to implement the third phase, but NCSALL no longer  
has funding to begin a new research project. This next phase would  
test three interventions. One would add persistence supports to  
existing classroom programs, one would use a wide range of modes of  
learning (in programs and through self study on-line and in other  
ways) that more closely match the way adults manage their learning,  
and the third would combine these two approaches. I believe the third  
approach is a promising way to solve the persistence problem, as well  
as it can be solved.

I'm looking forward to your questions, but I would also be interested  
in practical ideas of how to build support to persistence and how to  
expand opportunities for learning."

-----

Special Topics is an intermittent discussion list.  The topics open  
and close throughout the year, so there are periods where there will  
be no discussion or postings. You can subscribe to the e-list for a  
particular topic of interest, and then unsubscribe, or you can stay  
subscribed throughout the year.  To participate in this topic, you  
can subscribe by going to:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion List Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net







From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jul  7 20:28:50 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 20:28:50 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 404]  Testing
Message-ID: <001b01c6a225$7cdbb120$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,

The following post is from Tom Sticht.
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
________________________________________________________________________
___


In discussing test development efforts Marie Cora asked: "How do we hold
onto the good purpose of standardization ("level the playing field") and
improve how we (or test publishers) understand the scope of content as
well
as test design?

My reply: The purpose of "standardization" in testing is not to "level
the
playing field" if by that we think that all examinees start from the
same
"level" of knowledge and/or skill. Rather, the purpose of
standardization
is to have the testing situation approach the methods of experimental
research in which all variables are held constant or standard from one
test
situation to another while the experimental variable, say reading, is
the
only variable which is allowed to vary and affect the test performance.
This is the purpose of "standardization." But note that this is not the
same as "norming" or "scaling" the tests.

The latter result from the need to develop scales of measurement to
interpret the scores on the tests in some way so that the test
performance
is indicative of something beyond the test scores themselves. One can
conduct standardized testing without providing a norm-referenced scale
for
interpreting the test scores. A teacher who gives a 100 point test to
students about what was taught in the preceding six weeks may make
certain
that everyone gets the same standards of test administration and then
interpret the test scores as 90 -100 gets a A, 80-89 get a B, 70-79 a C
and
so forth. This is a criterion-referenced means of interpreting the
scores.

In  a norm-referenced approach, the teacher would look at the
distribution
of test scores and decide that 10 percent of students will get As, 20
percent Bs, 30 percent Cs, 20 percent Ds, and the remainder Fs. One then
divides the distribution of scores so that these percentages are
obtained.
In this case, scores of 60-75 may get As, 45-59, Bs etc. This is known
frequently as "grading on the curve."

In general, the tests made by publishers (e.g., TABE, ABLE, CASAS, NAAL)
are
both "normed" in some way, and administered in some standardized manner
(e.g., time limits are specified, all take the tests in similar
conditions
to those used in developing the tests, etc. Interestingly, it is
generally
the conditions of standardization rather than other factors (e.g.,
content
knowledge) that are permitted to vary when accommodations for the
learning
disabled are made).

The second part of Marie's question  "and improve how we (or test
publishers) understand the scope of content as well as test design?"
falls
into these questions of about how we go about developing scales of
measurement that are useful for various purposes.

Tom Sticht







From kabeall at comcast.net  Mon Jul 10 19:19:18 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 19:19:18 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 404]  New from NCSALL--Adult Student Persistence
Message-ID: <002401c6a477$4523dec0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

Study Circle Guide: Adult Student Persistence

 

Newly revised to include the second phase of the NCSALL research on adult
student persistence, this guide provides comprehensive instructions for
facilitating a 10?-hour study circle. It explores what the research says
about adult student persistence and ideas for how to apply what is learned
in classrooms and programs. The guide is based on a review of the NCSALL
research on adult student persistence conducted by John Comings and others,
summarized in an article entitled ?Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic
Education Students? and other studies on student motivation and retention.
It includes articles, resources, and action research reports to help
practitioners consider strategies for increasing adult student persistence.
This guide provides all the necessary materials and clear instructions to
plan and facilitate a three-session study circle with an option for a
fourth. Each session lasts three-and-a-half hours.

 

To download the study circle guide, visit NCSALL?s Web site:
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=896

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From MMaralit at NIFL.gov  Wed Jul 12 10:08:29 2006
From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo)
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:08:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 405] Persistence Among Adult Education Students Video
	and transcript
Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0B932FA0@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov>

The National Institute for Literacy and the National Center for the Study of
Adult Learning and Literacy present Persistence Among Adult Education
Students Panel Discussion

This 30 minute video focuses on persistence in ABE, ESOL, and GED programs,
and features a NCSALL study entitled, "Supporting the Persistence of Adult
Basic Education Students."

Dr. John Cummings presentation examines student persistence in adult
education programs. He presents a working definition of persistence,
examines existing research, and describes NCSALL's three-phase study of the
factors that support and inhibit persistence. Other panelist include two
practitioners, Kathy Endaya and Ernest Best.  

You will find the video streamed and transcript by going to:
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/persistence/persistence_cast.html

You may need to cut and paste the whole web address in your browser,  
or you could try this shorter version: http://tinyurl.com/s6tcu
Macintosh users will need to select the Quicktime format for viewing  
the presentation.

The DVD of the panel will be available within the next two months, for more
information, contact info at nifl.gov.

Also, it is not too late to join in on the Special Topics list discussion
with Dr. Cummings, for more information, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/000088.html

Jo Maralit
National Institute for Literacy
mmaralit at nifl.gov
http://www.nifl.gov/  


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jul 17 07:58:46 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 07:58:46 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 406]  Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
Message-ID: <008901c6a998$5c0125a0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email
finds you well.
 
I wanted to let everyone know that during this week, Larry Condelli from
AIR (American Institutes of Research), who works with the NRS, and Sarah
Young, from CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics) who works with BEST
Plus will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding
the changes in ESOL Level Descriptors, which go into effect this summer
(this month I believe).  I also encourage anyone who has questions
regarding other ESOL tests (CASAS or EFF for example) to join in this
Q&A.  Because the Level Descriptors have been adjusted, the tests used
to track learning gains also have undergone some shifting and it is
important that we understand what these changes are.  
 
Larry and Sarah will be present on the List during this week, but
perhaps intermittently - replies may not come immediately.  I encourage
you to post your question to the List, or to send your question to me
for posting, if you prefer that.  
 
Larry, Sarah, and others working with any of the ESOL tests - feel free
to jump in and give us a thumbnail sketch of what the changes are and
how they might affect our work in programs and with students.
 
The NRS homepage is located at:  http://www.nrsweb.org/
To view information on the NRS Level Descriptors, please go to:
http://www.nrsweb.org/reports/NewESLdescriptors.pdf
At the bottom of the NRS homepage, see also:  NRS Changes for Program
Year 2006
 
Thanks so much - I'm looking forward to understanding this information,
and hearing what folks questions are regarding the changes.
 
Marie T. Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jul 17 11:45:28 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 11:45:28 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 407] FW: [SpecialTopics 141] Keeping students' eyes on
	the prize
Message-ID: <00d701c6a9b8$09cb41b0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear colleagues,

The following post if from David Rosen and the Special Topics List,
which is hosting a discussion on student persistence now.  I thought
perhaps some of you might be interested in David's second paragraph
especially, in which he asks a series of questions on what might help
students to persist when their goals are quite far away.  For example,
David asks about recognition ceremonies, formative assessment, and
awarding certificates for incremental achievements, something that was
asked on this List a couple of months back, first by Howard Dooley, and
then followed up by the email I am pasting below from Ramsey Ludlow:


Hello- 

I believe Howard Dooley was asking whether any program awards
certificates 
to adults for skills attainment- not whether teachers are certified: 
"Does your state have a process for recognizing skill attainment before
a 
secondary credential is awarded? Is it considering one? If so, what 
standards are included? What levels of performance are recognized? What 
assessments are being used?" 

I'd be very interested to hear answers to this; there are many learners
who 
attain useful and marketable skills, but who are many semesters away
from a 
diploma. Do programs award certifications that a learner show a
potential 
employer what the learner knows and is able to do- before a learner has 
attained a diploma or GED? 

thank you, 
Ramsey Ludlow 
Oxford Hills Adult Education 
256 Main Street 
South Paris, Maine 04281 
ludlowr at sad17.k12.me.us


Your thoughts?  Reactions?  Suggestions?  Do any folks out there
"formally" recognize formative assessment results or incremental
achievements?  What do you do?  How does it work?  Is it successful?
Please share your thoughts and experiences.

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

*********************************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:26 PM
To: Specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 141] Keeping students' eyes on the prize

John, and other colleagues,

Part of the persistence challenge is that some adult learners make  
progress very slowly and have so very far to go before they see the  
prize they may have their eyes on.  The prize might be a high school  
diploma, a better job, a living wage, a good job with a decent salary  
and good benefits, or going to college, but these may be basic  
literacy or beginning English language students who need years of  
study to achieve one of these goals.  One answer might be to increase  
intensity, more time on task, more hours of study.  But this is not  
always possible for programs, because they lack the funding to  
increase intensity of classroom instruction, or for learners, who  
usually have other commitments like working and parenting.  Funders  
-- especially companies when they fund "workplace literacy" -- often  
want results in  a few weeks or months, and even major federal and  
state funders want results at the end of the fiscal year, either one  
of these prizes or evidence of progress toward its attainment.

Are there some ways we could sustain the student's original motive or  
goal (the GED diploma, a good job, or an admission to college prize)  
over several years, if needed.  What do we know about  strategies  
like awarding certificates for small achievements, holding annual  
recognition ceremonies, and providing good formative assessment so  
students can see they have reached some milestones? How about  
strategies like building community, providing food, helping students  
to learn skills that they can use in daily living?  Can we articulate  
from research and/or professional wisdom what strategies work (if  
any) in sustaining long-term students' motivation and convince  
funders that we need their support for these strategies?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net






From bonniesophia at adelphia.net  Mon Jul 17 12:18:45 2006
From: bonniesophia at adelphia.net (Bonnie Odiorne)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:18:45 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 408] Re: FW: [SpecialTopics 141] Keeping students' eyes
	onthe prize
In-Reply-To: <00d701c6a9b8$09cb41b0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <007901c6a9bc$adb8c0f0$0202a8c0@PC979240272114>

Re: persistence
Sorry I can't join another list serve just now, but I can add this, which I
hope Marie will forward, and since it concerns "measurable outcomes," I
would think addresses assessment interests as well.
When I was involved in a WIA-funded Adult Ed/Technology/Workplace program,
CT, in accordance w/ NRS guidelines, was not able to count increased test
scores as a positive outcome. We had students who were GED or HS graduates
so could not report their degree. Still, in testing scores, or in less
tangible areas such as study skills, behavior, organization, time-management
and level of discourse and/or comprehension that would concern college
transition skills, they were far from ready to go on for higher education.
Our program could not justify continued funding based on the need for skills
improvement alone. And given the economic downturn that continues in this
area, they couldn't obtain jobs that allowed them to utilize the increased
education and technological skills they did have, so they were little better
off than when they started, which I'd imagine would have an impact on
persistence even were our program allowed to continue to serve them.
Bonnie Odiorne, Ph.D.
Director, Writing Center, Adjunct faculty
University Learning Center, Post University
Waterbury, CT

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 11:45 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 407] FW: [SpecialTopics 141] Keeping students' eyes
onthe prize

Dear colleagues,

The following post if from David Rosen and the Special Topics List,
which is hosting a discussion on student persistence now.  I thought
perhaps some of you might be interested in David's second paragraph
especially, in which he asks a series of questions on what might help
students to persist when their goals are quite far away.  For example,
David asks about recognition ceremonies, formative assessment, and
awarding certificates for incremental achievements, something that was
asked on this List a couple of months back, first by Howard Dooley, and
then followed up by the email I am pasting below from Ramsey Ludlow:


Hello- 

I believe Howard Dooley was asking whether any program awards
certificates 
to adults for skills attainment- not whether teachers are certified: 
"Does your state have a process for recognizing skill attainment before
a 
secondary credential is awarded? Is it considering one? If so, what 
standards are included? What levels of performance are recognized? What 
assessments are being used?" 

I'd be very interested to hear answers to this; there are many learners
who 
attain useful and marketable skills, but who are many semesters away
from a 
diploma. Do programs award certifications that a learner show a
potential 
employer what the learner knows and is able to do- before a learner has 
attained a diploma or GED? 

thank you, 
Ramsey Ludlow 
Oxford Hills Adult Education 
256 Main Street 
South Paris, Maine 04281 
ludlowr at sad17.k12.me.us


Your thoughts?  Reactions?  Suggestions?  Do any folks out there
"formally" recognize formative assessment results or incremental
achievements?  What do you do?  How does it work?  Is it successful?
Please share your thoughts and experiences.

marie cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

*********************************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:26 PM
To: Specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 141] Keeping students' eyes on the prize

John, and other colleagues,

Part of the persistence challenge is that some adult learners make  
progress very slowly and have so very far to go before they see the  
prize they may have their eyes on.  The prize might be a high school  
diploma, a better job, a living wage, a good job with a decent salary  
and good benefits, or going to college, but these may be basic  
literacy or beginning English language students who need years of  
study to achieve one of these goals.  One answer might be to increase  
intensity, more time on task, more hours of study.  But this is not  
always possible for programs, because they lack the funding to  
increase intensity of classroom instruction, or for learners, who  
usually have other commitments like working and parenting.  Funders  
-- especially companies when they fund "workplace literacy" -- often  
want results in  a few weeks or months, and even major federal and  
state funders want results at the end of the fiscal year, either one  
of these prizes or evidence of progress toward its attainment.

Are there some ways we could sustain the student's original motive or  
goal (the GED diploma, a good job, or an admission to college prize)  
over several years, if needed.  What do we know about  strategies  
like awarding certificates for small achievements, holding annual  
recognition ceremonies, and providing good formative assessment so  
students can see they have reached some milestones? How about  
strategies like building community, providing food, helping students  
to learn skills that they can use in daily living?  Can we articulate  
from research and/or professional wisdom what strategies work (if  
any) in sustaining long-term students' motivation and convince  
funders that we need their support for these strategies?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net




-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Mon Jul 17 13:27:43 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 10:27:43 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 409] Re: FW: [SpecialTopics 141] Keeping students' eyes
 on	the prize
Message-ID: <OF4AF33EA7.83C30F1F-ON072571AE.005FEC32-072571AE.005FEC37@yc.edu>

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jul 17 23:04:20 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 23:04:20 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 410]  NRS changes--message for the discussion list
Message-ID: <006b01c6aa16$de0ec470$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

The following post is from Lisa McKinney.
 
 
Hello, Marie,
 
Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions about the NRS's ESOL level
descriptors and recent changes.  I have two questions:
 
1) My director recently told me that we will still be able to use the
BEST Oral test for our NRS reporting, even though I've been told for
months that the test would no longer be accepted after September 1,
2006.  Are we still able to use the Oral BEST (not BEST Plus, the old
Oral test)?
 
2) What is the rationale for the 2nd level being so much larger than all
the other levels?  Yes, I know it was recently changed from a range of
8-41 to a range of 8-36, but it's still larger than any other level.
Why?
 
Thanks,
 
Lisa McKinney
Coosa Valley Technical College
Calhoun, GA
lmckinney at coosavalleytech.edu
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jul 18 11:32:53 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:32:53 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 411] FW: [SpecialTopics 149] Re: Keeping students' eyes
	on the prize
Message-ID: <000d01c6aa7f$7018a670$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,

The following post is from John Strucker, in response to the discussion
focused on capturing incremental learning gains or goals.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
************************************************


Hi David and colleagues,
	One part of a total approach to improved persistence that we
should 
explore is the one they are trying in the UK.  Their adult students take
a 
series of nationally developed curriculum-based benchmark tests that
give 
them feedback on their mastery of various specific competencies and also

give them a sense of how much closer they are getting to reaching their 
long-term goals.
Best,
John Strucker

--On Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:25 PM -0400 David Rosen
<djrosen at comcast.net> 
wrote:

> John, and other colleagues,
>
> Part of the persistence challenge is that some adult learners make
> progress very slowly and have so very far to go before they see the
> prize they may have their eyes on.  The prize might be a high school
> diploma, a better job, a living wage, a good job with a decent salary
> and good benefits, or going to college, but these may be basic
> literacy or beginning English language students who need years of
> study to achieve one of these goals.  One answer might be to increase
> intensity, more time on task, more hours of study.  But this is not
> always possible for programs, because they lack the funding to
> increase intensity of classroom instruction, or for learners, who
> usually have other commitments like working and parenting.  Funders
> -- especially companies when they fund "workplace literacy" -- often
> want results in  a few weeks or months, and even major federal and
> state funders want results at the end of the fiscal year, either one
> of these prizes or evidence of progress toward its attainment.
>
> Are there some ways we could sustain the student's original motive or
> goal (the GED diploma, a good job, or an admission to college prize)
> over several years, if needed.  What do we know about  strategies
> like awarding certificates for small achievements, holding annual
> recognition ceremonies, and providing good formative assessment so
> students can see they have reached some milestones? How about
> strategies like building community, providing food, helping students
> to learn skills that they can use in daily living?  Can we articulate
> from research and/or professional wisdom what strategies work (if
> any) in sustaining long-term students' motivation and convince
> funders that we need their support for these strategies?
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Special Topics mailing list
> SpecialTopics at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics



John Strucker, EdD
Nichols House 303
Harvard Graduate School of Education
7 Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138

617 495 4745
617 495 4811 (fax)
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Special Topics mailing list
SpecialTopics at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics



From sarah at cal.org  Tue Jul 18 13:19:44 2006
From: sarah at cal.org (Sarah Young)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:19:44 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 411] Re: NRS changes--message for the discussion list
Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8F01845653@MAIL.cal.local>

Hi Lisa and all,
Thanks for your questions. In a nutshell:
 
1) The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is retiring the BEST oral
interview on September 30, 2006 and will no longer distribute it after
that date. Adult ESL programs can continue to use existing supplies of
the BEST oral interview, or they can purchase it until September 30. The
BEST oral interview can continue to be used for federal reporting
purposes even after September 30, 2006, provided that it is on your
state's approved list of assessments. It will be up to each state (and,
ultimately, the NRS) to determine how long the BEST oral interview will
be approved for NRS reporting. 
 
The rationale behind the retirement of the BEST oral interview is to
better focus on our much newer and improved oral language assessment,
BEST Plus. For general information about BEST Plus, please visit the
website at www.best-plus.net <http://www.best-plus.net/>  or email
best-plus at cal.org.  
 
An additional note for those of you who use the BEST literacy skills
section: 
The current BEST literacy skills section will not be affected by the
retirement of the BEST oral interview. However, an updated version of
the BEST literacy skills section is in development. This new version
will be called BEST Literacy. Forms B and C will be made current without
affecting the basic integrity of the test, and a new, parallel form will
be available - Form D. Programs will be able to pre-test with the old
version of BEST Literacy and posttest with the updated forms. BEST
Literacy is scheduled for launch on October 1, 2006. There will be no
change in pricing of these forms. More information can be found here:
http://www.cal.org/BEST/
 
2) Your second question is referring to BEST Literacy (Student
Performance Level 2 = new Low Beginning ESL level with a score range of
8-35).  As you may know, all of CAL's adult ESL assessments are
correlated to Student Performance Levels (SPLs). For background
information on SPLs, CAL assessments, and the NRS educational
functioning level changes, see http://www.cal.org/BEST/NRSchanges.pdf
<http://www.cal.org/BEST/NRSchanges.pdf> . 
 
When the NRS level changes took effect on July 1, ESL assessments that
are correlated to SPLs were also affected. Although 8-35 may seem like a
wide range, the description of an SPL 2 in reading and writing best
matches student performances on BEST Literacy within that range. Reading
and writing SPL descriptors have been posted by the Center for Adult
English Language Acquisition (CAELA) here: 
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl%5Fresources/

I hope this has been helpful.. Please feel free to shoot more questions
our way!
 
Thanks,
Sarah Young
Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th St. NW
Washington, DC 20016
 
Phone: (202) 362-0700 ext. 529
Fax: (202) 362-3740
Web: www.cal.org <http://www.cal.org/>  
Email: sarah at cal.org
CAL: "Improving communication through better understanding of language
and culture"

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 11:04 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 410] NRS changes--message for the discussion list


The following post is from Lisa McKinney.
 
 
Hello, Marie,
 
Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions about the NRS's ESOL level
descriptors and recent changes.  I have two questions:
 
1) My director recently told me that we will still be able to use the
BEST Oral test for our NRS reporting, even though I've been told for
months that the test would no longer be accepted after September 1,
2006.  Are we still able to use the Oral BEST (not BEST Plus, the old
Oral test)?
 
2) What is the rationale for the 2nd level being so much larger than all
the other levels?  Yes, I know it was recently changed from a range of
8-41 to a range of 8-36, but it's still larger than any other level.
Why?
 
Thanks,
 
Lisa McKinney
Coosa Valley Technical College
Calhoun, GA
lmckinney at coosavalleytech.edu
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jul 18 13:47:29 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:47:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 412]  BEST Plus questions
Message-ID: <003b01c6aa92$3e04d8d0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

The following post if from Mary Jane Jerde.
***************************************************
 
Greetings,
 
This is primarily for the BEST Plus person.
 
It seemed worthwhile to use BEST Plus in my multilevel Even Start ESL
class   for several reasons. (The old BEST was an excellent assessment
tool for entry into another program where I previously taught. CASAS has
some out of date items, and the repetition of Forms 53 and 54 is not
good for assessment; this is especially obvious when students test into
Forms 55 and 56 and go into shock. Finally,  BEST Plus is to assess the
students' comprehension and production of English.)
 
Unfortunately, in our program we've had trouble getting consistent
results from assessor to assessor. Yes, we all heard in training that
the correlation was over 95%, but we've found that a student's ability
to speak clearly seems to pull her/his overall score up. For example, a
student may receive a top mark, 3, for oral communication, while really
answering very briefly and simply, and end up  with a high score. Also,
some questions merely require a yes or no response. For an academically
or linguistically savvy beginner, it's easy to follow the grammar
pattern and respond appropriately. 
 
Do you have any ideas on how to counteract these tendencies to score
students higher than their normal speech?
 
Thanks,
 
Mary Jane Jerde
mjjerdems at yahoo.com 
 
 
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From dsnell at racineliteracy.com  Tue Jul 18 14:52:11 2006
From: dsnell at racineliteracy.com (Diane Snell)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:52:11 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 413] Re: BEST Plus questions
In-Reply-To: <003b01c6aa92$3e04d8d0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <20060718185250.1B6F611D0C@mail.nifl.gov>

Currently we "team" administer the BEST Plus.  It seems that I (the ESL
Coordinator) consistently score higher on the Communication section and
lower on the Language Complexity than does our ABE Coordinator.  We started
using the team approach so that we would be consistent.  I still do the BEST
Oral (not plus) for low level ESL learners.

 

The team approach is very labor intensive and we are going to have to go it
alone soon.

 

Diane

 

Diane K. Snell

ESL Education Coordinator

Racine Literacy Council

734 Lake Avenue

Racine, WI 53403

262-632-9495

www.racineliteracy.com

 

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From alantoops at cs.com  Tue Jul 18 15:42:23 2006
From: alantoops at cs.com (Alan Toops)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:42:23 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 414] Re: BEST Plus questions
In-Reply-To: <003b01c6aa92$3e04d8d0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <C0E2B1DF.E2C2%alantoops@cs.com>

Mary,

CASAS is releasing a completely revised ESL piece with natural language
prompts and revised items.


Alan Toops
Executive Director
Ohio Literacy Network
(614) 505-0717
atoops at ohioliteracynetwork.org
http://www.ohioliteracynetwork.org




On 7/18/06 1:47 PM, "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:

> The following post if from Mary Jane Jerde.
> ***************************************************
>  
> Greetings,
>  
> This is primarily for the BEST Plus person.
>  
> It seemed worthwhile to use BEST Plus in my multilevel Even Start ESL
> class   for several reasons. (The old BEST was an excellent assessment
> tool for entry into another program where I previously taught. CASAS has some
> out of date items, and the repetition of Forms 53 and 54 is not good for
> assessment; this is especially obvious when students test into Forms 55 and 56
> and go into shock. Finally,  BEST Plus is to assess the students'
> comprehension and production of English.)
>  
> Unfortunately, in our program we've had trouble getting consistent results
> from assessor to assessor. Yes, we all heard in training that the correlation
> was over 95%, but we've found that a student's ability to speak clearly seems
> to pull her/his overall score up. For example, a student may receive a top
> mark, 3, for oral communication, while really answering very briefly and
> simply, and end up  with a high score. Also, some questions merely require a
> yes or no response. For an academically or linguistically savvy beginner, it's
> easy to follow the grammar pattern and respond appropriately.
>  
> Do you have any ideas on how to counteract these tendencies to score students
> higher than their normal speech?
>  
> Thanks,
>  
> Mary Jane Jerde
> mjjerdems at yahoo.com
>  
>  
> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


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From sarah at cal.org  Thu Jul 20 00:59:34 2006
From: sarah at cal.org (Sarah Young)
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:59:34 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 415] Re: BEST Plus questions
Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8F129AF8@MAIL.cal.local>

Hi Mary Jane,

Thanks for sharing some of the background about your use of BEST Plus in a multilevel class. Your question about accurately scoring lower level proficiency students with BEST Plus often comes up.  I?m not sure if this discussion list would be the best place to get into the details of scoring the different components of BEST Plus, as there is so much that can be said about it. To very briefly answer your question, the level of proficiency of the examinee has no fundamental bearing on her ability to communicate her response in a comprehensible way.  For example, if you asked me, ?Do you like ice cream?? and I responded, ?Yes,? you would have no problem understanding my response. True, it?s brief and simple, but it was clearly communicated. In other words, communication ability shouldn?t be confused with level of language complexity.

However, if your program has noticed some inconsistent data or test results from one assessor to another, there may be other factors at play. Any language assessment that requires test administrators to rate a language sample (rather than simply scoring a multiple choice test, for example) must have standardized administration and scoring procedures to ensure reliability. These procedures are accompanied by benchmark samples that correspond to scores on the rating scale (or scoring rubric). As you know, BEST Plus test administrators are required to complete a 6-hour training to learn how to score accurately using the scoring rubric. As with any language assessment that relies on language samples, BEST Plus test administrators sometimes need to ?recalibrate? their understanding of the scoring rubric and benchmarks. This recalibration can be done in a few different ways: 
- an individual or group review of the Test Administrator Guide, scoring rubric, and benchmark samples
- a consensus scoring session of a videotaped (or live) test administration in your program
- has anyone out there conducted similar refresher sessions with your test administrators, for BEST Plus or another assessment?

Since you brought up scoring accuracy, you may be interested in some new materials that we?re getting ready to release in September. It will be a toolkit for conducting BEST Plus scoring refresher sessions (at the program level) and will include a new scoring refresher training video with additional benchmark samples and practices, pass/fail scoring activities, a test administrator workbook, and guidelines for planning and implementing scoring refreshers for programs and facilitators. This toolkit will not replace the original 6-hour BEST Plus training, but rather serves as an additional tool for test administrators who have already been trained and approved, but who wish to refresh their scoring abilities.

If you (or anyone else) have specific questions about BEST Plus scoring or would like more information about the Scoring Refresher Toolkit, please feel free to contact me off the list. :)

Thanks,
Sarah Young

Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th St. NW
Washington, DC 20016

(202) 362-0700 ext. 529
sarah at cal.org
www.cal.org



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Marie Cora
Sent: Tue 7/18/2006 1:47 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 412]  BEST Plus questions
 
The following post if from Mary Jane Jerde.

***************************************************

 

Greetings,

 

This is primarily for the BEST Plus person.

 

It seemed worthwhile to use BEST Plus in my multilevel Even Start ESL

class   for several reasons. (The old BEST was an excellent assessment

tool for entry into another program where I previously taught. CASAS has some out of date items, and the repetition of Forms 53 and 54 is not good for assessment; this is especially obvious when students test into Forms 55 and 56 and go into shock. Finally,  BEST Plus is to assess the students' comprehension and production of English.)

 

Unfortunately, in our program we've had trouble getting consistent results from assessor to assessor. Yes, we all heard in training that the correlation was over 95%, but we've found that a student's ability to speak clearly seems to pull her/his overall score up. For example, a student may receive a top mark, 3, for oral communication, while really answering very briefly and simply, and end up  with a high score. Also, some questions merely require a yes or no response. For an academically or linguistically savvy beginner, it's easy to follow the grammar pattern and respond appropriately. 

 

Do you have any ideas on how to counteract these tendencies to score students higher than their normal speech?

 

Thanks,

 

Mary Jane Jerde

mjjerdems at yahoo.com 

 

 


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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jul 20 10:14:56 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 10:14:56 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 416] FW: [SpecialTopics 164] Re: Keeping students' eyes
	on the prize
Message-ID: <010a01c6ac06$e17bb540$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues - from the Special Topics List:


-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of John Comings
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:30 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 164] Re: Keeping students' eyes on the prize

I, too, think national curriculum frameworks for subgroups of students 
(based on their goals and their learning needs) would be helpful to 
persistence. It would make it much easier to build learning plans that 
included guides self-study, classes, tutoring, one-day intensive
workshops 
and other modes of learning into a coherent learning activity.

--On Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:49 AM -0400 john strucker 
<john_strucker at harvard.edu> wrote:

> Hi David and colleagues,
> 	One part of a total approach to improved persistence that we
should
> explore is the one they are trying in the UK.  Their adult students
take
> a  series of nationally developed curriculum-based benchmark tests
that
> give  them feedback on their mastery of various specific competencies
and
> also  give them a sense of how much closer they are getting to
reaching
> their  long-term goals.
> Best,
> John Strucker
>
> --On Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:25 PM -0400 David Rosen
> <djrosen at comcast.net>  wrote:
>
>> John, and other colleagues,
>>
>> Part of the persistence challenge is that some adult learners make
>> progress very slowly and have so very far to go before they see the
>> prize they may have their eyes on.  The prize might be a high school
>> diploma, a better job, a living wage, a good job with a decent salary
>> and good benefits, or going to college, but these may be basic
>> literacy or beginning English language students who need years of
>> study to achieve one of these goals.  One answer might be to increase
>> intensity, more time on task, more hours of study.  But this is not
>> always possible for programs, because they lack the funding to
>> increase intensity of classroom instruction, or for learners, who
>> usually have other commitments like working and parenting.  Funders
>> -- especially companies when they fund "workplace literacy" -- often
>> want results in  a few weeks or months, and even major federal and
>> state funders want results at the end of the fiscal year, either one
>> of these prizes or evidence of progress toward its attainment.
>>
>> Are there some ways we could sustain the student's original motive or
>> goal (the GED diploma, a good job, or an admission to college prize)
>> over several years, if needed.  What do we know about  strategies
>> like awarding certificates for small achievements, holding annual
>> recognition ceremonies, and providing good formative assessment so
>> students can see they have reached some milestones? How about
>> strategies like building community, providing food, helping students
>> to learn skills that they can use in daily living?  Can we articulate
>> from research and/or professional wisdom what strategies work (if
>> any) in sustaining long-term students' motivation and convince
>> funders that we need their support for these strategies?
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>>




From pmcnaughton at language.ca  Thu Jul 20 14:22:25 2006
From: pmcnaughton at language.ca (Pauline Mcnaughton)
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 14:22:25 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 417] Re: FW: [SpecialTopics 164] Re: Keeping students'
	eyeson the prize
In-Reply-To: <010a01c6ac06$e17bb540$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <005501c6ac29$740885b0$9a01a8c0@language.ca>

I attended a workshop on the European Language Portfolio, based on the
Common European Framework. It has really excited me about the possibilities
of a standardized, widely recognized portfolio model.  I think this
portfolio model has a lot to offer in terms of adult ESL learners managing
and taking charge of their learning progress.

A standardized portfolio model such as the ELP moves beyond standardized
testing which can at best provide only a snapshot of general language
proficiency at key points in time. I think it's essential to move beyond
standardized assessment tools and focus on the documentation of specific
language competencies relevant to specific learner goals and objectives.   A
standardized portfolio tool, perhaps initiated in an adult ESL classroom,
which goes with the learner from class to class, program to program and even
to the workplace - would provide a much more detailed self-assessment.  In
the ESL classroom it would inform the development of individualized learning
plans and encourage learner autonomy and self-direction both in and out of
the classroom. Quoting from some of the research done on the ELP, it could
provide "an important interface between language learning, teaching and
assessment" and achieve these "invisible learning outcomes:
-	commitment to and ownership of one's language learning:
-	tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty in communicative situations and
learning
-	willingness to take risks in order to cope with communicative tasks
-	learning skills and strategies necessary for continuous, independent
language learning
-	reflective basic orientation to language learning, with abilities for
self-assessment of language competence

Pauline McNaughton
Executive Director / Directrice executive
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks/Centre des niveaux de competence
linguistique canadiens
200 Elgin Street, Suite 803 / 200 rue Elgin, piece 803
Ottawa, ON K2P 1L5
T (613) 230-7729 F (613) 230-9305
pmcnaughton at language.ca
< http://www.language.ca/>

This communication is intended for the use of the recipient to which it is
addressed, and may contain confidential, personal, and or privileged
information.  Please contact us immediately if you are not the intended
recipient of this communication, and do not copy, distribute, or take action
relying on it.  Any communication received in error, or subsequent reply,
should be deleted or destroyed.



Le present message n'est destine qu'a la personne ou l'organisme auquel il
est adresse et peut contenir de l'information confidentielle, personnelle ou
privilegiee.  Si vous n'etes pas le destinataire de ce message,
informez-nous immediatement. Il est interdit de copier, diffuser ou engager
des poursuites fondees sur son contenu.  Si vous avez recu ce communique par
erreur, ou une reponse subsequente, veuillez le supprimer ou le detruire.




-----Original Message-----
From: Marie Cora [mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com]
Sent: July 20, 2006 9:15 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 416] FW: [SpecialTopics 164] Re: Keeping students'
eyeson the prize


Colleagues - from the Special Topics List:


-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of John Comings
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:30 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 164] Re: Keeping students' eyes on the prize

I, too, think national curriculum frameworks for subgroups of students
(based on their goals and their learning needs) would be helpful to
persistence. It would make it much easier to build learning plans that
included guides self-study, classes, tutoring, one-day intensive
workshops
and other modes of learning into a coherent learning activity.

--On Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:49 AM -0400 john strucker
<john_strucker at harvard.edu> wrote:

> Hi David and colleagues,
> 	One part of a total approach to improved persistence that we
should
> explore is the one they are trying in the UK.  Their adult students
take
> a  series of nationally developed curriculum-based benchmark tests
that
> give  them feedback on their mastery of various specific competencies
and
> also  give them a sense of how much closer they are getting to
reaching
> their  long-term goals.
> Best,
> John Strucker
>
> --On Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:25 PM -0400 David Rosen
> <djrosen at comcast.net>  wrote:
>
>> John, and other colleagues,
>>
>> Part of the persistence challenge is that some adult learners make
>> progress very slowly and have so very far to go before they see the
>> prize they may have their eyes on.  The prize might be a high school
>> diploma, a better job, a living wage, a good job with a decent salary
>> and good benefits, or going to college, but these may be basic
>> literacy or beginning English language students who need years of
>> study to achieve one of these goals.  One answer might be to increase
>> intensity, more time on task, more hours of study.  But this is not
>> always possible for programs, because they lack the funding to
>> increase intensity of classroom instruction, or for learners, who
>> usually have other commitments like working and parenting.  Funders
>> -- especially companies when they fund "workplace literacy" -- often
>> want results in  a few weeks or months, and even major federal and
>> state funders want results at the end of the fiscal year, either one
>> of these prizes or evidence of progress toward its attainment.
>>
>> Are there some ways we could sustain the student's original motive or
>> goal (the GED diploma, a good job, or an admission to college prize)
>> over several years, if needed.  What do we know about  strategies
>> like awarding certificates for small achievements, holding annual
>> recognition ceremonies, and providing good formative assessment so
>> students can see they have reached some milestones? How about
>> strategies like building community, providing food, helping students
>> to learn skills that they can use in daily living?  Can we articulate
>> from research and/or professional wisdom what strategies work (if
>> any) in sustaining long-term students' motivation and convince
>> funders that we need their support for these strategies?
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> djrosen at comcast.net
>>
>>







From LCondelli at air.org  Thu Jul 20 18:20:18 2006
From: LCondelli at air.org (Condelli, Larry)
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:20:18 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 418] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
Message-ID: <8123523374E3514EACEE6B70E8FE31D7025A16EE@dc1ex3.air.org>

Hi to all,
 
I thought it would be helpful to give a brief background on the NRS descriptors and why the ESL levels and descriptors were changed, one of the topics that Marie wanted us to address in the brief discussion this week.
 
Those of you that have been in adult literacy for a while know that we have divided students into ABE, ASE and ESL for some time.  There were levels within each of these areas defined by student literacy, language and functional skills long before the NRS.  (I have heard from the ancients that way back there were no levels, but that was before my time.  I am not that old!)  When I started in adult education in 1990, there were only 3 ESL levels, two ABE levels and one ASE level.  In 1995, we added what is now the beginning literacy level to both ABE and ESL and that is where we were when the NRS development started in 1997.
 
With the NRS, the importance of showing student educational gain by level became the key measure and we focused a lot of attention on developing levels that reflected what is taught in adult education, determining skills that would define levels and identifying tests that could the test levels measure student skills within these levels. We also wanted to narrow the levels because we realized the range of levels was too broad to reflect student learning.  So we created 6 ESL levels, 4 ABE levels and 2 ASE levels.  We hoped these levels would provide a meaningful framework for measuring educational progress.
 
In early 2004, with three years of experience with this system, some dissatisfaction from states and the federal office emerged with the beginning and high advanced ESL levels:
 
?    Many state staff and practitioners claimed that the wide range of skills encompassed within the beginning ESL level made it difficult to show educational gain and to demonstrate student progress accurately.
 
?    Enrollment in high advanced ESL was low over the three years - about 40,000 students or about 4 percent of total ESL students.  In contrast, over 340,000 students were enrolled in beginning ESL (about 30 percent of total ESL students) during that same period.
 
?    There were limited ways of showing completion of the advanced ESL level.  Until the development of BEST Plus in 2003, there were no valid and reliable NRS assessments that could measure completion from high advanced ESL, which was defined as SPL 8.
 
For these reasons, the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) in the Department of Education, changed the levels for ESL by splitting the beginning level into low beginning and high beginning.  The high advanced ESL was been eliminated and the existing low advanced ESL was renamed as advanced ESL.  The  exit criteria for this level was lowered to better match currently available assessments.   Before making these changes, DAEL consulted with the NRS technical working group and the state directors of adult education and it received extensive support.
 
The proposed change was first announced in spring 2004 and we re-wrote the descriptors with help from CAL and CASAS staff in 2005.   The new levels went into effect this month and we hope they will help us provide a better picture of adult ESL student's education progress.
 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 7:59 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 406] Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS


Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email finds you well.
 
I wanted to let everyone know that during this week, Larry Condelli from AIR (American Institutes of Research), who works with the NRS, and Sarah Young, from CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics) who works with BEST Plus will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the changes in ESOL Level Descriptors, which go into effect this summer (this month I believe).  I also encourage anyone who has questions regarding other ESOL tests (CASAS or EFF for example) to join in this Q&A.  Because the Level Descriptors have been adjusted, the tests used to track learning gains also have undergone some shifting and it is important that we understand what these changes are.  
 
Larry and Sarah will be present on the List during this week, but perhaps intermittently - replies may not come immediately.  I encourage you to post your question to the List, or to send your question to me for posting, if you prefer that.  
 
Larry, Sarah, and others working with any of the ESOL tests - feel free to jump in and give us a thumbnail sketch of what the changes are and how they might affect our work in programs and with students.
 
The NRS homepage is located at:  http://www.nrsweb.org/
To view information on the NRS Level Descriptors, please go to:  http://www.nrsweb.org/reports/NewESLdescriptors.pdf
At the bottom of the NRS homepage, see also:  NRS Changes for Program Year 2006
 
Thanks so much - I'm looking forward to understanding this information, and hearing what folks questions are regarding the changes.
 
Marie T. Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Jul 20 22:11:29 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 22:11:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 419]  Guest in Workplace Literacy next week
Message-ID: <01a401c6ac6a$fb1f2130$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,
 
Please note the up-coming Guest Discussion on the Workplace Literacy
List from Moderator Donna Brian.
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
************************************************************************
**
 
Guest Discussion: Workplace Literacy 
 
Monday, July 24  -  Friday, July 28
 
Guest: Alison Campbell - please see Alison's bio below 
 
To subscribe to the Workplace List, go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/ 
 
 
Colleagues,
 
Next week, Monday July 24 - Friday July 28, we are privileged to have ,
as a guest on the Workplace Literacy Discussion List ,  Alison Campbell
of the Conference Board of Canada. Many of you already know of her work,
but for those of you who don't, she has 3 websites that I consider
sister sites of the Workforce Education site. Where our Workforce site
is geared more toward adult education instructors with a workforce
focus, her sites are geared more toward business and industry employers
who want and/or need to upgrade their workers' literacy skills. The
Conference Board is also responsible for quite a lot of good research
which Alison has been a part of. 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Bio

Alison Campbell

       
Alison Campbell is a Senior Research Associate with the Education and
Learning practice at The Conference Board of Canada. She acts as lead
researcher, author and web site manager on various research projects in
the area of workplace education and learning. This year, Alison is also
managing the Conference Board's International Workplace Education and
Learning Conference: Sharing Global Solutions (Toronto, December 5-6,
2006).
 
In 2005, Alison authored Profiting from Literacy: Creating a Sustainable
Workplace Literacy Program and co-authored Literacy, Life and
Employment: An Analysis of Canadian International Adult Literacy Survey
(IALS) Microdata. In 2003, Alison authored Strength from Within:
Overcoming the Barriers to Workplace Literacy Development as part of a
national research study on the challenges employers face in designing
and implementing workplace literacy and basic skills programs. In 2002,
she co-managed a national study in the U.S. on the impacts of joint
labor-management education programs. She co-authored the final report:
Success by Design: What Works in Workforce Development. Alison currently
manages a pilot project on the benefits of a national credit review
service to improve credentialing opportunities for workplace education. 
 
Her work on workplace literacy and basic skills development extends
beyond Canada to the United States. Alison manages and makes updates to
www.work-basedlearning.org <outbind://63/www.work-basedlearning.org> ,
www.scorecardforskills.com <outbind://63/www.scorecardforskills.com%20>
and www.workplacebasicskills.com
<outbind://63/www.workplacebasicskills.com%20>  - a suite of web sites
funded by the U.S. Department of Education that act as free resources to
American employers and their partners who wish to improve employees'
skills.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
As you can tell from her bio, Alison has expertise in many areas of
workplace literacy. Attached to this message is a complete listing of
her publications and presentations, which are available for free
download on the Conference Board site.  You must, however, register with
the site to access them. (Sign in at
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/boardwiseii/Signin.asp and when you have
the option, browse documents by "author" choosing "Campbell, Alison.")
Access to the web sites does not require registration, and they are
linked in her bio above. Alison is willing to discuss with us any of the
areas of workplace literacy on her web sites or in her publications. It
should be a wide-ranging discussion!  I hope you will be able to
participate!
 
Donna
 
Donna Brian, moderator
Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee
djgbrian at utk.edu
 
 
 
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From pmcnaughton at language.ca  Fri Jul 21 10:10:36 2006
From: pmcnaughton at language.ca (Pauline Mcnaughton)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:10:36 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 420] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
In-Reply-To: <8123523374E3514EACEE6B70E8FE31D7025A16EE@dc1ex3.air.org>
Message-ID: <001901c6accf$70dac0f0$9a01a8c0@language.ca>

Thanks very much for this summary overview.  It's very helpful.

There are many similarities in your overview to the Canadian situation.
Canadian Language Benchmarks were developed by the federal government in
1996 with 12 benchmark levels and a separate set of ESL literacy benchmarks
levels - Foundation, Phase I, II and III.  The national assessment tools
that exist to measure CLB, measure in benchmark levels for each skill -
reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Some practitioners think that 12 benchmark levels is too many, and that it
may have been better to have had only 6 levels. (It takes a lot of work to
document all the competencies necessary to move up one level for each of the
4 skills.)  However, even with 12 levels there are concerns that progress
can only be measured by achievement of an entire benchmark level - and that
a great deal of progress made by learners, is not recognized because it may
not result in completion of an entire level.

There are many ways to measure and document the achievement of specific
competencies in the classroom.  We've developed collections of formal,
standardized, exit assessment tasks that allow classroom teachers to
accurately measure specific competencies.  But record keeping and
certificates of completion at this point only measure whole benchmark level
achievements.

This is why the idea of the European Language Portfolio model which I talked
about yesterday in response to the email "Keeping Students eyes on teh
prize" interests me  - because it does get at the competency level and helps
the learner (and teacher) target important competencies and measure those
achievements.
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Condelli, Larry [mailto:LCondelli at air.org]
  Sent: July 20, 2006 5:20 PM
  To: The Assessment Discussion List
  Subject: [Assessment 418] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS


  Hi to all,

  I thought it would be helpful to give a brief background on the NRS
descriptors and why the ESL levels and descriptors were changed, one of the
topics that Marie wanted us to address in the brief discussion this week.

  Those of you that have been in adult literacy for a while know that we
have divided students into ABE, ASE and ESL for some time.  There were
levels within each of these areas defined by student literacy, language and
functional skills long before the NRS.  (I have heard from the ancients that
way back there were no levels, but that was before my time.  I am not that
old!)  When I started in adult education in 1990, there were only 3 ESL
levels, two ABE levels and one ASE level.  In 1995, we added what is now the
beginning literacy level to both ABE and ESL and that is where we were when
the NRS development started in 1997.

  With the NRS, the importance of showing student educational gain by level
became the key measure and we focused a lot of attention on developing
levels that reflected what is taught in adult education, determining skills
that would define levels and identifying tests that could the test levels
measure student skills within these levels. We also wanted to narrow the
levels because we realized the range of levels was too broad to reflect
student learning.  So we created 6 ESL levels, 4 ABE levels and 2 ASE
levels.  We hoped these levels would provide a meaningful framework for
measuring educational progress.

  In early 2004, with three years of experience with this system, some
dissatisfaction from states and the federal office emerged with the
beginning and high advanced ESL levels:

  ?    Many state staff and practitioners claimed that the wide range of
skills encompassed within the beginning ESL level made it difficult to show
educational gain and to demonstrate student progress accurately.



  ?    Enrollment in high advanced ESL was low over the three years ? about
40,000 students or about 4 percent of total ESL students.  In contrast, over
340,000 students were enrolled in beginning ESL (about 30 percent of total
ESL students) during that same period.



  ?    There were limited ways of showing completion of the advanced ESL
level.  Until the development of BEST Plus in 2003, there were no valid and
reliable NRS assessments that could measure completion from high advanced
ESL, which was defined as SPL 8.



  For these reasons, the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) in
the Department of Education, changed the levels for ESL by splitting the
beginning level into low beginning and high beginning.  The high advanced
ESL was been eliminated and the existing low advanced ESL was renamed as
advanced ESL.  The  exit criteria for this level was lowered to better match
currently available assessments.   Before making these changes, DAEL
consulted with the NRS technical working group and the state directors of
adult education and it received extensive support.



  The proposed change was first announced in spring 2004 and we re-wrote the
descriptors with help from CAL and CASAS staff in 2005.   The new levels
went into effect this month and we hope they will help us provide a better
picture of adult ESL student's education progress.





----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
  From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
  Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 7:59 AM
  To: Assessment at nifl.gov
  Subject: [Assessment 406] Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS


  Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email finds
you well.



  I wanted to let everyone know that during this week, Larry Condelli from
AIR (American Institutes of Research), who works with the NRS, and Sarah
Young, from CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics) who works with BEST Plus
will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the
changes in ESOL Level Descriptors, which go into effect this summer (this
month I believe).  I also encourage anyone who has questions regarding other
ESOL tests (CASAS or EFF for example) to join in this Q&A.  Because the
Level Descriptors have been adjusted, the tests used to track learning gains
also have undergone some shifting and it is important that we understand
what these changes are.



  Larry and Sarah will be present on the List during this week, but perhaps
intermittently ? replies may not come immediately.  I encourage you to post
your question to the List, or to send your question to me for posting, if
you prefer that.



  Larry, Sarah, and others working with any of the ESOL tests ? feel free to
jump in and give us a thumbnail sketch of what the changes are and how they
might affect our work in programs and with students.



  The NRS homepage is located at:  http://www.nrsweb.org/

  To view information on the NRS Level Descriptors, please go to:
http://www.nrsweb.org/reports/NewESLdescriptors.pdf

  At the bottom of the NRS homepage, see also:  NRS Changes for Program Year
2006



  Thanks so much ? I?m looking forward to understanding this information,
and hearing what folks questions are regarding the changes.



  Marie T. Cora

  Assessment Discussion List Moderator

  marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com


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From LCondelli at air.org  Fri Jul 21 11:22:52 2006
From: LCondelli at air.org (Condelli, Larry)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 11:22:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 421] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
Message-ID: <8123523374E3514EACEE6B70E8FE31D7021B9B78@dc1ex3.air.org>

The CEF for Languages is very comprehensive and is designed to apply to all learners at all ages and levels for all European languages.  I think it is an excellent and comprehensive way of guiding instruction and assessment of language learners , both for learners and teachers, and it provides a standard reference for determining language ability within the EU.  While I thin it is excellent for teaching and assessment, the difficulty with using it in accountability framework, such as the NRS or Canadian system, is that the assessment requirements are quite burdensome (e.g., evaluating a learner's portfolio) and the skills and competencies represented in the higher levels of the framework are beyond those of learners in adult literacy classes (so are inapplicable to our students).  Also, in the US, getting all of the states to along with a single national, framework is quite difficult, with our tradition of state and local control over instructional decisions.
 
For those interested in this, the framework is described in Council of Europe (2001), A Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  A short presentation on paper on the framework and a description of a project to adapt the framework for use with low-educated adult ESOL students in Holland will soon be available in the Proceedings from an international research conference held in Holland last year (see www.leslla.org).  For now, the author's (Willemijn Stockmann <http://www.leslla.org/files/presentations/Stockmann.ppt> ) Powerpoint presentation of the project is available on the web site under "Workshops."
 
Larry Condelli


  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Pauline Mcnaughton
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 10:11 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 420] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS


Thanks very much for this summary overview.  It's very helpful.
 
There are many similarities in your overview to the Canadian situation.  Canadian Language Benchmarks were developed by the federal government in 1996 with 12 benchmark levels and a separate set of ESL literacy benchmarks levels - Foundation, Phase I, II and III.  The national assessment tools that exist to measure CLB, measure in benchmark levels for each skill - reading, writing, speaking and listening.  
 
Some practitioners think that 12 benchmark levels is too many, and that it may have been better to have had only 6 levels. (It takes a lot of work to document all the competencies necessary to move up one level for each of the 4 skills.)  However, even with 12 levels there are concerns that progress can only be measured by achievement of an entire benchmark level - and that a great deal of progress made by learners, is not recognized because it may not result in completion of an entire level.  
 
There are many ways to measure and document the achievement of specific competencies in the classroom.  We've developed collections of formal, standardized, exit assessment tasks that allow classroom teachers to accurately measure specific competencies.  But record keeping and certificates of completion at this point only measure whole benchmark level achievements.
 
This is why the idea of the European Language Portfolio model which I talked about yesterday in response to the email "Keeping Students eyes on teh prize" interests me  - because it does get at the competency level and helps the learner (and teacher) target important competencies and measure those achievements.  
	-----Original Message-----
	From: Condelli, Larry [mailto:LCondelli at air.org]
	Sent: July 20, 2006 5:20 PM
	To: The Assessment Discussion List
	Subject: [Assessment 418] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
	
	
	Hi to all,
	 
	I thought it would be helpful to give a brief background on the NRS descriptors and why the ESL levels and descriptors were changed, one of the topics that Marie wanted us to address in the brief discussion this week.
	 
	Those of you that have been in adult literacy for a while know that we have divided students into ABE, ASE and ESL for some time.  There were levels within each of these areas defined by student literacy, language and functional skills long before the NRS.  (I have heard from the ancients that way back there were no levels, but that was before my time.  I am not that old!)  When I started in adult education in 1990, there were only 3 ESL levels, two ABE levels and one ASE level.  In 1995, we added what is now the beginning literacy level to both ABE and ESL and that is where we were when the NRS development started in 1997.
	 
	With the NRS, the importance of showing student educational gain by level became the key measure and we focused a lot of attention on developing levels that reflected what is taught in adult education, determining skills that would define levels and identifying tests that could the test levels measure student skills within these levels. We also wanted to narrow the levels because we realized the range of levels was too broad to reflect student learning.  So we created 6 ESL levels, 4 ABE levels and 2 ASE levels.  We hoped these levels would provide a meaningful framework for measuring educational progress.
	 
	In early 2004, with three years of experience with this system, some dissatisfaction from states and the federal office emerged with the beginning and high advanced ESL levels:
	 
	?    Many state staff and practitioners claimed that the wide range of skills encompassed within the beginning ESL level made it difficult to show educational gain and to demonstrate student progress accurately.
	 
	?    Enrollment in high advanced ESL was low over the three years - about 40,000 students or about 4 percent of total ESL students.  In contrast, over 340,000 students were enrolled in beginning ESL (about 30 percent of total ESL students) during that same period.
	 
	?    There were limited ways of showing completion of the advanced ESL level.  Until the development of BEST Plus in 2003, there were no valid and reliable NRS assessments that could measure completion from high advanced ESL, which was defined as SPL 8.
	 
	For these reasons, the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) in the Department of Education, changed the levels for ESL by splitting the beginning level into low beginning and high beginning.  The high advanced ESL was been eliminated and the existing low advanced ESL was renamed as advanced ESL.  The  exit criteria for this level was lowered to better match currently available assessments.   Before making these changes, DAEL consulted with the NRS technical working group and the state directors of adult education and it received extensive support.
	 
	The proposed change was first announced in spring 2004 and we re-wrote the descriptors with help from CAL and CASAS staff in 2005.   The new levels went into effect this month and we hope they will help us provide a better picture of adult ESL student's education progress.
	 

  _____  

	From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
	Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 7:59 AM
	To: Assessment at nifl.gov
	Subject: [Assessment 406] Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
	
	
	Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email finds you well.
	 
	I wanted to let everyone know that during this week, Larry Condelli from AIR (American Institutes of Research), who works with the NRS, and Sarah Young, from CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics) who works with BEST Plus will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the changes in ESOL Level Descriptors, which go into effect this summer (this month I believe).  I also encourage anyone who has questions regarding other ESOL tests (CASAS or EFF for example) to join in this Q&A.  Because the Level Descriptors have been adjusted, the tests used to track learning gains also have undergone some shifting and it is important that we understand what these changes are.  
	 
	Larry and Sarah will be present on the List during this week, but perhaps intermittently - replies may not come immediately.  I encourage you to post your question to the List, or to send your question to me for posting, if you prefer that.  
	 
	Larry, Sarah, and others working with any of the ESOL tests - feel free to jump in and give us a thumbnail sketch of what the changes are and how they might affect our work in programs and with students.
	 
	The NRS homepage is located at:  http://www.nrsweb.org/
	To view information on the NRS Level Descriptors, please go to:  http://www.nrsweb.org/reports/NewESLdescriptors.pdf
	At the bottom of the NRS homepage, see also:  NRS Changes for Program Year 2006
	 
	Thanks so much - I'm looking forward to understanding this information, and hearing what folks questions are regarding the changes.
	 
	Marie T. Cora
	Assessment Discussion List Moderator
	marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
	 
-------------- next part --------------
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From LCondelli at air.org  Fri Jul 21 12:24:24 2006
From: LCondelli at air.org (Condelli, Larry)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:24:24 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 422] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
Message-ID: <8123523374E3514EACEE6B70E8FE31D7025A16FE@dc1ex3.air.org>

Correction, the Stockmann paper applies the CEF for language to low-educated adults learing Dutch, not English.

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Condelli, Larry
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 11:23 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 421] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS


The CEF for Languages is very comprehensive and is designed to apply to all learners at all ages and levels for all European languages.  I think it is an excellent and comprehensive way of guiding instruction and assessment of language learners , both for learners and teachers, and it provides a standard reference for determining language ability within the EU.  While I thin it is excellent for teaching and assessment, the difficulty with using it in accountability framework, such as the NRS or Canadian system, is that the assessment requirements are quite burdensome (e.g., evaluating a learner's portfolio) and the skills and competencies represented in the higher levels of the framework are beyond those of learners in adult literacy classes (so are inapplicable to our students).  Also, in the US, getting all of the states to along with a single national, framework is quite difficult, with our tradition of state and local control over instructional decisions.
 
For those interested in this, the framework is described in Council of Europe (2001), A Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  A short presentation on paper on the framework and a description of a project to adapt the framework for use with low-educated adult ESOL students in Holland will soon be available in the Proceedings from an international research conference held in Holland last year (see www.leslla.org).  For now, the author's (Willemijn Stockmann <http://www.leslla.org/files/presentations/Stockmann.ppt> ) Powerpoint presentation of the project is available on the web site under "Workshops."
 
Larry Condelli


  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Pauline Mcnaughton
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 10:11 AM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 420] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS


Thanks very much for this summary overview.  It's very helpful.
 
There are many similarities in your overview to the Canadian situation.  Canadian Language Benchmarks were developed by the federal government in 1996 with 12 benchmark levels and a separate set of ESL literacy benchmarks levels - Foundation, Phase I, II and III.  The national assessment tools that exist to measure CLB, measure in benchmark levels for each skill - reading, writing, speaking and listening.  
 
Some practitioners think that 12 benchmark levels is too many, and that it may have been better to have had only 6 levels. (It takes a lot of work to document all the competencies necessary to move up one level for each of the 4 skills.)  However, even with 12 levels there are concerns that progress can only be measured by achievement of an entire benchmark level - and that a great deal of progress made by learners, is not recognized because it may not result in completion of an entire level.  
 
There are many ways to measure and document the achievement of specific competencies in the classroom.  We've developed collections of formal, standardized, exit assessment tasks that allow classroom teachers to accurately measure specific competencies.  But record keeping and certificates of completion at this point only measure whole benchmark level achievements.
 
This is why the idea of the European Language Portfolio model which I talked about yesterday in response to the email "Keeping Students eyes on teh prize" interests me  - because it does get at the competency level and helps the learner (and teacher) target important competencies and measure those achievements.  
	-----Original Message-----
	From: Condelli, Larry [mailto:LCondelli at air.org]
	Sent: July 20, 2006 5:20 PM
	To: The Assessment Discussion List
	Subject: [Assessment 418] Re: Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
	
	
	Hi to all,
	 
	I thought it would be helpful to give a brief background on the NRS descriptors and why the ESL levels and descriptors were changed, one of the topics that Marie wanted us to address in the brief discussion this week.
	 
	Those of you that have been in adult literacy for a while know that we have divided students into ABE, ASE and ESL for some time.  There were levels within each of these areas defined by student literacy, language and functional skills long before the NRS.  (I have heard from the ancients that way back there were no levels, but that was before my time.  I am not that old!)  When I started in adult education in 1990, there were only 3 ESL levels, two ABE levels and one ASE level.  In 1995, we added what is now the beginning literacy level to both ABE and ESL and that is where we were when the NRS development started in 1997.
	 
	With the NRS, the importance of showing student educational gain by level became the key measure and we focused a lot of attention on developing levels that reflected what is taught in adult education, determining skills that would define levels and identifying tests that could the test levels measure student skills within these levels. We also wanted to narrow the levels because we realized the range of levels was too broad to reflect student learning.  So we created 6 ESL levels, 4 ABE levels and 2 ASE levels.  We hoped these levels would provide a meaningful framework for measuring educational progress.
	 
	In early 2004, with three years of experience with this system, some dissatisfaction from states and the federal office emerged with the beginning and high advanced ESL levels:
	 
	?    Many state staff and practitioners claimed that the wide range of skills encompassed within the beginning ESL level made it difficult to show educational gain and to demonstrate student progress accurately.
	 
	?    Enrollment in high advanced ESL was low over the three years - about 40,000 students or about 4 percent of total ESL students.  In contrast, over 340,000 students were enrolled in beginning ESL (about 30 percent of total ESL students) during that same period.
	 
	?    There were limited ways of showing completion of the advanced ESL level.  Until the development of BEST Plus in 2003, there were no valid and reliable NRS assessments that could measure completion from high advanced ESL, which was defined as SPL 8.
	 
	For these reasons, the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) in the Department of Education, changed the levels for ESL by splitting the beginning level into low beginning and high beginning.  The high advanced ESL was been eliminated and the existing low advanced ESL was renamed as advanced ESL.  The  exit criteria for this level was lowered to better match currently available assessments.   Before making these changes, DAEL consulted with the NRS technical working group and the state directors of adult education and it received extensive support.
	 
	The proposed change was first announced in spring 2004 and we re-wrote the descriptors with help from CAL and CASAS staff in 2005.   The new levels went into effect this month and we hope they will help us provide a better picture of adult ESL student's education progress.
	 

  _____  

	From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Marie Cora
	Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 7:59 AM
	To: Assessment at nifl.gov
	Subject: [Assessment 406] Questions on ESOL Level Descriptors in NRS
	
	
	Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  I hope this email finds you well.
	 
	I wanted to let everyone know that during this week, Larry Condelli from AIR (American Institutes of Research), who works with the NRS, and Sarah Young, from CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics) who works with BEST Plus will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the changes in ESOL Level Descriptors, which go into effect this summer (this month I believe).  I also encourage anyone who has questions regarding other ESOL tests (CASAS or EFF for example) to join in this Q&A.  Because the Level Descriptors have been adjusted, the tests used to track learning gains also have undergone some shifting and it is important that we understand what these changes are.  
	 
	Larry and Sarah will be present on the List during this week, but perhaps intermittently - replies may not come immediately.  I encourage you to post your question to the List, or to send your question to me for posting, if you prefer that.  
	 
	Larry, Sarah, and others working with any of the ESOL tests - feel free to jump in and give us a thumbnail sketch of what the changes are and how they might affect our work in programs and with students.
	 
	The NRS homepage is located at:  http://www.nrsweb.org/
	To view information on the NRS Level Descriptors, please go to:  http://www.nrsweb.org/reports/NewESLdescriptors.pdf
	At the bottom of the NRS homepage, see also:  NRS Changes for Program Year 2006
	 
	Thanks so much - I'm looking forward to understanding this information, and hearing what folks questions are regarding the changes.
	 
	Marie T. Cora
	Assessment Discussion List Moderator
	marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
	 
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From kabeall at comcast.net  Mon Jul 24 11:20:18 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:20:18 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 423]  New from NCSALL--Training Guides
Message-ID: <003601c6af34$abe32c70$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

Practitioner Research Training Guide: Research-based Adult Reading
Instruction

This practitioner research training guide provides comprehensive
instructions for facilitating a 31-hour training that guides practitioners
through an investigation of a problem related to reading. The practitioners
conduct the research in their own classrooms. This guide provides all the
necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a
four-session practitioner research training. The sessions vary in length.

To download the training guide, go to
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1143

 

Training Guide: Study Circle Facilitators

This training guide provides comprehensive instructions for preparing
experienced adult education practitioners to facilitate NCSALL study
circles. The training focuses on the NCSALL study circle, Research-based
Adult <http://www.ncsall.net/?id=892>  Reading Instruction. However, the
training can be adapted to prepare facilitators for NCSALL study circles in
general or on another topic. The guide provides all the necessary materials
and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a one-day, study circle
facilitators training. The training is six hours in length.

To download the training guide, go to
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1137

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Jul 25 15:37:16 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 15:37:16 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 424]  Workplace assessment discussion
Message-ID: <053701c6b021$bcfffc20$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hi everyone,
 
Just a quick note to say there is an interesting thread of discussion
focused on assessment in the workplace on the NIFL Workplace Literacy
Discussion List presently.  They are hosting a Guest Discussion this
week that is touching on a broad (and interesting!) array of topics
related to workplace literacy, but I wanted to alert you that one thread
is on assessment.  
 
You can subscribe to the Workplace Literacy List by going to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/
 
And/or you can view the archives at that site by clicking on Read
Current Posted Messages (and look for messages that have 'assessment' in
the Subject Line).
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jul 28 12:02:28 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:02:28 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 425]  Guest Speaker on Learning Disabilities List
Message-ID: <004d01c6b25f$3a399f90$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hello everyone, I hope this email finds you well.
 
Please note the following Guest Discussion on the Learning Disabilities
List:
'
To subscribe: 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/LearningDisabilities 
 
To read archived messages:
 <http://www.nifl.gov/linc/discussions/list_archives.html>
http://www.nifl.gov/linc/discussions/list_archives.html
 
  
Hello all,
 
I am very pleased to announce that Nancie Payne has accepted my
invitation as a Guest Speaker during the week of August 7-11, 2006.  
 
Beginning in July, we had a thread being discussed on the List that
eventually became the "LD Discrepancy Model" topic.  That topic is the
one that I have asked Nancie to address during her week with us.  I want
to ask subscribers to begin thinking about questions they want to
propose to Nancie.  Since Nancie is already a subscriber on this List,
she will see each of your suggestions as they are posted.
 
Please feel free to let your colleagues know of this wonderful
opportunity to hear from and interact with one of the leaders in the
field of adults with Learning Disabilities.  Information about
subscribing to the List is at the bottom of this message.
 
Lastly, I am including Nancie Payne's resume for your information.
 
Nancie Payne, President of Payne & Associates, Inc. and the Northwest
Center for the Advancement of Learning, is nationally recognized for
thirty years of work in education and workplace-based services for
children and adults with learning and cognitive disabilities.  She
consults with adult education, literacy, basic skills and GED
instruction programs as well as correction facilities, employment and
training agencies, human service organizations, and business on ways to
create productive learning environments and maximize the potential of
those with special learning needs.  She has provided consultation in
twenty-nine states and has developed and implemented the Payne Learning
Needs Inventory and screening tools, facilitating long-term, system-wide
change of service delivery models in the District of Columbia, Indiana,
California, Oregon, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Vermont, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Illinois, Mississippi, Rhode Island, North
Carolina and Washington.  She is a consultant for GED Testing Services.
Ms. Payne has written numerous articles and book chapters on
facilitating learning, assessment of special needs, transition to
employment, and workplace accommodations.  In 2000 a Brookes publication
entitled Meeting the Challenge of Learning Disabilities in Adulthood by
Arlyn Roffman, Ph.D. features Ms. Payne's personal insight about the
impact of learning disabilities.  Ms. Payne has a B.A. from the
Evergreen State College in Liberal Arts, emphasis in
Education-Administration and a M.S. from Chapman University School of
Business and Economics in Human Resource Management and Organizational
Development.  Her civic work includes serving on the President's
Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities Taskforce,
Washington D.C.; participating in a National Institute for Literacy
National Congress; past member of the National Learning Disabilities
Research & Training Center Advisory Board; and serving her third term as
a member of the National Learning Disabilities Association Professional
Advisory Board.  She is a member of the National Rehabilitation
Association, the National Learning Disabilities Association, and the
Commission on Adult Basic Education. She is currently an 18-year board
member and past president of the Thurston County Economic Development
Board of Directors and she serves on the Pacific Mountain Workforce
Development Council Board of Directors as Chairperson.
 
 
 
I look forward to reading the questions you post for Nancie Payne.
 
Thanks very much,
 
 
Rochelle
 
Rochelle Kenyon, Moderator
National Institute for Literacy 
Learning Disabilities Discussion List
 <mailto:RKenyon721 at aol.com> RKenyon721 at aol.com 
 
To subscribe: 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/LearningDisabilities 
 
To read archived messages:
 <http://www.nifl.gov/linc/discussions/list_archives.html>
http://www.nifl.gov/linc/discussions/list_archives.html
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Jul 28 12:07:52 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:07:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 426]  Guest Discussion on English Language List
Message-ID: <005201c6b25f$fb3464f0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hello again!
 
Lots of interesting discussions to choose from - or not:  why not join
them both!!!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
To subscribe to go:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage
 
Dear colleagues,

I am happy to announce an upcoming panel discussion on the adult English
language list on working with literacy-level adult English language
learners.  The discussion will be the week of August 7-11, with further
questions, comments, and information-sharing welcome after that. 
 
Background Information  
Some teachers-especially those new to teaching adult English language
learners-express concern about teaching learners who aren't literate in
their native language or never went to school. In many ways, this
concern is unwarranted. Having or not having had access to formal
education does not correlate to cognitive functioning, interest, and
energy. Most literacy-level learners will need explicit instruction in
basic literacy skills (e.g., phonological  processing, vocabulary
development, syntactical processing). However, these learners bring an
array of lifeskills knowledge (often including some oral proficiency and
knowledge of American culture) problem-solving skills, and enthusiasm to
the process.   
 
Still, teachers and administrators sometimes feel challenged by
questions such as:
 
*	Who are the literacy-level adult ESL learners? 
*	What skills do literacy-level learners need to develop?
*	How can programs and administrators effectively support
literacy-level adult English language learners and their teachers?
*	What are effective instructional practices in the literacy
class?
*	What are effective needs assessment activities for
literacy-level adult English language learners?
*	What other approaches and activities are effective with
literacy-level learners?
*	What resource are helpful for teachers?
*	What instructional materials are effective for literacy-level
learners-to help them acquire skills they need to reach their personal
goals?
Process of the Discussion
To address these and other questions, nine adult ESL and refugee content
experts have graciously accepted my invitation to answer questions and
share ideas on the topic of literacy-level learners in adult ESL. Within
this group are teachers, program administrators, cultural orientation
specialists, curriculum designers, assessment experts, and authors of
teacher resources and literacy-level materials for learners.  Members of
the panel have worked extensively as volunteers, teachers, and
administrators, in learning labs and online, in general ESL, workplace
and work readiness programs, transition programs, family literacy,
refugee programs, in the United States and overseas from Mongolia to
(the then) Zaire.  I started adding up the panelists' years of
experience, but stopped when it topped 100 years. 
 
To organize this discussion with so many panelists, I will offer a short
biography of each panelist, which includes their areas of particular
expertise-although each panelist is knowledgeable in many areas related
to adult ESL, refugees, and  immigration.  
 
In this way, you can direct a question or comment to a specific panelist
(e.g., a question about literacy-level learners in family literacy would
be directed to the family literacy expert).  However, all panelists, as
well as the very many of you on the list who are also experts, please
jump in at any time. 
 
I will post the nine biographies next week, a few days before the panel
begins.
 
The panelists will be: 
 
Sanja Bebic, Director, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for
Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC
<http://www.culturalorientation.net/>
http://www.culturalorientation.net/
 
MaryAnn Cunningham Florez, Lead ESL Specialist, Arlington Education and
Employment Program (REEP), Arlington, Virginia
http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/
 
Debbie Jones, EL/Civics Literacy Coordinator, Arlington Education and
Employment Program, Arlington, Virginia
http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/
 
Sharon McKay, ESL Specialist, Center for Adult English Language
Acquisition, Washington, DC  <http://ww.cal.org/caela>
http://ww.cal.org/caela
 
Donna Moss, Family Literacy Coordinator, Arlington Education and
Employment Program (REEP), Arlington, Virginia
<http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/>
http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/
 
Barb Sample, Director of Educational Services, Spring Institute for
Intercultural Learning, Denver, Colorado
<http://www.spring-institute.org/> http://www.spring-institute.org/
 
Kate Singleton, Healthcare Social Worker, Fairfax INOVA Hospital,
Fairfax, Virginia
 
Sharyl Tanck, Program Coordinator, Cultural Orientation Resource Center,
Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC
http://www.culturalorientation.net/
 
Betsy Lindeman Wong, Online facilitator, ESOL Basics, Virginia Adult
Learning Resource Center, Richmond, Virginia  <http://www.valrc.org/>
http://www.valrc.org/
 
 

Pre-Discussion Reading

If you are interested in reading more about literacy-level adult English
language learners before August 7, here a few selected resources, with
more to come later during the discussion:
 <http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279> 
 <http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279> "Beginning ESOL Learners' Advice to
Their Teachers." 
 
Mental Health
<http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/mental.html>  and the
Adult Refugee: The Role of the ESL Teacher
 
What Non-readers or Beginning Readers Need to Know: Performance-based
ESL Adult Literacy (Brod, 1999, ERIC No. ED 433 730 available from
www.eric.ed.gov <http://www.eric.ed.gov/> )
 
Working With <http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/litQA.html>
Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners 
 
 
Lynda Terrill
Adult English language discussion list moderator
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition
Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th St, NW
Washington, DC 20016
202-362-0700, ext 543
lterrill at cal.org
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Jul 31 14:12:46 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:12:46 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 427]  PROLITERACY WORLDWIDE JOB OPPORTUNITY
Message-ID: <01d301c6b4cc$ed9b8c00$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear all,

The following announcement may be of interest to you.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
***************************

Position: Project Manager
 
Full-time position responsible for the implementation and ongoing
management of the performance accountability project as well as all
reporting required. 

This project runs through April 2009.  Bachelor's in a relevant field
(e.g., ed., mgt, etc.). Graduate degree preferred.  Demonstrated success
in literacy or ABE program management and implementing accountability
systems.  Experience in the development and delivery of professional
development for adult education and literacy practitioners.  Contracting
experience with trainers and materials developers a plus.  A minimum of
three years experience in project management.  Excellent written and
oral communication, and public presentation skills.  Must have
team-oriented working style.  Strong word processing skills required.
Structured for
telecommuting if outside central New York.  10-15% travel required.  

Send resume to ProLiteracy Worldwide/ HR, 1320 Jamesville Avenue,
Syracuse, NY 13210, or e-mail: frontdesk at proliteracy.org.  See website
for information about ProLiteracy Worldwide and a detailed job
description, www.proliteracy.org.  

Deadline for applications is August 7th.  EEO  





From r.millar at uwinnipeg.ca  Mon Jul 31 15:22:50 2006
From: r.millar at uwinnipeg.ca (Robin Millar)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:22:50 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 428]  definitions of diagnosis
Message-ID: <s4ce125f.071@ds1.uwinnipeg.ca>

Hello, I am writing an article on diagnostic assessment and I am looking
for a definition.  I know what it is and that's what I end up
describing.  But I'm wondering if people have a definition they use. 
Help is welcome!  Robin Millar

Dr. Robin Millar
Executive Director
Centre for Education and Work
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
204-786-9395




From djrosen at comcast.net  Mon Jul 31 17:49:46 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 17:49:46 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 429] Re: definitions of diagnosis
In-Reply-To: <s4ce125f.071@ds1.uwinnipeg.ca>
References: <s4ce125f.071@ds1.uwinnipeg.ca>
Message-ID: <55B907CD-16D6-4EB2-A661-14BE5B8778D9@comcast.net>

Hi Robin,

Diagnostic assessment is a kind of formative assessment of a  
student?s strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills used by a  
teacher to adapt instruction to meet the student's unique needs.

David

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

On Jul 31, 2006, at 3:22 PM, Robin Millar wrote:

> Hello, I am writing an article on diagnostic assessment and I am  
> looking
> for a definition.  I know what it is and that's what I end up
> describing.  But I'm wondering if people have a definition they use.
> Help is welcome!  Robin Millar
>
> Dr. Robin Millar
> Executive Director
> Centre for Education and Work
> 515 Portage Avenue
> Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
> 204-786-9395
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment







From ropteacher at gmail.com  Mon Jul 31 18:13:53 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:13:53 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>

Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do you
think about it for GED preparation?

-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Mon Jul 31 20:00:46 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 17:00:46 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 431] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC71@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it
for credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run
their own tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the program
(due to our limitations).  In Salem, they have a lab assistant who keeps
track of the students.  This software works great for basic reading,
writing and math.  It also has some science, etc. depending upon what
you purchase.  Students engage with it well and will stick to it long
enough to gain skills using the software.  Haven't worked enough with
PLATO to comment.

Va

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank

 

Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 

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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Mon Jul 31 20:03:26 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 17:03:26 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 432] Re: definitions of diagnosis
In-Reply-To: <55B907CD-16D6-4EB2-A661-14BE5B8778D9@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC72@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

I guess I'd add student goals to what David said, other wise, that's it

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 2:50 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 429] Re: definitions of diagnosis

Hi Robin,

Diagnostic assessment is a kind of formative assessment of a  
student's strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills used by a  
teacher to adapt instruction to meet the student's unique needs.

David

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

On Jul 31, 2006, at 3:22 PM, Robin Millar wrote:

> Hello, I am writing an article on diagnostic assessment and I am  
> looking
> for a definition.  I know what it is and that's what I end up
> describing.  But I'm wondering if people have a definition they use.
> Help is welcome!  Robin Millar
>
> Dr. Robin Millar
> Executive Director
> Centre for Education and Work
> 515 Portage Avenue
> Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
> 204-786-9395
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment





-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From djrosen at comcast.net  Mon Jul 31 22:12:11 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 22:12:11 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 433] Re: definitions of diagnosis
In-Reply-To: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC72@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
References: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC72@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
Message-ID: <1F7E4864-064C-4398-8273-437EC7BA46DB@comcast.net>

Thanks Virginia.  That's an important addition.  I have added it to  
the definition in the glossary section of the Adult Literacy  
Education Wiki

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Diagnostic_assessment

David

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Jul 31, 2006, at 8:03 PM, Virginia Tardaewether wrote:

> I guess I'd add student goals to what David said, other wise,  
> that's it
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
> On Behalf Of David Rosen
> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 2:50 PM
> To: The Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 429] Re: definitions of diagnosis
>
> Hi Robin,
>
> Diagnostic assessment is a kind of formative assessment of a
> student's strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills used by a
> teacher to adapt instruction to meet the student's unique needs.
>
> David
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
> On Jul 31, 2006, at 3:22 PM, Robin Millar wrote:
>
>> Hello, I am writing an article on diagnostic assessment and I am
>> looking
>> for a definition.  I know what it is and that's what I end up
>> describing.  But I'm wondering if people have a definition they use.
>> Help is welcome!  Robin Millar
>>
>> Dr. Robin Millar
>> Executive Director
>> Centre for Education and Work
>> 515 Portage Avenue
>> Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
>> 204-786-9395
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment







From hdooley at riral.org  Tue Aug  1 11:17:44 2006
From: hdooley at riral.org (Howard L. Dooley, Jr.)
Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2006 11:17:44 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 434] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC71@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
References: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC71@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
Message-ID: <44CF7098.7080508@riral.org>

We use My Skills Tutor, a web based program, which works very well with 
our basic skills and GED or EDP preparation students.  RI purchased a 
license as part of Project IDEAL participation, a distance learning 
initiative.  At our main learning center, all High ESL, ABE and ASE 
students experience the program, and have varying levels of 
participation on it.  Several of our teachers have been using the 
program with some learners, in preparation for an expanded use this fall 
with our general ed, community based programs (which are mostly 
part-time evening programs).  We intend to offer learners a blended 
model (distance learning/ classroom instruction).  Learners who can't 
attend every class or need to stop out will have support in continuing 
with My Skills Tutor.  For learners in class, homework assignments will 
include using the program, or to add reinforcement and more time on task 
for individual needs.  I agree with Virginia: we find most learners can 
access and stay with the program long enough to achieve some skill 
development.  Very few students can use it as a stand-alone however, 
mostly because they lack independent study skills and self-monitoring.  
Staff is discussing if and how we can explicitly instruct in these areas.

Howard D.


Virginia Tardaewether wrote:
>
> We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it 
> for credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run 
> their own tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the 
> program (due to our limitations).  In Salem, they have a lab assistant 
> who keeps track of the students.  This software works great for basic 
> reading, writing and math.  It also has some science, etc. depending 
> upon what you purchase.  Students engage with it well and will stick 
> to it long enough to gain skills using the software.  Haven't worked 
> enough with PLATO to comment.
>
> Va
>
>  
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* assessment-bounces at nifl.gov 
> [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] *On Behalf Of *Gloria Fuentes
> *Sent:* Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM
> *To:* Assessment at nifl.gov
> *Subject:* [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
>
>  
>
> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what 
> do you think about it for GED preparation?
>
> -- 
> Gloria Fuentes
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>   

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From Shirley.Penn at MorganCC.edu  Tue Aug  1 11:04:44 2006
From: Shirley.Penn at MorganCC.edu (Penn, Shirley)
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 09:04:44 -0600
Subject: [Assessment 435] Re: Skills Bank
References: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <E958A3AE0918574BA20D9F7186B1D041CA29E9@pigeon.mcc.ccofc.edu>

We have used Plato for about 12 years now.  I have used Skillsbank in the past.  The question is how are you planning on using it?    Some programs use it as the only instruction.  I do not agree with that approach.  However I think Plato could be used quit effectively.  I expecially like the fact that I can build instructional strands to meet the specific needs of the student. 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank


Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 
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From JWilletts at bccc.edu  Tue Aug  1 12:16:33 2006
From: JWilletts at bccc.edu (Willetts, John)
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 12:16:33 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 436] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <6A4977C473B56C48AB5F0D1FF4BD8D281D86C7@mainpo.bccc.edu>

We have both skills bank and plato for tutorial purposes for GED and Pre
GED classes, and both are good, but by far skills bank in more user
friendly!   Call if you need more info. JBW
 
John B. Willetts
ACE Instructional Specialist
Baltimore City Community College
700 E Lombard St.,
Baltimore, MD   21201
410-986-5458
jwilletts at bccc.edu
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Gloria Fuentes [mailto:ropteacher at gmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 6:14 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
 
Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 
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From pmcnaughton at language.ca  Tue Aug  1 14:09:21 2006
From: pmcnaughton at language.ca (Pauline Mcnaughton)
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 14:09:21 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 437] Re: Assessment Digest, Vol 11, Issue 1
In-Reply-To: <mailman.0.1154448001.1448.assessment@nifl.gov>
Message-ID: <00fc01c6b595$9da4dde0$9a01a8c0@language.ca>

I like David's definition as well, and Virginia's amendment.  I think it
encapsulates the meaning well.

I thought I would add the following anyway as additional "insights" from a
book by Tara Holmes titled, "Integrating CLB Assessment into your ESL
Classroom" ( Note: CLB = Canadian Language Benchmarks, and is the "standard"
referred to below) Copyright 2005:  Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks.

Tara mentions diagnostic assessment in the broader context of "assessment
for learning" (formative) as opposed to "assessment of learning"
(summative).  She talks about "assessment for learning" as follows:
Purpose:  Assessment supports ongoing learner growth.  Assessment
information is used to help learners and teachers decide what to do next.
Role of Teacher:  Teacher gives clear descriptive feedback to learners to
help them improve.  Requires that the teacher understand the standards,
analyze the gap between present and desired performance, and give feedback
to learners.  Teacher modifies and individualizes teaching/learning
activities.
Role of Learner:  Requires that learners understand the standards (what is
expected), are involved in self-assessment, and act on assessment
information to improve.
Timing:  Is an integrated component of the teaching and learning process.
Criteria for Effectiveness:  Is considered effective when learners use the
assessment information to support their learning and teachers use the
information to adjust the teaching/learning activities in the classroom.

Although this is not specifically focused on "diagnostic assessment" I
thought it was interesting.

Diagnostic assessment is a kind of formative assessment of a
> student's strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills used by a
> teacher to adapt instruction to meet the student's unique needs or goals.

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of assessment-request at nifl.gov
Sent: August 1, 2006 11:00 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: Assessment Digest, Vol 11, Issue 1


Send Assessment mailing list submissions to
	assessment at nifl.gov

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Tue Aug  1 16:28:16 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 13:28:16 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 438] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <OFC3DF9073.FE4123E4-ON072571BD.007073C2-072571BD.007073C7@yc.edu>

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From ropteacher at gmail.com  Tue Aug  1 18:15:50 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 15:15:50 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 439] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <44CF7098.7080508@riral.org>
References: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC71@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
	<44CF7098.7080508@riral.org>
Message-ID: <38914de00608011515l5a0ff5dmb34dd2165ce632bd@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Howard,

I didn't know they had a web based program as well. What version are you
using over there? I came into this teaching job not knowing anything about
GED preparation. I am teaching Office Occupations and didn't know I would
also be preparing my students for GED as well. Which I don't mind even
though I am a brand new teacher.

I took over this classroom where their had been no teacher for 4 months. The
only one that was working with the students was the sweet Case Technician
who knows very little about computers.

I had never used Skills Bank and no one was there to show me the ropes on
anything, first teaching job and I have been learning everything the hard
way. I finally just figured out how to work the SkillsBank4 version they
have there. I did try to get some support on it but found out they don't
support version 4 anymore since they are now on version 5. SO--I have been
figuring it all out on my own. So far I think its great but I have come to a
problem where one of my students is ready to go on to Intermediate Math and
they say I don't have that,  with our package.

I have been told that when my boss gets back from vacation he has found some
money for some new hardware and software. So since we are working on ANTIQUE
PC's I thought I would put in for some new ones and also have been checking
out some good GED-Prep programs. So far I think SkillsBank is winning. Plato
seems VERY expensive and I am hearing it isn't very user friendly.

I have also found working with my students, along with the Skills Bank
program seems to be working BEST!

Thank you very much for your response,

Gloria


On 8/1/06, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. <hdooley at riral.org> wrote:
>
>  We use My Skills Tutor, a web based program, which works very well with
> our basic skills and GED or EDP preparation students.  RI purchased a
> license as part of Project IDEAL participation, a distance learning
> initiative.  At our main learning center, all High ESL, ABE and ASE students
> experience the program, and have varying levels of participation on it.
> Several of our teachers have been using the program with some learners, in
> preparation for an expanded use this fall with our general ed, community
> based programs (which are mostly part-time evening programs).  We intend to
> offer learners a blended model (distance learning/ classroom instruction).
> Learners who can't attend every class or need to stop out will have support
> in continuing with My Skills Tutor.  For learners in class, homework
> assignments will include using the program, or to add reinforcement and more
> time on task for individual needs.  I agree with Virginia: we find most
> learners can access and stay with the program long enough to achieve some
> skill development.  Very few students can use it as a stand-alone however,
> mostly because they lack independent study skills and self-monitoring.
> Staff is discussing if and how we can explicitly instruct in these areas.
>
> Howard D.
>
>
> Virginia Tardaewether wrote:
>
>  We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it for
> credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run their own
> tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the program (due to our
> limitations).  In Salem, they have a lab assistant who keeps track of the
> students.  This software works great for basic reading, writing and math.
> It also has some science, etc. depending upon what you purchase.  Students
> engage with it well and will stick to it long enough to gain skills using
> the software.  Haven't worked enough with PLATO to comment.
>
> Va
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov<assessment-bounces at nifl.gov>]
> *On Behalf Of *Gloria Fuentes
> *Sent:* Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM
> *To:* Assessment at nifl.gov
> *Subject:* [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
>
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
> you think about it for GED preparation?
>
> --
> Gloria Fuentes
>
> ------------------------------
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>


-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From Khinson at future-gate.com  Tue Aug  1 19:19:40 2006
From: Khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 01:19:40 +0200
Subject: [Assessment 440]   Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <E958A3AE0918574BA20D9F7186B1D041CA29E9@pigeon.mcc.ccofc.edu>
References: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>
	<E958A3AE0918574BA20D9F7186B1D041CA29E9@pigeon.mcc.ccofc.edu>
Message-ID: <44CFA94B.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com>


We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor is
one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
that of My Skills Tutor.

All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I have
to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
always create a student account so that I can practice the same
assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of them...and
recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own comfort
level is as well as the comfort level of your student.

They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at home
for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
"break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who need
a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester but
is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard Course
of Study and also offers a college readiness module. 


Regards,

Katrina Hinson


________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank


Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 


From ropteacher at gmail.com  Wed Aug  2 08:04:12 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 05:04:12 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 441] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <44CFA94B.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com>
References: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>
	<E958A3AE0918574BA20D9F7186B1D041CA29E9@pigeon.mcc.ccofc.edu>
	<44CFA94B.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com>
Message-ID: <38914de00608020504o70b46c16w775202c0d4a81d5b@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Katrina,

Thank you so much for your reply. I have the Skills Bank 4, and I do like
it. I teach at risk kids, ages 18 to 21. Some of my kids just drifted
through school not gaining anything from it. Others are stuck in their math
or other areas but a LOT of them are at an early elementary level, it really
makes me wonder how they made it through school all the years they did. But
that is besides the point, my main objective is to teach them the skills
they need to pass the GED!


We don't have the My Skills Tutor is that something that is designed by the
Skills Bank people? MCH Interactive, Keytrain and A+Anywhere are these
through Skills Bank? I would really love to take a look at them.

We don't have a lot of money for our program and my own pocket book is
tapped out! So whatever I decide on will have to be a good price. The Plato
is pretty expensive and I don't think I will be able to get my Director to
go along with it.

Anyways thank you so much for your input.

Gloria


On 8/1/06, Katrina Hinson <Khinson at future-gate.com> wrote:
>
>
> We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
> Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
> PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
> different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor is
> one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
> programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
> for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
> PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
> readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
> that of My Skills Tutor.
>
> All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
> resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I have
> to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
> always create a student account so that I can practice the same
> assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of them...and
> recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
> work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
> another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own comfort
> level is as well as the comfort level of your student.
>
> They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at home
> for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
> "break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
> their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
> like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
> program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who need
> a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester but
> is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard Course
> of Study and also offers a college readiness module.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Katrina Hinson
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
> Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
> To: Assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
> you think about it for GED preparation?
>
> --
> Gloria Fuentes
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org  Wed Aug  2 11:00:57 2006
From: Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org (Limkemann, Karen)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 11:00:57 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 442] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F04FF5C@server1.TLA.lan>

We also use KeyTrain as an instructional method but we use it with all
levels including ESL.  The auditory support is very popular with the ESL
students who frequently have minimal opportunity to listen to standard
spoken English.  They love the repeat button!

The beginning skills portions of the software are the most critical for
lower level students. We had a situation here in Indiana where the South
Bend area bought the KeyTrain program but NOT the beginning skills.
They had to go back and get those portions. Without the beginning skills
sections Katrina is right, it would only be useful for higher end
students.

Karen Limkemann
Ft. Wayne, IN





-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 8:46 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 440] Re: Skills Bank


We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor is
one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
that of My Skills Tutor.

All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I have
to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
always create a student account so that I can practice the same
assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of them...and
recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own comfort
level is as well as the comfort level of your student.

They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at home
for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
"break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who need
a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester but
is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard Course
of Study and also offers a college readiness module. 


Regards,

Katrina Hinson


________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank


Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment






From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Wed Aug  2 12:01:46 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 09:01:46 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 443] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <38914de00608011515l5a0ff5dmb34dd2165ce632bd@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC85@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

I agree with Howard Gloria.  We used the web-based.  The only issue is
cost as is true for all software.  I have many ESL, ABE and GED students
who use it along with other instructional strategies.

 

Have you tried getting your students to figure it out instead of you?
You might have some great computer "geeks" hidden there in the
group....that gives them focus and frees your time.

va

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 3:16 PM
To: hdooley at riral.org; The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 439] Re: Skills Bank

 

Hi Howard, 

I didn't know they had a web based program as well. What version are you
using over there? I came into this teaching job not knowing anything
about GED preparation. I am teaching Office Occupations and didn't know
I would also be preparing my students for GED as well. Which I don't
mind even though I am a brand new teacher. 

I took over this classroom where their had been no teacher for 4 months.
The only one that was working with the students was the sweet Case
Technician who knows very little about computers. 

I had never used Skills Bank and no one was there to show me the ropes
on anything, first teaching job and I have been learning everything the
hard way. I finally just figured out how to work the SkillsBank4 version
they have there. I did try to get some support on it but found out they
don't support version 4 anymore since they are now on version 5. SO--I
have been figuring it all out on my own. So far I think its great but I
have come to a problem where one of my students is ready to go on to
Intermediate Math and they say I don't have that,  with our package.

I have been told that when my boss gets back from vacation he has found
some money for some new hardware and software. So since we are working
on ANTIQUE PC's I thought I would put in for some new ones and also have
been checking out some good GED-Prep programs. So far I think SkillsBank
is winning. Plato seems VERY expensive and I am hearing it isn't very
user friendly. 

I have also found working with my students, along with the Skills Bank
program seems to be working BEST! 

Thank you very much for your response,

Gloria



On 8/1/06, Howard L. Dooley, Jr. <hdooley at riral.org> wrote:

We use My Skills Tutor, a web based program, which works very well with
our basic skills and GED or EDP preparation students.  RI purchased a
license as part of Project IDEAL participation, a distance learning
initiative.  At our main learning center, all High ESL, ABE and ASE
students experience the program, and have varying levels of
participation on it.  Several of our teachers have been using the
program with some learners, in preparation for an expanded use this fall
with our general ed, community based programs (which are mostly
part-time evening programs).  We intend to offer learners a blended
model (distance learning/ classroom instruction).  Learners who can't
attend every class or need to stop out will have support in continuing
with My Skills Tutor.  For learners in class, homework assignments will
include using the program, or to add reinforcement and more time on task
for individual needs.  I agree with Virginia: we find most learners can
access and stay with the program long enough to achieve some skill
development.  Very few students can use it as a stand-alone however,
mostly because they lack independent study skills and self-monitoring.
Staff is discussing if and how we can explicitly instruct in these
areas.

Howard D.


Virginia Tardaewether wrote: 

We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it
for credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run
their own tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the program
(due to our limitations).  In Salem, they have a lab assistant who keeps
track of the students.  This software works great for basic reading,
writing and math.  It also has some science, etc. depending upon what
you purchase.  Students engage with it well and will stick to it long
enough to gain skills using the software.  Haven't worked enough with
PLATO to comment.

Va

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [ mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
<mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov> ] On Behalf Of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank

 

Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 




________________________________





-------------------------------

National Institute for Literacy

Assessment mailing list

<mailto:Assessment at nifl.gov> 
Assessment at nifl.gov

To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
<http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment> 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

  

 


-------------------------------
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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Wed Aug  2 12:10:40 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 09:10:40 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 444] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <OFC3DF9073.FE4123E4-ON072571BD.007073C2-072571BD.007073C7@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC8B@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

Tina

I've used skills tutor with Math 20, math 052, GED, ESL transition
students, ABE, GED and reading 080, 090 and 115.  It has a large enough
system that there are lessons that can be linked to individuals for
skills gain.  

Va

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 1:28 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 438] Re: Skills Bank

 

Hi List members,

 

We use Skills Tutor, a Web based version of Skills Bank here at Yavapai
College, and it has been highly valuable for both developmental
education and freshman level work in English and Math classes. Our ADEAL
GED Online classes have actually taken a turn this semester. Three
semesters ago the state of Arizona bought us GED Online from MHC to
serve our online student popuation. Yavapai College had already bought
us the rights to use Skills Tutor. After experimenting with both
software programs, most of our students this year have self selected
Skills Tutor as the favorite program of the two, and are using it almost
exclusively on the Verde Campus. I have seen PLATO and believe that
Skills Tutor is the better program over that one as well, although each
program has its value.

 

Any one else have any ideas?

 

Tina





Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu

 

-----assessment-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: -----

To: "The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov>
From: "Virginia Tardaewether" <tarv at chemeketa.edu>
Sent by: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
Date: 07/31/2006 05:00PM
Subject: [Assessment 431] Re: Skills Bank




We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it
for credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run
their own tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the program
(due to our limitations).  InSalem, they have a lab assistant who keeps
track of the students.  This software works great for basic reading,
writing and math.  It also has some science, etc. depending upon what
you purchase.  Students engage with it well and will stick to it long
enough to gain skills using the software.  Haven?t worked enough with
PLATO to comment. 

Va 

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gloria Fuentes 
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM 
To: Assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank 

 

Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

 

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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Wed Aug  2 12:11:34 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 09:11:34 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 445] Re: definitions of diagnosis
In-Reply-To: <1F7E4864-064C-4398-8273-437EC7BA46DB@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC8C@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

Wow
Thanks

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 7:12 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 433] Re: definitions of diagnosis

Thanks Virginia.  That's an important addition.  I have added it to  
the definition in the glossary section of the Adult Literacy  
Education Wiki

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Diagnostic_assessment

David

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Jul 31, 2006, at 8:03 PM, Virginia Tardaewether wrote:

> I guess I'd add student goals to what David said, other wise,  
> that's it
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
> On Behalf Of David Rosen
> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 2:50 PM
> To: The Assessment Discussion List
> Subject: [Assessment 429] Re: definitions of diagnosis
>
> Hi Robin,
>
> Diagnostic assessment is a kind of formative assessment of a
> student's strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills used by a
> teacher to adapt instruction to meet the student's unique needs.
>
> David
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net
>
> On Jul 31, 2006, at 3:22 PM, Robin Millar wrote:
>
>> Hello, I am writing an article on diagnostic assessment and I am
>> looking
>> for a definition.  I know what it is and that's what I end up
>> describing.  But I'm wondering if people have a definition they use.
>> Help is welcome!  Robin Millar
>>
>> Dr. Robin Millar
>> Executive Director
>> Centre for Education and Work
>> 515 Portage Avenue
>> Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
>> 204-786-9395
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------
>> National Institute for Literacy
>> Assessment mailing list
>> Assessment at nifl.gov
>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment





-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Wed Aug  2 13:17:35 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 10:17:35 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 446] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC8B@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
Message-ID: <OF0E6B859C.F3484090-ON072571BE.005D280B-072571BE.005EED37@yc.edu>

Hi Virginia and  all,

Yes, I have used Skills Tutor with ENG 140 (a freshman level reading 
class) for the college as well as for GED classes. The college had Skills 
Bank and then upgraded to Skills Tutor about 3 years ago. The parts I like 
about Skills Tutor are: 

1)  the way the software engages the students,

2) the fact that the software self-diagnoses the student lessons after the 
pretests, 

3) the software grades the lessons so we can see right away if the student 
needs to go back and do the lesson over, or perhaps get additional lessons 
from another program or a textbook, or teacher instruction, 

4) the versatility of the program whereby the teacher actually designs 
which lessons he/she thinks are important for this particular student or 
class, 

5) the many levels of the software. Yavapai College bought Learning 
Milestones as well as the regular Skills Tutor lessons, so we can use the 
materials all the way down into higher level elementary school all the way 
into high school level work. 

What I really like about the GED Online software by McGraw Hill is that it 
has pretests and posttests that simulate the actual GED exam, and then 
offer lessons specific to building those skills the student misses in the 
pretest, and then offers the posttest to show improvement. The program is 
definitely less broad than most and needs more outside support, but is a 
great tool for students from about 8th grade level on up to prepare them 
for the GED exam. This software program offers a lot of great video 
presentations as well primarily in Science and Social Studies. For the 
online students I get who are close to passing the GED exam, this program 
has been highly effective.

I am not qualified to talk about PLATO as I have not used it with 
students, only saw it at a training in Phoenix and played with it there 
for a while. 

The best software program I have seen for reading improvement is Reading 
Power Modules, which I mentioned before in the NIFL list. This program is 
from Steck Vaughn, 1999, and I am not sure if it is still available for 
sale. The program is lan based rather than web based, but is highly 
engaging with students and has brought up reading rates as much as 30 
percent in one semester with my ENG 140 classes, and nearly always brings 
up a TABE score at least one level within three months' usage.

Thanks for letting me share.

Tina







Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu
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From ropteacher at gmail.com  Wed Aug  2 15:44:32 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 12:44:32 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 447] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <OF0E6B859C.F3484090-ON072571BE.005D280B-072571BE.005EED37@yc.edu>
References: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BC8B@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
	<OF0E6B859C.F3484090-ON072571BE.005D280B-072571BE.005EED37@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <38914de00608021244s7b10be70ke8c72ba07ff87eca@mail.gmail.com>

Virginia,

That is an excellent idea! Right now most of my students are going away to a
camp for the next 10 days to the University of Redlands, a great program
they have going on there. They will also get paid for this at the end of the
10 days. I think I may have one student that didn't want to participate so
now I know what to do with him!

Thank you,

Gloria


On 8/2/06, Tina_Luffman at yc.edu <Tina_Luffman at yc.edu> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Virginia and  all,
>
> Yes, I have used *Skills Tutor* with ENG 140 (a freshman level reading
> class) for the college as well as for GED classes. The college had Skills
> Bank and then upgraded to Skills Tutor about 3 years ago. The parts I like
> about Skills Tutor are:
>
> 1)  the way the software engages the students,
>
> 2) the fact that the software self-diagnoses the student lessons after the
> pretests,
>
> 3) the software grades the lessons so we can see right away if the student
> needs to go back and do the lesson over, or perhaps get additional lessons
> from another program or a textbook, or teacher instruction,
>
> 4) the versatility of the program whereby the teacher actually designs
> which lessons he/she thinks are important for this particular student or
> class,
>
> 5) the many levels of the software. Yavapai College bought Learning
> Milestones as well as the regular Skills Tutor lessons, so we can use the
> materials all the way down into higher level elementary school all the way
> into high school level work.
>
> What I really like about the *GED Online* software by McGraw Hill is that
> it has pretests and posttests that simulate the actual GED exam, and then
> offer lessons specific to building those skills the student misses in the
> pretest, and then offers the posttest to show improvement. The program is
> definitely less broad than most and needs more outside support, but is a
> great tool for students from about 8th grade level on up to prepare them for
> the GED exam. This software program offers a lot of great video
> presentations as well primarily in Science and Social Studies. For the
> online students I get who are close to passing the GED exam, this program
> has been highly effective.
>
> I am not qualified to talk about *PLATO* as I have not used it with
> students, only saw it at a training in Phoenix and played with it there for
> a while.
>
> The best software program I have seen for reading improvement is* Reading
> Power Modules*, which I mentioned before in the NIFL list. This program is
> from Steck Vaughn, 1999, and I am not sure if it is still available for
> sale. The program is lan based rather than web based, but is highly engaging
> with students and has brought up reading rates as much as 30 percent in one
> semester with my ENG 140 classes, and nearly always brings up a TABE score
> at least one level within three months' usage.
>
> Thanks for letting me share.
>
>
> Tina
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Tina Luffman
> Coordinator, Developmental Education
> Verde Valley Campus
> 928-634-6544
> tina_luffman at yc.edu
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>


-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From ryanryanc at yahoo.com  Wed Aug  2 15:52:08 2006
From: ryanryanc at yahoo.com (Ryan Hall)
Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 15:52:08 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 448] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <C0F67AA8.2300%ryanryanc@yahoo.com>

I have never heard of Plato, but Skills Bank is used in the college tutoring
lab where I work. We use the reading, writing, and math sections.
The program is mostly used by students who are in the remedial courses
(reading, writing, and math), but students taking courses for credit also
use the program. The students say they like it because it teaches the skills
they need without giving tons of details they get lost in, and it asks
questions throughout each section that keeps them engaged. I think it would
help your students prepare for the GED.
I know this is a very brief answer to your question, but if you have other
questions, let me know.
Ryan

On 7/31/06 6:13 PM, "Gloria Fuentes" <ropteacher at gmail.com> wrote:

> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do you
> think about it for GED preparation?


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From ropteacher at gmail.com  Wed Aug  2 17:09:55 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 14:09:55 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 449] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <C0F67AA8.2300%ryanryanc@yahoo.com>
References: <38914de00607311513pc84ebdegb828e5f6dba92f61@mail.gmail.com>
	<C0F67AA8.2300%ryanryanc@yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <38914de00608021409g593b059al8ab7a00b8a01d888@mail.gmail.com>

Thank you Ryan,

What version are you guys using?

What I have heard so far of Plato I am thinking it may be a little bit to
much for my students, and WAY to much for our districts budget. Where as
SkillsBank seems much more affordable.

Gloria


On 8/2/06, Ryan Hall <ryanryanc at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>  I have never heard of Plato, but Skills Bank is used in the college
> tutoring lab where I work. We use the reading, writing, and math sections.
> The program is mostly used by students who are in the remedial courses
> (reading, writing, and math), but students taking courses for credit also
> use the program. The students say they like it because it teaches the skills
> they need without giving tons of details they get lost in, and it asks
> questions throughout each section that keeps them engaged. I think it would
> help your students prepare for the GED.
> I know this is a very brief answer to your question, but if you have other
> questions, let me know.
>
> Ryan
>
>
> On 7/31/06 6:13 PM, "Gloria Fuentes" <ropteacher at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
> you think about it for GED preparation?
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>


-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Wed Aug  2 20:49:16 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 17:49:16 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 450] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <38914de00608021244s7b10be70ke8c72ba07ff87eca@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BCA0@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

I have found students to be terrific classroom resources....and why
should I do all the work when they can gain skills by doing it?

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 12:45 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 447] Re: Skills Bank

 

Virginia,

 

That is an excellent idea! Right now most of my students are going away
to a camp for the next 10 days to the University of Redlands, a great
program they have going on there. They will also get paid for this at
the end of the 10 days. I think I may have one student that didn't want
to participate so now I know what to do with him! 

 

Thank you,

 

Gloria

 

On 8/2/06, Tina_Luffman at yc.edu <Tina_Luffman at yc.edu> wrote: 


Hi Virginia and  all, 

Yes, I have used Skills Tutor with ENG 140 (a freshman level reading
class) for the college as well as for GED classes. The college had
Skills Bank and then upgraded to Skills Tutor about 3 years ago. The
parts I like about Skills Tutor are: 

1)  the way the software engages the students, 

2) the fact that the software self-diagnoses the student lessons after
the pretests, 

3) the software grades the lessons so we can see right away if the
student needs to go back and do the lesson over, or perhaps get
additional lessons from another program or a textbook, or teacher
instruction, 

4) the versatility of the program whereby the teacher actually designs
which lessons he/she thinks are important for this particular student or
class, 

5) the many levels of the software. Yavapai College bought Learning
Milestones as well as the regular Skills Tutor lessons, so we can use
the materials all the way down into higher level elementary school all
the way into high school level work. 

What I really like about the GED Online software by McGraw Hill is that
it has pretests and posttests that simulate the actual GED exam, and
then offer lessons specific to building those skills the student misses
in the pretest, and then offers the posttest to show improvement. The
program is definitely less broad than most and needs more outside
support, but is a great tool for students from about 8th grade level on
up to prepare them for the GED exam. This software program offers a lot
of great video presentations as well primarily in Science and Social
Studies. For the online students I get who are close to passing the GED
exam, this program has been highly effective. 

I am not qualified to talk about PLATO as I have not used it with
students, only saw it at a training in Phoenix and played with it there
for a while. 

The best software program I have seen for reading improvement is Reading
Power Modules, which I mentioned before in the NIFL list. This program
is from Steck Vaughn, 1999, and I am not sure if it is still available
for sale. The program is lan based rather than web based, but is highly
engaging with students and has brought up reading rates as much as 30
percent in one semester with my ENG 140 classes, and nearly always
brings up a TABE score at least one level within three months' usage. 

Thanks for letting me share. 



Tina 







Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu 


------------------------------- 
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment






-- 
Gloria Fuentes 

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From khinson at future-gate.com  Wed Aug  2 21:58:58 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:58:58 +0200
Subject: [Assessment 451] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <44D17482020000A000002F9E@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com>

I'm glad you pointed this out. I'm going to have to investigate this on
our end. We've  been looking for something like this and this might be
something for us to add. Thanks!

Katrina

>>> "Limkemann, Karen" <Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org> 08/02/06
8:00 AM >>>
We also use KeyTrain as an instructional method but we use it with all
levels including ESL.  The auditory support is very popular with the ESL
students who frequently have minimal opportunity to listen to standard
spoken English.  They love the repeat button!

The beginning skills portions of the software are the most critical for
lower level students. We had a situation here in Indiana where the South
Bend area bought the KeyTrain program but NOT the beginning skills.
They had to go back and get those portions. Without the beginning skills
sections Katrina is right, it would only be useful for higher end
students.

Karen Limkemann
Ft. Wayne, IN





-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 8:46 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 440] Re: Skills Bank


We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor is
one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
that of My Skills Tutor.

All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I have
to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
always create a student account so that I can practice the same
assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of them...and
recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own comfort
level is as well as the comfort level of your student.

They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at home
for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
"break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who need
a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester but
is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard Course
of Study and also offers a college readiness module. 


Regards,

Katrina Hinson


________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank


Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
you think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From khinson at future-gate.com  Wed Aug  2 21:59:17 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:59:17 +0200
Subject: [Assessment 452] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <44D17495020000A000002FA2@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com>

MHC Interactive is developed by McGrawHill
MySkills Tutor is developed by Achievement technologies.  I don't think
this is part of the same package as Skills Bank. It's a different
company/product.
A+Anywhere Learning system is developed by the American Education
Corporation
Off the top of my head, I can't tell you developed Keytrain. Keytrain is
part of a larger system.  I don't know what state you're in but you can
probably find the representatives for each of these companies for your
area. If not, I can provide the contacts I have at least as a jumping
off point.



Regards,
Katrina Hinson

>>> "Gloria Fuentes" <ropteacher at gmail.com> 08/02/06 5:04 AM >>>
Hi Katrina,

Thank you so much for your reply. I have the Skills Bank 4, and I do
like
it. I teach at risk kids, ages 18 to 21. Some of my kids just drifted
through school not gaining anything from it. Others are stuck in their
math
or other areas but a LOT of them are at an early elementary level, it
really
makes me wonder how they made it through school all the years they did.
But
that is besides the point, my main objective is to teach them the skills
they need to pass the GED!


We don't have the My Skills Tutor is that something that is designed by
the
Skills Bank people? MCH Interactive, Keytrain and A+Anywhere are these
through Skills Bank? I would really love to take a look at them.

We don't have a lot of money for our program and my own pocket book is
tapped out! So whatever I decide on will have to be a good price. The
Plato
is pretty expensive and I don't think I will be able to get my Director
to
go along with it.

Anyways thank you so much for your input.

Gloria


On 8/1/06, Katrina Hinson <Khinson at future-gate.com> wrote:
>
>
> We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
> Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
> PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
> different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor
is
> one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
> programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
> for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
> PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
> readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
> that of My Skills Tutor.
>
> All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
> resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I
have
> to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
> always create a student account so that I can practice the same
> assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of
them...and
> recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
> work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
> another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own
comfort
> level is as well as the comfort level of your student.
>
> They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at
home
> for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
> "break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
> their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
> like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
> program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who
need
> a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester
but
> is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard
Course
> of Study and also offers a college readiness module.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Katrina Hinson
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
> Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
> To: Assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what
do
> you think about it for GED preparation?
>
> --
> Gloria Fuentes
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



-- 
Gloria Fuentes



From Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org  Thu Aug  3 09:14:36 2006
From: Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org (Limkemann, Karen)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 09:14:36 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 453] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F04FF71@server1.TLA.lan>

KeyTrain is published by Thinking Media.  It is actually part of a
larger Employment System that includes the WorkKeys Assessment by ACT.
WorkKeys is used as a hiring tool by many companies.  You can check out
www.keytrain.com for more info.  We tell students that even though
KeyTrain never talks about GED, math is math, reading is reading etc.
It is a nice tool to crosswalk the language barrier between education
and employment.

Karen Limkemann
Ft. Wayne, IN


-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 10:31 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 452] Re: Skills Bank

MHC Interactive is developed by McGrawHill
MySkills Tutor is developed by Achievement technologies.  I don't think
this is part of the same package as Skills Bank. It's a different
company/product.
A+Anywhere Learning system is developed by the American Education
Corporation
Off the top of my head, I can't tell you developed Keytrain. Keytrain is
part of a larger system.  I don't know what state you're in but you can
probably find the representatives for each of these companies for your
area. If not, I can provide the contacts I have at least as a jumping
off point.



Regards,
Katrina Hinson

>>> "Gloria Fuentes" <ropteacher at gmail.com> 08/02/06 5:04 AM >>>
Hi Katrina,

Thank you so much for your reply. I have the Skills Bank 4, and I do
like
it. I teach at risk kids, ages 18 to 21. Some of my kids just drifted
through school not gaining anything from it. Others are stuck in their
math
or other areas but a LOT of them are at an early elementary level, it
really
makes me wonder how they made it through school all the years they did.
But
that is besides the point, my main objective is to teach them the skills
they need to pass the GED!


We don't have the My Skills Tutor is that something that is designed by
the
Skills Bank people? MCH Interactive, Keytrain and A+Anywhere are these
through Skills Bank? I would really love to take a look at them.

We don't have a lot of money for our program and my own pocket book is
tapped out! So whatever I decide on will have to be a good price. The
Plato
is pretty expensive and I don't think I will be able to get my Director
to
go along with it.

Anyways thank you so much for your input.

Gloria


On 8/1/06, Katrina Hinson <Khinson at future-gate.com> wrote:
>
>
> We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
> Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
> PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
> different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor
is
> one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
> programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
> for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
> PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
> readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
> that of My Skills Tutor.
>
> All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
> resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I
have
> to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
> always create a student account so that I can practice the same
> assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of
them...and
> recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
> work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
> another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own
comfort
> level is as well as the comfort level of your student.
>
> They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at
home
> for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
> "break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
> their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
> like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
> program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who
need
> a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester
but
> is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard
Course
> of Study and also offers a college readiness module.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Katrina Hinson
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
> Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
> To: Assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what
do
> you think about it for GED preparation?
>
> --
> Gloria Fuentes
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



-- 
Gloria Fuentes

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment






From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Aug  3 09:40:32 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 09:40:32 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 454]  Poverty, Race, & Literacy Guest next week
Message-ID: <020901c6b702$6503e710$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear colleagues, the following announcement is from Donna Brian,
Moderator of the Poverty, Race, and Literacy Discussion List.
 
Marie Cora
*******************************
 
Guest Discussion: Poverty, Race, & Literacy 
Monday, August 7-  Friday, August 11
 
Guest: Andy Nash- please see Andy's bio below
 
To participate, sign up for the list at
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Povertyliteracy
 
 
Literacy Discussion List Colleagues,
 
Next week, Monday August 7 - Friday August 11, we have the great good
fortune to have as a guest on the Poverty, Race, & Literacy Discussion
List Andy Nash, Staff Development Specialist at the New England Literacy
Resource Center at World Education.  As you can see from her bio below,
Andy has experience in lots of different adult education literacy areas,
but her overarching concern has been relating literacy to social justice
and advocacy for participation in our democracy.  
 
Andy introduces this discussion by asking *us* some questions (see
paragraph 2 below).  She intends to learn from us as we learn from her.
 
Please read her bio and look up The Change Agent (
<http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent> www.nelrc.org/changeagent) and, if
you would like to participate in the discussion, join the list at
<http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Povertyliteracy> and be ready
starting Monday to participate in a lively discussion about literacy and
social justice issues!
 
Donna
 
Donna Brian, Moderator
Poverty, Race, and Literacy Discussion List
Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee
djgbrian at utk.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Andy Nash's bio:
My work in adult education over the past 20 years has focused on
building the capacity of adults to use their developing skills to be
more informed and active participants in a democracy. I've brought this
perspective to my work in ESOL, civic participation, worker education,
family literacy, standards-based education, and many years of resource
and professional development.

Having just finished editing a new resource about bringing issues of
social justice into the classroom (see below), I am interested in
thinking about the role such materials can play in adult ed. Do you find
resources for talking about issues such as gentrification or
globalization useful, or do you think educators should stick to more
immediately tangible issues such as advocating for more affordable
daycare, interpreters at clinics, etc.? In the short amount of time we
have, is it necessary to stick with the "local," which is often speaking
up for better community services, or are your students also interested
in more general problems such as growing incarceration rates, the
war(s), or the current debate over whether a president has the right to
sidestep federal laws passed by Congress? In the interest of being as
participatory and responsive to students as possible, does it matter if
an issue gets raised by the teacher rather than being initiated by the
students? And, of course, what does it all have to do with improving
basic academic, language, and job skills?

These are all questions we think about when we work on The Change Agent
(www.nelrc.org/changeagent), a biannual social justice newspaper for
adult educators and learners published by the New England Literacy
Resource Center at World Education. It was conceived in 1994 as a tool
to educate and mobilize teachers and learners to apply advocacy skills
in response to impending federal funding cutbacks for adult education.
The first issue was so well received by teachers that we continued to
produce more issues. Now well established as a unique resource within
the adult education community, The Change Agent continues to promote
social action as an important part of the adult learning experience.
Each issue explores a different social justice theme through news
articles, opinion pieces, classroom activities and lessons, poems,
cartoons, interviews, project descriptions, and printed and Web-based
resources.

"Through the Lens of Social Justice: Using The Change Agent in Adult
Education" is a newly published book that celebrates The Change Agent's
first decade by gathering its best and most timeless pieces and by
offering guidance for educators in how to use the paper.

Chapter 1 introduces readers to the kinds of articles and tools that are
available in The Change Agent and how they can be used. These
include: "Ways In," short visual or textual prompts that can be used
with students to draw out their experiences, questions, and concerns
about social issues; "Issue Analyses," articles that examine an issue
(prisons, school vouchers, health care, etc.) by looking at how our
systems work and for whose benefit; and "Students Making Change,"
accounts of students who have used what they have learned to take some
kind of individual or collective action outside the classroom. 

Chapter 2 provides guidance in how teachers can use the articles to
build thematic curriculum units, with sample units for ABE, ESOL, and
GED. And Chapter 3 is a collection of articles about the challenges of
bringing social justice issues into the classroom and the creative
strategies that teachers have used to deal with those challenges. To see
sample pages from the book, go to www.nelrc.org/publications/cabook.html





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From ropteacher at gmail.com  Thu Aug  3 09:55:05 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 06:55:05 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 455] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F04FF71@server1.TLA.lan>
References: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F04FF71@server1.TLA.lan>
Message-ID: <38914de00608030655l1c8153aet8739a21274f746d3@mail.gmail.com>

Excellent, I will check it out. And being how we are teaching my students
career skills as well this sounds great!

Thank you,

Gloria

On 8/3/06, Limkemann, Karen <Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org> wrote:
>
> KeyTrain is published by Thinking Media.  It is actually part of a
> larger Employment System that includes the WorkKeys Assessment by ACT.
> WorkKeys is used as a hiring tool by many companies.  You can check out
> www.keytrain.com for more info.  We tell students that even though
> KeyTrain never talks about GED, math is math, reading is reading etc.
> It is a nice tool to crosswalk the language barrier between education
> and employment.
>
> Karen Limkemann
> Ft. Wayne, IN
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
> On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson
> Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 10:31 PM
> To: assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 452] Re: Skills Bank
>
> MHC Interactive is developed by McGrawHill
> MySkills Tutor is developed by Achievement technologies.  I don't think
> this is part of the same package as Skills Bank. It's a different
> company/product.
> A+Anywhere Learning system is developed by the American Education
> Corporation
> Off the top of my head, I can't tell you developed Keytrain. Keytrain is
> part of a larger system.  I don't know what state you're in but you can
> probably find the representatives for each of these companies for your
> area. If not, I can provide the contacts I have at least as a jumping
> off point.
>
>
>
> Regards,
> Katrina Hinson
>
> >>> "Gloria Fuentes" <ropteacher at gmail.com> 08/02/06 5:04 AM >>>
> Hi Katrina,
>
> Thank you so much for your reply. I have the Skills Bank 4, and I do
> like
> it. I teach at risk kids, ages 18 to 21. Some of my kids just drifted
> through school not gaining anything from it. Others are stuck in their
> math
> or other areas but a LOT of them are at an early elementary level, it
> really
> makes me wonder how they made it through school all the years they did.
> But
> that is besides the point, my main objective is to teach them the skills
> they need to pass the GED!
>
>
> We don't have the My Skills Tutor is that something that is designed by
> the
> Skills Bank people? MCH Interactive, Keytrain and A+Anywhere are these
> through Skills Bank? I would really love to take a look at them.
>
> We don't have a lot of money for our program and my own pocket book is
> tapped out! So whatever I decide on will have to be a good price. The
> Plato
> is pretty expensive and I don't think I will be able to get my Director
> to
> go along with it.
>
> Anyways thank you so much for your input.
>
> Gloria
>
>
> On 8/1/06, Katrina Hinson <Khinson at future-gate.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > We have Skills Bank 4, My Skills Tutor (online), MHC Interactive,
> > Keytrain  and A+Anywhere. Additionally I have experience with using
> > PLATO as well.  We've kind of taken a different approach and use
> > different programs with different levels of students. My Skills Tutor
> is
> > one we use with our  midrange level students while A+ and MHC are
> > programs we use with our higher level students. Keytrain is one we use
> > for students who might only need to "brush" up and can do so quickly.
> > PLATO is similar to A+ in that it is very academic oriented and the
> > readability level of the questions and content in both  is higher than
> > that of My Skills Tutor.
> >
> > All of the software programs when appropriately used are excellent
> > resources are all about the same in terms of "user friendliness." I
> have
> > to do the administration for most of the programs I've listed and I
> > always create a student account so that I can practice the same
> > assignments I give with my students.  My students like all of
> them...and
> > recognize that each has its own different difficulty levels. One may
> > work on fractions in one program and %'s in another and use still
> > another for writing practice.  The key is finding where your own
> comfort
> > level is as well as the comfort level of your student.
> >
> > They are excellent ways to reinforce skills or provide practice at
> home
> > for students who want homework or for students who may have to take a
> > "break" from class for whatever reason. It gives them a chance to keep
> > their skills up if they so desire.  Like someone else, I'm not sure I
> > like the idea of them being stand alone - albeit with A+Anywhere our
> > program does utilize A+Anywhere  for Adult High School Students who
> need
> > a credit for a class that we don't necessarily offer every semester
> but
> > is needed for graduation. It correlates with our states Standard
> Course
> > of Study and also offers a college readiness module.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Katrina Hinson
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Gloria Fuentes
> > Sent: Mon 7/31/2006 4:13 PM
> > To: Assessment at nifl.gov
> > Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
> >
> >
> > Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what
> do
> > you think about it for GED preparation?
> >
> > --
> > Gloria Fuentes
> > -------------------------------
> > National Institute for Literacy
> > Assessment mailing list
> > Assessment at nifl.gov
> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Gloria Fuentes
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>



-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca  Thu Aug  3 11:03:12 2006
From: cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca (Sandra Cook)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 09:03:12 -0600
Subject: [Assessment 456] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <44CF7098.7080508@riral.org>
Message-ID: <FALCONma0osA91E9GQv0000017b@falcon.northlandscollege.sk.ca>

Is there a web site that I can go to check out this skills bank as we have
also been looking for something to use..we have plato but it sounds like
this skills bank may be a bit more user friendly to our literacy students.

Sandra Cook

Northlands College

La Ronge, Sask. Canada

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 9:18 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 434] Re: Skills Bank

 

We use My Skills Tutor, a web based program, which works very well with our
basic skills and GED or EDP preparation students.  RI purchased a license as
part of Project IDEAL participation, a distance learning initiative.  At our
main learning center, all High ESL, ABE and ASE students experience the
program, and have varying levels of participation on it.  Several of our
teachers have been using the program with some learners, in preparation for
an expanded use this fall with our general ed, community based programs
(which are mostly part-time evening programs).  We intend to offer learners
a blended model (distance learning/ classroom instruction).  Learners who
can't attend every class or need to stop out will have support in continuing
with My Skills Tutor.  For learners in class, homework assignments will
include using the program, or to add reinforcement and more time on task for
individual needs.  I agree with Virginia: we find most learners can access
and stay with the program long enough to achieve some skill development.
Very few students can use it as a stand-alone however, mostly because they
lack independent study skills and self-monitoring.  Staff is discussing if
and how we can explicitly instruct in these areas.

Howard D.


Virginia Tardaewether wrote: 

We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it for
credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run their own
tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the program (due to our
limitations).  In Salem, they have a lab assistant who keeps track of the
students.  This software works great for basic reading, writing and math.
It also has some science, etc. depending upon what you purchase.  Students
engage with it well and will stick to it long enough to gain skills using
the software.  Haven't worked enough with PLATO to comment.

Va

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Gloria Fuentes
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank

 

Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do you
think about it for GED preparation? 

-- 
Gloria Fuentes 

 





  _____  



 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  

 

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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Thu Aug  3 11:54:04 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 08:54:04 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 457] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <OF5D79C4DF.AD700E64-ON072571BF.0057590E-072571BF.00575915@yc.edu>

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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Thu Aug  3 11:55:46 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 08:55:46 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 458] Re: Skills Bank
Message-ID: <OFFB10CA94.71150AF5-ON072571BF.005780E0-072571BF.005780E5@yc.edu>

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Aug  3 13:47:44 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 13:47:44 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 459]  Reading discussion on Women & Literacy List
Message-ID: <001401c6b724$edb4c2b0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,

The following book discussion will take place on the Women & Literacy
Discussion List.  To subscribe, go to:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Womenliteracy

****************************

After counting the votes, two readings have been selected for our first
reading discussion that Mev Miller will facilitate from August 15 - 22,
2006:

1) Moving Beyond "Stupid": Taking Account of the Impact of Violence on
Women's Learning (12 pages)

2) Chapter 5 from Too Scared to Learn, "Learning in the Context of
Trauma: The Challenge of Setting Goals" (37 pages)

If you are interested in participating in the discussion, please
download and read these two articles from the Jenny Horsman  website:
http://www.jennyhorsman.com 
(if you look at the right side bar of her website, you will see the two
readings listed. Click on the readings and you will be taken to the
material. Depending on your computer, it may take a few minutes for the
article to download):

*** These articles are posted as a courtesy on the Internet for the
purposes of this discussion. They will be available for download only
until August 22, 2006. ***

As supplemental reading, you may also want to look at this article
available on the WE LEARN website:
"But Is It Education?" The Challenge of Creating Effective Learning for
Survivors of Trauma -- Women's Studies Quarterly, 32: #1&2, 2004--  (16
pages)
http://www.litwomen.org/Research/horsman_wsq.pdf 

Guidelines for Discussion
*  Do not begin discussing the articles until the group is formally
opened by the facilitator on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006 (this will give
participants time to read prior to discussion).

*  During the designated discussion period, use the assigned discussion
subject line each time you post. (Mev will announce it in email that
opens the discussion)

*  Be mindful that many people only check email once a day or
sporadically. As with any discussion, if you have made a post, please
allow space and time for others to come into the discussion.

*  Remember, this is an open, public discussion. If you have something
private or sensitive to respond, you may want to take it off list with
an individual.

The discussion will begin on Aug. 15, 2006 with an opening statement by
the facilitator, Mev Miller. We hope you will join us.

-------------------------------
Mev Miller, Ed.D. is director and founder of WE LEARN (Women expanding
Literacy Education action resource Network --
http://litwomen.org/welearn.html). A long time feminist activist, Mev
has years of experience in facilitating reading-discussion circles on a
variety of women's issues. Her experience also includes facilitating 
Women Leading Through Reading Reading-Discussion Circles with women in
both ABE and ESOL learning Settings.WE LEARN Women Expanding: Literacy
Education Action Resource Network www.litwomen.org/welearn.html 

Please encourage your friends/colleagues to join us. They can subscribe
at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Womenliteracy 

_______________________________________________




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Aug  3 13:48:41 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 13:48:41 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 460]  WE LEARN Opportunity in Minnesota
Message-ID: <001501c6b725$0f267790$0302a8c0@LITNOW>


Professional Development opportunity for people in Minnesota and 
environs...

Mev Miller, founder and director of WE LEARN, will be offering a 
workshop, Women & Literacy: Moving to Power and Participation, on 
Thurs., August 24, 2006 from 3:00 - 5:30 at the Minnesota Literacy 
Council in St. Paul, MN.

In this workshop, participants will: a) strengthen their understanding 
of issues and challenges for women in adult basic/literacy education 
programs and, b) learn about specific resources to use in curriculum 
and lesson planning in order to support women's learning. Participants 
will also have opportunity to discuss options for developing a regional 
WE LEARN network in order to create on-going support for working with 
women's literacy issues and needs.

For more details, go to: http://www.litwomen.org/regions/2006mnflyer.pdf


WE LEARN
Women Expanding: Literacy Education Action Resource Network
www.litwomen.org/welearn.html

Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director
182 Riverside Ave.
Cranston, RI 02910
401-383-4374
welearn at litwomen.org





From ropteacher at gmail.com  Thu Aug  3 15:29:22 2006
From: ropteacher at gmail.com (Gloria Fuentes)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 12:29:22 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 461] Re: Skills Bank
In-Reply-To: <FALCONma0osA91E9GQv0000017b@falcon.northlandscollege.sk.ca>
References: <44CF7098.7080508@riral.org>
	<FALCONma0osA91E9GQv0000017b@falcon.northlandscollege.sk.ca>
Message-ID: <38914de00608031229x4aa8c66ax5e598f35c39c9938@mail.gmail.com>

Sandra,

What is the Plato program like? How do you like it? What do your students
think about it?

I believe you can just go to www.skillsbank.com and check it out!

I really do like it but they don't support the version we are using anymore.


Gloria

On 8/3/06, Sandra Cook <cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca> wrote:
>
>  Is there a web site that I can go to check out this skills bank as we
> have also been looking for something to use?.we have plato but it sounds
> like this skills bank may be a bit more user friendly to our literacy
> students.
>
> Sandra Cook
>
> Northlands College
>
> La Ronge, Sask. Canada
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] *On
> Behalf Of *Howard L. Dooley, Jr.
> *Sent:* Tuesday, August 01, 2006 9:18 AM
>
> *To:* The Assessment Discussion List
> *Subject:* [Assessment 434] Re: Skills Bank
>
>
>
> We use My Skills Tutor, a web based program, which works very well with
> our basic skills and GED or EDP preparation students.  RI purchased a
> license as part of Project IDEAL participation, a distance learning
> initiative.  At our main learning center, all High ESL, ABE and ASE students
> experience the program, and have varying levels of participation on it.
> Several of our teachers have been using the program with some learners, in
> preparation for an expanded use this fall with our general ed, community
> based programs (which are mostly part-time evening programs).  We intend to
> offer learners a blended model (distance learning/ classroom instruction).
> Learners who can't attend every class or need to stop out will have support
> in continuing with My Skills Tutor.  For learners in class, homework
> assignments will include using the program, or to add reinforcement and more
> time on task for individual needs.  I agree with Virginia: we find most
> learners can access and stay with the program long enough to achieve some
> skill development.  Very few students can use it as a stand-alone however,
> mostly because they lack independent study skills and self-monitoring.
> Staff is discussing if and how we can explicitly instruct in these areas.
>
> Howard D.
>
>
> Virginia Tardaewether wrote:
>
> We use skills bank every day here in our basic skills lab.  We use it for
> credit as well as non credit students.  We have the students run their own
> tracking sheet rather than the tracking portion of the program (due to our
> limitations).  In Salem, they have a lab assistant who keeps track of the
> students.  This software works great for basic reading, writing and math.
> It also has some science, etc. depending upon what you purchase.  Students
> engage with it well and will stick to it long enough to gain skills using
> the software.  Haven't worked enough with PLATO to comment.
>
> Va
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov<assessment-bounces at nifl.gov>]
> *On Behalf Of *Gloria Fuentes
> *Sent:* Monday, July 31, 2006 3:14 PM
> *To:* Assessment at nifl.gov
> *Subject:* [Assessment 430] Re: Skills Bank
>
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with the SkillsBank software or Plato, if so what do
> you think about it for GED preparation?
>
> --
> Gloria Fuentes
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
>
> National Institute for Literacy
>
> Assessment mailing list
>
> Assessment at nifl.gov
>
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>


-- 
Gloria Fuentes
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From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Tue Aug  8 17:00:57 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 17:00:57 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 462] NIFL Hosts Live Webcast on NAAL Findings for Below
	Basic & Basic Adults
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D4959101193DE@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

Join the National Institute for Literacy for a LIVE webcast on:
Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels: Findings from NAAL and
Implications for Practice.
Featuring Dr. Sheida White, Dr. John Strucker, & Brian Bosworth, and
moderated by Lori Aratani

WHEN: August 15, 2006 
1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EST 

The webcast can be viewed from your computer. We encourage you to register
in advance. To register for this webcast go to:
<http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=26758&s=1&k=EC4046F499FFDA3117E9FDB1758666EB>
For more information about this webcast, go to: <http://www.nifl.gov/>
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


The National Institute for Literacy is hosting a live webcast on Tuesday,
August 15 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the results of the National Assessement of
Adult Literacy (NAAL) 2003, specifically relating to Americans who tested in
the Below Basic and Basic literacy levels. The webcast will feature Dr.
Sheida White, of the National Center for Education Statistics, who served as
project officer for the NAAL, who will present the findings of the NAAL for
Below Basic and Basic levels. In addition, there will be a panel of
subject-matter experts who will discuss what implications the NAAL findings
for Below Basic and Basic adults will have on programs. The panelists
include John Strucker, of the National Center for Adult Literacy and
Learning, will discuss basic skills; and Brian Bosworth, of the consulting
firm FutureWorks, will discuss implications for workforce programs.
 
The live webcast will feature: 

*	Dr. Sheida White directs the National Assessment of Adult Literacy
at the National Center for Education Statistics (or NCES). After working as
a full-time reading researcher for 6 years, she joined NCES in 1991.  During
the first 8 years at NCES, she monitored the National Assessment of
Education Progress (NAEP).  Since 1999, she has been directing the NAAL
project. Her articles have appeared in journals such as Language in Society
and Reading Research Quarterly.
*	John Strucker, Ed.D., is a Lecturer in Education and Research
Associate at the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and
Literacy (NCSALL) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He teaches a
laboratory practicum course at Harvard, "Developing Reading in Adults and
Older Adolescents," and he has been the principal investigator on two
large-scale assessment projects, NCSALL's Adult Reading Components Study
(ARCS) and the joint NCSALL/ETS Level 1 Study.  
*	Brian Bosworth is the founder and President of FutureWorks, a
private consulting and public policy research firm in Belmont,
Massachusetts, that builds regional institutions and strategies for economic
growth, workforce education, and civic improvement.  

The webcast will be moderated by Lori Aratani, Education Staff Writer at the
Washington Post.  


My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Aug 11 12:41:41 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:41:41 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 463]  Assessment Special Collection launched!
Message-ID: <00d301c6bd65$06a7e1d0$2917c047@LITNOW>

Dear colleagues,
 
I hope this email finds you well.
 
I'm so happy to announce the launch of the newly revised site of the
LINCS Assessment Special Collection.  Please go to:
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ to check it out.
 
The site has on-line resources and materials that are organized based on
the roles of people involved in the work, but please do not limit
yourself to any one particular role area - many resources will be of
interest to you in other areas.  In addition, while many resources are
cross-posted, many are not, so I encourage you to surf around or do a
keyword search at the site.  
 
Got a great cyber resource that you don't see in the Assessment
Collection and you think it should be there?  Definitely let me know
about it and I will make sure it gets into the review process for
possible addition to the Collection.  I'm very interested in resources
for use by teachers and tutors in the classroom, self assessment
materials for students/learners, and any assessment materials from our
international colleagues (I would like to build an international
section).
 
Thanks!  Let me know what you think!!


marie
 
Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From JaneS at doe.mass.edu  Fri Aug 11 13:48:23 2006
From: JaneS at doe.mass.edu (Schwerdtfeger, Jane)
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:48:23 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 464] Re: Assessment Special Collection launched!
Message-ID: <DE4FCD18CD7FD4118C8C00D0B774DDA415DB2F70@doe.mass.edu>

This is wonderful!  Thank you so much!
Jane Schwerdtfeger
Massachusetts Department of Education

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 12:42 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 463] Assessment Special Collection launched!


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
ou well.
 
I'm so happy to announce the launch of the newly revised site of the
LINCS Assessment Special Collection.  Please go to:
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ to check it out.
 
The site has on-line resources and materials that are organized based on
the roles of people involved in the work, but please do not limit
yourself to any one particular role area - many resources will be of
interest to you in other areas.  In addition, while many resources are
cross-posted, many are not, so I encourage you to surf around or do a
keyword search at the site.  
 
Got a great cyber resource that you don't see in the Assessment
Collection and you think it should be there?  Definitely let me know
about it and I will make sure it gets into the review process for
possible addition to the Collection.  I'm very interested in resources
for use by teachers and tutors in the classroom, self assessment
materials for students/learners, and any assessment materials from our
international colleagues (I would like to build an international
section).
 
Thanks!  Let me know what you think!!


marie
 
Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 



From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Mon Aug 14 09:52:26 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:52:26 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 465] Reminder NIFL Webcast on NAAL findings for Basic &
	Below Basic Adults
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D4959101194B9@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

Hi All,

Just a reminder to join the National Institute for Literacy for a LIVE
webcast on:
Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels: Findings from NAAL and
Implications for Practice.
Featuring Dr. Sheida White, Dr. John Strucker, & Brian Bosworth, and
moderated by Lori Aratani

WHEN: August 15, 2006
1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EDT

We encourage you to register in advance. To register for this webcast go to:


<http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=26758&s=1&k=EC4046F499FFDA3117E9FDB1758666EB>

For more information about this webcast, go to: <http://www.nifl.gov/>
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The National Institute for Literacy is hosting a live webcast on Tuesday,
August 15 at 1:30 p.m. EASTERN TIME to discuss the results of the National
Assessement of Adult Literacy (NAAL) 2003, specifically relating to
Americans who tested in the Below Basic and Basic literacy levels. The
webcast will feature Dr. Sheida White, of the National Center for Education
Statistics, who served as project officer for the NAAL, who will present the
findings of the NAAL for Below Basic and Basic levels. In addition, there
will be a panel of subject-matter experts who will discuss what implications
the NAAL findings for Below Basic and Basic adults will have on programs.
The panelists include John Strucker, of the National Center for  Adult
Literacy and Learning, will discuss basic skills; and Brian Bosworth, of the
consulting firm FutureWorks, will discuss implications for workforce
programs.

The live webcast will feature:

*	Dr. Sheida White directs the National Assessment of Adult Literacy
at the National Center for Education Statistics (or NCES). After working as
a full-time reading researcher for 6 years, she joined NCES in 1991.  During
the first 8 years at NCES, she monitored the National Assessment of
Education Progress (NAEP). Since 1999, she has been directing the NAAL
project. Her articles have appeared in journals such as Language in Society
and Reading Research Quarterly.

*	Dr. John Strucker is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education whose research for NCSALL has focused on adult reading
development. He previously taught and assessed adults with reading
difficulties at the Community Learning Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

*	Brian Bosworth is the founder and President of FutureWorks, a
private consulting and public policy research firm in Belmont,
Massachusetts, that builds regional institutions and strategies for economic
growth, workforce education, and civic improvement.

The webcast will be moderated by Lori Aratani, Education Staff Writer at the
Washington Post.

Please note: For anyone unable to view the webcast live, the National
Institute for Literacy will be archiving this webcast on its website
www.nifl.gov approximately one week later. 


My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Wed Aug 16 08:54:57 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 08:54:57 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 466]  NAAL Webcast to be Archived
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D4959101194FD@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

On behalf of the National Institute for Literacy, thank you to everyone who
tuned in to yesterday's live webcast on the results of the NAAL findings for
adults who scored in the Basic and Below Basic categories. And thank you to
our panelists: Dr. Sheida White of the National Center for Education
Statistics, Dr. John Strucker of the National Center for the Study of Adult
Learning and Literacy, and Mr. Brian Bosworth of FutureWorks. For those who
missed the live webcast or would like to see it again, we will be archiving
the webcast on our website www.nifl.gov in about one week. We'll send an
announcement when it is ready. Thank you.

My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Aug 18 09:04:30 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 09:04:30 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 467]  Workplace Literacy Resources:  testing
Message-ID: <010401c6c2c6$d831bfd0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues:

I'm forwarding the following post from Tom Sticht from the Workplace
Literacy Discussion List.  I thought some of your might find this of
interest.
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

**************************************

Colleagues:

Here are some resources that may be of interest in better understanding
work readiness and workplace literacy program development and
evaluation. One of the problems with work readiness testing  is that
such tests rarely are validated using predictive validity methods.  In
this method of validating work readiness tests groups of people with the
full range of skills and knowledge assessed by the tests are hired
somewhere and the correlation between test scores and scores on some
criterion or criteria of failure or success in performing the job are
computed.

The Department of Defense has conducted the most extensive
work-readiness testing and predictive validity assessment of any
employer. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude (Achievement) Battery
(ASVAB) uses ten tests to predict people's likelihood of being
successful in job training and on the job. In over 50 years of research
the DoD has not been able to predict in numerous jobs with predictive
validity correlations of much above .35-.40, accounting for some 12-16
percent of the variation in job success of employees. More about
predictive validity for work-readiness validation and the military can
be found in: The Military Experience and Workplace Literacy. A Review
and Synthesis for Policy and Practice
http://literacyonline.org/products/ncal/pdf/TR9401.pdf
This report reviews extensive research and development on workplace
literacy and literacy training programs as interpreted within a
conceptual framework of cognitive development and also considers the
implications of this research for policy on adult workforce and
workplace literacy and provisions for lifelong learning.

A second resource for workplace literacy with over seven methods for
trying to identify literacy demands of jobs, including extensive
predictive validity research is Reading for Working: A functional
literacy anthology.
This book presents the research that originally led to the formation of
the National Workplace Literacy Program.
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/sticht/rfw/cover.htm
Table of Contents
Chapter 1.	Introduction
Part I Determining Functional Literacy Demands of Jobs Introduction
2.	Readability of Job Materials
3.	Performing Job Reading Task
4.	Literacy in Relation to Job Knowledge, Job Performance, and
Supervisor
Ratings
5.	Using Personnel Data Files to Estimate Reading Demands of Jobs
6.	Commentary on Methodologies for Determining Literacy Demands of
Jobs
Part II
Reducing Discrepancies Between Literacy Skills of Personnel and Literacy
Demands of Jobs Introduction
7.	Methods for Reducing Literacy Demands of Jobs.
8.	Functional Literacy Training: A Case Study

Part III
Collected Papers on Functional Literacy
Introduction
9.	Reading and Career Education
10.	A Career-Oriented Literacy Training System for the Armed
Services
11.	Needed: A Functional Literacy Curriculum for the Secondary
School

A third resource for workplace literacy program design and assessment
is:
Testing and  Accountability in Adult Literacy  Education: Focus on
Workplace Literacy Resources for Program Design, Assessment, Testing, &
Evaluation http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/report4/rep36-40/rep36-01.htm
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Chapter 1 Knowledge Resources for Designing and Delivering Workplace
Literacy Programs Chapter 2 Q & A on the Evaluation of Workplace
Literacy Programs Chapter 3 Case Study Using the "DO ED" Approach for
Evaluating Workplace Literacy Programs Chapter 4 Testing and
Accountability in Adult Literacy Programs in the Workforce Investment
Act of 1998 Chapter 5 Determining How Many Adults Are Lacking in
Workforce Literacy: The National and International Adult Literacy
Surveys Appendix Reviews of Eight Tests Used in ABE & ESL







From djgbrian at utk.edu  Wed Aug 23 09:10:26 2006
From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Brian, Dr Donna J G)
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 09:10:26 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 468]  Job Posting: Special Projects Coordinator,
	Adult Learner Program, Queens Library, NY
Message-ID: <6A5CE13D731DE249BC61CB8C5C474B0A13CF123F@UTKFSVS1.utk.tennessee.edu>


-------------------------------------------------------

Special Projects Coordinator
Queens Library
Adult Learner Program
This is a temporary grant funded position.

The Adult Learner Program (ALP) Special Projects Coordinator is
responsible for administration and implementation of ALP's special
projects. Responsible for development of distance learning instruction
via video teleconferencing to increase use of technology throughout the
Adult Learner Programs; manages the Wireless Computer Centers;
supervises the Basic Computer Literacy and Health Literacy classes;
revises and maintains Computer Literacy and Health Literacy curricula;
writes all reporting required for grant funded projects; hires and
trains staff for special projects; visits classes and evaluates
classroom instruction. Performs other duties as required. 
The schedule for this position will include Saturdays and evenings as
required.
Requires a Master's Degree in Education or related area, and/or ESOL
Certification. Adult Education experience required, at least two years
working with literacy and/or ESOL programs. Knowledge of current trends
in literacy and ESOL instruction. Must have knowledge of Computer
Assisted Instruction such as Internet, educational software, and MS
Office Software. Experience in staff /curriculum development and
supervision preferred. Excellent written and verbal communication
skills. Ability to work with diversified community. Must be able to
complete multiple projects with competing deadlines. 

About Queens Library:  Situated in New York City, the Queens Library has
one of the highest circulations of any library in the world and serves
more than two million people in one of the most ethnically diverse
counties in the United States.  The Library pulses with the
multiculturalism and excitement of life in "the greatest city in the
world".
Queens County is one of the five boroughs of New York City.  Situated
across the East River from Manhattan, Queens enjoys 7,000 acres of
beautiful parks, 196 miles of waterfront and an excellent mass transit
system.  Queens has diverse and charming neighborhoods, excellent
shopping and a wealth of ethnic eateries and shops reflecting the unique
multicultural mosaic that defines Queens. 
To apply, please send your resume with cover letter to:

QUEENS LIBRARY
Human Resources Department
89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11432
Fax: 718-658-2919
E-mail:  employment at queenslibrary.org
The Queens Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer

www.queenslibrary.org


From akohring at utk.edu  Thu Aug 24 17:01:29 2006
From: akohring at utk.edu (Kohring, Aaron M)
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:01:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 469] Content Standards Guest Discussion Next Week -
	CASAS basic skills Content Standards Project
Message-ID: <6A5CE13D731DE249BC61CB8C5C474B0A13F18850@UTKFSVS1.utk.tennessee.edu>

Greetings colleagues,

Next week, Monday, August 28 thru Friday, September 1, the Content
Standards Discussion List will be hosting a guest discussion on the
CASAS Basic Skills Content Standards Project.  Our guests will be Jane
Eguez, Jim Harrison, and Linda Taylor from CASAS.

Please read the introductory information below which includes a link to
the CASAS website to help prepare you for the discussion.

To participate, sign up for the list at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards

Aaron

Aaron Kohring
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards
Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)


************************************

Since its inception, CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment
System) has focused on teaching and assessing basic skills in contexts
that are relevant and important to adult learners. CASAS has developed
and continues to refine a highly formalized hierarchy of competencies,
the application of basic skills that adults need to be fully functional
and productive members of society. 

In the past few years, at the request of the CASAS National Consortium,
representing approximately 30 states, CASAS has begun development of
basic skills content standards as a formal part of the CASAS system.
This enhancement of the CASAS system is intended to assist and encourage
teachers to more fully integrate basic skills content standards and
functional competencies in instruction.

The basic skills content standards for Reading and Listening contain
simple, clearly stated, detailed statements that are leveled according
to the NRS Educational Functioning Levels, and are also related to CASAS
test items in several CASAS test series. The statements are divided into
Categories to assist teachers to navigate through the standards. 

In the past two years, CASAS has worked with Iowa and California to
pilot these standards with teachers in a variety of adult education
programs. A number of useful teacher worksheets and other tools have
emerged from these efforts.

We invite you to learn more about the CASAS basic skills Content
Standards Project and to ask questions about it during the listserv
discussion next week. To prepare for this discussion, we refer you to
the CASAS website where you will find more detailed information about
the development of the standards, the standards themselves, worksheets
for teachers, and information about the pilot project in Iowa. Go to
http://www.casas.org/DirctDwnlds.cfm?mfile_id=4504&selected_id=1720&wtar
get=body 

We look forward to engaging with you in this discussion next week.

Jane Eguez (jeguez at casas.org) , Jim Harrison (jharrison at casas.org ) and
Linda Taylor (ltaylor at casas.org ), CASAS






From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Aug 29 10:51:52 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:51:52 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 470]  Family Literacy List Guest Discussion
Message-ID: <00c401c6cb7a$aa8eed20$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,
The following announcement comes from Gail Price, Moderator of the
Family Literacy Discussion List.  To participate in the discussion, sign
up for the Family Literacy Discussion List at
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/familyliteracy
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
************
 
On September 11th through the 13th, Cyndy Colletti, Literacy Program
Manager at the Illinois State Library, will join the Family Literacy
Discussion List as a guest speaker/discussion leader. Cyndy's topic will
be "Implementing Interactive Parent Child Activities"-- a topic of much
interest to those working with families.
 
Cyndy's biography is given below. Before she begins her discussion on
September 11, I will post some questions for your consideration. They
will be the questions that will guide Cyndy's discussion.
 
We look forward to having Cyndy join us and know that you will make her
time with us rewarding and valuable by responding to her comments and
questions. I will remind you of this discussion again as we get closer
to the date.
 
Read on for Cyndy's biography.
 
Cyndy Colletti, currently the Literacy Program Manager at the Illinois
State Library (ISL), worked as the Family Literacy Coordinator at ISL
for nine years.  In that position, she was responsible for comprehensive
grant administration including developing and implementing the Family
Literacy Grant Program, a comprehensive five component program including
library services as the fifth component. The Illinois State Library has
consistently funded between 40 and 55 family literacy projects annually
since 1991.  She has worked cooperatively with the practitioners in
Illinois to develop programmatic resources for the Family Literacy
projects such as parent-child activities (The Story Kits, online at
<http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/publish/ccollett/storykit/sitemap.html>
http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/publish/ccollett/storykit/sitemap.html  are an
example.) and workshops on other issues vital to family literacy. She
has a master's degree from the University of Illinois and more than 20
years experience in the field of adult education and literacy and social
service. Her current responsibility as Literacy Program Manager includes
grants management and facilitating the effectiveness of program
implementation on the local level by providing resource materials,
training and support for local adult education and family literacy
providers throughout Illinois.
 
 
 
Gail J. Price
Multimedia Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40205
 
Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112
Fax: 502 584-0172



 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Aug 29 10:57:40 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:57:40 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 471] Guest discussion - CASAS Basic Skills Content
	Standards Project
Message-ID: <00c901c6cb7b$7a388c20$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear colleagues,

Please note that the CASAS discussion began yesterday - apologies for
not sending you this reminder earlier.  If you would like to see any of
yesterday's posts, please check out the archives at 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards
and click on Read Current Posted Messages.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
************


Greetings all,

Today begins our guest discussion on the CASAS Basic Skills Content
Standards Project.  Please welcome our guests Jane Eguez, Jim Harrison,
and Linda Taylor from CASAS.

I know our guests will attempt to answer your questions in a timely
manner, but as always, remember this list represents colleagues in
multiple time zones across the U.S. as well as International
subscribers- so we'll work together to make this a lively exchange.

I am re-posting the introductory information below for those who may
need it.

If you wish to forward this message to others who are not currently
subscribed, they can participate by signing up for the list at:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards

Aaron

Aaron Kohring
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards
Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)


************************************

Since its inception, CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment
System) has focused on teaching and assessing basic skills in contexts
that are relevant and important to adult learners. CASAS has developed
and continues to refine a highly formalized hierarchy of competencies,
the application of basic skills that adults need to be fully functional
and productive members of society. 

In the past few years, at the request of the CASAS National Consortium,
representing approximately 30 states, CASAS has begun development of
basic skills content standards as a formal part of the CASAS system.
This enhancement of the CASAS system is intended to assist and encourage
teachers to more fully integrate basic skills content standards and
functional competencies in instruction.

The basic skills content standards for Reading and Listening contain
simple, clearly stated, detailed statements that are leveled according
to the NRS Educational Functioning Levels, and are also related to CASAS
test items in several CASAS test series. The statements are divided into
Categories to assist teachers to navigate through the standards. 

In the past two years, CASAS has worked with Iowa and California to
pilot these standards with teachers in a variety of adult education
programs. A number of useful teacher worksheets and other tools have
emerged from these efforts.

We invite you to learn more about the CASAS basic skills Content
Standards Project and to ask questions about it during the listserv
discussion next week. To prepare for this discussion, we refer you to
the CASAS website where you will find more detailed information about
the development of the standards, the standards themselves, worksheets
for teachers, and information about the pilot project in Iowa. Go to 
http://www.casas.org/DirctDwnlds.cfm?mfile_id=4504&selected_id=1720&wtar
get=body

We look forward to engaging with you in this discussion next week.

Jane Eguez (jeguez at casas.org), Jim Harrison (jharrison at casas.org ) and
Linda Taylor (ltaylor at casas.org ), CASAS




From kabeall at comcast.net  Wed Aug 30 07:58:20 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 07:58:20 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 471]  New from NCSALL--NCSALL by Role
Message-ID: <006801c6cc2b$97280440$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

NCSALL by Role <http://www.ncsall.net/?id=787>  



This new section of NCSALL's Web site offers a variety of professional
development ideas on:

*         adult multiple intelligences

*         adult student persistence

*         authentic context

*         General Educational Development (GED)

*          reading

 

Professional developers and program administrators access guides for
facilitating half-day seminars and multi-session study circles. 

 

Policymakers read relevant research articles and reflect on policy-related
questions. 

 

Teachers and tutors access self-studies that invite them to (1) read the
related research, (2) reflect on this research and their practice, and (3)
focus on an aspect of their practice.

 

Check out NCSALL by Role at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=787.

 

The reading topic offers ideas for accessing and using the Assessment
Strategies and Reading Profiles Web site. It includes assessment tools.

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Wed Aug 30 13:17:30 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:17:30 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 472]  NIFL Webcast Now Available in Archive
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D495911889562@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

Hi Everyone,

The National Institute for Literacy has now made available an archived
version of its latest webcast: "Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy
Levels: Findings from NAAL and Implications for Practice" from August 15,
2006. 

We have made the entire webcast available (include transcript and slides for
download) on our website at www.nifl.gov. Look under the heading "What's
New."

Thank you.

My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Aug 31 09:12:41 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 09:12:41 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 473]  International Community Virtual Visit Project
Message-ID: <016301c6ccff$2401eab0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,

The following post is from David Rosen.
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
***********************


The International Classroom and School Virtual Visit (Virtual School)
project is beginning its eighth year, linking classrooms across the
world to enable students to meet each other virtually, share
information about their cultures, their classrooms, and their
communities, and to build cultural understanding. Classes can include
English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL/ESL), Adult Basic
Education (ABE, GED),  elementary or secondary education, or family
literacy.  Students can be from age seven to adult.

As in past years, we hope classes will engage in lively written
discussion, and possibly choose a film, book or current event to
discuss. This year we have set up a free wiki, so classes don't have
to create their own web pages, and we will help teachers to use free
Internet telephony so their classes can talk to each other if they
can find a time that works to do that.

If you would like to participate in this year's project,

1. Sign up on the I.C.V.V. e-list  by going to:

        http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/icvv

        Scroll down the page to choose an ID and password.  That's it,
easy and free.

2. Once you receive confirmation that you are on the I.C.V.V. e-list,
send an e-mail to:

          icvv at lists.literacytent.org

indicating your interest in participating this year.  Be sure to
describe your class, when it will begin, and what age group or
nationality you would prefer to partner with.

If you would like to look at classroom virtual visit projects from
previous years go to:

        http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school.htm

and then choose

      http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school2003.htm

We look forward to your joining the project.  Let one of us know if
you have questions.

And please pass this information on -- by e-mail or electronic list  
-- to teachers who you think might be interested.

All the best,


David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

Susan Gaer
sgaer at yahoo.com






From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Aug 31 10:27:31 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:27:31 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 474] Special Topic: Formative Assessment
	inInternational Education
Message-ID: <018b01c6cd09$98608560$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear List Members:

The following post is from David Rosen, Moderator of the Special Topics
Discussion List.  I highly encourage you to join this discussion as it
relates directly to our interests here on this List.  The Discussion is
brief - 3 days - and it is my hope that we can learn a lot from Janet
Looney and carry on the discussion here on this List afterwards.  I've
no doubt that many of you will have comments and questions regarding
formative assessment, and how this fits into our assessment landscape on
the program, state, and national levels.  

Please subscribe to this discussion at the Special Topics Discussion
List at http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

-------

Colleagues,

In preparation for celebrating International Literacy Day, on  
September 5th-7th the Special Topics Discussion List is pleased to  
welcome  Ms. Janet Looney representing the Organisation for Economic  
Co-operation and Development(OECD).  Janet is the leader of the  
Centre for Educational Research and Innovation program known as What  
Works in Innovation in Education. Its current focus is formative  
assessment.  The discussion will serve to introduce some of OECD's  
work in international education. The primary focus of the discussion  
will be on the value of formative assessment for promoting higher  
levels of learner achievement, greater equity of outcomes, and the  
development of "learning to learn" skills.

Not a term widely known in the U.S., formative assessment refers to  
what teachers and learners do in the classroom to assess learning  
progress.  An assessment is _formative_ when information gathered in  
the assessment process is used to modify teaching and learning  
activities.  It's an assessment _for_ learning  not just _of_ learning.

Between 2002 and 2004, the What Works program explored formative  
assessment in lower secondary classrooms in eight international  
systems [see Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary  
Classrooms (2005)].  OECD will publish a second study addressing  
formative assessment for adult basic skill learners in 2007.

Together, the two studies are intended to strengthen understanding of  
effective approaches to lifelong learning.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

While many teachers incorporate aspects of formative assessment into  
their teaching, it is not often practiced systematically.  The What  
Works study, Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary  
Classrooms (2005), features exemplary cases from secondary schools in  
eight systems and international research reviews, and relates these  
to the broader policy environment.  The study shows how teachers have  
addressed barriers to systematic practice, and how school and policy  
leaders may apply the principles of formative assessment to promote  
constructive cultures of assessment and evaluation throughout  
education systems.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN ADULT BASIC SKILL PROGRAMS

Formative approaches may be particularly appropriate for adults with  
basic skill needs, the focus of the current What Works study.   
Instructors using formative approaches are able to tailor instruction  
more closely to the needs of diverse adult learners.  Formative  
approaches also place an explicit focus on identifying and building  
upon learners' prior knowledge and skills - whether gained in formal  
education settings, or informal work or other settings.

The OECD study on "Improving Teaching and Learning for Adults with  
Basic Skill Needs through Formative Assessment" , now underway, is:

1. Developing studies of exemplary teaching and assessment practice  
for adults with basic skill needs
2. Bringing together international scholarship on teaching and  
assessment for adults with basic skill needs
3. Identifying effective policy levers for improving the quality of  
provision in the adult basic skills sector, and
4. Creating opportunities for policy officials, researchers and  
practitioners to exchange insights and ideas on promoting effective  
teaching, assessment and evaluation.

We look forward to your subscribing to this three-day discussion.  To  
do so, go to:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion List Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net
_______________________________________________




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sat Sep  2 16:26:36 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 16:26:36 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 475]  Webcast casts web of doubt
Message-ID: <003801c6cece$172f79d0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues:

The following post is from Tom Sticht.  I wonder if subscribers have any
questions or comments regarding either the NAAL Webcast, or Tom's
discussion of the webcast?  Let us hear your thoughts and questions.

You can view the webcast at the archives at www.nifl.gov - click on
"What's New".

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

**********

August 31, 2003

National Institute for Literacy Webcast Casts
Web of Doubt About Commitment to Adult Literacy Education

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

On 15 August 2006 the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) presented a
webcast about the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) of 2003.
Entitled "Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels:  Findings
from
NAAL and Implications for Practice" the webcast focussed on the adults
who
scored at the lowest two levels of the NAAL, those in the Basic and
Below
Basic levels, and implications for reading instruction and workforce
development. Unfortunately, as far as I can discern, the webcast
presented
nothing of any substance for policy or practice for adult
literacy/numeracy
education nor for workforce development. In fact, it presented a number
of
statements about education, literacy, and workforce development of
dubious
validity. Here are some of these statements.

1. Sheida White from the National Center for Education Statistics, which
sponsored the NAAL, made the statement that "Nearly two-thirds, which is
actually 67% of all the jobs created over the next decade, will require
a
college degree."  But in the Statistics and Facts section of the NIFL
web
site it is claimed that 69.8% percent of job openings from 2000 through
2010 will NOT require college but only some sort of work-related
training,
57% of which will be short or moderate term training. Other data from
the
Department of Labor indicates that in 1998 78% of jobs required
non-college
levels of education while in 2008 76% will be non-college jobs. A 2006
report from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) by Paul Barton also
raises questions about the education levels required by jobs. He
presents
data showing that the 44 occupations that account for half of the 26
million average annual job openings  during  2001-2012 require only
short-term education or on-the-job training, not post-secondary
education,
and 25 of the 44 occupations have workforces with 50 percent or more
having
high school or less education. Clearly, there is reason to question the
claim that two-thirds of all jobs created over the next decade will
require
a college degree.

2. John Strucker called attention to the well known gaps in performance
on
the tests among whites, blacks, and Hispanics, but he had nothing to say
about what to do about the situation other than we need to do something.
He
talked about age and literacy and focussed on the problems of younger
adults, but he did not comment on the fact that the NAAL may not be
valid
across the lifespan, especially for older adults, as other research has
suggested. He also commented on the fact that quantitative literacy
(numeracy) had larger percentages of adults in the lower two levels than
on
the prose or document literacy scales. He also mentioned that there
could be
real problems with decoding, vocabulary, and  fluency for adults in the
Below Basic and Basic levels, and there could be large numbers of
learning
disabilities in these groups. But there was really nothing that I read
that
lead to insights regarding how teachers or programs should go about
changing
their adult reading, numeracy, or English language instruction.

3. Brian Bosworth simply repeated the oft stated notions that low
literacy
can consign workers to low paying jobs and reduce America's global
competitiveness. He made a plea for a demand side approach to skills
development that seemed very much like a call for a return to workplace
literacy programs in which employers and employees determine their
skills
needs and work together to design and deliver instruction. Again,
however,
there was nothing that I read that produced solid evidence of how
workers
with low skills actually perform important job tasks in specific jobs or
what returns to investment in workforce education business, workers, or
the
rest of the nation might experience if investments in worker literacy or
numeracy education were increased.   It would be useful if the NIFL or
some
other government agency  would support this type of research.

Noticeably missing from the presentation was a discussion of just how
arbitrary the whole enterprise of literacy assessment in the NAAL was,
including the naming of levels as Below Basic or Basic (instead of Below
Average and Average for instance). There was also no discussion of how
Prose, Document, and Quantitative literacy might "add up" across the
three
scales to form a person's total literacy ability.

Nor was there any discussion of the very large differences between what
the
test developers said about adults' reading and math skills based on the
standardized tests and what adults have said about their own skills as
they
perceive their adequacy to be for work and daily life. Some 95 percent
of
adults in the NALS thought their skills met their needs and the recent
international Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) report developed a
methodology for examining the mismatch between workers skills and their
job
demands for these skills. The report said that 80 percent of adults had
literacy and numeracy skills that matched or exceeded their job demands,
while 20 percent were working in jobs with demands that exceed their
skills
in these areas.

These huge differences between tested and self-perceived skills should
receive considerable study because it is adults' self-perceptions of
their
skill needs that will eventually move them to seek help in upgrading
their
skills. Perhaps a future webcast can address some of these serious
issues
in determining the scale of need for and the desire for adult literacy
education.

Brian Bosworth said "I think that it's unlikely that we are going to see
a
significant change and reform from the federal level to deal with most
of
these workplace literacy issues." I think this was probably the most
significant policy- and practice-related statement in the entire
webcast.
It has been clear since the NALS of 1993 in which 90 million (47%) of
adults were said to lack the skills needed to cope with contemporary
society, including the world of work, that the federal government that
produced this result did not actually believe it. For three years after
that report the federal budget for the Adult Education and Literacy
System
went down. After that it rose for a while, but stayed at a pitiful level
in
which per adult enrollee funds equaled about $200. After the 2003 NAAL
which
indicated that over 93 million adults possessed only Basic or Below
Basic
prose literacy, the present administration (1) asked for a cut in
funding
for adult literacy education from around $575 million to $200 million
and a
complete drop of funds for the Head Start family literacy program; (2)
formed an interagency committee to coordinate their work; and (3) the
committee met in early 2006 and it was reported that the meeting went
well
and it would meet again later on. At no time in the Bush administration
has
it called for more funding for the Adult Education and Literacy System,
even
while repeatedly making dire warnings of impending disasters in global
competition and the American economy due to the poor literacy  skills of
the workforce.

Perhaps the webcast about the NAAL, reading instruction, and the
workforce
will have some positive effects on some aspect of adult literacy
education.
Clearinghouses, committees, meetings, and web discussions may possibly
be
useful in meeting the need for adult literacy education in the Nation.
But
there is nothing like a large infusion of money into an obscenely
under-funded education system to move the Nation forward.

So far, for me, the NIFL NAAL webcast has reinforced a web of doubt
about
the federal government's sincerity and commitment to providing the funds
needed to move the Adult Education and Literacy System from the margins
to
the mainstream of education in the United States.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net










From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sat Sep  2 16:55:01 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 16:55:01 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 476] FW: [ContentStandards 246] Re: Teaching beyond the
	GED?
Message-ID: <003901c6ced2$0f89c920$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,
I am forwarding an excerpt from the discussion that was held last week
on the Content Standards Discussion List.  The context of this
discussion was to examine the CASAS basic skills content standards.
Toward the end of this discussion, some attention was turned toward the
GED and I have posted below 3 emails, beginning with Ajit's email at the
bottom.  Ajit discusses the relationship between the NRS and the CASAS
standards, noting that:  "the GED test which is a goal/outcome for many
learners is attainable to those functioning at lower NRS levels i.e. the
ABE High Intermediate and the Low Adult Secondary levels. Many of these
learners squeak through the GED with minimal pass scores but then face
challenges with postsecondary entrance/success. I would anticipate that
students with higher abilities (i.e. the High Adult Secondary level -
CASAS scale 246 and higher) are even better prepared to enter/succeed in
postsecondary situations."
 
Donna's and Aaron's subsequent remarks and questions raise important
issues for us, and I am extremely interested in hearing your thoughts
and responses (and further questions).  
 
The next post that I will forward is a response by David Rosen in which
he suggests that there are mainly 3 reasons why students pursue a GED,
and that programs should strive to serve all 3 of these purposes.  Look
for this next post, and please let us know what your comments are.  What
do you think about this?  Do you find yourself or your program in this
situation?  Do you feel that structures such as the one David proposes
would address some of the challenges that we face and that have been
raised by the comments Ajit and Donna have made?  What are your
thoughts?
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
***********
 
 
Donna,
 
You raise some interesting points about the GED and whether the focus of
instruction and assessment should go beyond preparation for the GED.  It
sounds like you believe that metacognitive skills -
reasoning/thinking/analyzing skills- are also very important.  I know
there is some level of tension in the field when you have learners
and/or programs stressing achievement of the GED in as short a time as
possible as the ultimate goal vs. "preparing the adult learner for
today's economy" as you have suggested.  What do others think about
this?  What is our role as instructors?
 
Aaron
 
 
  _____  

From: contentstandards-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:contentstandards-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Donna Chambers
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 8:53 AM
To: 'The Adult Education Content Standards Discussion List'
Subject: [ContentStandards 239] Re: Questions
onCASASBasicSkillsContentStandards Project
Ajit,
 
Thanks for your very thoughtful response.  You and Jane both clarified
your comment. I see that states who are dealing with adult high school
completion programs should also look at the content standards that must
be measured for K12 requirements for the individual state. These may be
in addition to CASAS standards.
 
As you mentioned, the GED as an goal/outcome for many learners can be
achieved without the learner having mastered skills that are measured by
the Level D CASAS assessment.  This poses a concern when the individual
learner's need is to become more gainfully employed and go to college or
any other  postsecondary training.  Must we then prepare the individual
to go beyond the GED?  This may mean that the focus of instruction and
assessment  be on reasoning/thinking/analyzing skills so that  the
learner understands concepts such as in math, not just manipulating
formulas. 
 
The quandary arises from the definition of "basic skills".  My work in
adult education has always lead me to focus on what adults need to know
and be able to do to survive.  What math, reading and writing skills
must a learner need to adequately function as a parent, citizen and
worker?  However, my recent work has required that I look closer at what
adults need to know and be able to do and this closer look changes the
picture somewhat.  The list of skills I would have come up with five
years ago, today becomes the very basic skills.  What adults need to
know today goes beyond these basics.  When the question  becomes "What
does an adult need to know in order to pass a test that the employer
requires or the Accuplacer Test in order to move into credit bearing
college classes, etc?" the list changes.  Why does an adult GED student
need to know how to demonstrate the symbolic manipulation of polynomial
expressions or analyze properties of three dimensional geometric shapes
when they can pass the GED without knowing this?  The answer is simple,
even if we know that all students are not going to college. Because
developing these concepts helps a student develop necessary
reasoning/thinking skills and positions the student to advance in
his/her education if they so choose.  Looking at and working toward this
big picture better prepares students for success as they exit our
programs.
 
My work in RI and Massachusetts has caused me to look  closely at
current K12 standards and align these standards with ABE/ASE instruction
since both states require competency determination in the K12 standards
to earn a high school diploma.  Rather than focusing on the lower levels
to move forward,  we as instructors are looking at the whole picture.
What understanding of number sense must the student have from the
beginning level that will prepare that student to understand the number
sense concepts at the higher level?   We are looking across all levels
in introducing content standards that begin to develop good thinking
skills  and  integrating all the content areas.  This does not
necessarily change the content standards, but does require that we look
at the instruction differently.  How can we integrate the instruction to
assure that concepts are learned in a way that can be applied to any
life and/or academic situation. If we see our job as preparing the adult
learner for today's economy, we must consider all students at every
level capable of developing the thinking skills necessary to meet
whatever goal they want to achieve.  
 
Thanks, 
Donna Chambers
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ajit <mailto:agopalakrishnan at yahoo.com>  Gopalakrishnan 
To: 'The <mailto:contentstandards at nifl.gov>  Adult Education Content
Standards Discussion List' 
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 11:09 PM
Subject: [ContentStandards 228] Re: Questions on
CASASBasicSkillsContentStandards Project
 
Hi Donna,
 
It is nice to hear from you. I can see how my email would have led to
your question. I accidentally hit the send button before I had fully
finished composing my email!
 
I said:
 
>>I would imagine that many states will adopt them while others may need
to reference 9-12 high school standards especially for their adult high
school diploma programs.
 
I would have added "also" after "may" in the above sentence. I meant to
say that reference to 9-12 high school standards may also be necessary
in addition to the basic skill content standards.
 
The basic skills of reading, writing, math, listening, and speaking are
the focus of most adult education efforts. In addition to helping
learners improve their basic skills, the adult credit diploma programs
also help learners to earn high school credits toward graduation. The
curricula in these programs tend to mirror that of the regular high
school. Therefore, in addition to the basic skill content standards,
adult credit diploma programs may be expected to have additional content
standards in areas like science, social studies, arts
(visual/performing), world languages, etc.
 
I hope this clarifies my comment. The content standards that CASAS is
developing most definitely address the expectations for secondary levels
functioning with respect to the basic skills. CASAS assessments also
measure student abilities well into the adult secondary levels. The High
Adult Secondary NRS level for reading and math begins at 246 on the
CASAS scale. Level D CASAS assessments measure student performance into
the high 250s (may be even a little higher). As an aside, the GED test
which is a goal/outcome for many learners is attainable to those
functioning at lower NRS levels i.e. the ABE High Intermediate and the
Low Adult Secondary levels. Many of these learners squeak through the
GED with minimal pass scores but then face challenges with postsecondary
entrance/success. I would anticipate that students with higher abilities
(i.e. the High Adult Secondary level - CASAS scale 246 and higher) are
even better prepared to enter/succeed in postsecondary situations.
 
You raise a whole other topic with high school exit testing. It raises
questions about:
(i)                 which of the standards are measured on these exit
tests (i.e. just basic skills or also science, social studies, etc.);
(ii)               how they are measured (e.g. selected response versus
constructed response; problem solving-applied performance focus versus
non-contextual/abstract academic subcomponent focus); and 
(iii)             the level of mastery that is expected (10th, 11th, or
12th or even 9th grade standards).
 
 Ajit
Ajit Gopalakrishnan 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sat Sep  2 16:56:31 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 16:56:31 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 477] FW: [ContentStandards 247] Re: Teaching beyond the
	GED?
Message-ID: <003e01c6ced2$4530fc10$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Here is the post from David Rosen - let us hear what you think.

Marie

Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/

**********


Hello Aaron and others,

On Sep 1, 2006, at 9:53 AM, you wrote:

> Donna,
>
> You raise some interesting points about the GED and whether the  
> focus of instruction and assessment should go beyond preparation  
> for the GED.  It sounds like you believe that metacognitive skills  
> - reasoning/thinking/analyzing skills- are also very important.  I  
> know there is some level of tension in the field when you have  
> learners and/or programs stressing achievement of the GED in as  
> short a time as possible as the ultimate goal vs. "preparing the  
> adult learner for today's economy" as you have suggested.  What do  
> others think about this?  What is our role as instructors?

I have thought about this recurrent question and propose the following:

The key is for each learner, in many cases with the help of a teacher  
or counsel, to examine what  "I want my GED" means.
  " _Why_ do you want to get a GED (or ADP or EDP) ?"  "If you had  
it, what would you hope it would do for you?"  The answers will  
mostly fall in three categories:

1. GED as a terminal diploma or certificate

. I want to hold my head up as a holder of a GED or adult high school  
diploma.  Personal pride and satisfaction.  Not so much for my job or  
my career.
or
. I have to have a GED or h.s. diploma to keep my job.  I need this  
as soon as possible.
or
. I need a job now. I can't get one because I don't have a high  
school diploma.  I think, with a GED I can get a job. I don't care if  
it's a low-paying job.  I need money as soon as possible.

2. GED as a key to entering Post-Secondary education

. I want a good job, one that will enable me (and my family) to be  
self-sufficient. I understand that the GED is not enough, that I have  
to get at least a year of college, too, but the GED is needed first.
. I want to succeed in college, I understand that a GED may be enough  
to get in, but I want to take regular, not developmental study  
courses so I want to be prepared to do academic work in college, and  
in other ways to be prepared for college before I enroll.

3. Limbo

.  I don't know.  I really don't. I was told to come here by my  
social worker (parole officer, mother....)

Category 1 folks are "true GED" people.  Category 2 folks are college  
prep people.  They need a GED or h.s. diploma _and_ transition to  
college/college prep work.  Category 3 people may or may not belong  
in an adult education program. For example, some out-of-school youth  
programs are designed help young adults get motivated.

A high quality, seamless adult education system (not necessarily  
every program in the system) should offer all three options, and the  
screening process should be such that students get referred to the  
right option for their goal, so that "fast track for employment: GED  
students get 1, GED for increased lifetime earning folks get 2,  and  
those who need motivation and counseling, and maybe a stimulating  
program of education with try-out work, get 3.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net







From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Sep  4 17:03:06 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 17:03:06 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 478] Correction to Webcast casts web of doubt from Tom
	Sticht
Message-ID: <002f01c6d065$85799590$0202a8c0@LITNOW>


Colleagues,  

Please note that there was an error in Tom's previous post.  Tom writes:
"I said the present administration called for eliminating Head Start
when I meant Even Start."  Following is a corrected version of his
email.  

I invite your comments, suggestions, and questions - let's hear from
others on this topic.

Thanks,

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

*******************

August 31, 2003

National Institute for Literacy Webcast Casts
Web of Doubt About Commitment to Adult Literacy Education

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

On 15 August 2006 the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) presented a
webcast about the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) of 2003.
Entitled "Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels:  Findings
from
NAAL and Implications for Practice" the webcast focussed on the adults
who
scored at the lowest two levels of the NAAL, those in the Basic and
Below
Basic levels, and implications for reading instruction and workforce
development. Unfortunately, as far as I can discern, the webcast
presented
nothing of any substance for policy or practice for adult
literacy/numeracy
education nor for workforce development. In fact, it presented a number
of
statements about education, literacy, and workforce development of
dubious
validity. Here are some of these statements.

1. Sheida White from the National Center for Education Statistics, which
sponsored the NAAL, made the statement that "Nearly two-thirds, which is
actually 67% of all the jobs created over the next decade, will require
a
college degree."  But in the Statistics and Facts section of the NIFL
web
site it is claimed that 69.8% percent of job openings from 2000 through
2010 will NOT require college but only some sort of work-related
training,
57% of which will be short or moderate term training. Other data from
the
Department of Labor indicates that in 1998 78% of jobs required
non-college
levels of education while in 2008 76% will be non-college jobs. A 2006
report from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) by Paul Barton also
raises questions about the education levels required by jobs. He
presents
data showing that the 44 occupations that account for half of the 26
million average annual job openings  during  2001-2012 require only
short-term education or on-the-job training, not post-secondary
education,
and 25 of the 44 occupations have workforces with 50 percent or more
having
high school or less education. Clearly, there is reason to question the
claim that two-thirds of all jobs created over the next decade will
require
a college degree.

2. John Strucker called attention to the well known gaps in performance
on
the tests among whites, blacks, and Hispanics, but he had nothing to say
about what to do about the situation other than we need to do something.
He
talked about age and literacy and focussed on the problems of younger
adults, but he did not comment on the fact that the NAAL may not be
valid
across the lifespan, especially for older adults, as other research has
suggested. He also commented on the fact that quantitative literacy
(numeracy) had larger percentages of adults in the lower two levels than
on
the prose or document literacy scales. He also mentioned that there
could be
real problems with decoding, vocabulary, and  fluency for adults in the
Below Basic and Basic levels, and there could be large numbers of
learning
disabilities in these groups. But there was really nothing that I read
that
lead to insights regarding how teachers or programs should go about
changing
their adult reading, numeracy, or English language instruction.

3. Brian Bosworth simply repeated the oft stated notions that low
literacy
can consign workers to low paying jobs and reduce America's global
competitiveness. He made a plea for a demand side approach to skills
development that seemed very much like a call for a return to workplace
literacy programs in which employers and employees determine their
skills
needs and work together to design and deliver instruction. Again,
however,
there was nothing that I read that produced solid evidence of how
workers
with low skills actually perform important job tasks in specific jobs or
what returns to investment in workforce education business, workers, or
the
rest of the nation might experience if investments in worker literacy or
numeracy education were increased.   It would be useful if the NIFL or
some
other government agency  would support this type of research.

Noticeably missing from the presentation was a discussion of just how
arbitrary the whole enterprise of literacy assessment in the NAAL was,
including the naming of levels as Below Basic or Basic (instead of Below
Average and Average for instance). There was also no discussion of how
Prose, Document, and Quantitative literacy might "add up" across the
three
scales to form a person's total literacy ability.

Nor was there any discussion of the very large differences between what
the
test developers said about adults' reading and math skills based on the
standardized tests and what adults have said about their own skills as
they
perceive their adequacy to be for work and daily life. Some 95 percent
of
adults in the NALS thought their skills met their needs and the recent
international Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) report developed a
methodology for examining the mismatch between workers skills and their
job
demands for these skills. The report said that 80 percent of adults had
literacy and numeracy skills that matched or exceeded their job demands,
while 20 percent were working in jobs with demands that exceed their
skills
in these areas.

These huge differences between tested and self-perceived skills should
receive considerable study because it is adults' self-perceptions of
their
skill needs that will eventually move them to seek help in upgrading
their
skills. Perhaps a future webcast can address some of these serious
issues
in determining the scale of need for and the desire for adult literacy
education.

Brian Bosworth said "I think that it's unlikely that we are going to see
a
significant change and reform from the federal level to deal with most
of
these workplace literacy issues." I think this was probably the most
significant policy- and practice-related statement in the entire
webcast.
It has been clear since the NALS of 1993 in which 90 million (47%) of
adults were said to lack the skills needed to cope with contemporary
society, including the world of work, that the federal government that
produced this result did not actually believe it. For three years after
that report the federal budget for the Adult Education and Literacy
System
went down. After that it rose for a while, but stayed at a pitiful level
in
which per adult enrollee funds equaled about $200. After the 2003 NAAL
which
indicated that over 93 million adults possessed only Basic or Below
Basic
prose literacy, the present administration (1) asked for a cut in
funding
for adult literacy education from around $575 million to $200 million
and a
complete drop of funds for the Even Start family literacy program; (2)
formed an interagency committee to coordinate their work; and (3) the
committee met in early 2006 and it was reported that the meeting went
well
and it would meet again later on. At no time in the Bush administration
has
it called for more funding for the Adult Education and Literacy System,
even
while repeatedly making dire warnings of impending disasters in global
competition and the American economy due to the poor literacy  skills of
the workforce.

Perhaps the webcast about the NAAL, reading instruction, and the
workforce
will have some positive effects on some aspect of adult literacy
education.
Clearinghouses, committees, meetings, and web discussions may possibly
be
useful in meeting the need for adult literacy education in the Nation.
But
there is nothing like a large infusion of money into an obscenely
under-funded education system to move the Nation forward.

So far, for me, the NIFL NAAL webcast has reinforced a web of doubt
about
the federal government's sincerity and commitment to providing the funds
needed to move the Adult Education and Literacy System from the margins
to
the mainstream of education in the United States.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net










From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Tue Sep  5 09:44:42 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 09:44:42 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 479] National Institute for Literacy Launches
	International Perspective Webpages
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D4959118895CD@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

Just in time for International Literacy Day on September 8, the National
Institute for Literacy has launched a series of webpages on its website
(www.nifl.gov) to highlight worldwide efforts to address and combat literacy
problems. The International Perspectives webpages allow American adult
literacy and English language teachers and students quick access to
information about:
	*	adult literacy education in other countries and cultures,
including both developing and industrialized countries, and including
curriculum and outcomes standards for adult education in other countries 
	*	international comparative studies of adult literacy and
PreK-12 education, and 
	*	international efforts to raise literacy levels (e.g.UNESCO,
International Reading Association, and the Venezuelan and Argentinian
literacy campaigns) 
The Institute plans to continue to build on the information on the
International Perspective pages
(<http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/international/intro.html>) as they develop into a
central site for worldwide literacy resources.
	The National Institute for Literacy provides leadership on literacy
issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children,
youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education,
Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Institute serves as a national
resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice, and policy.


My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Sep  6 09:48:54 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:48:54 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 480]  Family Literacy Guest Discussion Leader
Message-ID: <004c01c6d1bb$31e61690$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,
 
The following reminder is from Gail Price, Moderator of the Family
Literacy Discussion List.  
If you are interested in joining the discussion, you can subscribe to
the Family Literacy Discussion List by going to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/familyliteracy
 
***************************
 
 
This is a reminder that Cyndy Colletti will be joining the Family
Literacy Discussion List  Monday, September 11, through Wednesday,
September 13. 
 
Cyndy, currently the Literacy Program Manager at the Illinois State
Library (ISL), worked as the Family Literacy Coordinator at ISL for nine
years. She has worked cooperatively with the practitioners in Illinois
to develop programmatic resources for the Family Literacy projects such
as parent-child activities. She will be facilitating a discussion on
"Implementing Interactive Parent Child Activities."
 
Following are some questions about PACT to consider in anticipation of
the discussion.
 
Design and development --
      How do we design PACT that includes diverse learners and low level
learners? 
      How do we communicate the value of PACT to enrolled parents who
just "want to go to GED class today?" 
      Do you have some Web or hard copy resources on developing PACT
activities you want to share? 
 
Implementation --
        What are some successful activities you want to share? 
 
Outcomes --  
     What are the outcomes for the program of a successful PACT
component?
     What are the outcomes for the participants of a successful PACT
component? 
     How do we communicate the value of PACT to funders and the
community?
 
If you are interested in joining the discussion, you can subscribe to
the Family Literacy Discussion List by going to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/familyliteracy
 
 
 
Gail J. Price
Multimedia Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40205
 
Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112
Fax: 502 584-0172



 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Sep  6 10:23:37 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:23:37 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 481] The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results
	from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
Message-ID: <009b01c6d1c0$0b76aa10$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

 
 
==============================================================
 
News Flash
The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results from the 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy (9/6/2006)
Results from the Health Literacy component of the 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) were just released. The health
literacy findings are based on the first large-scale national assessment
designed specifically to measure the health literacy of adults living in
America. This report measures health literacy among American adults
including their ability to read, understand, and apply health-related
information in English. 
 
Findings include:
*	The majority of American adults (53 percent) had Intermediate
health literacy. Fewer than 15 percent of adults had either Below Basic
or Proficient health literacy. 
*	Women had higher average health literacy than men. 
*	Adults who were ages 65 and older had lower average health
literacy than younger adults. 
*	Hispanic adults had lower average health literacy than adults in
any other racial/ethnic group. 


To view the reports and for more information, visit
<http://nces.ed.gov/naal> http://nces.ed.gov/naal
 
Jaleh Behroozi Soroui
Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI-Stat)
American Institutes for Research 
1990 K Street, NW Suite 500 
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202/403-6958
email: jsoroui at air.org
 
 
 
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From jcrawford at nifl.gov  Wed Sep  6 11:44:34 2006
From: jcrawford at nifl.gov (Crawford, June)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 11:44:34 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 482]  GED and College Admissions
Message-ID: <9B35BF1886881547B5DFF88364AF31A3081E8B8F@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov>

For many years prior to my employment with the federal government, I
directed a university learning center that offered developmental classes,
ran the university's placement testing program, and offered tutoring, ESL
classes, and services for those with learning disabilities and other
physical disabilities.  Over a 20 year period I saw the test results for at
least 15,000 students and I can say without any doubt that having a GED was
NOT a guarantee that an entering student had the reading, writing, or math
skills that were required as the basic skills before attempting
college-level classes.  We saw many adults enter college with a GED who had
large gaps between what we anticipated would be the skill level of high
school graduates and those who just passed high school with minimum skill
levels.  And, unfortunately, we saw many of them leave college in academic
difficulty - and with debts for tuition. (I was the person, in the end, who
interviewed all these people and had to send the final letters of
dismissal.)

Adults who wish to go on for more education need to be advised that having a
piece of paper that says you have a high school diploma is not sufficient.
There are basic skills and then there are more advanced skills and the
person who will be successful at the college level has to be able to perform
competently from the beginning.  Just as about 1/3 of high school graduates
are not ready for the level of work required at a college, the GED does not
adequately prepare most students.  If we could connect jobs to skill levels
and make this clear to students and parents and employers and employees,
this would be a real boon to the American economy and school system.

Perhaps it is time to consider levels of readiness and make it clear to high
school students and to adults in adult education that there are varying
levels depending on the end goal.  People need to know how they need to be
able to perform for the goals they set for themselves.  Paper just doesn't
do it; performance is the key to success. 
June Crawford


From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Wed Sep  6 13:25:39 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:25:39 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 483] Re: GED and College Admissions
Message-ID: <OFB802E97D.843AB3B7-ON072571E1.005FBB6A-072571E1.005FBB6D@yc.edu>

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From Donna.Albanese at ode.state.oh.us  Wed Sep  6 13:50:48 2006
From: Donna.Albanese at ode.state.oh.us (Albanese, Donna)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 13:50:48 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 484] Re: GED and College Admissions
Message-ID: <76CE091B5AD1F940BC577F0D01A29A3202BFA604@mailb02.ode.state.oh.us>

Getting students "college ready" has been an issue for years,
particularly not knowing exactly what college ready means from state to
state or from college to college. In Ohio, we are crosswalking college
readiness standards with our ABLE standards to identify the gaps and
make needed revisions. I'd be interested to hear from states or programs
that are currently involved in or have completed this process. 

Donna Albanese, Consultant
Ohio Department of Education
Adult Basic and Literacy Education
25 South Front Street, Stop 614
Columbus, Ohio  43215-4183
Phone:  614-466-5015
Fax:  614-728-8470
e-mail:  donna.albanese at ode.state.oh.us
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Crawford, June
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 11:45 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 482] GED and College Admissions

For many years prior to my employment with the federal government, I
directed a university learning center that offered developmental
classes,
ran the university's placement testing program, and offered tutoring,
ESL
classes, and services for those with learning disabilities and other
physical disabilities.  Over a 20 year period I saw the test results for
at
least 15,000 students and I can say without any doubt that having a GED
was
NOT a guarantee that an entering student had the reading, writing, or
math
skills that were required as the basic skills before attempting
college-level classes.  We saw many adults enter college with a GED who
had
large gaps between what we anticipated would be the skill level of high
school graduates and those who just passed high school with minimum
skill
levels.  And, unfortunately, we saw many of them leave college in
academic
difficulty - and with debts for tuition. (I was the person, in the end,
who
interviewed all these people and had to send the final letters of
dismissal.)

Adults who wish to go on for more education need to be advised that
having a
piece of paper that says you have a high school diploma is not
sufficient.
There are basic skills and then there are more advanced skills and the
person who will be successful at the college level has to be able to
perform
competently from the beginning.  Just as about 1/3 of high school
graduates
are not ready for the level of work required at a college, the GED does
not
adequately prepare most students.  If we could connect jobs to skill
levels
and make this clear to students and parents and employers and employees,
this would be a real boon to the American economy and school system.

Perhaps it is time to consider levels of readiness and make it clear to
high
school students and to adults in adult education that there are varying
levels depending on the end goal.  People need to know how they need to
be
able to perform for the goals they set for themselves.  Paper just
doesn't
do it; performance is the key to success. 
June Crawford
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
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From MMaralit at NIFL.gov  Wed Sep  6 15:27:05 2006
From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 15:27:05 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 484] Re: The Health Literacy of America's Adults:
	Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0B93313A@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov>

The following announcement is posted on behalf of The National Center for
Education Statistics:

The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results from the 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy (9/6/2006) 

Results from the Health Literacy component of the 2003 National Assessment
of Adult Literacy (NAAL) were just released. The health literacy findings
are based on the first large-scale national assessment designed specifically
to measure the health literacy of adults living in America. This report
measures health literacy among American adults including their ability to
read, understand, and apply health-related information in English. 

Findings include:
*	The majority of American adults (53 percent) had Intermediate health
literacy. Fewer than 15 percent of adults had either Below Basic or
Proficient health literacy. 
*	Women had higher average health literacy than men. 
*	Adults who were ages 65 and older had lower average health literacy
than younger adults. 
*	Hispanic adults had lower average health literacy than adults in any
other racial/ethnic group. 

To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit:
<http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006483>

To view other NAAL reports and for more information, visit
<http://nces.ed.gov/naal>

Jaleh Behroozi Soroui
Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI-Stat)
American Institutes for Research 
1990 K Street, NW Suite 500 
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202/403-6958
email: jsoroui at air.org



From bonniesophia at adelphia.net  Wed Sep  6 19:57:44 2006
From: bonniesophia at adelphia.net (Bonnie Odiorne)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 19:57:44 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 485] Re: GED and College Admissions
In-Reply-To: <9B35BF1886881547B5DFF88364AF31A3081E8B8F@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov>
Message-ID: <004f01c6d210$40811970$0202a8c0@PC979240272114>

Hello, all,
I've  been waiting to contribute to this discussion, since I've never been
involved in a GED program, but the last ABE program I facilitated and taught
was an employability program integrating technology, and taught a lot of
"soft" skills (based on PBS-KET's Workplace Essential Skills), such as
communication, appropriate behavior, ways to be organized not just job
hunting but on the job, time management and prioritizing. Now I direct the
Writing Center at Post University, Waterbury, CT, and between me and the
University Learning Center we're doing many of the things June describes.
The "skills" gap is one factor, but it's more an "awareness" issue.
University-wide, we're piloting a program this year for freshmen that will
extend into Senior Year that focuses on self-assessment, planning, creating
a college success/career profile, and focuses on many of the "other" skills
beyond content areas that a student needs to succeed and to plan a career.
In adult community education, very often basic skills education as well as
ESL is a "window" to integrate a lot of other survival/"soft" skills, but
I'd suspect GED preparation, being content-area and test-driven, would be a
more difficult sell. Yes, many of the students we get, while not necessarily
GEDs but H.S. diplomas, have many areas in which improvement is needed, that
in addition to the profiling, planning and communicative skills, can only be
described as critical thinking, reflection on the "metacompetencies," the
awareness of how one thinks, learns, solves problems, makes decisions etc.
It remains to be seen how well the program works, an integration of a text,
CD, and software program, and if the students will see and dismiss it as
"what they already know" or as skills worth knowing. These are big concerns;
it seems to me that in any adult ed program whose ultimate goals,
particularly in advanced ESL and/or adult literacy students who are already
H.S. graduates might be college transition, these issues should be raised.
One of our volunteer tutors years ago was teaching what were then called
"study skills," and it had never occurred to me that these were skills that
didn't come "naturally," and that they could be taught. I'd like to hear
more about these issues, also.
Bonnie Odiorne, Ph.D.
Director, Writing Center, Adjunct Professor
Post University, Waterbury, CT

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Crawford, June
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 11:45 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 482] GED and College Admissions

For many years prior to my employment with the federal government, I
directed a university learning center that offered developmental classes,
ran the university's placement testing program, and offered tutoring, ESL
classes, and services for those with learning disabilities and other
physical disabilities.  Over a 20 year period I saw the test results for at
least 15,000 students and I can say without any doubt that having a GED was
NOT a guarantee that an entering student had the reading, writing, or math
skills that were required as the basic skills before attempting
college-level classes.  We saw many adults enter college with a GED who had
large gaps between what we anticipated would be the skill level of high
school graduates and those who just passed high school with minimum skill
levels.  And, unfortunately, we saw many of them leave college in academic
difficulty - and with debts for tuition. (I was the person, in the end, who
interviewed all these people and had to send the final letters of
dismissal.)

Adults who wish to go on for more education need to be advised that having a
piece of paper that says you have a high school diploma is not sufficient.
There are basic skills and then there are more advanced skills and the
person who will be successful at the college level has to be able to perform
competently from the beginning.  Just as about 1/3 of high school graduates
are not ready for the level of work required at a college, the GED does not
adequately prepare most students.  If we could connect jobs to skill levels
and make this clear to students and parents and employers and employees,
this would be a real boon to the American economy and school system.

Perhaps it is time to consider levels of readiness and make it clear to high
school students and to adults in adult education that there are varying
levels depending on the end goal.  People need to know how they need to be
able to perform for the goals they set for themselves.  Paper just doesn't
do it; performance is the key to success. 
June Crawford
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
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From KHinson at future-gate.com  Wed Sep  6 21:31:48 2006
From: KHinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 03:31:48 +0200
Subject: [Assessment 486]   Re: GED and College Admissions
In-Reply-To: <OFB802E97D.843AB3B7-ON072571E1.005FBB6A-072571E1.005FBB6D@yc.edu>
References: <OFB802E97D.843AB3B7-ON072571E1.005FBB6A-072571E1.005FBB6D@yc.edu>
Message-ID: <44FF3E42.121C.00A0.0@future-gate.com>

See for me, as a GED instructor - I want my students to be ready for the
college level. I don't want them to meet the frustration of multiple
developmental classes. From prior discussions on other lists, I remember
that one statistic was  that when a GED graduate has to take more than
one developmental, he/she is less likey to finish their post secondary
degree.  I want to limit this for my students yet the struggle is to
figure out how to accomplish that (as I stated in my original e-mail).  
I want them to know from the beginning what it takes to get where they
want to go, be it a good job, that pays well or a college campus. What
does it mean to be "college" ready. How can we do a better job of
ensuring they are college ready.  It's statistically sad and
disheartening as an instructor to see the number of GED graduates in
various reports nationwide, who never finish any post secondary training
because they still lacked skills, hit a wall, grew frustrated and quit.
How can we give them a good foundation at the starting line so that they
see the GED as a step, a beginning point in their future - see that it's
not an end or a destination (unless they are solely returning to school
for personal satisfaction.).

Regards,
Katrina




>>> <Tina_Luffman at yc.edu> 9/6/2006 1:25 pm >>>
June,
 
What you are saying is so true. At our college we have a COMPASS
placement test that all students must take before being placed into Math
or English classes regardless of whether they have a high school
diploma, GED, or lack of credentials. Most of our GED graduates place
into Fundamentals of Math or Beginning Algebra, which are developmental
courses, before moving on to college level work. 
 
Our GED classes are filling the gap for many to at least get themselves
up to a level to fit into developmental college courses, but they do not
prepare students to walk into College Composition or College Algebra,
for example. Our Adult Education Director, Dr. Carolyn Beckman, has had
additional responsibilities added to her duty list to be in charge of
developmental education for the college as well. I am hearing that this
additional responsibility for our ESOL & GED directors is becoming a
trend in junior colleges in a number of states.
 
Thanks for your insight,
 
Tina




Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep  7 10:05:24 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 10:05:24 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 487] Re: GED and College Admissions
Message-ID: <01dc01c6d286$aa65d990$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues:
 
The following post is cross-posted from the Content Standards Discussion
List.
 
Marie Cora
 
********************************************
 
I know I am a little bit late jumping into this discussion. But--as a
high school drop out in the 9th grade and someone who came from an
immigrant family, meaning I spent more years working the fields with my
family than going to elementary school. I had not been able to keep up
with the other students so by the time I hit junior high school I was
completely lost. 

My father officially signend me out of school at the age of 15, and I
then went to work full time. Well when I had my own children and by this
time I was beginning to understand the value of an education when I
couldn't help my children with their homework and also when two of my
boys decided they didn't want to finish school. Well by this time I knew
I had to do something so I went to the adult education school where I
obtained my GED. From there my oldest daughter talked me into going to
the community college. 

I started going to a community college soon afterwards and had a really
hard time. But with the help of the Learning Resource Center I was able
to catch up to the other students who had finished all the k through 12
years in school. Today I am a secretary at a community college and also
teach an ROP/Office Occupations & GED preparation class part-time. I
teach 16 to 21 year olds. 

My students are at all different levels, some were like me and never
really grasped things at the elementary level others just got side
tracked in the junior or senior years of school. I stress to my students
the importance of learning more than what just the GED teaches. We have
a career development skills section we also teach in our classroom.
Some of my students only want to get their GED to get a job, others need
their GED to go on to higher education. What ever my students want to
pursue that is what we work for. 

If they plan on going on to higher education then we study more indepth
with those ones. With the ones who only want a GED for a job, and thats
all they care about getting then we only study the basics to pass the
GED and job skills. 

One thing I really stress when they first come into my classroom, is if
they want to go on to higher education they are really going to have to
and WANT to work hard for it. Some of them will have to be tutored in
different areas that  they never grasped during their k-12 years.  We do
that with them in our classroom. I have an awesome case technician that
helps me with this. We do go out of our way to work with our students in
what ever they desire. But they know they have to have the desire if
they want to succeed. 

We have some students that are coming back to us now after having gotten
their GED but are struggling with a college course they are taking. We
make the time to help them even if we don't get paid for it. I guess for
our classroom it is once our student, always our student! 

Okay I have rambled on enough this morning and I hope I made some sense
with all of this. 

Gloria Fuentes
Gloria Fuentes [ropteacher at gmail.com]
 
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From djgbrian at utk.edu  Thu Sep  7 10:10:49 2006
From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Brian, Dr Donna J G)
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 10:10:49 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 488] Re: GED and College Admissions
In-Reply-To: <76CE091B5AD1F940BC577F0D01A29A3202BFA604@mailb02.ode.state.oh.us>
Message-ID: <A6B32D41E04B2F43807EC42DA182C21820C410@UTKFSVS5.utk.tennessee.edu>

Here's a very relevant article from the New York Times on the
"readiness" of students for college work and remedial classes.
Donna
djgbrian at utk.edu

<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/02/education/02college.html?ex=115786080
0&en=d5cfaff8cdeb31bb&ei=5070&emc=eta1> 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Albanese, Donna
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 1:51 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 484] Re: GED and College Admissions

Getting students "college ready" has been an issue for years,
particularly not knowing exactly what college ready means from state to
state or from college to college. In Ohio, we are crosswalking college
readiness standards with our ABLE standards to identify the gaps and
make needed revisions. I'd be interested to hear from states or programs
that are currently involved in or have completed this process. 

Donna Albanese, Consultant
Ohio Department of Education
Adult Basic and Literacy Education
25 South Front Street, Stop 614
Columbus, Ohio  43215-4183
Phone:  614-466-5015
Fax:  614-728-8470
e-mail:  donna.albanese at ode.state.oh.us
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Crawford, June
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 11:45 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 482] GED and College Admissions

For many years prior to my employment with the federal government, I
directed a university learning center that offered developmental
classes, ran the university's placement testing program, and offered
tutoring, ESL classes, and services for those with learning disabilities
and other physical disabilities.  Over a 20 year period I saw the test
results for at least 15,000 students and I can say without any doubt
that having a GED was NOT a guarantee that an entering student had the
reading, writing, or math skills that were required as the basic skills
before attempting college-level classes.  We saw many adults enter
college with a GED who had large gaps between what we anticipated would
be the skill level of high school graduates and those who just passed
high school with minimum skill levels.  And, unfortunately, we saw many
of them leave college in academic difficulty - and with debts for
tuition. (I was the person, in the end, who interviewed all these people
and had to send the final letters of
dismissal.)

Adults who wish to go on for more education need to be advised that
having a piece of paper that says you have a high school diploma is not
sufficient.
There are basic skills and then there are more advanced skills and the
person who will be successful at the college level has to be able to
perform competently from the beginning.  Just as about 1/3 of high
school graduates are not ready for the level of work required at a
college, the GED does not adequately prepare most students.  If we could
connect jobs to skill levels and make this clear to students and parents
and employers and employees, this would be a real boon to the American
economy and school system.

Perhaps it is time to consider levels of readiness and make it clear to
high school students and to adults in adult education that there are
varying levels depending on the end goal.  People need to know how they
need to be able to perform for the goals they set for themselves.  Paper
just doesn't do it; performance is the key to success. 
June Crawford
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Sep  8 09:49:17 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 09:49:17 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 489]  GED and college admissions
Message-ID: <028801c6d34d$94c29340$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues:
 
The following article, from Public Education Network's Weekly Newsblast
should be of interest to you in regards to our discussion on GED and
preparedness for higher education.
 
Marie Cora
 
***********************************************
 
PAYING DOUBLE
According to "Paying Double: Inadequate High Schools and Community
College Remediation," a new issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent
Education, the United States spends over $1.4 billion each year to
provide community college remediation education for recent high school
graduates who did not acquire the basic skills necessary to succeed in
college or at work. The brief, which was produced with support from
MetLife Foundation, also finds that the nation loses almost $2.3 billion
annually in wages as a result of the significantly reduced earnings
potential of students whose need for remedial reading make them more
likely to drop out of college without a degree. Therefore, by increasing
the number of students graduating from high school prepared to succeed
in college, an additional $3.7 billion annually would flow into the
nation's economy. The brief offers no simple solutions but does point
out that improving the nation's high schools could certainly reduce the
number of students who need remediation in college. It points to "weak
curricula, vague standards, and lack of alignment between high school
content and the expectations of colleges and employers" as reasons for
the need for remediation. It adds that students who take a rigorous high
school curriculum are less likely to need remedial courses than students
whose course load is less demanding. Finally, it suggests that statewide
performance standards for college admission would enable educators to
assess student progress toward readiness for college. To view the
complete issue brief, which includes a breakdown of state-by-state
costs, visit: 
http://www.all4ed.org/publications/remediation.pdf
 
 
 
 
Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From cynthia_zafft at worlded.org  Fri Sep  8 10:47:28 2006
From: cynthia_zafft at worlded.org (Cynthia Zafft)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 10:47:28 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 490]  GED and College Admissions
Message-ID: <s5014db5.028@mail.jsi.com>

I feel like every message, every sentence, in this discussion touches on
important aspect of ASE/ESOL to college transition.  It's hard to figure
out where to start.  Focusing primarily on college placement, there is
good news and bad news all mixed up together.
 
First, the statistics on persistence are discouraging for both
traditional and nontraditional students, especially in community college
where many adult education students begin.  The problem is that adults
are under a lot of pressure to do well from the start and have a hard
time justifying tiers of coursework that doesn't count toward
graduation.  That said, over time, "despite a higher rate of remediation
and more family obligations, low-income adult students [that includes
GED recipients] earn slightly better grades, on average, than
traditional students" (from Low-Income Adults in Profile by Lumina
Foundation).  So, it appears that if adults can make it over the
transition point, they can do well.
 
Second, one developmental education course won't do you in but the type
and amount of developmental education does matter.  "Among students who
were in remedial reading for more than one course, nearly 80% were in
two or more other remedial courses, and less than 9% earned bachelor's
degrees."  (The Kiss of Death?  An Alternative View of College
Remediation" by Adelman.  See
http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct0798/voices0798-adelman.shtml).
 That said, students who place into developmental reading do best to
take it (it is optional in some colleges) and do go on to be stronger
students.  So, the take-home message here is that the level of
preparation in adult education is key.  (See Research to Practice Brief
at http://www.collegetransition.org/promising/rp2.html)
 
I'll end here but just want to say, there are a lot of folks interested
in this issue.  I run the National College Transition Network
(www.collegetransition.org).  We are a member organization (free for all
interested individuals but focused around the needs of adult educators)
and our website has many resources you might find helpful.
 
Regards,
Cynthia
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cynthia Zafft, Director
National College Transition Network (NCTN)
World Education, Inc.
44 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 482-9485
www.collegetransition.org
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Sep  8 11:26:56 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 11:26:56 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 491]  Remedial courses, preparedness, HS, and GED
Message-ID: <02ae01c6d35b$38c5ce50$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hi everyone, this is kinda long. 
 
I had the opportunity to read thru the 2 articles that have been posted
during this exchange on the GED and college admissions.  I have some
thoughts, comments, and questions for you all.
 
In the article posted earlier today ("Paying Double:  Inadequate High
Schools and Community College Remediation") there are some alarming
statistics:
 
*	Nearly half (42%) of students in Community Colleges (CCs) are
taking remedial courses
*	20% of students in 4 year colleges are taking remedial courses
*	CCs are quickly becoming the space where students who need to
take catch up courses must go (11 states have passed LAWS banning
remedial courses in 4 year institutions - I am assuming that other
states will follow suit)
 
The article notes that in addition to students arriving at higher ed
institutions without adequate skills in reading, writing, and math, they
are also poorly prepared in their study habits and in understanding and
managing complex material.  
 
While about half of the students in CC remedial courses fall into
categories including retraining, re-education, and learning English
language skills (so these folks could be of any age), the other half are
in fact recent or fairly recent High School grads who are taking
remedial courses in order to gain the skills and knowledge that they
should have achieve/received in their high schools.  In addition, the
leading predictor for dropping out of college is the need upon entry for
a remedial course in reading.
 
The other article, sent by Donna Brian the other day ("At 2-Year
Colleges, Students Eager But Unready"), the following text-bits really
hit me hard:
 
*	The young man featured in the article can balance his checkbook
(a complex action and necessary practical life skill), but struggles to
remember mathematical notions like Pythagorean theory, sine, cosine, and
tangent.  
*	That there is presently a movement among public universities to
"crack down on ill-prepared students" (also noted in the first article
above).
*	That many students are "shocked" when they learn upon entry to
college that their high school experience has not prepared them for
higher ed.  It is their assumption that HS would/should do this, but
instead, they find they need remedial courses first.
*	"It's the math that's killing us." (see page 2 of this article)
 
What does this mean for us in adult education?  If it's so clear that
our youth is not prepared for the rigors of higher ed in terms of both
academic skills, and critical thinking and study skills, then we all
expect to see a lot of these folks in our adult education programs.  How
do we work with this?  Will we become the next space where all the
"remediation" takes place?  Are we already there?  What role does
testing and accountability play at the high school level (which has
invented the new term "Push Outs") - is it exacerbating this trend at
the expense of our children's minds and capabilities, and of course the
future of our economy and generations?  How about the GED?  Where does
this fit in with this scenario?  Which is better, which is worse at this
point:  a HS diploma or a GED, and does this matter?  I know the
research says that it does, but the emerging information we keep reading
is that our HSs are also not up to snuff.  
 
What about that other 50% in the CCs - those folks of any age who are
there because they need retraining (lost their job for whatever reason,
or got laid off), re-education of older students (they need way better
reading, writing, math, computer, critical thinking skills in order to
compete for living-wage jobs), students who are in need of improving
their English language skills.  All these folks sound familiar to me
when I think back on my work as a program administrator and practitioner
in the field.  Does this mean that ABE/ESOL needs to prepare students to
go into remedial courses in CCs??  Do we need to surpass what HSs are
doing, and what remedial courses are there for?  Is ABE equal to the
remedial level of study in the CCs?  What do we need to do to go beyond
the GED level with our students?  If high school diplomas do not mean
that with continued diligence and work, you can enter higher ed at a
successful level and stay there until you graduate, then where does that
leave us helping students to achieve a GED?  
 
marie
 
 
Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Sep  8 13:08:53 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 13:08:53 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 492]  New from CAELA: Brief on Tranisitions
Message-ID: <02e701c6d369$77bf7260$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hi again,
 
The following resource comes from Miriam Burt at CAELA - this is very
relevant and timely for our present discussion.
Marie
 
******************************************************
 
Hello, everyone,
 
The latest brief from CAELA, Supporting Adult English Language Learners'
Transitions to Postsecondary Education, by Julie Mathews-Aydinli, is now
availabe on line at
<http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html>
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html. 
 
Adult immigrants studying English in the United States have diverse
educational backgrounds. Some have earned graduate degrees, while others
have had little or no access to education. Their goals and expectations
for future education and employment are also diverse. 
 
This CAELA brief focuses on transitions from adult ESL programs
postsecondary education. For a discussion of classroom-level (e.g., how
to develop vocabulary needed for academic classes, types of reading to
do in class, etc.) and programmatic (e.g., orientation needed,
suggestions for how the adult ESL programs can collaborate with the
associated postsecondary institutions, etc.) approaches that can further
such transitions, read the brief at
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html. 
 
 
 
Coming this fall: briefs on content standards for the adult English
language classroom and integrating instruction, content standards, and
assessment in the adult ESL classroom.
 
Miriam
 
**********
Miriam Burt
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA)
Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th Street NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 362-0700
(202) 363-7204 (fax)
miriam at cal.org 
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Sep 11 10:56:29 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 10:56:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 493] Corrections Education Discussion on Special Topics
	List
Message-ID: <039201c6d5b2$770db5c0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  The following post is
from David Rosen, Moderator of the Special Topics Discussion List.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


========================================================================

===========================================
To subscribe to the Special Topics Discussion List, go to http:// 
www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics , fill in your name,  
email address and pick a password. After you have subscribed you will  
receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription.  Please  
reply immediately.
========================================================================

===========================================


Dear Colleagues,

 From September 18-22, on the Special Topics Discussion List, we are  
pleased to have a panel of expert guests in corrections education.   
The topic will focus on research and professional wisdom in  
corrections family literacy, and on the transition from corrections  
education to community education for inmates who have been released.   
Our guests are:

John Linton, Correctional Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free  
Schools, U.S. Department of Education

John is the program officer for two correctional education grant  
programs ("Lifeskills for State and Local Prisoners" and "Grants to  
States for Workplace and Community Transition Training for  
Incarcerated Youth Offenders") in the Office of Safe and Drug Free  
Schools of the U. S. Department of Education.  John formerly served  
the State of Maryland as the director of adult correctional education  
programs.  He has been with the federal agency since 2001, originally  
with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

Stephen J. Steurer, Ph.D., Executive Director, Correctional Education  
Association
The Correctional Education Association is a professional organization  
of educators who work in prisons, jails and juvenile settings.

William R. Muth, PhD, Assistant Professor, Reading Education and  
Adult Literacy, Virginia Commonwealth University

Bill is an Assistant Professor of Adult and Adolescent Literacy at  
Virginia Commonwealth University. Until August 2005, he was the  
Education Administrator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Other  
positions with the FBOP included: reading teacher, principal, and  
Chief of the Program Analysis Branch. In 2004 Bill earned his  
doctorate in adult literacy from George Mason University. His  
dissertation, "Performance and Perspective: Two Assessments of  
Federal Prisoners in Literacy Programs" won the College Reading  
Association's Dissertation of the Year Award. His research interests  
include Thirdspace and Reading Components theories, especially as  
these apply to prison-based family literacy programs and children of  
incarcerated parents.


  The following readings are recommended by the panelists as  
background for the discussion:

1. "Locked Up and Locked Out, An Educational Perspective on the US  
Prison Population," Coley, Richard J. and Barton, Paul E., 2006
Available on line at the ETS web site:

http://tinyurl.com/qmzfa (short URL)

2. "Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-state analysis of  
postsecondary correctional education policy," Institute for Higher  
Education Policy, Erisman, Wendy and Contardo, Jeanne B., 2005.   
Available on line at the IHEP web site:

http://tinyurl.com/pj2sh (short URL)

3. "Understanding California Corrections" from the California Policy  
Research Center, U of C. (Chapter 4) http://www.ucop.edu/cprc/ 
documents/understand_ca_corrections.pdf

John Linton believes that California is a watershed state in  
corrections issues and policies , and that how things unfold there  
has great national significance.  He says that this is a thoughtful  
and well-informed report on the "overview" of the corrections  
situation in California -- including the role of treatment programs.   
Education is not presented as a central issue, but it has a place --  
as a piece of a bigger puzzle.

4. An article by Bill Muth in Exploring Adult Literacy can be found at

http://literacy.kent.edu/cra/2006/wmuth/index.html

The article contains other on-line links related to prison-based  
intergenerational programs. He recommends especially the link to the  
Hudson River Center's excellent publication, Bringing Family Literacy  
to Incarcerated Settings: An Instructional Guide at:

http://www.hudrivctr.org/products_ce.htm


David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net







From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Sep 13 07:09:57 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 07:09:57 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 494]  FW: [EnglishLanguage 626]  Ability to Benefit
Message-ID: <045201c6d725$26606090$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,
 
The following post is from the English Language Discussion List.  I
wonder if anyone here has experience with this test and has any
comments?
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
******************************************************
 
Dear NIFL ESL List serv:
 
This past summer, the federal government added the COMPASS ESL to the
list of federally-approved "Ability to Benefit" ESL tests, and they
increased the minimum raw score on the one existing ESL "Ability to
Benefit" test which already existed.  (Ability to Benefit addresses
whether or not a student will benefit from financial aid.)
 
The minimum raw score of 90 on the CELSA (ESL Ability to Benefit Test)
was raised to a 97 for Ability to Benefit/financial aid purposes.
 
Do any of you have experience with this new score of 97?  Are any of you
using the CELSA for this purpose?   How did this change in minimum score
affect your program?  How are you dealing with this higher minimum
score?
 
Thank you very much,
 
Tracy vonMaluski
El Paso Community College
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep 14 08:31:22 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 08:31:22 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 495] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE
	Transition
Message-ID: <04d301c6d7f9$b0a9bba0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,

This email query is from the Professional Development Discussion List.
What are your thoughts and comments?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

***********************


Professional Development Colleagues:

I'm wondering what policies and supports your states are putting into
place to assist programs in transitioning their ESOL students into ABE,
now that the cut point for NRS level six has been lowered.  In New York
City, some programs are creating special classes for students who score
above 540 on the BEST Plus, but still need to improve their oral
proficiency.  These students will be tested on the TABE and designated
ABE for NRS purposes, but their classes will be comprised only of
non-native English speakers and will incorporate much more oral language
development than a typical ABE class.  What are some other strategies
you might suggest?


Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356
----------------------------------------------------




From andresmuro at aol.com  Thu Sep 14 09:11:51 2006
From: andresmuro at aol.com (andresmuro at aol.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 09:11:51 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 496] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE
 Transition
In-Reply-To: <04d301c6d7f9$b0a9bba0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
References: <04d301c6d7f9$b0a9bba0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <8C8A6167A6E524E-A48-4B4F@WEBMAIL-DC15.sysops.aol.com>

 The logical process should be ABE to ESL. First, students acquire basic literacy in L1. Then, you can transition them into ESL and they will do very well. If you try to do the opposite, it will be very frustrating for students and teachers. I understand that there are things that make this process very difficult, e.g. too many languages, people from oral societies, etc. However, if at all possible, the process should be from ABE to ESL.
 
 Andres 
    Please take a look at my artwork: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/art.html   
 -----Original Message-----
 From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
 To: Assessment at nifl.gov
 Sent: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 6:31 AM
 Subject: [Assessment 495] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE Transition
 
  Colleagues,

This email query is from the Professional Development Discussion List.
What are your thoughts and comments?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

***********************


Professional Development Colleagues:

I'm wondering what policies and supports your states are putting into
place to assist programs in transitioning their ESOL students into ABE,
now that the cut point for NRS level six has been lowered.  In New York
City, some programs are creating special classes for students who score
above 540 on the BEST Plus, but still need to improve their oral
proficiency.  These students will be tested on the TABE and designated
ABE for NRS purposes, but their classes will be comprised only of
non-native English speakers and will incorporate much more oral language
development than a typical ABE class.  What are some other strategies
you might suggest?


Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356
----------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
   
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From IraY at lacnyc.org  Thu Sep 14 09:39:04 2006
From: IraY at lacnyc.org (Ira Yankwitt)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 09:39:04 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 497] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE
	Transition
Message-ID: <6E8BC13A30982C44BCD32B38FB8F5AB81A4527@lac-exch.lacnyc.local>

I completely agree, but this is actually a different point.  For
students with limited or no literacy in their native language, the
evidence seems overwhelming that they should begin their studies in a
basic education class in their native language (BENL).  Unfortunately,
this presents a challenge for programs funded through WIA  because NRS
doesn't recognize BENL as an instructional type.  In NYC, WIA-funded
programs incorporate native language literacy development into
instruction, but their classes have to be designated ESOL, and
educational gain must be measured by the BEST Plus.  This is obviously a
very dubious, problematic solution.
 
The problem I was referring to is actually at the other end of the
continuum -- what to do about higher level ESOL students who, because of
the elimination of the former NRS Advanced ESOL level, are now placing
out of ESOL, and, paradoxically, must now be considered ABE students in
order to continue to develop their oral proficiency.
 
So we actually have two complimentary problems -- students who are
considered ESOL but should be ABE (i.e., BENL); and students who are
considered ABE who should be ESOL.  My question was about the second
issue, but I would also be very happy to hear suggested strategies to
address the first!
 

Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356


 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of andresmuro at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 9:12 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 496] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to
ABE Transition


The logical process should be ABE to ESL. First, students acquire basic
literacy in L1. Then, you can transition them into ESL and they will do
very well. If you try to do the opposite, it will be very frustrating
for students and teachers. I understand that there are things that make
this process very difficult, e.g. too many languages, people from oral
societies, etc. However, if at all possible, the process should be from
ABE to ESL.

Andres 

 
Please take a look at my artwork: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/art.html
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Sent: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 6:31 AM
Subject: [Assessment 495] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE
Transition


Colleagues,

This email query is from the Professional Development Discussion List.
What are your thoughts and comments?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

***********************


Professional Development Colleagues:

I'm wondering what policies and supports your states are putting into
place to assist programs in transitioning their ESOL students into ABE,
now that the cut point for NRS level six has been lowered.  In New York
City, some programs are creating special classes for students who score
above 540 on the BEST Plus, but still need to improve their oral
proficiency.  These students will be tested on the TABE and designated
ABE for NRS purposes, but their classes will be comprised only of
non-native English speakers and will incorporate much more oral language
development than a typical ABE class.  What are some other strategies
you might suggest?


Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356
----------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov <mailto:Assessment%40nifl.gov> 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

________________________________

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From djrosen at comcast.net  Thu Sep 14 09:40:37 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 09:40:37 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 498] Re: [ProfessionalDevelopment 527] FW: Re: ESOL to
	ABE Transition
In-Reply-To: <AB226656DDB79D4D82CC03965C5C2ECB1B72A1@UTKFSVS5.utk.tennessee.edu>
References: <AB226656DDB79D4D82CC03965C5C2ECB1B72A1@UTKFSVS5.utk.tennessee.edu>
Message-ID: <939699A1-D83E-40FD-A57E-D195C38D6154@comcast.net>

Andres, Marie, Jackie and others,

An ideal situation, for ESOL programs in the United States, would be  
the option for learners to purse English (ESOL) and also some basic  
skills content in their first language and English: numeracy/ 
mathematics, U.S. history, political system, and culture, first  
language reading and writing, and perhaps other subjects.  The goals  
would be: learning English _and_ learning basic skills (using the  
first language and English).  For programs that cannot imagine doing  
this because, for example they have no teachers of numeracy/ 
mathematics who speak the students' first language, perhaps they do.   
Some programs in Boston, for example, hire English language students  
who happen to be expert math teachers with years of experience  
teaching numeracy and math in schools and colleges in their home  
countries. Many ESOL students want to learn math as much as they want  
to learn English.  We should provide them with that opportunity as  
soon as possible, not make them wait until they have sufficient  
English skills.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Sep 14, 2006, at 9:20 AM, Taylor, Jackie wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> Marie Cora, Moderator of the Assessment List, forwarded Ira?s  
> message on to the Assessment List. Below is a response from Andres  
> Muro.
>
>
>
> So how are professional developers and programs grappling with this  
> issue? Let?s hear from you. Best, Jackie
>
>
>
> From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment- 
> bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of andresmuro at aol.com
> Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 9:12 AM
> To: assessment at nifl.gov
> Subject: [Assessment 496] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526]  
> ESOL to ABE Transition
>
>
>
> The logical process should be ABE to ESL. First, students acquire  
> basic literacy in L1. Then, you can transition them into ESL and  
> they will do very well. If you try to do the opposite, it will be  
> very frustrating for students and teachers. I understand that there  
> are things that make this process very difficult, e.g. too many  
> languages, people from oral societies, etc. However, if at all  
> possible, the process should be from ABE to ESL.
>
> Andres
>
>
>
> Please take a look at my artwork: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/ 
> art.html
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
> To: Assessment at nifl.gov
> Sent: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 6:31 AM
> Subject: [Assessment 495] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to  
> ABE Transition
>
> Colleagues, This email query is from the Professional Development  
> Discussion List.What are your thoughts and comments? Marie  
> CoraAssessment Discussion List Moderator ***********************   
> Professional Development Colleagues: I'm wondering what policies  
> and supports your states are putting intoplace to assist programs  
> in transitioning their ESOL students into ABE,now that the cut  
> point for NRS level six has been lowered.  In New YorkCity, some  
> programs are creating special classes for students who scoreabove  
> 540 on the BEST Plus, but still need to improve their  
> oralproficiency.  These students will be tested on the TABE and  
> designatedABE for NRS purposes, but their classes will be comprised  
> only ofnon-native English speakers and will incorporate much more  
> oral languagedevelopment than a typical ABE class.  What are some  
> other strategiesyou might suggest?  Ira Yankwitt, DirectorNYC  
> Regional Adult Education NetworkLiteracy Assistance Center32  
> Broadway, 10th FloorNY, NY  
> 10004212-803-3356----------------------------------------------------  
>  -------------------------------National Institute for  
> LiteracyAssessment mailing listAssessment at nifl.govTo unsubscribe or  
> change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/ 
> mailman/listinfo/assessment
> size=2 width="100%" align=center>
> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and  
> security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from  
> across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> ----------------------------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list
> ProfessionalDevelopment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to  
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment
>
> Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki
> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ 
> Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net





From mjjerdems at yahoo.com  Thu Sep 14 10:19:06 2006
From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:19:06 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 499] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE
	Transition
In-Reply-To: <8C8A6167A6E524E-A48-4B4F@WEBMAIL-DC15.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <20060914141906.7910.qmail@web54001.mail.yahoo.com>

I suspect that we're differing in verbiage and not classroom technique.  I taught pre-literacy to ESL students for seven years. These people  needed it in an ESL context because they didn't have the vocabulary to  deal with the normal native English speaker vocabulary in the ABE  curriculum. 
  
  These were usually women from east Africa or Arabic speaking cultures,  to generalize further, students who had no or little experience in  schooling ever and who did not speak English. 
  
  Sometimes those from west Africa, or with some strong English  background, were able to attend an ABE class. Frequently even they  spent time in the conversational ESL classes gathering the vocabulary  and experience to prepare for the ABE class. 
  
  The classes were all taught by instructors who were well prepared to  teach. The students needed to be prepared to learn in an ABE  environment.
  
  Mary Jane Jerde
  

andresmuro at aol.com wrote:    The logical process should be ABE to ESL. First, students acquire  basic literacy in L1. Then, you can transition them into ESL and they  will do very well. If you try to do the opposite, it will be very  frustrating for students and teachers. I understand that there are  things that make this process very difficult, e.g. too many languages,  people from oral societies, etc. However, if at all possible, the  process should be from ABE to ESL.
  
  Andres 
  
     
    Please take a look at my artwork: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/art.html
     
   
  -----Original Message-----
  From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
  To: Assessment at nifl.gov
  Sent: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 6:31 AM
  Subject: [Assessment 495] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE Transition
  
                  
Colleagues,

This email query is from the Professional Development Discussion List.
What are your thoughts and comments?

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

***********************


Professional Development Colleagues:

I'm wondering what policies and supports your states are putting into
place to assist programs in transitioning their ESOL students into ABE,
now that the cut point for NRS level six has been lowered.  In New York
City, some programs are creating special classes for students who score
above 540 on the BEST Plus, but still need to improve their oral
proficiency.  These students will be tested on the TABE and designated
ABE for NRS purposes, but their classes will be comprised only of
non-native English speakers and will incorporate much more oral language
development than a typical ABE class.  What are some other strategies
you might suggest?


Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356
----------------------------------------------------


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment  
  
           
---------------------------------
  Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access  to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail  and more.
  
    -------------------------------
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep 14 11:34:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:34:08 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 500] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 530] Re: ESOL to ABE
	Transition
Message-ID: <051901c6d813$38aa9740$0302a8c0@LITNOW>


Hello,

We developed a new category of learners ... Transition ...  for our very
Advanced ESL learners.  We used to put them in our ABE materials, but
found
that they were too cultural specific and didn't provide the necessary
work
in vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, etc.

We use NorthStar: Speaking and Listening as the text.  The level is
determined by the ABE TABE.

Diane K. Snell
ESL Education Coordinator
Racine Literacy Council
734 Lake Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
262-632-9495
www.racineliteracy.com
 




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep 14 13:27:55 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:27:55 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 501] Re: ESOL to ABE Transition
Message-ID: <054b01c6d823$1de994a0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>


I have been reading with interest the posts that concern teaching L1 and
then L2. 

LESLLA (Low-educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition-- for
Adults) is an international organization will be having a conference
Research, Practice, and Policy for Low-educated Second Language and
Literacy Acquisition - for Adults (LESLLA), at Virginia Commonwealth
University in Richmond, November 2-3, 2006.  Please visit the LESLLA
website at  www.leslla.org for more information about its focus. 

There is still space for those who are interested in participating in
this very interesting and seminal event.  You can contact me if you are
interested. 

Nancy 

*********************************************************
Nancy R. Faux
ESOL Specialist
Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA 
nfaux at vcu.edu
http://www.valrc.org
1-800-237-0178 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep 14 15:00:11 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:00:11 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 502]  FW: [Technology 528]  Guest discussion next week
Message-ID: <059001c6d830$01cd7630$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues, the following reminder is from Mariann Fedele, Moderator of
the Technology Discussion List.  To sign up for this discussion, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology
 
One of the first questions to be posed so far concerns specific
assistive technology assessment -- i.e. a protocol to investigate an
individual's needs and to find the best hardware/software to address
those needs.  I encourage you to check out this discussion.
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
**************************************
 
 
Dear Tech list colleagues, 

Just a reminder that beginning Tuesday, September 19th through Friday,
September 22nd, there will be a guest discussion on the Technology list
on "Assistive 
Technology, Instructional Technology, and Universal Design Strategies
for Adult Literacy" with guest facilitator Dr. Dave Edyburn of the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

More information about the content of the discussion and our guest
facilitator follows. As with past discussions your questions,
contributions and professional wisdom will make this a great learning
experience for everyone on the list. 

What questions do you have that you would specifically like to see
addressed? What general questions do you have about this topic that can
help inform what Dr. Edyburn presents? Send any questions that will help
shape the discussion to the Tech list as a whole or to me off list and I
will forward them to Dr. Edyburn. 

Here are a few of the questions that have been sent to date:
 
1. Does anyone in an adult education setting use a specific assistive
technology assessment -- i.e. a protocol to investigate an individual's
needs and to find the best hardware/software to address those needs?

2. I'm not familiar with the meaning of assistive technology. If it
means 
helping the learning/physically disabled, I'd like to know anything 
there is about assessment/diagnosis tools/instruments/programs when 
their first language isn't English.
 
3. If a program was going to become a "Universal Design" program, what
are 
the essential UD elements/features that should be in place at each stage

of the program: recruitment, orientation, intake, instruction, testing, 
transition, etc.?
 
4. What is available either as separate entities from the computer or on
the computer itself, that will promote universal design principles?
Being libraries, our computers often have a lot of security on them and
it is not practical to take it on and off so specific patrons can gain
access. What can we do to make it more accommodating for the patron with
disabilities (learning or otherwise) and for the library staff which is
often few in number?
 
5. What research has been done with assistive technology and
reading/adult literacy which shows the efficacy of AT as a learning
tool:  retention, achievement, etc. 
 
6. We are creating curricula for developmental students (pre-college
skill levels), to prepare them for college-level reading and writing.  I
was just asked "what guidelines can we give our designing faculty so
that they can incorporate Universal Design Principles into this?"  A
primary concern is, in fact, our students with labeled and unlabeled
LDs.  (So, really, she was asking "how can we make sure they break
things down enough, and give directions for stuff that teachers tend to
assume students know; how do we prevent "write a 2 page paper that
responds to a political cartoon?" ) So... my question would be:  how can
we make "basic level" college assignments more accessible to students
with LDs?  
 
 

All the best, 

Mariann 



**************************** 

Title: Assistive Technology, Instructional Technology, and Universal 
Design Strategies for Adult Literacy 



Overview 



Adult literacy professionals and volunteers are well aware of the 
effects of school failure and the lifelong impact of failing to acquire 
functional reading skills. In this online event, Dr. Dave Edyburn a 
professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will engage 
participants in a discussion about three forms of technology and their 
application for adult literacy learners and programs. 



On day one, participants will be introduced to the concept of assistive 
technology and learn about products that have been designed to support 
struggling readers. 



On day two, conversations will focus on instructional technology. That 
is, how can technology be used to teach and assess critical literacy 
skills. 



On day three, participants will learn about universal design for 
learning and the promise of this approach to address the needs of 
diverse learners in ways that combine the best attributes of assistive 
and instructional technology. 



Participants in this online event will have the opportunity to learn 
about practical applications of technology in adult literacy programs, 
ask questions, and obtain information about software and web resources. 



Bio 

Dave L. Edyburn, Ph.D. 



Dave L. Edyburn, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Exceptional 
Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Edyburn's 
teaching and research interests focus on the use of technology to 
enhance teaching, learning, and performance. 



He has authored over 100 articles and book chapters on assistive and 
instructional technology. He is a co-editor of the recently published 
book, Handbook of Special Education Technology Research and Practice. 



He is a past president of the Special Education Technology Special 
Interest Group (SETSIG) in the International Society for Technology in 
Education (ISTE) as well as a past president of the Technology and Media

(TAM) Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). He is a 
frequent conference presenter and national workshop leader. 



Mariann Fedele
Associate Director,
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
Moderator,
NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
32 Broadway 10th Floor
New York, New York 10004
212-803-3325
mariannf at lacnyc.org
www.lacnyc.org
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Sep 15 09:52:26 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:52:26 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 503]  Discussion on ELL in the workplace
Message-ID: <002301c6d8ce$2e080d20$0302a8c0@LITNOW>


Colleagues:

Donna Brian and Lynda Terrill, Moderators of the Workplace Literacy
Discussion List and English Language Learners Discussion List proudly
announce a discussion on ELL in the workplace.

You can partake in the discussion by subscribing to either list:
Adult English Language list
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage
OR
Workplace Literacy list: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/

Here is some information about the discussion:
 

 One issue that has been of interest on the Workplace Literacy
Discussion List has been serving the needs and goals of employers while
at the same time serving the needs of adult immigrants on the job and in
their lives. On the Adult English Language Discussion List, issues
related to workplace and adult English language learners have been
discussed for many years. Workplace ESOL classes are not new, but, as
more workplaces throughout the country hire immigrants who may not be
proficient in English, new teachers come on board and new needs (and
funding sources) arise. New questions also arise.  

 

We have home-grown expertise on both the Workplace and ELL Discussion
Lists. Subscribers on both lists have been involved in managing state
and federal workplace grants, developing curricula and materials,
teaching or training other teachers in workplace contexts.  We could all
learn a lot from sharing questions and experiences.    Lynda Terrill,
moderator of the English Language Learner Discussion List and  Donna
Brian, moderator of the Workplace Literacy Discussion List,  invite you
to  access this combined expertise in a cross-list discussion: a
focused, simultaneous, shared discussion on both lists on issues related
to the workplace and adult immigrants.  We hope that you will  join us
in sharing  philosophies, approaches, and techniques?lessons
learned?with each other in a week long dialogue combining the two lists.
We have set next week?September 18-22?as the time scheduled for this
shared discussion to take place. 

 

Discussion Questions
Some important questions we hope may be addressed in the discussion are:


?         What are effective ways of planning, implementing, and
evaluating (adult ESL) workplace classes? 

?         What types of workplace classes have proven most effective and
why? 

?         How can teachers and administrators develop curricula and
materials that meet the needs and goals of the learners in class as well
as the needs and expectations of employers? 

?         What are effective and appropriate approaches for teaching
issues related to culture, civil rights, and responsibilities on the
job? 

Background Reading and Resources 

Below is a small sample of the best available materials we know of. We
hope subscribers will suggest others that have been useful to them:


This resource is added by Janet Isserlis:  One reading I would add (and
that in fact was just discussed in the workplace literacy share that
grew out of a CAELA study circle), is this piece by Gary Pharness, which
very much focuses on learners? needs in workplace learning contexts.

Learner-Centered Worker Education Program.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/000000
0b/8
0/2a/14/f4.pdf



Issues in Improving Immigrant Workers' English Language Skills (Burt,
M., 2003, Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics)

http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/Workplaceissues.html. 

 

ESOL in the Workplace: A Training Manual for ESOL Supervisors and
Instructors. (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Office of Adult Education and University of Tennessee Center for
Literacy Studies, 2003). 

http://www.cls.utk.edu/pdf/esol_workplace/Tenn_ESOL_in_the_Workplace.pdf
Getting to Work: A Report on How Workers with Limited English Skills Can
Prepare for New Jobs (Working for America Institute)
http://www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/GTW50704.pdf

 

Getting to Work: A Report on How Workers with Limited English Skills Can
Prepare for New Jobs (Working for America Institute)
http://www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/GTW50704.pdf

 

Steps to Employment in Ontario. 

http://209.121.217.200/main.html

 

************* 

 



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Sep 15 12:48:13 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:48:13 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 504] Re: Teaching beyond the GED?
Message-ID: <002901c6d8e6$bca7a960$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

The following post is from Donna Chambers.
 
*********************************
 
Ajit and All,
 
I agree with Ajit that we must push for the alignment of knowledge
measured whatever the students goal may be. Preparing a learner for a
college entrance test should not be any different from preparing a
learner for work and or life.  A changing society and economic system
requires a continual redefinition of the context of literacy. As I
referenced in my August 31 message as adult educators we must adapt to
the change and be aware of developing conceptual thinking skills to
position the learner  to advance in his/her education if they so choose.
This requires faith in a learners ability to acquire whatever skills are
necessary even if it means  changing the way we have been teaching for
years. 
 
For example, I am currently working in Rhode Island with a groups of
adults who entered our program to get their GED.  Since my work is
primarily with the External Diploma Program, a competency based
assessment system, I  tend to focus on a learner understanding concepts
and being able to apply the learning in a number of different
situations.  Placement testing showed that these individuals had low
level math skills and they all declared that they "were not good in
math".   I told the group that we were not going to work in GED books,
except maybe to do some practice work, but that I would help them learn
math in a way that was different and this may mean learning math beyond
what they needed to know to pass the test.  Our work would include
understanding numbers and operations and how they relate to each other
and that once they had this understanding, they should be better
prepared for the math that they would encounter on any test, not just
the GED.  
 
They all agreed and so we began using colored popsicle sticks and other
manipulative to see, touch, and understand what it means to add,
subtract, divide and multiply numbers.  Before long we were discussing
fractions, percents, and even ratio proportion with a clear
understanding.  The learners in my class now know what a variable is and
can not only show an example of an algebraic expression using the
manipulative, but can also write and solve simple algebraic equations.
They may be able to pass the GED without knowing algebra, but this
understanding has lead to a true understanding of 20% of 300; 4800 by 8
or 80;  and 1:2 as 2:4, 3:6, etc which will help them to pass the test.
It didn't take long for the learners to start saying, "I get it" and
"this is fun".  
 
Using a hands on approach for math and getting away from going page by
page in a workbook takes some planning, but the benefits are tremendous.
How can we challenge an adult's thinking and help them become critical
thinker?  The answer to this question may mean looking at what we are
doing differently. Developing activities centered around developing
thinking skills, critical reading, separating fact from fiction and
making predictions will help prepare our learners for the real world.
,Looking at and working toward this big picture better prepares students
for success as they exit our programs. Exactly how we all do this and
make it all relevant is what I see as the great challenge.  change is
not easy, but often necessary.  Let us begin to look at a bigger picture
beyond the GED and develop a list of standards to measure the  concrete
and abstract knowledge and skills that are needed for life. 
 
I invite anyone and everyone to chime in here.  
 
Donna Chambers
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ajit <mailto:agopalakrishnan at yahoo.com>  Gopalakrishnan 
To: 'The <mailto:contentstandards at nifl.gov>  Adult Education Content
Standards Discussion List' 
Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2006 9:26 AM
Subject: [Content 267] Re: Teaching beyond the GED?
 
I am glad that this discussion on teaching beyond the GED has continued
into the next week. Let me jump back in!
 
I don't see the skills to enter college/work that are needed in addition
to those required for passing the GED as "beyond the basics". To me,
they are still basic skills that all high school graduates (whether K-12
or adult ed) should be proficient in prior to graduation.
 
That said, it is not good enough for me to simply accept that some of
these skills (a few of which may be highly abstract) are necessary only
to pass "gatekeeper" postsecondary entrance examinations and have no
relevance for life or work. Instead of simply accepting this, I believe
that we should push for the alignment of knowledge measured in such
entrance exams with the student's proposed course of study and
interested profession.
 
The relevance is absolutely there but needs to be made explicit. In the
CASAS system for example, higher level reading/math test items don't
become abstract but retain their connection to relevant priority
competencies. However, few students including GED graduates achieve
these higher levels of proficiency.
 
People also tend to forget abstract knowledge if there is not some
application. Computer training is a classic example. Millions are spent
on teaching people how to utilize every feature within Microsoft
products and three weeks later, the individual may remember 20% of the
content - often the 20% that is used regularly.
 
The transition ability gap is real and can be bridged with both rigor
and relevance.
 
Ajit Gopalakrishnan
CT
 
 
 

  _____  

 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Sep 17 11:24:53 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:24:53 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 505]  Professional Development through the ALE Wiki
Message-ID: <002001c6da6d$6d091500$0302a8c0@LITNOW>


Colleagues,

The Adult Literacy Education Wiki (now with over 750 pages and nearly  
700 registered users) is becoming a very useful resource for teachers  
and other practitioners in adult literacy education.  It includes 30  
topics linking research, professional wisdom, and practice.  It  
offers easy-to-read archived discussions that were held on this and  
other discussion lists, links to research and other resources,  
questions (and sometimes answers) from teachers and other  
practitioners and researchers, a comprehensive adult literacy  
glossary, and more.  It's free, and it's designed for you.  Best of  
all, it's not only a set of informative web pages.  It's a community  
of practice.  You -- and your colleagues -- can easily add to and  
improve it. It's a wiki!

To check out the ALE wiki, go to:

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page

You will see that some ALE topics need to be nurtured, and to grow.  
They need a Topic Leader.  Perhaps you would be the right person to  
be a Topic Leader. To see a list of topics and leaders, go to

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Topic_Leaders

If you are interested in being a (volunteer) Topic Leader for an  
existing topic, or if you would like to help develop a new topic, e- 
mail me and tell me about yourself and your interest.

David J. Rosen
ALE Wiki Organizer and Wikiteer
djrosen at comcast.net






From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Sep 18 08:44:50 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:44:50 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 506]  Special Topics List Discussion Announcement
Message-ID: <003f01c6db20$3ba14920$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues:  Some of you may be interested in the following Guest
Discussion, beginning today, on the Special Topics Discussion List.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

===========================================
To subscribe to the Special Topics Discussion List, go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics,
fill in your name, email address and pick a password.
After you have subscribed you will receive an email
asking you to confirm your subscription.  Please
reply immediately.
===========================================

Dear Colleagues,

Beginning today, on the Special Topics Discussion List, we are  
pleased to have a panel of expert guests in corrections education.  
The topic will focus on research and professional wisdom in  
corrections family literacy, and on the transition from corrections  
education to community education for inmates who have been released.

Our guests are:

John Linton, Correctional Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free  
Schools, U.S. Department of Education

John is the program officer for two correctional education grant  
programs ("Lifeskills for State and Local Prisoners" and "Grants to  
States for Workplace and Community Transition Training for  
Incarcerated Youth Offenders") in the Office of Safe and Drug Free  
Schools of the U. S. Department of Education.  John formerly served  
the State of Maryland as the director of adult correctional education  
programs.  He has been with the federal agency since 2001, originally
with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

Stephen J. Steurer, Ph.D., Executive Director, Correctional Education  
Association. The Correctional Education Association is a professional  
organization
of educators who work in prisons, jails and juvenile settings.

William R. Muth, PhD, Assistant Professor, Reading Education and  
Adult Literacy, Virginia Commonwealth University

Bill is an Assistant Professor of Adult and Adolescent Literacy at  
Virginia Commonwealth University. Until August 2005, he was the  
Education Administrator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Other  
positions with the FBOP included: reading teacher, principal, and  
Chief of the Program Analysis Branch. In 2004 Bill earned his  
doctorate in adult literacy from George Mason University. His  
dissertation, "Performance and Perspective: Two Assessments of  
Federal Prisoners in Literacy Programs" won the College Reading  
Association's Dissertation of the Year Award. His research interests  
include Thirdspace and Reading Components theories, especially as  
these apply to prison-based family literacy programs and children of  
incarcerated parents.

*******************************

The following readings are recommended by the panelists as background  
for the discussion:

1. "Locked Up and Locked Out, An Educational Perspective on the US  
Prison Population," Coley, Richard J. and Barton, Paul E., 2006
Available on line at the ETS web site:

http://tinyurl.com/qmzfa (short URL)

2. "Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-state analysis of  
postsecondary correctional education policy," Institute for Higher  
Education Policy, Erisman, Wendy and Contardo, Jeanne B., 2005.  
Available on line at the IHEP web site:

http://tinyurl.com/pj2sh (short URL)

3. "Understanding California Corrections" from the California Policy  
Research Center, U of C. (Chapter 4)
http://www.ucop.edu/cprc/documents/understand_ca_corrections.pdf

John Linton believes that California is a watershed state in  
corrections issues and policies , and that how things unfold there  
has great national significance.  He says that this is a thoughtful  
and well-informed report on the "overview" of the corrections  
situation in California -- including the role of treatment programs.
Education is not presented as a central issue, but it has a place --  
as a piece of a bigger puzzle.

4. An article by Bill Muth in Exploring Adult Literacy can be found at

http://literacy.kent.edu/cra/2006/wmuth/index.html

The article contains other on-line links related to prison-based  
intergenerational programs. He recommends especially the link to the  
Hudson River Center's excellent publication, Bringing Family Literacy  
to Incarcerated Settings: An Instructional Guide at:

http://www.hudrivctr.org/products_ce.htm

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net







From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Sep 19 10:22:03 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:22:03 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 507] Guest Speaker on Content Standards List Next Week
Message-ID: <011a01c6dbf6$fb67cf00$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hello everyone,
 
Please sign up for the guest discussion on the Content Standards List
with Ronna Spacone next week.  I would think that many on this List
would find that discussion of great interest.
 
To participate in the discussion, sign up for the list at:
 <http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards>
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards
 
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
************************************************************************
******************
 
Greetings colleagues,
 
Next week, Monday, September 25 through Friday, September 29, the
Content Standards Discussion List will be hosting a discussion on the
U.S. Department of Education's efforts to support state-level adoption
and institutionalization of content standards for adult learning.  Our
guest will be Ronna Spacone from the Department's Office of Vocational
and Adult Education (OVAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy
(DAEL).
 
Please read the introductory information below, which includes a link to
the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse Website, to help prepare
you for the discussion.  
 
You may begin posting your questions to Ronna this week.  I will collect
the questions together and re-post when the discussion starts next week.
 
Aaron
 
Aaron Kohring
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content  
Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
 
************************************************************************
********************
 
For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Education, OVAE, has
used National Leadership Activity funds to provide technical assistance
and support to states already committed to standards-based education
reform.  
 
OVAE's efforts to promote the implementation of state-level content
standards began with the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse
Project, operated by the American Institutes of Research (AIR),
2003-2005.  The project included:
 
1.	Technical assistance and networking for state collaborative
working groups or consortia in 14 states,
 
2.	The development and publication of "A Process Guide for
Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" and
 
3.	The development of the Adult Education Content Standards
Warehouse (AECSW) Website.  The AECSW site provides universal access to
existing state standards as well as nationally developed content
standards in the areas of reading, mathematics, and English language
acquisition.  Since it was launched in May 2005, eleven states and CASAS
and Equipped for the Future have contributed their standards for
posting.  The site also serves to disseminate the "Process Guide for
Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" as well as the
professional development materials that were developed for the State
Standards Consortia project.  In preparation for our listserv discussion
next week, I invite you to please visit the AECSW Website located at:
(http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org
<http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/> ), which AIR continues to
operate with OVAE. 
 
In September 2005, with the conclusion of the State Standards Consortia
activities, OVAE funded a new activity to identify how best to continue
to support states committed to the implementation of standards.  A
six-month planning project was then conducted by MPR Associates, Inc.,
along with partner organizations Design Perspectives and World
Education.  Planning activities included a literature review of
noteworthy practices, an evaluation of the electronic warehouse, and an
assessment of the needs of states to support standards-based education.
Twenty-four states chose to participate in the project.  Based on the
results, OVAE has moved ahead and made plans for a new project scheduled
to begin next month.
 
As in the past, the new activities will provide opportunities for
interested states to work together and learn about standards-based
education.  The project is expected to focus especially on the
implementation of standards, including: how to translate standards into
classroom instruction and curriculum and how to assess the
implementation of standards to guide instructional improvement and
program practice. 
 
I invite you to learn more about the Department of Education's efforts
to promote state-level adoption of content standards and to ask
questions about these activities during the listserv discussion.  Please
refer to the various sections of the AECSW Website
(http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org
<http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/> ) including the Guide,
Warehouse, and Field Resources as well as the OVAE DAEL Website located
at: (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html). 
 
I look forward to an interesting, engaging discussion and appreciate the
opportunity to take part.  Thanks.
 
Ronna Spacone
Education Program Specialist
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
U.S. Department of Education
Ronna.spacone at ed.gov 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Sep 19 10:23:29 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:23:29 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 508]  Self-Esteem Discussion on FOB list next week!
Message-ID: <011f01c6dbf7$2e570de0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues:

Another interesting guest discussion next week, on the FOB List:

You can join the FOB discussion list at the following address:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics
(Be sure to reply to the confirmation e-mail to complete the process.)

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


****************************************************
Next week (Sept. 25-29) we are pleased to have Anastasiya Lipnevich as a
guest on the Focus on Basics Discussion List to discuss her recent FOB
article about self-esteem in adult learners. 

Anastasiya is a PhD student in educational psychology at Rutgers
University. She has a master's degree in counseling psychology from
Rutgers University and a master's degree in psychology and education
from the University of Minsk. Her research interests include
self-esteem, motivation, and self-regulation. 

Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105

I will send out some discussion questions to think about tomorrow.

You can join the FOB discussion list at the following address:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics
(Be sure to reply to the confirmation e-mail to complete the process.)

I hope you can join us!

Julie



Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org




From barguedas at sfccnm.edu  Tue Sep 19 14:03:17 2006
From: barguedas at sfccnm.edu (Barbara Arguedas)
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:03:17 -0600
Subject: [Assessment 509] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to
	ABETransition
Message-ID: <4CFDD6B88B634C409A76C0F44B3509BE029C4AEE@ex01.sfcc.edu>

We have grappled with this exact situation here at Santa Fe Community
College (in NM).  We have determined that the first decision point is
based on the student's goal.   For example, if their goal is to get the
GED then we place them in ABE/GED classes and use the TABE as the
assessment.  However, many of them still want to improve their English
and that is their goal.  This group (who have topped out of the CASAS
with a score of 236 or above) is being encouraged to take the
developmental level credit classes at our community college.  There are
several lower level English classes that they can place into (a
placement test is required).  Though the emphasis is not necessarily
ESOL, they will make additional progress in these credit classes.  They
are proud to move on and to be considered "college students" and often
can apply for financial aid as well (undocumented students are the
exception for financial aid).  Our developmental studies department has
been instrumental in transitioning these students into the college's
system.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Barbara Arguedas

Director of Adult Basic Education

Santa Fe Community College

Santa Fe, NM

 

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Ira Yankwitt
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 7:39 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 497] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to
ABETransition

 

I completely agree, but this is actually a different point.  For
students with limited or no literacy in their native language, the
evidence seems overwhelming that they should begin their studies in a
basic education class in their native language (BENL).  Unfortunately,
this presents a challenge for programs funded through WIA  because NRS
doesn't recognize BENL as an instructional type.  In NYC, WIA-funded
programs incorporate native language literacy development into
instruction, but their classes have to be designated ESOL, and
educational gain must be measured by the BEST Plus.  This is obviously a
very dubious, problematic solution.

 

The problem I was referring to is actually at the other end of the
continuum -- what to do about higher level ESOL students who, because of
the elimination of the former NRS Advanced ESOL level, are now placing
out of ESOL, and, paradoxically, must now be considered ABE students in
order to continue to develop their oral proficiency.

 

So we actually have two complimentary problems -- students who are
considered ESOL but should be ABE (i.e., BENL); and students who are
considered ABE who should be ESOL.  My question was about the second
issue, but I would also be very happy to hear suggested strategies to
address the first!

 

Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356

 

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of andresmuro at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 9:12 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 496] Re: FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to
ABE Transition

The logical process should be ABE to ESL. First, students acquire basic
literacy in L1. Then, you can transition them into ESL and they will do
very well. If you try to do the opposite, it will be very frustrating
for students and teachers. I understand that there are things that make
this process very difficult, e.g. too many languages, people from oral
societies, etc. However, if at all possible, the process should be from
ABE to ESL.

Andres 

 

Please take a look at my artwork: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/art.html

 

 
-----Original Message-----
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Sent: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 6:31 AM
Subject: [Assessment 495] FW: [ProfessionalDevelopment 526] ESOL to ABE
Transition

Colleagues,
 
This email query is from the Professional Development Discussion List.
What are your thoughts and comments?
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
***********************
 
 
Professional Development Colleagues:
 
I'm wondering what policies and supports your states are putting into
place to assist programs in transitioning their ESOL students into ABE,
now that the cut point for NRS level six has been lowered.  In New York
City, some programs are creating special classes for students who score
above 540 on the BEST Plus, but still need to improve their oral
proficiency.  These students will be tested on the TABE and designated
ABE for NRS purposes, but their classes will be comprised only of
non-native English speakers and will incorporate much more oral language
development than a typical ABE class.  What are some other strategies
you might suggest?
 
 
Ira Yankwitt, Director
NYC Regional Adult Education Network
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
NY, NY 10004
212-803-3356
----------------------------------------------------
 
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov <mailto:Assessment%40nifl.gov> 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
________________________________


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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Sep 20 09:05:45 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:05:45 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 510]  News from the Special Collection
Message-ID: <021101c6dcb5$7d14bc20$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.
 
I would like to let you know that some final revisions have been made to
the new Special Collection in Assessment website.  You can find the
Collection at:
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
These final revisions should be helpful to users:
 
On the homepage, click on About This Site in the right toolbar; this
provides you with an overview of the Collection and its features, as
well as a brief history of the Special Collection and information on the
CKG (Core Knowledge Group) - who are responsible for poplulating the
site with quality resources.  A listing of CKG members, past and
present, is also there.
 
A number of international resources have been added; these are sprinkled
throughout the Collection - click on the 'roles' and look in the areas
entitled "Program Planning" or "Planning Assessment".  International
resources are identified by name at the end of the abstract:  i.e.:
(New Zealand).  Presently, resources from Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand are offered.
 
Click on Links & Directories in the right toolbar on the homepage; many
more links have been added here and they have been organized according
to topic areas including
<http://midwestlincs.org/assessment/links.htm#InternationalResc>
International Resources,
<http://midwestlincs.org/assessment/links.htm#K12Resc> K-12 Resources,
and  <http://midwestlincs.org/assessment/links.htm#ResearchOrgs>
Research Organizations, as well as a wealth of resources focused
directly on adult education, evaluation and testing.   I hope that this
re-organization of the links will be easier for the user than searching
down a lengthy, alphabetized listing.  
 
Do you have suggestions for the Collection?  Do you have resources or
links in mind that you think should be a part of the Collection?  Do you
have a glossary that you think should be linked to the Collection?  Do
you have feedback for what's missing at the Collection?  The least
number of resources is in the Student area - what should be in this
section?  How can the Collection be improved to best suit your needs?
Please let me know - this site is for your use, you should be a part of
building it.
 
I would like to send out a special thank you to Chris Cugino, Web
Specialist at the Ohio Literacy Resource Center - Chris' work and
creativity on the Collection are much appreciated!!
 
marie
 
Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
 
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From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Wed Sep 20 13:19:35 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 13:19:35 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 511]  CROSS-POSTED: Tips to handling multiple postings
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D49591188976E@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

From: My Linh Nguyen
National Institute for Literacy

CROSSPOSTED: Tips to handling multiple postings 

As you know, the National Institute for Literacy's Discussion Lists are very
active. In addition to messages directly related to the subject of each
Discussion List, often we have announcements that are posted to all the
lists. If you are subscribed to two, three or all lists, you may receive
multiple copies of one post - this is called "cross-posting." We do this to
ensure that the maximum number of subscribers receives the messages -
usually an announcement that may be of interest to subscribers on more than
one list. While this can be cumbersome, this is done to ensure that you, our
subscribers, are kept up-to-date on the latest news, guest speakers, etc.

Here are a few tips to help you manage the number of repeat emails into your
inbox.

	1)	Change your subscriber settings to receive postings in
digest format. 
	2)	Disable mail delivery from the lists while you are away. You
still remain subscribed to the list, but will not receive postings while you
are away. When you return, you can review the archives for posts that you
missed while you were away.
	3)	You do not have to subscribe to a list to benefit from a
discussion. Discussions are archived at the Institute's website and can be
sorted by thread, date, and author, and can also be searched by keyword.
	4)	When sending a message to multiple lists, start with
CROSS-POSTED in the subject line, so that other subscribers can recognize
that it is a cross-post that they may have already received.

For information and instructions on changing your subscriber settings please
visit our Discussion List Help page at
<http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/help/help_mailman.html>

To access Discussion List archives, visit
<http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_archives.html>

We hope that these tips will help you reduce the number of emails you
receive every day, while still keeping you well-informed. Thank you for your
continued support and participation in the National Institute for Literacy's
Discussion Lists.


My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep 21 09:24:56 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:24:56 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 512]  Assessment discussion on workplace/ESOL List
Message-ID: <000601c6dd81$5497ec00$360110ac@LITNOW>

Colleagues,
 
There is an interesting thread in the discussion being hosted by both
the English Language Learners Discussion List and the Workplace
Discussion List.  If you want to follow via the archives, go to:
 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage
 
or
 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/
 
and click on the archives.
 
But also:  I am collecting that thread and when the discussion has
completed, I will post it in user-friendly format at both the NIFL
Discussion Guest Archives and the ALE Wiki.  I will announce this when
it's ready, and give you the urls to find it.  
 
And don't hesitate to subscribe and jump in - you all have much to
contribute.
 
marie
 
Marie Cora
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Sep 21 09:30:44 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:30:44 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 513] Discussion Questions for FOB List's Self-Esteem
	Discussion
Message-ID: <001101c6dd82$23dc1270$360110ac@LITNOW>

Colleagues:  Read on for info on joining the discussion on self-esteem
next week on FOB.

To sign on to this discussion, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Focusonbasics


Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator


**********************************************
Our discussion on the FOB article "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?"
will be next week, September 25-29. See below for some questions to
think about. 

Link to the article (in Volume 8B)
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 

Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?

1.  How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your
learners? 
2.  How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education
to adult learners? 
3.  The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions
of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the
self-esteem of learners in your program?
4.  How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your
learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought?
5.  There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the
human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as
self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be
affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life.
How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? 

I hope you can join us!

Julie


Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org





From jataylor at utk.edu  Thu Sep 21 23:04:35 2006
From: jataylor at utk.edu (Taylor, Jackie)
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:04:35 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 514]  Meeting of the Minds II Symposium
Message-ID: <AB226656DDB79D4D82CC03965C5C2ECB2875B0@UTKFSVS5.utk.tennessee.edu>

Hi All, I thought this might be of interest to you! Please read on ~
Jackie Taylor

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

National Adult Education Researcher-Practitioner Symposium: A Meeting of
the Minds II

 

Join us for this exciting dialogue among adult education researchers,
practitioners, and policy makers! 

Nationally recognized adult education researchers will discuss their
studies in such areas as reading, learner persistence, English as a
Second Language instructional strategies, technology innovations,
transitioning adults to college, authentic materials, health literacy,
adult numeracy, family literacy, social justice, innovations in
statewide assessment, practitioner inquiry, professional development,
and many more. In addition, a featured concurrent session consists of a
panel of adult literacy learners.   

 

Presenters include Kathleen Bailey, Hal Beder, Alisa Belzer, Beth
Bingman, John Comings, Larry Condelli, Ros Davidson, Ron Glass, John
Fleishman, Daphne Greenberg, Kathy Harris, Erik Jacobson, Jere Johnston,
Tara Joyce, Cheryl Keenan, Mark Kutner, Susan Levine, Myrna Manly,
Dennis Porter, Paul Porter, Steve Reder, Pat Rickard, Rima Rudd, Maricel
Santos, Robin Schwarz, Renee Sherman, Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, Cristine
Smith, John Strucker, Robin Waterman, Cynthia Zafft, and others.

 

Throughout the symposium, each research presentation will be followed by
a panel of practitioners who will respond to the presentations, and then
by group discussions among participants who will share their reactions
and explore implications from their perspectives as practitioners,
researchers, and policy makers. 

 

The opening plenary session on Thursday features presentations by John
Comings on Advice from NCSALL Research on Building High Quality Programs
and by Mark Kutner on results of the National Assessment of Adult
Literacy (NAAL) and the Health Literacy survey. The plenary session on
Friday features a panel discussion on the topic of how research
influences policy in adult literacy education. 

 

Dates of the Symposium are November 30-December 2, 2006, at the Sheraton
Grand Hotel, Sacramento.

To register online for the Symposium, visit the Web site 
www.researchtopractice.org <http://www.researchtopractice.org/> . The
complete program schedule will be posted to the Symposium Web site
within the next few days. Registration is open now.

 

Sponsors of the Symposium are the California Department of Education
(CDE), the American Institutes for Research, the California Adult
Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO), and National Center
for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL). 

 

Don't miss this exciting opportunity! Registration is limited to the
first 300 people. Visit the Symposium Web site and register now!  We
look forward to seeing you in Sacramento on November 30.

 

-Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D.

CALPRO Director and Symposium Coordinator

American Institutes for Research 

 

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From KURIENS at lagcc.cuny.edu  Sun Sep 24 15:01:54 2006
From: KURIENS at lagcc.cuny.edu (Suma Kurien)
Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 15:01:54 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 515] Re: [ProfessionalDevelopment 541] Meeting of the
	Minds II	Symposium
Message-ID: <45169DE2020000FA00005483@mailgate.lagcc.cuny.edu>

Greetings, 

October is almost here. That means it's time to register for the Bridges
to Opportunity: Workforce Development for English Language Learners
conference taking place October 27th and 28th. Registration is limited
to 100 participants, and pre-registration is required. You must register
in advance to attend. There will be no on-site registration! The
conference fee is just $100 for a two-day event, or $75 for a group of
five or more. For more information please visit the conference web site
at:
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ace/bridges .

Sign up soon to reserve your space. Use the registration form attached
to this email, or register online at the
conference website:
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ace/bridges/registration.htm . If you have any
questions about registration please contact Ros Orgel at 718-482-5448 or
roslyno at lagcc.cuny.edu .

Bringing together who provide key services for ELL students developing
both language and job-related skills, Bridges to Opportunity is a
proactive, working conference.  The keynote speaker is Dr. Heide Spruck
Wrigley, president of Literacy International.  Three  panels made up of
a range of program managers, instructors, policy makers, and career
counselors will grapple with essential questions including (just to name
a few):

* How can employers, educators and other stake holders be brought
together to identify  and develop solutions to address the workforce
development needs of  English language learners?  What are national
models for developing such initiatives  in needs assessment ?

* Many immigrant workers come with prior credentials and experience
which remain unused because there no easily accessible ways to re-enter
their previous careers. The challenge is to re-integrate skilled
immigrant workers  into careers where their skills can be best utilized.
How is this best achieved ? 

* Employer expectations and assumptions about  English language
instructional  goals including the length of training are often
different from those of educators. How can these different sets of
expectations and goals be managed in customized training programs ?

Your participation and recommendations are a key ingredient in this
event - it is not a lecture-style conference, but a pro-active,
participatory event where your input and experience count.

Sponsored by the Center for Immigrant Education and Training and the
Center for Teaching and Learning of LaGuardia Community College, Bridges
for Opportunity is funded in part by a grant from the President's High
Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the U.S. Department of
Labor's Employment and Training Administration.

Sincerely,



Suma Kurien
Director, Center for Immigrant Education & Training
Division of Adult & Continuing Education
LaGuardia Community College
Tel: (718) 482 5361
www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ciet



From jataylor at utk.edu  Tue Sep 26 12:15:41 2006
From: jataylor at utk.edu (Taylor, Jackie)
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:15:41 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 516] Cross-post: Action Research as Professional
	Development
Message-ID: <AB226656DDB79D4D82CC03965C5C2ECB2EC8AE@UTKFSVS5.utk.tennessee.edu>

Assessment List Colleagues:

I am very pleased to announce an exciting discussion lined up for the
Adult Literacy Professional Development List, beginning this Monday,
October 2nd, on "Action Research as Professional Development."
University researchers from the University of the District of Columbia
and at least five of the 17 teacher researchers will be joining us to
share their rich experiences with the practice of action research as a
vehicle for teacher change. I hope you will join us!

Best, Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List
Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Discussion Topic: Action Research as Professional Development Discussion
Dates: October 2 - 9, 2006 To Participate: Subscribe by visiting:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment     

To Prepare: View this short streaming video for background about action
research in the District of Columbia

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/webcast_ac
tion.html (or try: http://tinyurl.com/krah5 )

General Overview: Join our guests from the University of the District of
Columbia and teacher researchers (listed below) on the Adult Literacy
Professional Development Discussion List to discuss a broad range of
topics related to action research in adult literacy professional
development (PD), including:

* Defining action research
* Problems/questions from instruction that could become action research
* Teachers' experiences with action research
* Action Research in Adult Basic Education in the District of Columbia
* Using practitioner inquiry as professional development
* Ancillary support systems for action research
* Tools that give teachers different modes for examining their practice
and to build a PD community
* Role of action research in "evidence-based practice"
* Action research as a transformative professional development
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUESTS:

Teacher Researchers:

Patricia DeFerrari works for Academy of Hope which runs several adult
education programs including ABE/GED classes.  Her research was on the
use of authentic materials to improve attendance in ABE reading class.

Adrienne Jones works for Catholic Charities GED program.  Her research
was on how daily interactive, self-paced computer learning and
discussion time with peers and the instructor effect written posttest
scores in science, reading and social studies.

Kris Garvin works for Notre Dame Adult Education Center.  Her research
was on using authentic material to improve social studies scores in GED.
Her research also focused on building, highlighting, and reinforcing
personal connections learners have to community, history, and current
events.

Cheryl Jackson works as an independent consultant teaching workplace
education classes for the District Department of Transportation
employees.  Her research topic focused on how computer technology could
be used to improve reading comprehension and word recognition skills for
low-level readers participating in a workplace education program.

Chenniah Randolph works for Metropolitan Delta GED program.  Her
research was on the instructional gap between CASAS assessment
instrument and GED instructional materials.


University of the District of Columbia Researchers:

Maigenet Shifferraw, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Coordinator of the
Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education, Department of
Education, University of the District of Columbia

Dr. Shifferraw is the Principal Investigator for the Action Research
project in Adult Basic Education at the University of the District of
Columbia.  The actual researchers are the adult education teachers who
are teaching in community based organization, but we (the team) is also
responsible for evaluating the benefits of guided action research to
enhancing the professional development of adult education teachers.

Janet Burton, DSW, Professor and Director, Social Work Program,
University of the District of Columbia

As a member of the Action research team, Dr. Janet Burton provides
consultation on research particularly related to social factors and
adult education.  She is conducting a study that examines how social
factors impact participation in adult basic education. 

George W. Spicely, Adjunct Professor, Department of Education,
University of the District of Columbia; and Education Consultant

Professor George Spicely coordinates the work of the Action Research
Project Team and provides support to the participating
teacher-researchers.  Specifically, he coordinates planning,
implementation and follow-up of project activities, and leads research
related discussion on administrative and research issues using
Blackboard software.

Supplemental Materials:


Streaming Video: Action Research in Adult Basic Education in the
District of Columbia

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/webcast_ac
tion.html (or try: http://tinyurl.com/krah5 ) 

(b)     About the D.C. Action Research Project:
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/action.htm
l    

(c)     "What is Research?"    Focus on Basics,   Volume 1, Issue A:
February 1997, National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and
Literacy:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=166  

Includes articles:   "Research with Words:  Qualitative Inquiry"
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=468      

"Knowing, Learning,  Doing: Participatory Action Research 
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=479      

(d)     "Learning from Practice"
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/able/cwp/view.asp?a=215&Q=110064     

A Project of the Pennsylvania ABLE Lifelong Learning 

     Shares information on Project's three Learning from Practice Models

         o Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PAARN)
         o Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network
         o Agency Research Projects

(e)     New! The Action Research Topic Area of the ALE Wiki:

        http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Action_Research      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To Subscribe, Visit:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment     

I hope you will join us! Jackie

Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator,
jataylor at utk.edu   
National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov/      
Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers
http://www.aalpd.org/ 


From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sat Sep 30 16:37:18 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:37:18 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 517] Brief on Adult ESL Content Standards - New from
	CAELA
Message-ID: <001001c6e4d0$39bd5e00$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,
 
The following information is from Miriam Burt.
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
  _____  

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Miriam Burt
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 4:13 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 748] Brief on Adult ESL Content Standards -
Newfrom CAELA
Hello, everyone:
 
The latest brief from the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition
(CAELA), Understanding Adult ESL Content Standards, by CAELA staff
member Sarah Young and by Cristine Smith from the National Center for
the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), has been released and
can be found on the Web site at
<http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/contentstandards.html>
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/contentstandards.html. It
can be downloaded in both html and in pdf formats. 
 
This brief defines different types of standards and describes the
instructional benefits of using adult ESL content standards. It also
describes uses of content standards in the adult ESL field and discusses
research about the implementation of content standards. 
 
Coming this fall: Another brief on content standards, Aligning Content
Standards with Instruction and Assessment for Adult ESL Instruction, by
Kirsten Schaetzel and Sarah Young.
 
Thanks.
 Miriam
*******
Miriam Burt
CAELA
Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th Street NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 362-0700, ext 556
(202) 363-7204 (fax)
miriam at cal.org 
 
 
 
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From macorley1 at earthlink.net  Mon Oct  2 16:38:30 2006
From: macorley1 at earthlink.net (Mary Ann Corley)
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:38:30 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
Subject: [Assessment 518] Full Schedule of the Meeting of the Minds II
 Symposium Now Available at Web Site
Message-ID: <11237048.1159821510029.JavaMail.root@elwamui-polski.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Dear List Subscribers:
 
I'm writing to let you know that the full conference schedule for the Meeting
of the Minds II Symposium is now available at www.researchtopractice.org. This is
a national adult education practitioner-researcher conference, the goal of which
is to create dialogue between adult education researchers and adult education teachers
and administrators, with the aim of enhancing literacy practice. The Symposium is
scheduled for November 30 through December 2, 2006, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel,
Sacramento, California.
 
Participating researchers are from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning
and Literacy (NCSALL), from the American Institutes for Research (AIR), as well 
as from various universities and non-profit organizations. The opening plenary session
on Thurday morning will feature Mark Kutner from AIR, who will present results of
the National Assessment of Adult Literacy and the Health Literacy Survey, and John
Comings, who will provide an overview of what NCSALL has learned from 10 years of
research in adult literacy. 
 
A plenary session on Friday afternoon will feature a discussion on "how research
has influenced adult literacy education policy at the national and state levels."
Hal Beder from Rutgers University will provide an overview of the topic and moderate
this session. Panelists include Cheryl Keenan, Director, Division of Adult Education
and Literacy, US Department of Eduation; Sandra Baxter, Director of the National
Institute for Literacy; and three state-level administrators: Bob Bickerton from
Massachusetts; Jean Scott from California; and Israle Mendoza from Washington state.
 
The three-day schedule is structured to include six strands of six concurrent sessions
each, for a total of 36 sessions. Each session consists of a presentation of research,
followed by a brief discussion/reaction from two practitioners, followed by an activity
that involves session attendees, in small groups, in brainstorming implications 
of the research for practice, policy, and further research. CALPRO will post the
list of implications to the Symposium Web site following the Symposium. 
 
Deadline for registering for the Symposium is November 15, 2006. There is no on-site
registration. Deadline for registering for a hotel room at the Sheraton Grand (at the CA staterate
of $84/night) is November 9, 2006. The Symposium Web site, www.researchtopractice.org,
will take you to registration links for both the symposium and the hotel.
 
Plan to attend this Symposium, network with other practitioners and researchers,
and consider implications of research for your delivery of adult literacy education!
Hope to see you in Sacramento in November!!
 
-Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D.
CALPRO Director and Symposium Coordinator
American Institutes for Research   



From gspangenberg at caalusa.org  Mon Oct  9 10:26:25 2006
From: gspangenberg at caalusa.org (Gail Spangenberg)
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 10:26:25 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 519] Launch of National Commission on Adult Literacy
	(cross posted)
Message-ID: <B9D50A49-A360-4C09-862F-B34929D94E91@caalusa.org>

Friends,

I think you will be pleased by the attached news release, issued  
jointly today by Dollar General Corporation and CAAL. This has been  
in the making for some months. I hope it will bring a new sense of  
hope and possibility to those who toil in the adult education and  
literacy trenches of service, planning, and policy development and  
who appreciate the findings of the 2003 NAALs. Should you be unable  
to access the PDF attachment, you can see essentially the same  
information at the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org).

?

Gail Spangenberg
President
Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy
1221 Avenue of the Americas - 46th Fl
New York, NY 10020
212-512-2362, F: 212-512-2610
www.caalusa.org



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From kabeall at comcast.net  Tue Oct 10 08:35:47 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:35:47 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 520]  Back Issues of Focus on Basics Available
Message-ID: <008a01c6ec68$9d0963b0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

After ten years of research and development, the National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end.
NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March 2007.  The Web site
(www.ncsall.net) will remain available for free downloading of NCSALL
materials.  

 

NCSALL is happy to offer printed copies of our magazine, Focus on Basics.
Attached is a list of the back issues of Focus on Basics that are available
either free (for orders of less than 100 copies) or for minimal shipping
costs (for orders of more than 100 copies).

 

Order Requirements:

Due to staffing, we will only accept orders on a first-come, first-served
basis with the following requirements:

- Minimum quantity per order: 50 copies

- Minimum quantity per issue: 10 copies

- Orders of more than 100 copies will be charged a minimal shipping cost;
see order form for details.

 

Order Instructions:

E-mail Caye Caplan at ccaplan at worlded.org with order information:

Volume and Issue, Quantity per Issue, Mailing Address (provide street
address), and Shipping Payment Method (if applicable).

Or

Fill out the attached "Comp FOB Order Form", 

Fax to: 617 482-0617 attn: NCSALL/ Caye Caplan   or,

Mail to:  Caye Caplan, NCSALL/World Education, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA
02210

 

Shipment will be UPS Ground; please provide street address (physical
address, "NO" PO Box please!).  

 

Allow 4 - 5 weeks for delivery. 

 

Please forward this e-mail to interested programs / parties.

 

 

 

Caye Caplan

Coordinator of NCSALL Dissemination

World Education

44 Farnsworth Street

Boston, MA  02210-1211

Tel: (617) 482-9485

Fax: (617) 482-0617

E-mail: ccaplan at worlded.org

Web-site: www.ncsall.net

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From djrosen at comcast.net  Tue Oct 10 21:28:14 2006
From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen)
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 21:28:14 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 521]  (no subject)
Message-ID: <16052EAD-1017-4052-8CF3-99D59423F1EC@comcast.net>

Assessment and Technology Colleagues,

First, a cross-post:
=================

Tom Sticht saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you  
should see it.

** Message **

Aaace-nla Colleagues: This article illustrates differences in news  
sources amng younger and older youth and aldults and raises questions  
about literacy assessment.

** Web browsing beats page-turning **
Europeans now spend more of their week online than they do reading  
papers or magazines, a report says.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/business/6034433.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/email >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and  
anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the  
BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address  
nor name of the sender have been verified.
=================

Now some questions for you:

1.  Have you assessed your students' web page reading skills? Has  
anyone assessed adult learners' web page reading skills? Is there  
such an assessment?
2.  What impact do adult literacy programs have on students' access  
to or use of computers or the Internet? I have seen an unpublished  
study which found they have --- none -- and that makes me wonder  
why.  Any ideas? Are you aware of any studies of adult literacy  
programs' impact on students' access to or use of computers?
3. Are adult literacy programs helping students to use assistive  
technology -- for example, (free) text-to-speech web page reader  
software that would enable them to join the community of internet  
users even if they have difficulty reading text? If not, should this  
be a program responsibility?


David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Oct 15 08:09:03 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2006 08:09:03 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 522]  AELS marks milestone
Message-ID: <012b01c6f052$b57b2990$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all.  The following post is
from Tom Sticht.
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
------

Colleagues: The following article appears in Reading TODAY, the
official newspaper of the International Reading Association with a
readership of some 160,000 worldwide. I hope all of you are planning
celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the AELS on November 3rd.
Tom Sticht

Reading Today October/November 2006 Vol. 24, No. 2 page 22

U. S. Adult Education and Literacy System marks milestone

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Adult Education and Literacy
System (AELS) in the United States, which continues today as Title 2:
The
Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of the Workforce Investment Act
of
1998. Over the past four decades, adults have produced some 100 million
enrollments in AELS. Yet establishing the system took years of effort.

A merger of interests.

By the beginning of the 1960s, the adult education community had become
fragmented into several factions: those seeking recognition for adult
education as a broad, liberal educational component of the national
education system; those seeking education for the least educated, least
literate adults; and those seeking to enhance America's security and
increase the industrial productivity of the nation by giving education
and
job training to adults stuck in poverty.

None of these groups, however, was having much success getting adult
education or adult literacy education implemented in federal
legislation.
Finally, leverage to break the log jam came from the nation's military.
In
the summer of 1963, a task force on manpower conservation was
established
by the Department of Labor. The task force, led by Daniel Patrick
Moynihan,
set out to understand why so many young men were failing the military's
standardized entrance screening exam, the Armed Forces Qualification
Test
(AFQT), and to recommend what might be done to alleviate this problem.

The task force's report was delivered on January 1, 1964, to President
Lyndon B. Johnson, who had taken office in November following the
assassination of John F. Kennedy. The report revealed that one third of
the
young men called for military service did not meet the standards of
health
and education. It went on to recommend methods for using the AFQT to
identify young adults with remediable problems and to provide them
services, and it also recommended the enactment of new legislation that
would provide additional education and training.

In launching his  "Great Society" programs  in May 1964, Johnson argued
that
"The  Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands
an
end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed
in
our time"

By appealing to "abundance and liberty," Johnson captured the interest
of
those in Congress concerned with employment, productivity, and poverty
as
well as those concerned with national security. In August 1964, Johnson
signed the Economic Opportunity Act into law. It contained within it
Title
IIB: the Adult Basic Education program.

In 1966, adult educators lobbied to move the Adult Basic Education
program
to the U. S. Office of Education and to change the name to the Adult
Education Act, broadening its applicability beyond basic education.
Congress agreed, and, on November 3, 1966, Johnson signed an amendment
to
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 that  included Title
III: The Adult Education Act of 1966.

With the passing of the Adult Education Act, the seed from which the
AELS
would grow was finally planted. For 40 years, adults have used the AELS
to
help them find abundance and liberty from the bonds of poverty and
underemployment for themselves and their families. For tens of millions
of
adults this hope has been fulfilled.

[Note: Most of the foregoing is adapted from " The rise of the Adult
Education and Literacy System in the United States: 1600-2000" by Thomas
Sticht, in John Comings,  Barbara Garner, and Cristine Smith (Eds.), The
annual review of adult learning and literacy (volume 3, pages 10-43).
San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
El Cajon, California, USA





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Sun Oct 15 08:17:37 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2006 08:17:37 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 523]  ALE Wiki soon to be two years old
Message-ID: <013101c6f053$e7588dd0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,

Have you been introduced to the ALE Wiki?  If so, when was the last time
you visited?  Have you contributed your valuable experience, knowledge,
or wisdom there yet?  Why not?  Do you have comments, suggestions, or
feedback for the "wikiteers"?  We would love to hear from you.  

Projects are nothing without timely, specific, and productive assessment
and evaluation by the people involved.  As we continue to build the ALE
Wiki, it's important for you in the field to let us know if you use it
and how, and whether there are topics missing, or resources to add.  

Take a moment to read the post below from David Rosen, and find out
about the ALE Wiki and where it is today!

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

================
ALE Wiki soon to be two years old

Colleagues,

To improve practice in our field, teachers need to quickly and easily  
find  the results of research and professional wisdom.  This is a  
practical, everyday concern.  A teacher has a question that needs an  
answer, such as  "What are effective ways to increase student  
persistence?".  "How do you handle a multilevel classroom?" "What is  
the optimum class size for beginning ESOL or basic literacy?" "What  
assessments are used in our field?" "Does my state offer free  
professional development or training?",  "Does getting a GED lead to  
increased earnings?"or  "How can I be an effective advocate for adult  
literacy?"

Suppose there were one place to find answers to these questions, one  
place organized by topic -- and within each topic by teachers'  
questions -- and with lists of web-accessible research and  
professional wisdom sources.  Suppose the topic area included some of  
the best discussions in the field. Suppose that this gold mine of  
professional development, designed to be accessed "just-in-time",   
were free.

That's what the Adult Literacy Education Wiki is becoming.  Some  
topics are nearly there, while others have just scratched the  
surface.  Increasingly, it is becoming the "go to" place for  
teachers, researchers, administrators, and grant writers, both those  
new to the field and old hands.  Launched in December, 2004, at the  
Meeting of the Minds I  practitioner-researcher Symposium in  
Sacramento, California,  it will have is second birthday this year at  
Meeting of the Minds II, November 30- December 2.  The ALE Wiki now  
has 31 topics, 14 topic leaders, over 700 registered users -- 65 of  
whom have posted a brief bio statement,  and  nearly 800 pages of  
text. It was presented at an international conference on Wikis at  
Harvard this year.  A chapter of a new book on communities of  
practice will be  devoted to the ALE Wiki. It includes the work and  
the writing, or links to writing of many of the top people in our  
field from across the world. Not bad for a two year old, especially  
one that was created and raised entirely by volunteers.

You can use the ALE Wiki.  Check it out at:

http://wiki.literacytent.org

You can contribute to it -- it's easy!  Go to:

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/New_Here%3F

You might want to be a Topic Leader.

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Topic_Leaders

If so, e-mail me.

And, of course, the volunteer "wikiteers" appreciate your comments.   
What is useful? What would you like to see to be added or changed?


David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net







From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Oct 16 12:56:36 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:56:36 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 524]  Assessing On-Line Reading
Message-ID: <01c901c6f144$0b098040$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,
 
Last week, David Rosen posted the following set of questions accompanied
by some information on the frequency with which people now read on-line
(see posting "no subject" from Oct. 11; archives:
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/assessment/2006/date.html)  
 
There have been a number of responses to this from the Technology
Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology) - I
wonder if folks out there have any comments, information, or further
questions regarding this topic?  
 
What are your thoughts?
 
 
1.  Have you assessed your students' web page reading skills? Has  
anyone assessed adult learners' web page reading skills? Is there  
such an assessment?
2.  What impact do adult literacy programs have on students' access  
to or use of computers or the Internet? I have seen an unpublished  
study which found they have --- none -- and that makes me wonder  
why.  Any ideas? Are you aware of any studies of adult literacy  
programs' impact on students' access to or use of computers?
3. Are adult literacy programs helping students to use assistive  
technology -- for example, (free) text-to-speech web page reader  
software that would enable them to join the community of internet  
users even if they have difficulty reading text? If not, should this  
be a program responsibility?
 
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
 
 
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Oct 17 21:06:34 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:06:34 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 525]  Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy
Message-ID: <02b601c6f251$a81ddd00$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Subscribers,
 
I hope this email finds you well. 
 
There has been an interesting discussion regarding this subject taking
place over the past week on the NLA Discussion List.
(http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla/)
 
I have compiled the discussion in user-friendly format and I attach it
here for your convenience - and for your comments, questions, and
suggestions.  I believe that when to test, how often, and what type of
testing is one of our greatest concerns in Adult Literacy in terms of
policy and practice.  What do you think?
 
I would like to hear your thoughts.
 
Please take a little time to read through the discussion, and post here
your ideas.  
 
Here are some questions related to the discussion to spark your
interest:
 
Do you think that the present system of testing annually is effective or
not?  Why?
What are some of the consequences of an annual assessment cycle?
What do you think would be a good timeframe for measuring learning gains
of adult students?  Why?
Do you think a timeframe for measuring learning gains is affected by the
level (beginning, intermediate, advanced, etc) of the adult student?  Is
it affected by the subject matter or content - for example, reading,
math, writing, etc?
If our system were based on multi-year funding, how would that affect
other parts of the system like follow-up?  What would be some
suggestions for managing this?
What are some of your suggestions for changing our present policy of
testing on an annual basis?
Do you believe that we could change policy on this issue?  How could we
do that?
 
Thanks, and I'm very much looking forward to your replies.
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov  Wed Oct 18 11:42:20 2006
From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh)
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 11:42:20 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 526]  CROSSPOSTED: Update on Discussion Lists
Message-ID: <CB4082E7B582144084C72EC6C98D495911889A54@wdcrobe2m04.ed.gov>

			Dear Discussion List subscribers,

			As the National Institute for Literacy begins a new
fiscal year, we have taken steps to streamline the way we deliver
professional development to our discussion list members. We would like to
let you know about some changes ahead for some of the National Institute for
Literacy Discussion Lists. The changes affect the Women and Literacy List;
Poverty, Race, and Literacy List; Content Standards List; and Program
Leadership and Improvement List.

			First, effective October 30, 2006, we will be
closing the Content Standards and Program Leadership & Improvement lists. We
have chosen to close these two lists because we recognize that many of the
issues that impact Content Standards and Program Leadership & Improvement
carry across all the subject areas of our other Discussion Lists. 

			Second, effective November 6, 2006, we will be
merging of the Poverty, Race and Literacy List with the Women and Literacy
List. We have chosen to combine the two lists because we recognize that many
of the issues that impact one group also affect the other group, and believe
that many of the topics discussed on one list can benefit the other list.
Race and gender issues often intersect, and it is most both practical and
appropriate to have them intersect on one combined list.

			We will continue to provide access to discussion
archives on our website.

			Thank you for your active participation in the
Institute's lists. We invite you to explore all of our lists for to help you
further your own professional development.

			The Institute's lists include:

			Adult Literacy Professional Development 
			Assessment 
			Adult English Language Learners
			Family Literacy 
			Focus on Basics 
			Health & Literacy 
			Learning Disabilities 
			Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy
			Special Topics 
			Technology & Literacy 
			Workplace Literacy

			Descriptions and instructions on how to register for
the Institute's Discussion Lists can be found at
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html


My Linh Nguyen
Associate Director of Communications
National Institute for Literacy
(202) 233-2041
fax (202) 233-2050
mnguyen at nifl.gov



From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Wed Oct 18 13:16:29 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:16:29 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 527] Re: Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy
In-Reply-To: <02b601c6f251$a81ddd00$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BF22@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

Do you think that the present system of testing annually is effective or
not?  Why?

I think testing should be done on a more project based model.  I
wouldn't assess my field workers, on stream monitoring team once a year;
I'd assess them on their project and it would be daily, weekly, monthly
or every 6 weeks.  Assessment should be linked to the reason for it.  If
one is assessing to build a program for a student, it should be tried
out for a bit then checked to see if it is working.  Twice a year
doesn't seem to be enough, but many of our classes meet only 2 hours a
week or 4, so common sense has to come into play also.  One doesn't want
to spend what little class time one has doing assessments.  Students are
only interested in assessment if it tells them something useful:
instructors should listen to students in this matter.  We need to figure
out how to use assessments to inform instruction instead of running two
side by side systems. If I assessed my water monitoring crew once a
year, an entire year of data would be invalid and all that time would be
wasted.  I think instructors need to have their fingers on the heartbeat
of learning and assessment need to be the fuel for that learning.

 

What are some of the consequences of an annual assessment cycle? 

Too little too late

What do you think would be a good timeframe for measuring learning gains
of adult students?  Why?

A systematic way to capture student learning gains.  Time is not the
important factor here.  Time is an arbitrary introduced due to funding
cycle.

 

Do you think a timeframe for measuring learning gains is affected by the
level (beginning, intermediate, advanced, etc) of the adult student?  Is
it affected by the subject matter or content - for example, reading,
math, writing, etc?

It makes sense to assess based upon the subject matter covered,
discussed, etc.

 

If our system were based on multi-year funding, how would that affect
other parts of the system like follow-up?  What would be some
suggestions for managing this?

Our students ebb and flow in their lives; they often complete their GED
in times when they are not in our classes.  This means that, while we
have been the instructional inspiration, we often get no credit for
their completion.  This means that an accountability system that was
larger than a year would be useful: 1) for graduation rates and 2) for
tracking students who take longer than a year to complete or to make
gains.

 

What are some of your suggestions for changing our present policy of
testing on an annual basis?

Do you believe that we could change policy on this issue?  How could we
do that?

Institutions have ways to track students through time even if the system
or policy does not address this.  I see no particular need to change the
policy.

 

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 6:07 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 525] Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy

 

Dear Subscribers,

 

I hope this email finds you well. 

 

There has been an interesting discussion regarding this subject taking
place over the past week on the NLA Discussion List.
(http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla/)

 

I have compiled the discussion in user-friendly format and I attach it
here for your convenience - and for your comments, questions, and
suggestions.  I believe that when to test, how often, and what type of
testing is one of our greatest concerns in Adult Literacy in terms of
policy and practice.  What do you think?

 

I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

Please take a little time to read through the discussion, and post here
your ideas.  

 

Here are some questions related to the discussion to spark your
interest:

 

Do you think that the present system of testing annually is effective or
not?  Why?

What are some of the consequences of an annual assessment cycle?

What do you think would be a good timeframe for measuring learning gains
of adult students?  Why?

Do you think a timeframe for measuring learning gains is affected by the
level (beginning, intermediate, advanced, etc) of the adult student?  Is
it affected by the subject matter or content - for example, reading,
math, writing, etc?

If our system were based on multi-year funding, how would that affect
other parts of the system like follow-up?  What would be some
suggestions for managing this?

What are some of your suggestions for changing our present policy of
testing on an annual basis?

Do you believe that we could change policy on this issue?  How could we
do that?

 

Thanks, and I'm very much looking forward to your replies.

 

Marie Cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 

 

 

Marie Cora

marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 

NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection

http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/

 

 

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Oct 19 10:22:59 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 10:22:59 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 528] Re: Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy
In-Reply-To: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BF22@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
Message-ID: <03dd01c6f38a$14fb5590$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Hi Virginia,
 
Thank you so much for your thoughts on this.
 
Regarding the GED issue - if you track the students via data match, then
I believe a program can get credit for that achievement even if the
student has left your program - up to 12 months upon exiting your
program.  That's the way it's done here in Massachusetts.  Others?  What
are you thoughts on this?  Do others use data match for some of the
goals achievement?
 
Also, I'm a bit surprised by your comment that you see no need to change
policy - but you note that "Time is an arbitrary introduced due to
funding cycle." Wouldn't it be a good thing if we did change this issue
of time so that it addressed the learning process instead of the funding
cycle?
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 1:16 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 527] Re: Measuring Education Gains in Adult
Literacy
 
Do you think that the present system of testing annually is effective or
not?  Why?
I think testing should be done on a more project based model.  I
wouldn't assess my field workers, on stream monitoring team once a year;
I'd assess them on their project and it would be daily, weekly, monthly
or every 6 weeks.  Assessment should be linked to the reason for it.  If
one is assessing to build a program for a student, it should be tried
out for a bit then checked to see if it is working.  Twice a year
doesn't seem to be enough, but many of our classes meet only 2 hours a
week or 4, so common sense has to come into play also.  One doesn't want
to spend what little class time one has doing assessments.  Students are
only interested in assessment if it tells them something useful:
instructors should listen to students in this matter.  We need to figure
out how to use assessments to inform instruction instead of running two
side by side systems. If I assessed my water monitoring crew once a
year, an entire year of data would be invalid and all that time would be
wasted.  I think instructors need to have their fingers on the heartbeat
of learning and assessment need to be the fuel for that learning.
 
What are some of the consequences of an annual assessment cycle? 
Too little too late
What do you think would be a good timeframe for measuring learning gains
of adult students?  Why?
A systematic way to capture student learning gains.  Time is not the
important factor here.  Time is an arbitrary introduced due to funding
cycle.
 
Do you think a timeframe for measuring learning gains is affected by the
level (beginning, intermediate, advanced, etc) of the adult student?  Is
it affected by the subject matter or content - for example, reading,
math, writing, etc?
It makes sense to assess based upon the subject matter covered,
discussed, etc.
 
If our system were based on multi-year funding, how would that affect
other parts of the system like follow-up?  What would be some
suggestions for managing this?
Our students ebb and flow in their lives; they often complete their GED
in times when they are not in our classes.  This means that, while we
have been the instructional inspiration, we often get no credit for
their completion.  This means that an accountability system that was
larger than a year would be useful: 1) for graduation rates and 2) for
tracking students who take longer than a year to complete or to make
gains.
 
What are some of your suggestions for changing our present policy of
testing on an annual basis?
Do you believe that we could change policy on this issue?  How could we
do that?
Institutions have ways to track students through time even if the system
or policy does not address this.  I see no particular need to change the
policy.
 
 
  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 6:07 PM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 525] Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy
 
Dear Subscribers,
 
I hope this email finds you well. 
 
There has been an interesting discussion regarding this subject taking
place over the past week on the NLA Discussion List.
(http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla/)
 
I have compiled the discussion in user-friendly format and I attach it
here for your convenience - and for your comments, questions, and
suggestions.  I believe that when to test, how often, and what type of
testing is one of our greatest concerns in Adult Literacy in terms of
policy and practice.  What do you think?
 
I would like to hear your thoughts.
 
Please take a little time to read through the discussion, and post here
your ideas.  
 
Here are some questions related to the discussion to spark your
interest:
 
Do you think that the present system of testing annually is effective or
not?  Why?
What are some of the consequences of an annual assessment cycle?
What do you think would be a good timeframe for measuring learning gains
of adult students?  Why?
Do you think a timeframe for measuring learning gains is affected by the
level (beginning, intermediate, advanced, etc) of the adult student?  Is
it affected by the subject matter or content - for example, reading,
math, writing, etc?
If our system were based on multi-year funding, how would that affect
other parts of the system like follow-up?  What would be some
suggestions for managing this?
What are some of your suggestions for changing our present policy of
testing on an annual basis?
Do you believe that we could change policy on this issue?  How could we
do that?
 
Thanks, and I'm very much looking forward to your replies.
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Mon Oct 23 10:41:51 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 10:41:51 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 529]  peep?
Message-ID: <059901c6f6b1$612421c0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear colleagues,
 
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
 
Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But
you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest
based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is
not hot (which surprises me).  
 
Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb,
but you are all very silent.  
 
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the
discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own
discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen.  
 
I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
 
Thanks!
 
marie
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From mjjerdems at yahoo.com  Mon Oct 23 11:10:22 2006
From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 08:10:22 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 530] Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <059901c6f6b1$612421c0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <20061023151022.21479.qmail@web54004.mail.yahoo.com>

Summer is a much better time for me to respond than the middle of the fall. 

Sorry,

Mary Jane Jerde

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:          
                Clean   Clean   DocumentEmail                            MicrosoftInternetExplorer4     st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }         /* Style Definitions */   table.MsoNormalTable  {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";  mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;  mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;  mso-style-noshow:yes;  mso-style-parent:"";  mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;  mso-para-margin:0in;  mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;  mso-pagination:widow-orphan;  font-size:10.0pt;  font-family:"Times New Roman";}       Dear colleagues,
   
  Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic not of interest?
   
  Aside from Virginia?s post last week, I haven?t heard from any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I?m assuming that the topic (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
  Are there other topics you?d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well beyond your program?s walls, so if I?m not hitting on the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.  
   
  I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen ? and I?ll make them happen.  
   
  I value and appreciate your membership highly ? but a Discussion List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you?ve never posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your voices to be heard.
   
  Thanks!
   
  marie
   
  Marie Cora
  marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
  NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
  http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
  http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
   
   
  
  -------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


 		
---------------------------------
 All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.
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From Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org  Mon Oct 23 11:33:49 2006
From: Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org (Limkemann, Karen)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 11:33:49 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 531] Re: peep?
Message-ID: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F07CD2C@server1.TLA.lan>

Hi Marie,

 

We're still here.... At least I am.  My program is funded in part by the
Department of Ed for the State of Indiana so we have to follow the state
testing policy, requiring TABE or CASAS, testing after 40-80 hours or at
teacher discretion etc.  I am in favor of more not less testing.  Most
of our students come in thinking they are going after the GED.  Periodic
retesting is not only good for information but also for testing practice
for the student.

 

We test at least three times a year.   

 

Karen 

Ft. Wayne, IN

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 11:01 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 529] peep?

 

Dear colleagues,

 

Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?

 

Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But
you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest
based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is
not hot (which surprises me).  

 

Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb,
but you are all very silent.  

 

I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the
discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own
discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen.  

 

I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.

 

Thanks!

 

marie

 

Marie Cora

marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 

NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection

http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/

 

 

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From mmhefner at charter.net  Mon Oct 23 15:30:36 2006
From: mmhefner at charter.net (Melinda Hefner)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:30:36 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 532] Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F07CD2C@server1.TLA.lan>
Message-ID: <012f01c6f6d9$b7745b30$74349e18@Melinda>

I'm definitely interested in the subject!  I simply have been too busy to
actively participate. 

 

Melinda

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Limkemann, Karen
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 11:34 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 531] Re: peep?

 

Hi Marie,

 

We're still here.. At least I am.  My program is funded in part by the
Department of Ed for the State of Indiana so we have to follow the state
testing policy, requiring TABE or CASAS, testing after 40-80 hours or at
teacher discretion etc.  I am in favor of more not less testing.  Most of
our students come in thinking they are going after the GED.  Periodic
retesting is not only good for information but also for testing practice for
the student.

 

We test at least three times a year.   

 

Karen 

Ft. Wayne, IN

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 11:01 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 529] peep?

 

Dear colleagues,

 

Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic not
of interest?

 

Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the 550
subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring Education
Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But you need to
let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest based on Subscriber
responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is not hot (which
surprises me).  

 

Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb, but
you are all very silent.  

 

I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the discussion
on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own discussion topic,
or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me personally regarding
other discussions that you would like to see happen - and I'll make them
happen.  

 

I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and that
makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can do a
couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post your
message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your voices to be
heard.

 

Thanks!

 

marie

 

Marie Cora

 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com

NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection

http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/

 

 

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From sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com  Mon Oct 23 15:56:32 2006
From: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com (Nancy Hansen)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <059901c6f6b1$612421c0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>
Message-ID: <20061023195632.99404.qmail@web34707.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Marie -
   
  Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
  It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
  Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.  (Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues' standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
  So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?  Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.
   
  Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
  Nancy Hansen
  Executive Director
  Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
  Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
        
    st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                Dear colleagues,
   
  Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic not of interest?
   
  Aside from Virginia?s post last week, I haven?t heard from any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I?m assuming that the topic (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
  Are there other topics you?d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well beyond your program?s walls, so if I?m not hitting on the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.  
   
  I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen ? and I?ll make them happen.  
   
  I value and appreciate your membership highly ? but a Discussion List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you?ve never posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your voices to be heard.
   
  Thanks!
   
  marie
   
  Marie Cora
  marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
  NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
  http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
  http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
   
   

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


 		
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2?/min or less.
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From mjjerdems at yahoo.com  Mon Oct 23 18:49:56 2006
From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:49:56 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <20061023195632.99404.qmail@web34707.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <20061023224956.48480.qmail@web54003.mail.yahoo.com>

Hi,

The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in the face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one tool, don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test form, use a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training, easy scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer repetition? It's always a shock when they hit Form 56. 

I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it. Between the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for reporting. 

Mary Jane Jerde
Howard Community College
Columbia, MD



Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com> wrote: Marie -
   
  Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
  It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
  Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The focus  of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.  (Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues' standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
  So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?  Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS.  It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.
   
  Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
  Nancy Hansen
  Executive Director
  Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
  Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
        
    st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                Dear colleagues,
   
  Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic not of interest?
   
  Aside from Virginia???s post last week, I haven???t heard from any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I???m assuming that the topic (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and  10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
  Are there other topics you???d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well beyond your program???s walls, so if I???m not hitting on the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.   Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.  
   
  I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen ??? and I???ll make them happen.  
   
  I value and appreciate your membership highly ??? but a Discussion List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you???ve never posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your voices to be heard.
   
  Thanks!
   
  marie
   
  Marie Cora
  marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
  NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
  http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
  http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
   
   

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Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

    

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From donnaedp at cox.net  Tue Oct 24 11:40:53 2006
From: donnaedp at cox.net (Donna Chambers)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 11:40:53 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 535] Re: peep?
References: <20061023224956.48480.qmail@web54003.mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <006a01c6f782$caf830b0$edd5ac46@DH89L251>

Wow!  Like others, I lose track of the discussion because  I am just too busy to keep up. There is so much work to be done in thinking through this issue, but in the meantime, we must keep up with our duties in the classroom and running our programs .  Now I just heard on the news that sitting at a computer for hours at a time can be addictive and  may require  medical and psychiatric treatment   Here is my quick "peep" because I don't have the time for another addiction. 

I agree with both Nancy and Mary Jane.  The testing requirement for government funding is not enough and sometimes not appropriate. I have spent my career working with competency based assessment and/or authentic assessment and so that is what I inherently use to see if a learner understands something.  By testing this way, I am also challenging the thinking skills of the learner which I believe is critical in the process for the adult.

Lately I have been doing a bit of informal experimentation.  Here is what I find more times than not. The learner knows the skill because it was demonstrated to me  when asked to verbally to solve the problem and explain the solution.  Yet the learner got the item wrong on the  paper and pencil, multiple choice test.   The learner demonstrates an ability to do a problem and apply the skill in several examples and then gets the same type of problem wrong when asked to do it on a test .  Pre test scores do not always correlate with what I believe a learner knows and yet  such we are asked to place such importance on them.  Sometimes even scores go down between pre and post testing. I do believe this begs the question, "What is happening here?"  It is definitely worth considering more varied assessment methods.  We are working with adults that may be test anxious and certainly language plays a huge role in being able to answer the question correctly.  This is not to say that the tests we use are not valid, but getting a question right or wrong depends on more circumstances than knowledge or skill, especially for adults. How do we know when they know it, be able to retain it, and to apply it again in other circumstances? "

This is more than a "peep" ,but  I feel this topic is critical to our programs and the whole "accountability/assessment" issue in education today.   

Donna Chambers

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mary Jane Jerde 
  To: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com ; The Assessment Discussion List 
  Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:49 PM
  Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?


  Hi,

  The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in the face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one tool, don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test form, use a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training, easy scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer repetition? It's always a shock when they hit Form 56. 

  I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it. Between the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for reporting. 

  Mary Jane Jerde
  Howard Community College
  Columbia, MD



  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com> wrote:
    Marie -

    Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.

    It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If testing takes away that time, it would be resented.

    Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.  (Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues' standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  

    So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?  Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.

    Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.

    Nancy Hansen
    Executive Director
    Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
    Sioux Falls, SD

    Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
      Dear colleagues,

      Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic not of interest?

      Aside from Virginia???s post last week, I haven???t heard from any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I???m assuming that the topic (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  

      Are there other topics you???d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well beyond your program???s walls, so if I???m not hitting on the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.  

      I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen ??? and I???ll make them happen.  

      I value and appreciate your membership highly ??? but a Discussion List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you???ve never posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your voices to be heard.

      Thanks!

      marie

      Marie Cora
      marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
      NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
      http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
      Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
      http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/


      -------------------------------
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      Assessment mailing list
      Assessment at nifl.gov
      To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




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From khinson at future-gate.com  Tue Oct 24 12:36:08 2006
From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:36:08 +0100
Subject: [Assessment 536] Re: peep?
Message-ID: <453E5D18020000A000003998@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com>

I'm in the same boat as Donna below. Normally I try to keep up with the discussions but I've been silent on the lists I'm on lately simply because I wear way too many hats at the moment and it's difficult to keep up with sheer volume of emails generated sometimes.  Likewise, I have my own 'peep' to add to the discussion:

We use TABE (9 &  10) at the moment, for ABE/GED students and CASAS for ESL and Family Literacy and Comp. Ed..  One problem occurs when students move between programs. Students tested via CASAS, are not given a math component - EVER - just Reading and Listening and those in Family Literacy are only given Reading. They may or may not ever have a math placement score.  Additionally, the program I'm in places great emphasis on these scores due to the nature of the funding - so much so that paperwork now has to go through multiple hands to ensure that it's all correctly filled in to ensure that the numbers are all accurate. Another area where there is a problem is the move from those students tested on TABE 8 to TABE 9.  We saw a dramatic decline in test scores and were left asking if it was accurate? We asked why the huge drop? Had these students regressed? Had the test not been administered properly before hand? Had they memorized (which I do agree is a major issue with standa!
 rdized testing) the test?

There were no easy answers and we're still seeing scores all over the place sometimes. 

Instructors here and administrators are very much tied to the "tests"  as if that is the only measure. I sometimes feel like a lone voice saying "Yes, BUT..." at a lot of meetings...or trying to explain that the data isn't always a valid reflection of student ability.  I'm always met with the same response - the tests need to match student ability to ensure funding. 

It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of having to meet performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student ability yet the work a student does that shows his or her ability is often ignored.

Regards,
Katrina Hinson

>>> "Donna Chambers" <donnaedp at cox.net> 10/24/06 8:40 AM >>>
Wow!  Like others, I lose track of the discussion because  I am just too busy to keep up. There is so much work to be done in thinking through this issue, but in the meantime, we must keep up with our duties in the classroom and running our programs .  Now I just heard on the news that sitting at a computer for hours at a time can be addictive and  may require  medical and psychiatric treatment   Here is my quick "peep" because I don't have the time for another addiction. 

I agree with both Nancy and Mary Jane.  The testing requirement for government funding is not enough and sometimes not appropriate. I have spent my career working with competency based assessment and/or authentic assessment and so that is what I inherently use to see if a learner understands something.  By testing this way, I am also challenging the thinking skills of the learner which I believe is critical in the process for the adult.

Lately I have been doing a bit of informal experimentation.  Here is what I find more times than not. The learner knows the skill because it was demonstrated to me  when asked to verbally to solve the problem and explain the solution.  Yet the learner got the item wrong on the  paper and pencil, multiple choice test.   The learner demonstrates an ability to do a problem and apply the skill in several examples and then gets the same type of problem wrong when asked to do it on a test .  Pre test scores do not always correlate with what I believe a learner knows and yet  such we are asked to place such importance on them.  Sometimes even scores go down between pre and post testing. I do believe this begs the question, "What is happening here?"  It is definitely worth considering more varied assessment methods.  We are working with adults that may be test anxious and certainly language plays a huge role in being able to answer the question correctly.  This is not to say that th!
 e tests we use are not valid, but getting a question right more circumstances than knowledge or skill, especially for adults. How do we know when they know it, be able to retain it, and to apply it again in other circumstances? "

This is more than a "peep" ,but  I feel this topic is critical to our programs and the whole "accountability/assessment" issue in education today.   

Donna Chambers

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mary Jane Jerde 
  To: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com ; The Assessment Discussion List 
  Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:49 PM
  Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?


  Hi,

  The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in the face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one tool, don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test form, use a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training, easy scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer repetition? It's always a shock when they hit Form 56. 

  I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it. Between the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for reporting. 

  Mary Jane Jerde
  Howard Community College
  Columbia, MD



  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com> wrote:
    Marie -

    Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.

    It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If testing takes away that time, it would be resented.

    Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.  (Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues' standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  

    So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?  Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.

    Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.

    Nancy Hansen
    Executive Director
    Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
    Sioux Falls, SD

    Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
      Dear colleagues,

      Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic not of interest?

      Aside from Virginia??????s post last week, I haven??????t heard from any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I??????m assuming that the topic (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responsese topic is not hot (which surprises me).  

      Are there other topics you??????d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well beyond your program??????s walls, so if I??????m not hitting on the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.  Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.  

      I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen ?????? and I??????ll make them happen.  

      I value and appreciate your membership highly ?????? but a Discussion List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you??????ve never posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your voices to be heard.

      Thanks!

      marie

      Marie Cora
      marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
      NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
      http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
      Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
      http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/


      -------------------------------
      National Institute for Literacy
      Assessment mailing list
      Assessment at nifl.gov
      To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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    Assessment at nifl.gov
    To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment





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From templege at hotmail.com  Tue Oct 24 13:56:06 2006
From: templege at hotmail.com (Grace Temple)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:56:06 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <20061023195632.99404.qmail@web34707.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <BAY106-F107CE2A95C1286FA2E6AD7C8010@phx.gbl>

An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Tue Oct 24 15:30:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:30:08 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 538] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
In-Reply-To: <BAY106-F107CE2A95C1286FA2E6AD7C8010@phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <070a01c6f7a2$d18980d0$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Grace and Nancy ? 
 
(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in ? I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)
 
Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I?m sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements ? what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?
 
Nancy ? you said:  ?I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective.?  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy?s question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy?s programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student?s goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?
 
Let?s hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like ? and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?
 
Thanks!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
 
A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.

Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI

  _____  

From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com>
Reply-To:  sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com,The Assessment Discussion List
<assessment at nifl.gov>
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
 
Marie -
   
 
   
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
 
   
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
 
   
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus 
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
 
   
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS. 
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer. 
   
 
   
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
 
   
Nancy Hansen
   
Executive Director
   
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
   
Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
   
         
     
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Dear colleagues,
   
 
   
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
   
 
   
Aside from Virginia?s post last week, I haven?t heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I?m assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
 
   
Are there other topics you?d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program?s walls, so if I?m not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.   
   
 
   
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the
discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own
discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen ? and I?ll make them happen.  
   
 
   
I value and appreciate your membership highly ? but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you?ve never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
   
 
   
Thanks!
   
 
   
marie
   
 
   
Marie Cora
   
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
   
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
   
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
   
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
   
 
   
 
-------------------------------
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From donnaedp at cox.net  Tue Oct 24 16:31:15 2006
From: donnaedp at cox.net (Donna Chambers)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:31:15 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 539] Re: peep?
References: <453E5D18020000A000003998@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com>
Message-ID: <002e01c6f7ab$5ace84f0$edd5ac46@DH89L251>

Katrina,

You are not alone and it is a catch 22.  I know that the  test/data doesn't 
often show the accurate picture.  However, in reality, we are forced to deal 
with standardized tests as the main measurement tool. Truth be told, adult 
literacy learners are often not good traditional testers.  What can we do? 
Donna Chambers

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Katrina Hinson" <khinson at future-gate.com>
To: <assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:36 PM
Subject: [Assessment 536] Re: peep?


> I'm in the same boat as Donna below. Normally I try to keep up with the 
> discussions but I've been silent on the lists I'm on lately simply because 
> I wear way too many hats at the moment and it's difficult to keep up with 
> sheer volume of emails generated sometimes.  Likewise, I have my own 
> 'peep' to add to the discussion:
>
> We use TABE (9 &  10) at the moment, for ABE/GED students and CASAS for 
> ESL and Family Literacy and Comp. Ed..  One problem occurs when students 
> move between programs. Students tested via CASAS, are not given a math 
> component - EVER - just Reading and Listening and those in Family Literacy 
> are only given Reading. They may or may not ever have a math placement 
> score.  Additionally, the program I'm in places great emphasis on these 
> scores due to the nature of the funding - so much so that paperwork now 
> has to go through multiple hands to ensure that it's all correctly filled 
> in to ensure that the numbers are all accurate. Another area where there 
> is a problem is the move from those students tested on TABE 8 to TABE 9. 
> We saw a dramatic decline in test scores and were left asking if it was 
> accurate? We asked why the huge drop? Had these students regressed? Had 
> the test not been administered properly before hand? Had they memorized 
> (which I do agree is a major issue with standa!
> rdized testing) the test?
>
> There were no easy answers and we're still seeing scores all over the 
> place sometimes.
>
> Instructors here and administrators are very much tied to the "tests"  as 
> if that is the only measure. I sometimes feel like a lone voice saying 
> "Yes, BUT..." at a lot of meetings...or trying to explain that the data 
> isn't always a valid reflection of student ability.  I'm always met with 
> the same response - the tests need to match student ability to ensure 
> funding.
>
> It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of having to meet 
> performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student ability yet 
> the work a student does that shows his or her ability is often ignored.
>
> Regards,
> Katrina Hinson
>
>>>> "Donna Chambers" <donnaedp at cox.net> 10/24/06 8:40 AM >>>
> Wow!  Like others, I lose track of the discussion because  I am just too 
> busy to keep up. There is so much work to be done in thinking through this 
> issue, but in the meantime, we must keep up with our duties in the 
> classroom and running our programs .  Now I just heard on the news that 
> sitting at a computer for hours at a time can be addictive and  may 
> require  medical and psychiatric treatment   Here is my quick "peep" 
> because I don't have the time for another addiction.
>
> I agree with both Nancy and Mary Jane.  The testing requirement for 
> government funding is not enough and sometimes not appropriate. I have 
> spent my career working with competency based assessment and/or authentic 
> assessment and so that is what I inherently use to see if a learner 
> understands something.  By testing this way, I am also challenging the 
> thinking skills of the learner which I believe is critical in the process 
> for the adult.
>
> Lately I have been doing a bit of informal experimentation.  Here is what 
> I find more times than not. The learner knows the skill because it was 
> demonstrated to me  when asked to verbally to solve the problem and 
> explain the solution.  Yet the learner got the item wrong on the  paper 
> and pencil, multiple choice test.   The learner demonstrates an ability to 
> do a problem and apply the skill in several examples and then gets the 
> same type of problem wrong when asked to do it on a test .  Pre test 
> scores do not always correlate with what I believe a learner knows and yet 
> such we are asked to place such importance on them.  Sometimes even scores 
> go down between pre and post testing. I do believe this begs the question, 
> "What is happening here?"  It is definitely worth considering more varied 
> assessment methods.  We are working with adults that may be test anxious 
> and certainly language plays a huge role in being able to answer the 
> question correctly.  This is not to say that th!
> e tests we use are not valid, but getting a question right more 
> circumstances than knowledge or skill, especially for adults. How do we 
> know when they know it, be able to retain it, and to apply it again in 
> other circumstances? "
>
> This is more than a "peep" ,but  I feel this topic is critical to our 
> programs and the whole "accountability/assessment" issue in education 
> today.
>
> Donna Chambers
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: Mary Jane Jerde
>  To: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com ; The Assessment Discussion List
>  Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:49 PM
>  Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?
>
>
>  Hi,
>
>  The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in the 
> face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one tool, 
> don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test form, use 
> a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic 
> assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training, easy 
> scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer repetition? 
> It's always a shock when they hit Form 56.
>
>  I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the 
> "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it. Between 
> the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for reporting.
>
>  Mary Jane Jerde
>  Howard Community College
>  Columbia, MD
>
>
>
>  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com> wrote:
>    Marie -
>
>    Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but 
> not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is the 
> emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require research 
> to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always busy with 
> many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
>
>    It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the 
> posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a 
> couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to the 
> kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time with 
> their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If testing takes 
> away that time, it would be resented.
>
>    Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The 
> focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons. 
> (Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues' 
> standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the 
> learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the 
> learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.
>
>    So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on 
> what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their 
> need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in many cases 
> ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth. 
> *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult education 
> system intend those skill development factors to be measured?  Learner 
> Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It used 
> to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.
>
>    Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the 
> perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency 
> will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase 
> requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving 
> and that matters more.  At least to me.
>
>    Nancy Hansen
>    Executive Director
>    Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
>    Sioux Falls, SD
>
>    Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
>      Dear colleagues,
>
>      Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the 
> topic not of interest?
>
>      Aside from Virginia??????s post last week, I haven??????t heard from 
> any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I??????m assuming that the topic 
> (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of 
> interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge 
> interest based on Subscriber responsese topic is not hot (which surprises 
> me).
>
>      Are there other topics you??????d prefer to engage in?  What are 
> they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that 
> goes well beyond your program??????s walls, so if I??????m not hitting on 
> the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.  Membership here 
> continues to climb, but you are all very silent.
>
>      I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List 
> can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the 
> discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own 
> discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me 
> personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen 
> ?????? and I??????ll make them happen.
>
>      I value and appreciate your membership highly ?????? but a Discussion 
> List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you??????ve never 
> posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post 
> and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I 
> can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for 
> your voices to be heard.
>
>      Thanks!
>
>      marie
>
>      Marie Cora
>      marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
>      NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>      http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>      Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
>      http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
>
>
>      -------------------------------
>      National Institute for Literacy
>      Assessment mailing list
>      Assessment at nifl.gov
>      To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>    Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ 
> countries) for 2??????/min or less.-------------------------------
>    National Institute for Literacy
>    Assessment mailing list
>    Assessment at nifl.gov
>    To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>  -------------------------------
>  National Institute for Literacy
>  Assessment mailing list
>  Assessment at nifl.gov
>  To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 




From Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org  Tue Oct 24 17:10:46 2006
From: Karen.Limkemann at fwliteracyalliance.org (Limkemann, Karen)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:10:46 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 540] Re: peep?
Message-ID: <CE2433C9A4C39B4E9216463CCBC67D4F07CD65@server1.TLA.lan>

I feel some sort of testing is essential since we are in the business of education. 

Sometimes students develop an attachment to a teacher or tutor that allows for a comfortable feeling that they will perceive as a "benefit" from the service. Those students might actually be in need of mental health services or case management of some type that could be better provided by another agency..

Just a thought...

Karen
Ft. Wayne, IN

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Donna Chambers
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 4:46 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 539] Re: peep?

Katrina,

You are not alone and it is a catch 22.  I know that the  test/data doesn't 
often show the accurate picture.  However, in reality, we are forced to deal 
with standardized tests as the main measurement tool. Truth be told, adult 
literacy learners are often not good traditional testers.  What can we do? 
Donna Chambers

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Katrina Hinson" <khinson at future-gate.com>
To: <assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:36 PM
Subject: [Assessment 536] Re: peep?


> I'm in the same boat as Donna below. Normally I try to keep up with the 
> discussions but I've been silent on the lists I'm on lately simply because 
> I wear way too many hats at the moment and it's difficult to keep up with 
> sheer volume of emails generated sometimes.  Likewise, I have my own 
> 'peep' to add to the discussion:
>
> We use TABE (9 &  10) at the moment, for ABE/GED students and CASAS for 
> ESL and Family Literacy and Comp. Ed..  One problem occurs when students 
> move between programs. Students tested via CASAS, are not given a math 
> component - EVER - just Reading and Listening and those in Family Literacy 
> are only given Reading. They may or may not ever have a math placement 
> score.  Additionally, the program I'm in places great emphasis on these 
> scores due to the nature of the funding - so much so that paperwork now 
> has to go through multiple hands to ensure that it's all correctly filled 
> in to ensure that the numbers are all accurate. Another area where there 
> is a problem is the move from those students tested on TABE 8 to TABE 9. 
> We saw a dramatic decline in test scores and were left asking if it was 
> accurate? We asked why the huge drop? Had these students regressed? Had 
> the test not been administered properly before hand? Had they memorized 
> (which I do agree is a major issue with standa!
> rdized testing) the test?
>
> There were no easy answers and we're still seeing scores all over the 
> place sometimes.
>
> Instructors here and administrators are very much tied to the "tests"  as 
> if that is the only measure. I sometimes feel like a lone voice saying 
> "Yes, BUT..." at a lot of meetings...or trying to explain that the data 
> isn't always a valid reflection of student ability.  I'm always met with 
> the same response - the tests need to match student ability to ensure 
> funding.
>
> It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of having to meet 
> performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student ability yet 
> the work a student does that shows his or her ability is often ignored.
>
> Regards,
> Katrina Hinson
>
>>>> "Donna Chambers" <donnaedp at cox.net> 10/24/06 8:40 AM >>>
> Wow!  Like others, I lose track of the discussion because  I am just too 
> busy to keep up. There is so much work to be done in thinking through this 
> issue, but in the meantime, we must keep up with our duties in the 
> classroom and running our programs .  Now I just heard on the news that 
> sitting at a computer for hours at a time can be addictive and  may 
> require  medical and psychiatric treatment   Here is my quick "peep" 
> because I don't have the time for another addiction.
>
> I agree with both Nancy and Mary Jane.  The testing requirement for 
> government funding is not enough and sometimes not appropriate. I have 
> spent my career working with competency based assessment and/or authentic 
> assessment and so that is what I inherently use to see if a learner 
> understands something.  By testing this way, I am also challenging the 
> thinking skills of the learner which I believe is critical in the process 
> for the adult.
>
> Lately I have been doing a bit of informal experimentation.  Here is what 
> I find more times than not. The learner knows the skill because it was 
> demonstrated to me  when asked to verbally to solve the problem and 
> explain the solution.  Yet the learner got the item wrong on the  paper 
> and pencil, multiple choice test.   The learner demonstrates an ability to 
> do a problem and apply the skill in several examples and then gets the 
> same type of problem wrong when asked to do it on a test .  Pre test 
> scores do not always correlate with what I believe a learner knows and yet 
> such we are asked to place such importance on them.  Sometimes even scores 
> go down between pre and post testing. I do believe this begs the question, 
> "What is happening here?"  It is definitely worth considering more varied 
> assessment methods.  We are working with adults that may be test anxious 
> and certainly language plays a huge role in being able to answer the 
> question correctly.  This is not to say that th!
> e tests we use are not valid, but getting a question right more 
> circumstances than knowledge or skill, especially for adults. How do we 
> know when they know it, be able to retain it, and to apply it again in 
> other circumstances? "
>
> This is more than a "peep" ,but  I feel this topic is critical to our 
> programs and the whole "accountability/assessment" issue in education 
> today.
>
> Donna Chambers
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: Mary Jane Jerde
>  To: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com ; The Assessment Discussion List
>  Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:49 PM
>  Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?
>
>
>  Hi,
>
>  The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in the 
> face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one tool, 
> don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test form, use 
> a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic 
> assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training, easy 
> scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer repetition? 
> It's always a shock when they hit Form 56.
>
>  I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the 
> "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it. Between 
> the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for reporting.
>
>  Mary Jane Jerde
>  Howard Community College
>  Columbia, MD
>
>
>
>  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com> wrote:
>    Marie -
>
>    Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but 
> not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is the 
> emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require research 
> to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always busy with 
> many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
>
>    It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the 
> posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a 
> couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to the 
> kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time with 
> their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If testing takes 
> away that time, it would be resented.
>
>    Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The 
> focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons. 
> (Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues' 
> standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the 
> learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the 
> learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.
>
>    So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on 
> what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their 
> need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in many cases 
> ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth. 
> *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult education 
> system intend those skill development factors to be measured?  Learner 
> Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It used 
> to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.
>
>    Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the 
> perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency 
> will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase 
> requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving 
> and that matters more.  At least to me.
>
>    Nancy Hansen
>    Executive Director
>    Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
>    Sioux Falls, SD
>
>    Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
>      Dear colleagues,
>
>      Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the 
> topic not of interest?
>
>      Aside from Virginia??????s post last week, I haven??????t heard from 
> any of the 550 subscribers to the List.  I??????m assuming that the topic 
> (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of 
> interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I generally gauge 
> interest based on Subscriber responsese topic is not hot (which surprises 
> me).
>
>      Are there other topics you??????d prefer to engage in?  What are 
> they?  The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that 
> goes well beyond your program??????s walls, so if I??????m not hitting on 
> the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you.  Membership here 
> continues to climb, but you are all very silent.
>
>      I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List 
> can serve you well.  Please let me know.  Feel free to respond to the 
> discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own 
> discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me 
> personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen 
> ?????? and I??????ll make them happen.
>
>      I value and appreciate your membership highly ?????? but a Discussion 
> List is only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you??????ve never 
> posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post 
> and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I 
> can post your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for 
> your voices to be heard.
>
>      Thanks!
>
>      marie
>
>      Marie Cora
>      marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
>      NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
>      http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>      Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
>      http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
>
>
>      -------------------------------
>      National Institute for Literacy
>      Assessment mailing list
>      Assessment at nifl.gov
>      To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>    Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ 
> countries) for 2??????/min or less.-------------------------------
>    National Institute for Literacy
>    Assessment mailing list
>    Assessment at nifl.gov
>    To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>  -------------------------------
>  National Institute for Literacy
>  Assessment mailing list
>  Assessment at nifl.gov
>  To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment






From baera at floridaliteracy.org  Tue Oct 24 16:03:48 2006
From: baera at floridaliteracy.org (Alyssa Baer)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:03:48 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 541]  2007 Florida Literacy Conference
Message-ID: <002e01c6f7a7$858f06a0$1e02a8c0@floridaliteracy.org>

Please join us for the 2007 Florida Literacy Conference!  

 

Dates:  May 2-4, 2007, with May 1, 2007 pre-conference

Location: Orlando Marriott, Lake Mary, Florida

 

One of Florida's premier literacy events, this three day annual conference
offers a wide range of training and networking opportunities to literacy
practitioners and volunteers.  

 

Full Conference Early Bird: postmarked by March 9: Member $170 /Non-Member
$195        

Full Conference: postmarked by April 13: Member $195 / Non-Member $220    

Full Conference: on-site, after April 13: $235                    

Full Conference: Adult Learner: $70 (no fee for adult learners attending May
2nd only)

 

                         

Call for Presenters!  

To help make the 2007 Conference a success, the Florida Literacy Coalition
seeks session proposals throughout the state and nation in the following
topic ideas:  

Adult Learner, Corrections, Family Literacy, English Literacy, Learning
Disabilities, Library Literacy, Program Management, Reading, Technology,
Volunteers in Literacy and Workforce Education (ABE, GED and adult high
school).

  

We welcome your participation and encourage you to propose a session by
December 13 by downloading the Call for Presenters form from
www.floridaliteracy.org.

 

On behalf of the Florida Literacy Coalition, thank you and we hope to see
you in May.

 

Alyssa Baer, AmeriCorps*VISTA Member

Florida Literacy Coalition

 <mailto:baera at floridaliteracy.org> baera at floridaliteracy.org

Telephone: 407.246.7110 extension 207

Facsimile: 407.246.7104

934 North Magnolia Avenue, Suite 104

Orlando, Florida 32803

 <http://www.floridaliteracy.org/> www.floridaliteracy.org

 

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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Tue Oct 24 21:04:15 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:04:15 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 542] Re: peep?
Message-ID: <OF2001398D.8AF5EAB9-ON07257212.0005E1DE-07257212.0005E1E2@yc.edu>

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From pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us  Wed Oct 25 09:56:42 2006
From: pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us (JO PAMMENT)
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:56:42 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 543] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
Message-ID: <453F34DA0200009E000037E9@10.1.0.15>

Hello Marie, 
I have been following the assessment discussion.  In Michigan we are mandated to use CASAS and TABE 9 and 10.  And we must test every 90 hours of student attendance.  These tests have not met all of our needs however.  I am interested in learning about the TABE ESL test that is coming out.  Has it been approved by the Federal government yet?  Has anyone seen or tried it yet?
Jo Pamment

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us
>>> "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 10/24/06 3:30 PM >>>
Dear Grace and Nancy ? 
 
(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in ? I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)
 
Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I?m sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements ? what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?
 
Nancy ? you said:  ?I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective.?  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy?s question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy?s programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student?s goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?
 
Let?s hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like ? and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?
 
Thanks!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
 
A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.

Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI

  _____  

From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at ist
<assessment at nifl.gov>
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
 
Marie -
   
 
   
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
 
   
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
 
   
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus 
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
 
   
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS. 
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer. 
   
 
   
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
 
   
Nancy Hansen
   
Executive Director
   
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
   
Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
   
         
     
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Dear colleagues,
   
 
   
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
   
 
   
Aside from Virginia?s post last week, I haven?t heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I?m assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
 
   
Are there other topics you?d prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program?s walls, so if I?m not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.   
   
 
   
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know. hts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen ? and I?ll make them happen.  
   
 
   
I value and appreciate your membership highly ? but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you?ve never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
   
 
   
Thanks!
   
 
   
marie
   
 
   
Marie Cora
   
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
   
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
   
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
   
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
   
 
   
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
 
  _____  

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman1/*http:/us.rd.yahoo.com
/evt=39663/*http:/voice.yahoo.com>  PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+
countries) for 2?/min or less. 
 
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment



From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Wed Oct 25 15:20:57 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:20:57 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 544] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
In-Reply-To: <453F34DA0200009E000037E9@10.1.0.15>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BFAB@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

Wow
TABE And CASAS, that seems like unnecessary testing to me.  Keeping up with one is plenty enough I hope we never go to more.
va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of JO PAMMENT
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:57 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 543] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS

Hello Marie, 
I have been following the assessment discussion.  In Michigan we are mandated to use CASAS and TABE 9 and 10.  And we must test every 90 hours of student attendance.  These tests have not met all of our needs however.  I am interested in learning about the TABE ESL test that is coming out.  Has it been approved by the Federal government yet?  Has anyone seen or tried it yet?
Jo Pamment

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us
>>> "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 10/24/06 3:30 PM >>>
Dear Grace and Nancy - 
 
(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in - I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)
 
Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I'm sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements - what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?
 
Nancy - you said:  "I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective."  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy's question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy's programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student's goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?
 
Let's hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like - and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?
 
Thanks!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
 
A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.

Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI

  _____  

From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at ist
<assessment at nifl.gov>
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
 
Marie -
   
 
   
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
 
   
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
 
   
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus 
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
 
   
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS. 
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer. 
   
 
   
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
 
   
Nancy Hansen
   
Executive Director
   
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
   
Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
   
         
     
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal 
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New Roman';} 
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink 
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a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed 
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@page Section1 
{size:8.5in 11.0in;margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;} 
div.Section1 
{page:Section1;} 
     
   
Dear colleagues,
   
 
   
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
   
 
   
Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
 
   
Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.   
   
 
   
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know. hts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen.  
   
 
   
I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
   
 
   
Thanks!
   
 
   
marie
   
 
   
Marie Cora
   
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
   
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
   
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
   
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
   
 
   
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
 
  _____  

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman1/*http:/us.rd.yahoo.com
/evt=39663/*http:/voice.yahoo.com>  PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+
countries) for 2?/min or less. 
 
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From mdaniels at proliteracy.org  Wed Oct 25 19:26:06 2006
From: mdaniels at proliteracy.org (mdaniels)
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 19:26:06 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 545] Seeking Model Programs for Accountability Project
Message-ID: <221E918332E818488687199E5CBD74CE0537EAF3@keats.proliteracy.org>

Dear Colleagues, 

As you know, funders in both the public and private sectors are placing
heightened expectations upon people who manage literacy and adult education
programs. The funders want to know:
o	Are programs able to demonstrate real learning gains among students?
o	Are programs worthy of the trust placed in them by community
partners, business volunteers, students, and other stakeholders?
o	Do program personnel have the information they need to improve their
programs and allocate precious resources wisely?

ProLiteracy, in partnership with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, is
working to help program managers acquire the knowledge and tools they need
to answer questions like these. This new, three-year project is called the
Dollar General/ProLiteracy Performance Accountability Initiative. Together,
we will 1) identify successful accountability practices being used in a
variety of literacy and adult education programs, and 2) use the practices
to develop and deliver training modules and print resources to improve
performance accountability. 

Right now we are looking for up to eight exemplary literacy and adult
education programs to serve as models as we develop the first training
module: Data Collection and Management. You may be part of a program that
does a good job collecting and managing data. If so, please consider
nominating your program. If you know of another program that would be a good
model, please forward this message to that program's director. We would also
appreciate your help in disseminating this call for model programs
throughout your networks. The nomination information and form may be
downloaded from the ProLiteracy Web site by using the following links:

?	www.proliteracy.org/downloads/guidelines.doc
?	www.proliteracy.org/downloads/application_form.doc

It is important to act quickly, as our deadline for accepting nominations
via e-mail or mail is 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. You may fill
out and submit the nomination form on paper or online. See the form for
detailed instructions.

Model programs will receive a $1,500 stipend, increased visibility, and an
opportunity to make a positive impact on the adult education and literacy
field.

We appreciate your help in this critical endeavor and hope to hear from you
by Nov. 8.

If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail at
mdaniels at proliteracy.org.

Thank you,

Melanie Daniels, Project Manager
Dollar General/ProLiteracy Performance Accountability Initiative
ProLiteracy Worldwide
1320 Jamesville Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13210
mdaniels at proliteracy.org
http://www.proliteracy.org



From pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us  Thu Oct 26 12:13:38 2006
From: pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us (JO PAMMENT)
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:13:38 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 546]   Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
In-Reply-To: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BFAB@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
References: <453F34DA0200009E000037E9@10.1.0.15>
	<D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BFAB@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
Message-ID: <4540A6720200009E00003996@10.1.0.15>

Currently we can choose either TABE or CASAS for our program.  Most of us use CASAS for ESL and TABE for ABE.  However we are looking at how to meet the needs of the students who can test out of CASAS because they can read well, but still can't speak or understand well.  I've tried the CASAS listening test for the higher level testing population, but it works more as a reading test so doesn't help us much.
Jo Pamment
Michigan

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us

>>> "Virginia Tardaewether" <tarv at chemeketa.edu> 10/25/06 3:20:57 PM >>>
Wow
TABE And CASAS, that seems like unnecessary testing to me.  Keeping up with one is plenty enough I hope we never go to more.
va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of JO PAMMENT
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:57 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 543] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS

Hello Marie, 
I have been following the assessment discussion.  In Michigan we are mandated to use CASAS and TABE 9 and 10.  And we must test every 90 hours of student attendance.  These tests have not met all of our needs however.  I am interested in learning about the TABE ESL test that is coming out.  Has it been approved by the Federal government yet?  Has anyone seen or tried it yet?
Jo Pamment

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us 
>>> "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 10/24/06 3:30 PM >>>
Dear Grace and Nancy - 
 
(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in - I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)
 
Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I'm sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements - what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?
 
Nancy - you said:  "I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective."  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy's question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy's programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student's goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?
 
Let's hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like - and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?
 
Thanks!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] 
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
 
A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.

Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI

  _____  

From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at ist
<assessment at nifl.gov>
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
 
Marie -
   
 
   
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
 
   
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
 
   
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus 
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
 
   
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS. 
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer. 
   
 
   
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
 
   
Nancy Hansen
   
Executive Director
   
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
   
Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
   
         
     
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New Roman';} 
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Dear colleagues,
   
 
   
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
   
 
   
Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
 
   
Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.   
   
 
   
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know. hts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen.  
   
 
   
I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
   
 
   
Thanks!
   
 
   
marie
   
 
   
Marie Cora
   
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 
   
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
   
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
   
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ 
   
 
   
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
 
  _____  

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman1/*http:/us.rd.yahoo.com 
/evt=39663/*http:/voice.yahoo.com>  PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+
countries) for 2?/min or less. 
 
>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov 
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
-------------------------------
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


From ltaylor at casas.org  Thu Oct 26 14:56:56 2006
From: ltaylor at casas.org (Linda Taylor)
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:56:56 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 547] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
References: <453F34DA0200009E000037E9@10.1.0.15><D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BFAB@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
	<4540A6720200009E00003996@10.1.0.15>
Message-ID: <F422E6BAA45FFC4E98D5D52EFBBA97AC6BBF9F@XNG.casas.org>

CASAS is currently completing development of a new Life and Work Listening Series in which there are no written distractors for students to read during the test, only aural prompts and distractors at the Intermediate and Advanced levels. Everything is repeated to minimize the demand on short term memory. We believe this will provide a more accurate measure of students' listening ability, as distinct from their reading ability. If any programs would like to participate in field testing this new series, please let me know. 
 
Also, some programs use the CASAS Functional Writing Assessment Picture Task for NRS reporting for students at higher levels since writing is an area in which they often still need instruction.  
 
Linda Taylor, Director of Assessment Development, CASAS
ltaylor at casas.org
(800) 255-1036, ext. 186

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of JO PAMMENT
Sent: Thu 10/26/2006 9:13 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 546] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS



Currently we can choose either TABE or CASAS for our program.  Most of us use CASAS for ESL and TABE for ABE.  However we are looking at how to meet the needs of the students who can test out of CASAS because they can read well, but still can't speak or understand well.  I've tried the CASAS listening test for the higher level testing population, but it works more as a reading test so doesn't help us much.
Jo Pamment
Michigan

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us

>>> "Virginia Tardaewether" <tarv at chemeketa.edu> 10/25/06 3:20:57 PM >>>
Wow
TABE And CASAS, that seems like unnecessary testing to me.  Keeping up with one is plenty enough I hope we never go to more.
va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of JO PAMMENT
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:57 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 543] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS

Hello Marie,
I have been following the assessment discussion.  In Michigan we are mandated to use CASAS and TABE 9 and 10.  And we must test every 90 hours of student attendance.  These tests have not met all of our needs however.  I am interested in learning about the TABE ESL test that is coming out.  Has it been approved by the Federal government yet?  Has anyone seen or tried it yet?
Jo Pamment

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us
>>> "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 10/24/06 3:30 PM >>>
Dear Grace and Nancy -

(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in - I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)

Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I'm sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements - what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?

Nancy - you said:  "I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective."  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy's question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy's programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student's goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?

Let's hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like - and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?

Thanks!

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?

A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.

Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI

  _____ 

From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at ist
<assessment at nifl.gov>
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)

Marie -
  

  
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
  

  
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
  

  
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement. 
  

  
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS.
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer.
  

  
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
  

  
Nancy Hansen
  
Executive Director
  
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
  
Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
  
        
    
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
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New Roman';}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
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a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
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span.EmailStyle17
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div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
    
  
Dear colleagues,
  

  
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
  

  
Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me). 
  

  
Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you. 
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.  
  

  
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know. hts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen. 
  

  
I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
  

  
Thanks!
  

  
marie
  

  
Marie Cora
  
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
  
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
  
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
  
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
  
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
  

  

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

  _____ 

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman1/*http:/us.rd.yahoo.com 
/evt=39663/*http:/voice.yahoo.com>  PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+
countries) for 2?/min or less.

>-------------------------------
>National Institute for Literacy
>Assessment mailing list
>Assessment at nifl.gov
>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment

-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment


-------------- next part --------------
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From andresmuro at aol.com  Thu Oct 26 16:01:28 2006
From: andresmuro at aol.com (andresmuro at aol.com)
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:01:28 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 548] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
In-Reply-To: <4540A6720200009E00003996@10.1.0.15>
References: <453F34DA0200009E000037E9@10.1.0.15>	<D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0205BFAB@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>
	<4540A6720200009E00003996@10.1.0.15>
Message-ID: <8C8C750A84B9E81-768-143E@webmail-db06.sysops.aol.com>

 We have a migrant GED program in El Paso and several other GED classes funded by several non state ABE sources. Because our programs are not funded by ABE monies, we don't have to do NRS. We graduated approximately 250 students per year with a Spanish GED. This is more than any of the local state funded ABE programs graduate. I told the state assistant director that if he wanted, we would report them, if there was a way to do this. He said that we would have to have them progress through the TABE to get to pre-GED level. Well, we don't do any testing. 
 
 Our students are Spanish Speakers so, in Texas the would first have to go into ESL. Most tend to place in the lowest levels of the ESL test used in Texas, the BEST. We would have to provide English literacy together with Spanish GED, and we would have to show that they are demonstrating gains in the BEST for the state to get credit for these students. We are not going to do this, because it is a waste of time. rather, we focus on intensive and extensive Sapnish GED instruction. Once the students have their GED certificate, we transition them to credit ESL classes at the CC where they can get financial aid. They also do well because they have the necessary academic skills. 
 
 If NRS would allow us to give the students one test and then would allow the GED test to count as progress from the original placement, we would do this. However, in Texas we can't do this. I don't know if this is doable in other states. However, because the GED is an attractive goal for the students to work towards, they have a motivation. On the other hand, for students to work towards completing a level is frustrating. progressing from literacy ESL to Beginning ESL means nothing to the students. It only means something to some mysterious bureaucracy. It also interferes with the ability of teachers and programs to teach meaningful stuff.
 
 This is very sad. all the mandatory testing that has been imposed at all levels from K-12 to adult education has been very detrimental. My wife has been teaching remedial reading at a University. The other day she took poetry to a class. The students had never interacted with poetry throughout High school. Since the only concern was for the students to show progress in some test, teachers only focused in preparing them for the stupid test. They didn't do well in the standardized test nor they were ever exposed to poetry and little prose. 
 
 Our spanish GED students don't take standardized test to show progress, but they read a lot of poetry and prose. They have published two books of poetry and prose. You can see the books at http://bordersenses.com/memorias. Even if they never got their GEDs, this is a lot more menaingful than showing that you can go from literacy to intermedaite literacy according to some test.
 
 Sorry, my rant is over.
 
 Andres
    
 -----Original Message-----
 From: pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us
 To: assessment at nifl.gov
 Sent: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:13 AM
 Subject: [Assessment 546] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
 
  Currently we can choose either TABE or CASAS for our program.  Most of us use 
CASAS for ESL and TABE for ABE.  However we are looking at how to meet the needs 
of the students who can test out of CASAS because they can read well, but still 
can't speak or understand well.  I've tried the CASAS listening test for the 
higher level testing population, but it works more as a reading test so doesn't 
help us much.
Jo Pamment
Michigan

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us

>>> "Virginia Tardaewether" <tarv at chemeketa.edu> 10/25/06 3:20:57 PM >>>
Wow
TABE And CASAS, that seems like unnecessary testing to me.  Keeping up with one 
is plenty enough I hope we never go to more.
va

-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf 
Of JO PAMMENT
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:57 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 543] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS

Hello Marie, 
I have been following the assessment discussion.  In Michigan we are mandated to 
use CASAS and TABE 9 and 10.  And we must test every 90 hours of student 
attendance.  These tests have not met all of our needs however.  I am interested 
in learning about the TABE ESL test that is coming out.  Has it been approved by 
the Federal government yet?  Has anyone seen or tried it yet?
Jo Pamment

Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us 
>>> "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> 10/24/06 3:30 PM >>>
Dear Grace and Nancy - 
 
(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in - I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)
 
Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I'm sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements - what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?
 
Nancy - you said:  "I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective."  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy's question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy's programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student's goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?
 
Let's hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like - and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?
 
Thanks!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] 
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
 
A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.

Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI

  _____  

From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at ist
<assessment at nifl.gov>
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov>
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
 
Marie -
   
 
   
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
 
   
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
 
   
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus 
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
 
   
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS. 
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer. 
   
 
   
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
 
   
Nancy Hansen
   
Executive Director
   
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
   
Sioux Falls, SD

Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> wrote:
   
         
     
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@page Section1 
{size:8.5in 11.0in;margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;} 
div.Section1 
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Dear colleagues,
   
 
   
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
   
 
   
Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
 
   
Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.   
   
 
   
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know. hts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen.  
   
 
   
I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
   
 
   
Thanks!
   
 
   
marie
   
 
   
Marie Cora
   
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 
   
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
   
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
   
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ 
   
 
   
 
-------------------------------
National Institute for Literacy
Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
 
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countries) for 2?/min or less. 
 
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Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
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Assessment mailing list
Assessment at nifl.gov 
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
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Assessment at nifl.gov
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From kabeall at comcast.net  Fri Oct 27 11:24:49 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:24:49 -0400
Subject: [Assessment 549]  New from NCSALL
Message-ID: <008d01c6f9dc$0d3f9570$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

Research on the Economic Impact of the GED Diploma Panel

The National Institute for Literacy (Institute) and the National Center for
the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) announce the Research on
the Economic Impact of the GED Diploma Panel, a 30-minute video produced by
the Institute. This panel discussion focuses on the economic benefits that
accrue to holders of the General Educational Development (GED) credential.
It is based on a review by John Tyler of eight recent (published and
working) research papers on the GED.  Several of these papers were authored
by John Tyler, Richard Murnane, and John Willett, researchers with NCSALL
whose work has influenced what we know about the economic benefits of the
GED.  Presenters include John Tyler, Sara Fass, and Sue Snider; the
moderator is David Rosen.

To view in streaming format, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/ged/webcast_ged.html
To order in DVD for $5.00 from NCSALL, go to: www.ncsall.net/?id=675 
To order DVD version from NIFL, send request with mailing address to:
info at nifl.gov 

Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models
by Cynthia Zafft, Silja Kallenbach, and Jessica Spohn
This NCSALL Occasional Paper describes five models that the staff at the New
England Literacy Resource Center at World Education, Inc., categorized
through a survey of adult education centers with transition components from
around the United States. This NCSALL Occasional Paper describes the five
models-Advising, GED-Plus, ESOL, Career Pathways, and College
Preparatory-and themes and recommendations that others contemplating adult
transition services might find helpful. It also chronicles the experiences
of four states (Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, and Oregon) in their efforts
to institutionalize transitions for adults. To download the paper, go to
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26

Beyond the GED: Making Conscious Choices About the GED and Your Future
Newly revised to include new data and information on the Internet, this
guide for GED instructors offers lesson plans and helps teachers develop as
professionals. It also gives adult learners an opportunity to practice
writing, use graphs, read charts, and analyze research findings on the
economic impact of the GED. To download the guide, go to
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=35. 

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.ncsall.net

 

 

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From sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com  Fri Oct 27 12:31:01 2006
From: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com (Nancy Hansen)
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 09:31:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Assessment 550] Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <002e01c6f7ab$5ace84f0$edd5ac46@DH89L251>
Message-ID: <20061027163101.23611.qmail@web34715.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Had to send a brief reply.  
   
  Who is the advocate for learner rights in this issue?  
   
  If what Katrina is true in her concluding paragraph:
  << > It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of having to 
meet performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student 
ability yet the work a student does that shows his or her ability is often 
ignored.>>
   
  Who is The Loser here?  Isn't it the students in these programs?  What does this inaccurate performance measure do to the adult learners' self-confidence - their self-esteem - the way they feel about being successful?  I'll bet they know they know *more* than the tests show yet they are being told differently.  Aren't the consequences going to be a higher dropout rate?  And what is yours?
   
  Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
Donna Chambers <donnaedp at cox.net> wrote:
  Katrina,

You are not alone and it is a catch 22. I know that the test/data doesn't 
often show the accurate picture. However, in reality, we are forced to deal 
with standardized tests as the main measurement tool. Truth be told, adult 
literacy learners are often not good traditional testers. What can we do? 
Donna Chambers

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Katrina Hinson" 
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:36 PM
Subject: [Assessment 536] Re: peep?


> I'm in the same boat as Donna below. Normally I try to keep up with the 
> discussions but I've been silent on the lists I'm on lately simply because 
> I wear way too many hats at the moment and it's difficult to keep up with 
> sheer volume of emails generated sometimes. Likewise, I have my own 
> 'peep' to add to the discussion:
>
> We use TABE (9 & 10) at the moment, for ABE/GED students and CASAS for 
> ESL and Family Literacy and Comp. Ed.. One problem occurs when students 
> move between programs. Students tested via CASAS, are not given a math 
> component - EVER - just Reading and Listening and those in Family Literacy 
> are only given Reading. They may or may not ever have a math placement 
> score. Additionally, the program I'm in places great emphasis on these 
> scores due to the nature of the funding - so much so that paperwork now 
> has to go through multiple hands to ensure that it's all correctly filled 
> in to ensure that the numbers are all accurate. Another area where there 
> is a problem is the move from those students tested on TABE 8 to TABE 9. 
> We saw a dramatic decline in test scores and were left asking if it was 
> accurate? We asked why the huge drop? Had these students regressed? Had 
> the test not been administered properly before hand? Had they memorized 
> (which I do agree is a major issue with standa!
> rdized testing) the test?
>
> There were no easy answers and we're still seeing scores all over the 
> place sometimes.
>
> Instructors here and administrators are very much tied to the "tests" as 
> if that is the only measure. I sometimes feel like a lone voice saying 
> "Yes, BUT..." at a lot of meetings...or trying to explain that the data 
> isn't always a valid reflection of student ability. I'm always met with 
> the same response - the tests need to match student ability to ensure 
> funding.
>
> It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of having to meet 
> performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student ability yet 
> the work a student does that shows his or her ability is often ignored.
>
> Regards,
> Katrina Hinson
>
>>>> "Donna Chambers" 10/24/06 8:40 AM >>>
> Wow! Like others, I lose track of the discussion because I am just too 
> busy to keep up. There is so much work to be done in thinking through this 
> issue, but in the meantime, we must keep up with our duties in the 
> classroom and running our programs . Now I just heard on the news that 
> sitting at a computer for hours at a time can be addictive and may 
> require medical and psychiatric treatment Here is my quick "peep" 
> because I don't have the time for another addiction.
>
> I agree with both Nancy and Mary Jane. The testing requirement for 
> government funding is not enough and sometimes not appropriate. I have 
> spent my career working with competency based assessment and/or authentic 
> assessment and so that is what I inherently use to see if a learner 
> understands something. By testing this way, I am also challenging the 
> thinking skills of the learner which I believe is critical in the process 
> for the adult.
>
> Lately I have been doing a bit of informal experimentation. Here is what 
> I find more times than not. The learner knows the skill because it was 
> demonstrated to me when asked to verbally to solve the problem and 
> explain the solution. Yet the learner got the item wrong on the paper 
> and pencil, multiple choice test. The learner demonstrates an ability to 
> do a problem and apply the skill in several examples and then gets the 
> same type of problem wrong when asked to do it on a test . Pre test 
> scores do not always correlate with what I believe a learner knows and yet 
> such we are asked to place such importance on them. Sometimes even scores 
> go down between pre and post testing. I do believe this begs the question, 
> "What is happening here?" It is definitely worth considering more varied 
> assessment methods. We are working with adults that may be test anxious 
> and certainly language plays a huge role in being able to answer the 
> question correctly. This is not to say that th!
> e tests we use are not valid, but getting a question right more 
> circumstances than knowledge or skill, especially for adults. How do we 
> know when they know it, be able to retain it, and to apply it again in 
> other circumstances? "
>
> This is more than a "peep" ,but I feel this topic is critical to our 
> programs and the whole "accountability/assessment" issue in education 
> today.
>
> Donna Chambers
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Mary Jane Jerde
> To: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com ; The Assessment Discussion List
> Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:49 PM
> Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?
>
>
> Hi,
>
> The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in the 
> face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one tool, 
> don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test form, use 
> a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic 
> assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training, easy 
> scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer repetition? 
> It's always a shock when they hit Form 56.
>
> I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the 
> "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it. Between 
> the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for reporting.
>
> Mary Jane Jerde
> Howard Community College
> Columbia, MD
>
>
>
> Nancy Hansen wrote:
> Marie -
>
> Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but 
> not regularly on this thread. Part of the reason I haven't replied is the 
> emails that were posted were so loooong. I felt it would require research 
> to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't. And I'm as always busy with 
> many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
>
> It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the 
> posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a 
> couple) very important factors: Some adult learners cannot commit to the 
> kind of time that many of you speak about. That means their time with 
> their study is also very precious even though elongated. If testing takes 
> away that time, it would be resented.
>
> Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors. The 
> focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons. 
> (Note: Not called Tests.) However, I sense that by your colleagues' 
> standards my program would be deemed ineffective. You know .... the 
> learners aren't gaining a grade level every year. Quite frankly the 
> learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.
>
> So I lurk. I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on 
> what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in their 
> need to read, write and spell better. It cannot be measured in many cases 
> ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth. 
> *That* our learners *do* treasure! How do members of the adult education 
> system intend those skill development factors to be measured? Learner 
> Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It used 
> to be that the check-up scores counted. But no longer.
>
> Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the 
> perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the agency 
> will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase 
> requirement. The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are receiving 
> and that matters more. At least to me.
>
> Nancy Hansen
> Executive Director
> Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
> Sioux Falls, SD
>
> Marie Cora wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
> Are you out there? Is this a bad time for a discussion? Is the 
> topic not of interest?
>
> Aside from Virginia??????s post last week, I haven??????t heard from 
> any of the 550 subscribers to the List. I??????m assuming that the topic 
> (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of 
> interest. But you need to let me know if it is or not. I generally gauge 
> interest based on Subscriber responsese topic is not hot (which surprises 
> me).
>
> Are there other topics you??????d prefer to engage in? What are 
> they? The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that 
> goes well beyond your program??????s walls, so if I??????m not hitting on 
> the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you. Membership here 
> continues to climb, but you are all very silent.
>
> I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List 
> can serve you well. Please let me know. Feel free to respond to the 
> discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own 
> discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or to me 
> personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see happen 
> ?????? and I??????ll make them happen.
>
> I value and appreciate your membership highly ?????? but a Discussion 
> List is only as good as the discussions that occur. If you??????ve never 
> posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post 
> and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I 
> can post your message for you anonymously. The important thing is for 
> your voices to be heard.
>
> Thanks!
>
> marie
>
> Marie Cora
> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
> NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
> http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ 
> countries) for 2??????/min or less.-------------------------------
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> -------------------------------
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> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
> 


-------------------------------
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From KHinson at future-gate.com  Mon Oct 30 19:40:13 2006
From: KHinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson)
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:40:13 +0100
Subject: [Assessment 551]   Re: peep?
In-Reply-To: <20061027163101.23611.qmail@web34715.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
References: <002e01c6f7ab$5ace84f0$edd5ac46@DH89L251>
	<20061027163101.23611.qmail@web34715.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <4546551E.121C.00A0.0@future-gate.com>

I don't know the answer to this and apologize for not getting to this
sooner but it's been busy. The instructor should be the advocate for
student rights but ultimately the instructor is bound by the constraints
of his or her program - rightly or wrongly. All we can do is personally
motivate our students to see beyond any score - to give positive
reinforcement all the time so the focus isn't on a test score - those
are just my thoughts. I have good retention in my class so far but I try
not to ever make the focus on the tests - whether it's the TABE or GED.
I put the focus on what my students show me they know and show me they
can do. I make a lot out of their successful moments. I think that goes
a long way.

Regards,
Katrina Hinson

>>> Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com> 10/27/2006 12:31 pm >>>
Had to send a brief reply.  
   
  Who is the advocate for learner rights in this issue?  
   
  If what Katrina is true in her concluding paragraph:
  << > It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of
having to 
meet performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student 
ability yet the work a student does that shows his or her ability is
often 
ignored.>>
   
  Who is The Loser here?  Isn't it the students in these programs? 
What does this inaccurate performance measure do to the adult learners'
self-confidence - their self-esteem - the way they feel about being
successful?  I'll bet they know they know *more* than the tests show yet
they are being told differently.  Aren't the consequences going to be a
higher dropout rate?  And what is yours?
   
  Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
Donna Chambers <donnaedp at cox.net> wrote:
  Katrina,

You are not alone and it is a catch 22. I know that the test/data
doesn't 
often show the accurate picture. However, in reality, we are forced to
deal 
with standardized tests as the main measurement tool. Truth be told,
adult 
literacy learners are often not good traditional testers. What can we
do? 
Donna Chambers

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Katrina Hinson" 
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:36 PM
Subject: [Assessment 536] Re: peep?


> I'm in the same boat as Donna below. Normally I try to keep up with
the 
> discussions but I've been silent on the lists I'm on lately simply
because 
> I wear way too many hats at the moment and it's difficult to keep up
with 
> sheer volume of emails generated sometimes. Likewise, I have my own 
> 'peep' to add to the discussion:
>
> We use TABE (9 & 10) at the moment, for ABE/GED students and CASAS
for 
> ESL and Family Literacy and Comp. Ed.. One problem occurs when
students 
> move between programs. Students tested via CASAS, are not given a
math 
> component - EVER - just Reading and Listening and those in Family
Literacy 
> are only given Reading. They may or may not ever have a math
placement 
> score. Additionally, the program I'm in places great emphasis on
these 
> scores due to the nature of the funding - so much so that paperwork
now 
> has to go through multiple hands to ensure that it's all correctly
filled 
> in to ensure that the numbers are all accurate. Another area where
there 
> is a problem is the move from those students tested on TABE 8 to TABE
9. 
> We saw a dramatic decline in test scores and were left asking if it
was 
> accurate? We asked why the huge drop? Had these students regressed?
Had 
> the test not been administered properly before hand? Had they
memorized 
> (which I do agree is a major issue with standa!
> rdized testing) the test?
>
> There were no easy answers and we're still seeing scores all over the

> place sometimes.
>
> Instructors here and administrators are very much tied to the "tests"
as 
> if that is the only measure. I sometimes feel like a lone voice
saying 
> "Yes, BUT..." at a lot of meetings...or trying to explain that the
data 
> isn't always a valid reflection of student ability. I'm always met
with 
> the same response - the tests need to match student ability to ensure

> funding.
>
> It's a catch 22 for instructors. We're caught in a loop of having to
meet 
> performance measures that may or may not truly reflect student
ability yet 
> the work a student does that shows his or her ability is often
ignored.
>
> Regards,
> Katrina Hinson
>
>>>> "Donna Chambers" 10/24/06 8:40 AM >>>
> Wow! Like others, I lose track of the discussion because I am just
too 
> busy to keep up. There is so much work to be done in thinking through
this 
> issue, but in the meantime, we must keep up with our duties in the 
> classroom and running our programs . Now I just heard on the news
that 
> sitting at a computer for hours at a time can be addictive and may 
> require medical and psychiatric treatment Here is my quick "peep" 
> because I don't have the time for another addiction.
>
> I agree with both Nancy and Mary Jane. The testing requirement for 
> government funding is not enough and sometimes not appropriate. I
have 
> spent my career working with competency based assessment and/or
authentic 
> assessment and so that is what I inherently use to see if a learner 
> understands something. By testing this way, I am also challenging the

> thinking skills of the learner which I believe is critical in the
process 
> for the adult.
>
> Lately I have been doing a bit of informal experimentation. Here is
what 
> I find more times than not. The learner knows the skill because it
was 
> demonstrated to me when asked to verbally to solve the problem and 
> explain the solution. Yet the learner got the item wrong on the paper

> and pencil, multiple choice test. The learner demonstrates an ability
to 
> do a problem and apply the skill in several examples and then gets
the 
> same type of problem wrong when asked to do it on a test . Pre test 
> scores do not always correlate with what I believe a learner knows
and yet 
> such we are asked to place such importance on them. Sometimes even
scores 
> go down between pre and post testing. I do believe this begs the
question, 
> "What is happening here?" It is definitely worth considering more
varied 
> assessment methods. We are working with adults that may be test
anxious 
> and certainly language plays a huge role in being able to answer the

> question correctly. This is not to say that th!
> e tests we use are not valid, but getting a question right more 
> circumstances than knowledge or skill, especially for adults. How do
we 
> know when they know it, be able to retain it, and to apply it again
in 
> other circumstances? "
>
> This is more than a "peep" ,but I feel this topic is critical to our

> programs and the whole "accountability/assessment" issue in education

> today.
>
> Donna Chambers
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Mary Jane Jerde
> To: sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com ; The Assessment Discussion List
> Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:49 PM
> Subject: [Assessment 534] Re: peep?
>
>
> Hi,
>
> The testing that is required for government funding tends to fly in
the 
> face of some serious principles for assessment: never depend on one
tool, 
> don't allow the students to become familiar with a specific test
form, use 
> a variety of testing methods, numbers do not give a full, realistic 
> assessment. CASAS does do several things fairly well: easy training,
easy 
> scoring, easy make up. How many students know Form 54 by sheer
repetition? 
> It's always a shock when they hit Form 56.
>
> I use BEST Plus with CASAS. It's not perfect either, but I have the 
> "luxury" of a trained assessor willing to come on site to give it.
Between 
> the two, I'm getting a better picture and more options for
reporting.
>
> Mary Jane Jerde
> Howard Community College
> Columbia, MD
>
>
>
> Nancy Hansen wrote:
> Marie -
>
> Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but

> not regularly on this thread. Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the 
> emails that were posted were so loooong. I felt it would require
research 
> to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't. And I'm as always busy
with 
> many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
>
> It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the

> posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a

> couple) very important factors: Some adult learners cannot commit to
the 
> kind of time that many of you speak about. That means their time with

> their study is also very precious even though elongated. If testing
takes 
> away that time, it would be resented.
>
> Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.
The 
> focus of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the
lessons. 
> (Note: Not called Tests.) However, I sense that by your colleagues' 
> standards my program would be deemed ineffective. You know .... the 
> learners aren't gaining a grade level every year. Quite frankly the 
> learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.
>
> So I lurk. I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance
on 
> what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their 
> need to read, write and spell better. It cannot be measured in many
cases 
> ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved worth. 
> *That* our learners *do* treasure! How do members of the adult
education 
> system intend those skill development factors to be measured? Learner

> Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the NRS. It
used 
> to be that the check-up scores counted. But no longer.
>
> Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the

> perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency 
> will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level increase

> requirement. The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving 
> and that matters more. At least to me.
>
> Nancy Hansen
> Executive Director
> Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
> Sioux Falls, SD
>
> Marie Cora wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
> Are you out there? Is this a bad time for a discussion? Is the 
> topic not of interest?
>
> Aside from Virginia??????s post last week, I haven??????t heard from

> any of the 550 subscribers to the List. I??????m assuming that the
topic 
> (Measuring Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 10/18) is of

> interest. But you need to let me know if it is or not. I generally
gauge 
> interest based on Subscriber responsese topic is not hot (which
surprises 
> me).
>
> Are there other topics you??????d prefer to engage in? What are 
> they? The purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion
that 
> goes well beyond your program??????s walls, so if I??????m not
hitting on 
> the right stuff, I really do need to hear from you. Membership here 
> continues to climb, but you are all very silent.
>
> I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List

> can serve you well. Please let me know. Feel free to respond to the 
> discussion on Measuring Gains, but also, feel free to start your own

> discussion topic, or feel free to send your thoughts to the List or
to me 
> personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen 
> ?????? and I??????ll make them happen.
>
> I value and appreciate your membership highly ?????? but a Discussion

> List is only as good as the discussions that occur. If you??????ve
never 
> posted and that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your
post 
> and I can do a couple of things like help you compose your message,
or I 
> can post your message for you anonymously. The important thing is for

> your voices to be heard.
>
> Thanks!
>
> marie
>
> Marie Cora
> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com 
> NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
> Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
> http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ 
>
>
> -------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
> Assessment mailing list
> Assessment at nifl.gov 
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
>
>
>
>
>
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> Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and
30+ 
> countries) for 2??????/min or less.-------------------------------
> National Institute for Literacy
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> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 
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From tarv at chemeketa.edu  Mon Oct 30 21:10:37 2006
From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether)
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:10:37 -0800
Subject: [Assessment 552] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
In-Reply-To: <8C8C750A84B9E81-768-143E@webmail-db06.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <D63A25821E9AE349ADBAB6BB1F0A766C0345E1BD@cccmail2.chemeketa.network>

Great rant Andres!

I don't see standardizing testing as so far removed from instruction, but there should be a better fit.  

va

 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of andresmuro at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 1:01 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 548] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS

 

We have a migrant GED program in El Paso and several other GED classes funded by several non state ABE sources. Because our programs are not funded by ABE monies, we don't have to do NRS. We graduated approximately 250 students per year with a Spanish GED. This is more than any of the local state funded ABE programs graduate. I told the state assistant director that if he wanted, we would report them, if there was a way to do this. He said that we would have to have them progress through the TABE to get to pre-GED level. Well, we don't do any testing. 

Our students are Spanish Speakers so, in Texas the would first have to go into ESL. Most tend to place in the lowest levels of the ESL test used in Texas, the BEST. We would have to provide English literacy together with Spanish GED, and we would have to show that they are demonstrating gains in the BEST for the state to get credit for these students. We are not going to do this, because it is a waste of time. rather, we focus on intensive and extensive Sapnish GED instruction. Once the students have their GED certificate, we transition them to credit ESL classes at the CC where they can get financial aid. They also do well because they have the necessary academic skills. 

If NRS would allow us to give the students one test and then would allow the GED test to count as progress from the original placement, we would do this. However, in Texas we can't do this. I don't know if this is doable in other states. However, because the GED is an attractive goal for the students to work towards, they have a motivation. On the other hand, for students to work towards completing a level is frustrating. progressing from literacy ESL to Beginning ESL means nothing to the students. It only means something to some mysterious bureaucracy. It also interferes with the ability of teachers and programs to teach meaningful stuff.

This is very sad. all the mandatory testing that has been imposed at all levels from K-12 to adult education has been very detrimental. My wife has been teaching remedial reading at a University. The other day she took poetry to a class. The students had never interacted with poetry throughout High school. Since the only concern was for the students to show progress in some test, teachers only focused in preparing them for the stupid test. They didn't do well in the standardized test nor they were ever exposed to poetry and little prose. 

Our spanish GED students don't take standardized test to show progress, but they read a lot of poetry and prose. They have published two books of poetry and prose. You can see the books at http://bordersenses.com/memorias. Even if they never got their GEDs, this is a lot more menaingful than showing that you can go from literacy to intermedaite literacy according to some test.

Sorry, my rant is over.

Andres

 

 
-----Original Message-----
From: pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us
To: assessment at nifl.gov
Sent: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:13 AM
Subject: [Assessment 546] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS

Currently we can choose either TABE or CASAS for our program.  Most of us use 
CASAS for ESL and TABE for ABE.  However we are looking at how to meet the needs 
of the students who can test out of CASAS because they can read well, but still 
can't speak or understand well.  I've tried the CASAS listening test for the 
higher level testing population, but it works more as a reading test so doesn't 
help us much.
Jo Pamment
Michigan
 
Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
 
TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us <mailto:pammenjk%40haslett.k12.mi.us> 
 
>>> "Virginia Tardaewether" <tarv at chemeketa.edu <mailto:tarv%40chemeketa.edu> > 10/25/06 3:20:57 PM >>>
Wow
TABE And CASAS, that seems like unnecessary testing to me.  Keeping up with one 
is plenty enough I hope we never go to more.
va
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment-bounces%40nifl.gov>  [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment-bounces%40nifl.gov> ] On Behalf 
Of JO PAMMENT
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:57 AM
To: assessment at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment%40nifl.gov>  
Subject: [Assessment 543] Re: Measuring Outside the NRS
 
Hello Marie, 
I have been following the assessment discussion.  In Michigan we are mandated to 
use CASAS and TABE 9 and 10.  And we must test every 90 hours of student 
attendance.  These tests have not met all of our needs however.  I am interested 
in learning about the TABE ESL test that is coming out.  Has it been approved by 
the Federal government yet?  Has anyone seen or tried it yet?
Jo Pamment
 
Jo Pamment
Director Adult Ed. ESL
Haslett Public Schools
1118 S. Harrison 
East Lansing, Michigan 48823
 
TEL:  517 337-8353
FAX:  517 337-3195
E-Mail:  pammenjk at haslett.k12.mi.us <mailto:pammenjk%40haslett.k12.mi.us>  
>>> "Marie Cora" <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:marie.cora%40hotspurpartners.com> > 10/24/06 3:30 PM >>>
Dear Grace and Nancy - 
 
(First a big thank you to everyone who has jumped in - I knew that this
was important to you all.  As your busy time permits, keep on posting!)
 
Thanks so much for your perspectives.  I'm sure that you are not the
only ones whose programs conduct assessment outside of the NRS
requirements.  You both have hit on a number of extremely important
issues.  If you do not receive federal dollars, then you do not have to
adhere to NRS requirements - what types of assessments and tools do you
use if this is your case?  What sort of schedule or structure do you use
for intake, pre-assessment, on-going assessment, post-assessment?  Who
does the assessing?  Do you gauge non-academic skills?  If so, how?  Do
you set up benchmarks such as gaining grade levels or is this not a part
of the program?  How about timeframes?  Is that not as important because
you are not bound by the federal system?
 
Nancy - you said:  "I sense that by your colleagues' standards my
program would be deemed ineffective."  I have many questions:  who is to
say what is effective if your students stay and keep learning, and
improve their skills?  How about Nancy's question Subscribers:  is this
true?  Do you feel that Grace and Nancy's programs are less effective
because of their focus and structure?  Or do you feel a bit envious that
their programs are not bound by the strict requirements of NRS-tied
funding?  If your program receives federal dollars, do you feel that you
can really truly focus on the student's goal, or do you feel like you
need to figure their goal out for them (with the best of intentions) in
order to make sure you can show learning gains across your program and
keep your funding?  Katrina lamented about this in her post I think.  Do
you feel that helping the student work on her goal and following the
federal requirements are at odds or can they work together?
 
Let's hear from others on the List who are in a similar position to
Grace and Nancy.  If you are not tied to using the tools, structures,
and timeframes required by federal funding, then what does your program
look like - and how do you feel about that?  And for those folks who do
receive federal funding, what are your thoughts and questions for folks
whose programs work outside of the NRS requirements?
 
Thanks!
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment-bounces%40nifl.gov>  [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment-bounces%40nifl.gov> ] 
On Behalf Of Grace Temple
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:56 PM
To: assessment at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment%40nifl.gov>  
Subject: [Assessment 537] Re: peep?
 
A great big AMEN! goes out to Nancy. This echos my position exactly.  I
too, am a director of our county Literacy Council.  I read all the posts
but respond to only a few as most don't seem to connect to our program.
All post assessment is done by the tutors (volunteers) who have been
trained to use the SLOSSON  lists.  This only gives us a ballpark figure
but it is the student's satisfaction that counts the most.  Do they feel
they have gained?  If they feel better about their ability to learn,
think they can handle everyday reading better and are willing to
continue, then our tutors have done well.
 
Grace Temple
Executive Director
Sanilac Literacy Council
Sanilac County, MI
 
  _____  
 
From:  Nancy Hansen <sfallsliteracy at ist
<assessment at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment%40nifl.gov> >
To:  The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov <mailto:assessment%40nifl.gov> >
Subject:  [Assessment 533] Re: peep?
Date:  Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:56:32 -0700 (PDT)
 
Marie -
   
 
   
Without a peep .... I have been lurking ... every once in a while but
not regularly on this thread.  Part of the reason I haven't replied is
the emails that were posted were so loooong.  I felt it would require
research to read thoroughly and respond, so I didn't.  And I'm as always
busy with many projects as the only full-time paid staff.
   
 
   
It's not that I am not interested personally, but via my scanning the
posts I feel The Movement is not taking into consideration one (of a
couple) very important factors:  Some adult learners cannot commit to
the kind of time that many of you speak about.  That means their time
with their study is also very precious even though elongated.  If
testing takes away that time, it would be resented.
   
 
   
Ours is an adult literacy program driven by volunteer instructors.  The
focus 
of the materials includes periodic check-ups built into the lessons.
(Note:  Not called Tests.)  However, I sense that by your colleagues'
standards my program would be deemed ineffective.  You know .... the
learners aren't gaining a grade level every year.  Quite frankly the
learners don't *care* about that form of measurement.  
   
 
   
So I lurk.  I feel, No. 2, The System places too *little* importance on
what it is that the adult learner has brought with them as goals in
their need to read, write and spell better.  It cannot be measured in
many cases ... except, perhaps, in smiles, self-confidence and improved
worth.  *That* our learners *do* treasure!  How do members of the adult
education system intend those skill development factors to be measured?
Learner Portfolios are part of *our* system, yet unacceptable to the
NRS. 
It used to be that the check-up scores counted.  But no longer. 
   
 
   
Until the answers are clear, this agency director will remain on the
perimeters of the assessment discussion ... and *consequently* the
agency will continue without funding that is tied to a grade level
increase requirement.  The kicker is: The learners *like* what they are
receiving and that matters more.  At least to me.
   
 
   
Nancy Hansen
   
Executive Director
   
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
   
Sioux Falls, SD
 
Marie Cora <marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:marie.cora%40hotspurpartners.com> > wrote:
   
         
     
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div.Section1 
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Dear colleagues,
   
 
   
Are you out there?  Is this a bad time for a discussion?  Is the topic
not of interest?
   
 
   
Aside from Virginia's post last week, I haven't heard from any of the
550 subscribers to the List.  I'm assuming that the topic (Measuring
Education Gains in Adult Literacy, 10/17 and 
10/18) is of interest.  But you need to let me know if it is or not.  I
generally gauge interest based on Subscriber responses, so if this is an
indication, the topic is not hot (which surprises me).  
   
 
   
Are there other topics you'd prefer to engage in?  What are they?  The
purpose of this List is to provide a forum for discussion that goes well
beyond your program's walls, so if I'm not hitting on the right stuff, I
really do need to hear from you.  
Membership here continues to climb, but you are all very silent.   
   
 
   
I really want to hear your thoughts and I want to know how this List can
serve you well.  Please let me know. hts to the List or to
me personally regarding other discussions that you would like to see
happen - and I'll make them happen.  
   
 
   
I value and appreciate your membership highly - but a Discussion List is
only as good as the discussions that occur.  If you've never posted and
that makes you a bit reticent, feel free to send me your post and I can
do a couple of things like help you compose your message, or I can post
your message for you anonymously.  The important thing is for your
voices to be heard.
   
 
   
Thanks!
   
 
   
marie
   
 
   
Marie Cora
   
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:marie.cora%40hotspurpartners.com> > marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com <mailto:marie.cora%40hotspurpartners.com>  
   
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
   
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment 
   
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
   
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/ 
   
 
   
 
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From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu  Tue Oct 31 12:35:46 2006
From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu)
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:35:46 -0700
Subject: [Assessment 553] Re: peep?
Message-ID: <OFB0436135.8C398EC5-ON07257218.0060A89F-07257218.0060A8A4@yc.edu>

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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Nov  2 08:49:18 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 08:49:18 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 554]  Update on Speaking Tour
Message-ID: <0b1701c6fe85$b2147b30$0302a8c0@LITNOW>

Colleagues,

The following post is from Tom Sticht - some of you may be interested in
attending one of Tom's speaking engagements.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
-----


Update on speaking engagements for 2006-2007.

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

For those who have contacted me to find out if, when, and where I might
be speaking in their region the following shows dates, locations, and
contacts where I will be giving invited presentations at special
meetings
or conferences during the remainder of 2006 and first half of 2007.

1. November 9, 2006. Atlanta, Georgia. Contact: Daphne Greenberg,
(dgreenberg at gsu.edu).

Topic: Celebrating 40 Years of the Adult Education & Literacy System
(AELS)
of the United States: A Vision of the Future Through a Prism of the Past
This presentation looks at the past and reviews the lives of pioneer
adult
literacy educators whose work influenced the policies and practices of
the
AELS. It considers the current state of the AELS and presents evidence
for
multiplier effects that adult literacy educators can achieve using
Functional Context Education working in collaboration with other
agencies
and organizations. It them presents a vision of a future in which
national
education policy is changed from a focus on one life span  or life cycle
to
a Multiple Life Cycles education policy that explicitly recognizes and
fosters one multiplier effect of adult literacy education, the
intergenerational transfer of literacy from parents to children.

2. November 17, 2006. Merrillville, Indiana. Contact: Mary Corder
(mcorder@
thediscoveryalliance.com)

Topic: Literacy Frees the World.
This presentation focuses on the present United Nations Literacy Decade
with
 its theme of Literacy as Freedom. Within the past contexts of President
Franklin  D. Roosevelt's 1941 World War II message of the Four Freedoms,
contemporary  issues of the functionality of literacy, globalization,
sustained development, multiple literacies, and the intergenerational
transmission of literacy are explored for their implications in future
adult literacy education policy, practice, and research.

3. March 4, 2007. Orlando, Florida. National Family Literacy Conference.
Contact: Shannon Baete (sbaete at famlit.org)

Topic: The "Hard Data" for Increasing Investments in Adult Literacy
Education:
Moving From a one life cycle to a Multiple Life Cycles education policy.
In this presentation I review with numerous graphics eight lines of
research
that establish the value of adult literacy education in preschool
programs
and adult literacy programs for improving the literacy of children
across
life cycles and providing multiple returns to investments in adult
literacy
education.

4. March 8 2007 Springfield, Illinois. IACEA annual conference. Contact:
Laura Bercovitz (lbercovitz at thecenterweb.org)

Topic: The Shoulders on Which we Stand.
This keynote is a survey of over two hundred years of the professional
wisdom and accomplishments of outstanding teachers of adult literacy and
the remarkable changes they have wrought in our nation. This is a
motivational presentation for volunteers, teachers, students, and others
who are dedicated to adult literacy education. I will present two
additional breakout sessions following the keynote address.

5. . June 11 2007 Fayetteville, Arkansas - Keynote for the South Central
Literacy Action Conference. Contact: Kerri Miles Email:
kerri-woklearn at sbcglobal.net.
Topic: To be announced. I will present a keynote and a breakout session.

I always enjoy meeting folks from various discussion lists at these
presentations and have a chance to put faces with names. I look forward
to
seeing many of you at one or more of these sessions.

Tom Sticht


Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net





From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Fri Nov  3 10:52:08 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 10:52:08 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 555]  Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy
Message-ID: <0bc301c6ff60$04fe0f20$0302a8c0@LITNOW>


Dear List members,

You may have heard that the National Institute for Literacy is combining
the Poverty, Race, and Literacy Discussion List with the Women and
Literacy Discussion List.  Below is an invitation from the moderator of
the new list, Daphne Greenburg, to join.  Please read on.....
______________

On November 6th, a new list will be starting called: Poverty, Race,
Women, and Literacy. If you are interested in subscribing, please to do
so by going to:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/PovertyRaceWomen

The purpose of this list is to provide an on-going professional
development forum for providers, advocates, researchers, learners,
policy makers, and all other persons who are interested in exploring the
linkages between poverty, race, women and literacy. Examples of topics
include: the relationships among poverty, race, women and literacy in
the United States and in other countries; health as it pertains to women
and poverty issues; the hidden rules of persons living with the effects
of poverty, the intersection of these effects with gender and race, and
the misunderstandings these can cause in the teaching/learning process;
the role of women's literacy in family literacy programs, and the
assumptions about race and poverty often made in these programs;
domestic violence and its intersection with poverty, race, and literacy;
women's literacy levels and its ties to economics and welfare of
families; access to literacy in different cultures based on gender,
racial, and economic status; connection between women's literacy, race,
poverty and public policy; identification of supportive communication
networks; and discussion of action steps addressing women, race, poverty
and literacy.

If the above description interests you, please go to the following
address to subscribe:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/PovertyRaceWomen . The list opens
on November 6th.


Thanks,
Daphne

Daphne Greenberg
Assistant Professor
Educational Psych. & Special Ed.
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3979
Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3979
phone: 404-651-0127
fax:404-651-4901
dgreenberg at gsu.edu

Daphne Greenberg
Associate Director
Center for the Study of Adult Literacy
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3977
Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3977
phone: 404-651-0127
fax:404-651-4901
dgreenberg at gsu.edu




From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Nov 29 13:11:26 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:11:26 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 556]  Workplace/ESOL discussion on assessment
Message-ID: <008701c713e1$c99764e0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Dear Colleagues,
 
I have finally fixed up the assessment thread of a discussion held on
the Workplace Literacy and English Language Learners Discussion List
from September.  You can find this discussion at the ALE Wiki assessment
area at:
 
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
 
Click on discussions and you will see it listed at the top with a tag
that says "NEW!!"
 
I hope you find this interesting and useful - and if anyone would like
to discuss the issues further here, I encourage us to do so.
 
Thanks!
 
marie cora
 
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Wed Nov 29 13:38:47 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:38:47 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 557]  Measuring Gains discussion resource
Message-ID: <008f01c713e5$9c373210$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

Hello again!
 
A second discussion has just been posted to the ALE Wiki Assessment Area
at:
 
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Assessment_Information
 
Click on Discussions and look for "Over What Period of Time Should We
Measure Gains?"
 
This discussion took place in October on the NLA Discussion List - and I
also sent the discussion to you all as an attachment - a quite lengthy
document.  
 
I hope that you find this resource helpful and useful as well.
 
I would really like to revive that discussion here - many interesting
questions and points were raised.  
 
Please feel free!!
 
Thanks,
marie
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
Coordinator, LINCS Assessment Special Collection
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
 
 
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From kabeall at comcast.net  Wed Nov 29 17:15:28 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:15:28 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 558]  New Focus on Basics
Message-ID: <008f01c71403$e087ebd0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6>

It's with pleasure and sadness that I announce that there's a new issue of
"Focus on Basics" now available at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1150

The pleasure? It's a great issue. The sadness, it's the last issue.

 

It includes articles from a variety of NCSALL researchers on their research:

--John Strucker on the need for curriculum structure --Steve Reder and Clare
Strawn on the tendency for adults without high school diplomas to study on
there own, and what that means for adult basic education. (Molly Robertson
and Lauri Schoneck write about programs that capitalize on the motivation to
"self-study") --John Tyler on whether GED attainers are entering
postsecondary education at a rate on par with regular high school completers
--Rima Rudd and Jennie Anderson on why it's so hard to find your way around
in healthcare facilities and what we can do about it --Cristine Smith, Mary
Beth Bingman, and Kaye Beall on lessons learned from ten years of
disseminating research Enjoy!

 

After ten years of research and development, the National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end.
NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March 2007.  The Web site
(www.ncsall.net) will remain available for free downloading of NCSALL
materials.

 

Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the production of Focus on
Basic:  

&#61607;    Volume 8, Issue B, "Learners' Experiences" was the last issue
published in print.  

Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on Basics" ends with this issue
and we will issue a refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an
email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file for a refund.

&#61607;    Volume 8, Issue C, "Self-Study, Health, GED to Postsecondary,
Disseminating Research" is the last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only
issue to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL's Web site only at
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1150

&#61607;    All issues of "Focus on Basics" will continue to be available on
the NCSALL website at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31.  

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support
throughout the years.  We hope that you find "Focus on Basics" useful and
will continue to use it as a staff development tool and for program design
guidance.  If you have any questions about the refund process, please
contact Caye Caplan at ccaplan at worlded.org.

 

Barb Garner

Editor, "Focus on Basics"

 

****************

Kaye Beall

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.worlded.org

 

 

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From kabeall at comcast.net  Mon Dec 18 14:21:12 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:21:12 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 559]  New from NCSALL
Message-ID: <00ac01c722d9$ae9a1690$0302a8c0@your4105e587b6>

How
<http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_content_biblio.pdf>
Do You Teach Content in Adult Education? An Annotated Bibliography (PDF) by
Elizabeth M. Zachary and John P. Comings
The occasional paper provides sources of research and professional wisdom
that are useful to the design of evidence-based instruction. This annotated
bibliography is divided into seven subsections that focus on reading,
writing, math and numeracy, English as a second language, GED, adult
learning theory, and technology. Each section presents adult education
sources and then additional resources based on K-12 research, instruction,
and professional development resources. 

To download the paper, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26#content

 

Using <http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/using_GBGED.pdf>
Going Beyond the GED (PDF)
This 4-hour seminar introduces teachers and tutors to Going
<http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/beyond_ged_revised.pdf>
Beyond the GED: Making Conscious Choices about the GED and Your Future
(PDF), a set of classroom materials designed for use in GED classrooms. The
materials provide learners with practice in graph and chart reading,
calculation, information analysis, and writing, while they examine the labor
market, the role of higher education and the economic impact of the GED.

To download the seminar, go to:
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=597#using_going_beyond_GED

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 208-694-8262

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.worlded.org

 

 

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From gspangenberg at caalusa.org  Tue Dec 19 09:23:33 2006
From: gspangenberg at caalusa.org (Gail Spangenberg)
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 09:23:33 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 560] Document from National Commission on Adult Literacy
Message-ID: <72D5C30B-C91D-418D-A0A3-655DA1CE971B@caalusa.org>

Colleagues,

 From time to time over the next couple of years, the National  
Commission on Adult Literacy, which CAAL manages, will make  
background papers developed for the Commission available to the   
general public. The first set of four papers -- all summary  
information papers on the role of the federal government in adult  
literacy -- have been pulled together into an informal publication  
that can be downloaded from the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org).

The papers were written for the Commission by Lennox McLendon,  
Garrett Murphy, and Jim Parker. They are titled as follows:


1.  Adult Education and Literacy Legislation and Its Effects on the  
Field (McLendon)

2.  Adult Education & Literacy in the Unites States: Need for  
Services, What the Current Delivery System Looks Like (Murphy)

3.  Introduction to Main Strands of Federal Adult Literacy  
Programming (Parker)

4.  Federal Role in Adult Literacy, FY05-06 (Murphy)


The combined document is quite large (2.2 MB) but it will download  
quickly for those with high speed connections.  For those who prefer,  
CAAL can make copies available by regular mail at $25 per copy plus  
postage (contact bheitner at caalusa.org for ordering instructions).

Happiest of holidays to you all, and a wonderful new year --


Gail Spangenberg
President
Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy
1221 Avenue of the Americas - 46th Fl
New York, NY 10020
212-512-2362, F: 212-512-2610
www.caalusa.org



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From gspangenberg at caalusa.org  Wed Dec 20 17:00:03 2006
From: gspangenberg at caalusa.org (Gail Spangenberg)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:00:03 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 561]  A Holiday Bon Bon for Everyone
Message-ID: <AC0A46C4-7FB8-4547-ABCF-18CCE41DCD1E@caalusa.org>

Friends, I am pleased to share this wonderful bon bon with you. It is  
authored by Samuel Halperin, who was in on the founding of our adult  
education system. Sam is a member of the new National Commission on  
Adult Literacy and, I am proud to say, a member of CAAL'S board of  
directors. Enjoy, remember, and dare to hope. Merry Holidays and  
Happy New Year. Gail Spangenberg






REFLECTIONS ON THE FORTIETH BIRTHDAY OF THE ADULT



EDUCATION ACT OF 1966



Samuel Halperin

  December 22, 2006



In November 1966, the United States took a small, but potentially  
momentous, legislative step to support a federally aided network of  
adult education providers under the Adult Education Act of 1996.  
(Technically, the Act is Title III of the Elementary and Secondary  
Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended).

Who would have guessed then that this relatively unheralded act would  
spur a national network providing education and literacy services to  
over 2.5 million adult learners annually, including one million 16-24  
year-olds, about half of whom study English as a second language?

With hindsight, making sure that adults have a second chance to raise  
their literacy skills and continue their education beyond high school  
would seem to be clearly in the public interest. Yet, this obvious no- 
brainer required no less than a massive realignment of Congressional  
attitudes, a perceived serious threat to national security, and quite  
possibly a presidential assassination to turn a simple idea into  
legislative reality.

The legislative paths to enactment of the Adult Education Act merit  
reflection in this 40th anniversary year because they demonstrate how  
extremely malleable, porous, and often quirky is the process of  
making our laws, and also because it illuminates the many  
opportunities for advocates who perceive opportunities and know how  
to seize them to make progress in the public interest.

Here are brief personal memories of those early days, as viewed from  
my experience as an executive branch ?lobbyist? for Presidents John  
F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson:*

In the early 1960s, adult educators were barely a presence in the  
halls of Congress.

?None of its advocates,? notes veteran educator Thomas Sticht, ?was  
having much success getting adult education or adult literacy  
education implemented in federal legislation.?**

Ever since the demands of World War I had revealed how poorly  
prepared for military service were so many potential recruits --  
intellectually through very low literacy as well as physically, an  
Adult Basic Education bill (ABE) had been intermittently introduced  
in Congress beginning in 1918, and then promptly ignored.

In a Congress long dominated by southern conservatives, ?adult basic  
education? became conflated with efforts by liberals and the growing  
civil rights movement to teach ?Negroes? how to pass the literacy  
tests that southern states had erected as effective barriers to the  
exercise of voting rights.  (Southerners also noted with suspicion  
that the U.S. Office of Education?s small adult education branch was  
headed, and almost exclusively staffed, by a de facto segregated  
staff of distinguished African American educators in a federal agency  
where Black senior executives were notable mostly by their absence.)

After the defeat of President Kennedy?s education proposals in  
1961-62, his Administration devised an omnibus education bill, the  
National Education Improvement Act of 1963 (NEIA), consisting of 14  
parts and incorporating everything from teacher salaries, vocational  
education, public libraries, student financial aid, higher education  
construction, and several long-languishing proposals, including adult  
basic education.  Commissioner of Education Francis Keppel, leading  
the NEIA legislative effort, knew that the entire 14-part package  
would not survive the church-state hurdles that had doomed earlier  
Kennedy proposals, but hoped that it might reduce the internecine  
warfare then prevailing among Washington?s many diverse and  
fragmented education associations.

Through hard work by House and Senate education committees headed,  
respectively, by Rep. Adam Clayton Powell and Sen. Wayne Morse, major  
parts of NEIA advanced in early 1963. But progress soon stalled as  
House and Senate chairs and various education associations quarreled  
and checkmated each other.

It took the shock of President Kennedy?s assassination and Lyndon  
Johnson?s rise to vigorous leadership to open the legislative  
floodgates.  By year?s end, major bills for vocational and higher  
education were signed into law.  Indeed, by the end of 1964, 12 of  
the less controversial parts of the NEIA had become law.

During that period, too, several developments made it conceivable  
that adult education, with its anti-poverty focus, could at last get  
attention on Capitol Hill.  In 1963, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then an  
assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor, was struck by  
the fact that among potential draftees under the Selective Service  
System at least one-third were found unfit for induction due to poor  
health or mental limitations, that is very low levels of literacy.   
(Analysts believed that if all 18 year-olds had been examined, fully  
one-half would be found unfit.). At the urging of Moynihan, Secretary  
of Labor Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and  
General Lewis Hershey of the Selective Service System, President  
Kennedy ordered a Task Force on Manpower Conservation to develop  
appropriate plans for federal action.  The Task Force report, One- 
Third of a Nation, was delivered to President Johnson on January 1,  
1964.  The report did not call for immediate legislation, nor is  
there any evidence that it led to Congressional action. Nevertheless,  
the critical connections between low literacy, national security, and  
poverty were given new and high-level visibility in the Nation?s  
Capital.  A mood was fast developing that some kind of federal action  
was long overdue.

Then, in May 1964, President Johnson committed his administration to  
wage War on Poverty.  He directed federal agencies to suggest what  
they could contribute to the development of what soon became the  
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and its new federal agency, the  
Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO).

Assigned as the Department of Health, Education and Welfare?s liaison  
to the OEO legislative task force headed by Adam Yarmolinsky, I  
argued there that several parts of the still-pending NEIA bill had  
relevance for any effort to combat poverty, and that such  
Administration proposals as adult basic education (ABE), libraries  
and college work study could be appropriately incorporated in the  
emerging OEO bill.

Future OEO director Sargent Shriver and Yarmolinsky, however,  
rejected any targeted earmarking of anti-poverty funds, preferring to  
wield the broadest possible blanket authority to wage war on poverty  
in all its forms.  Moreover, OEO people wanted nothing to do with a  
state grant program like ABE that would, they argued, be administered  
by unsympathetic, possibly even racist, state and local officials.   
Knowing that passage of the OEO bill in the Congress depended on  
gaining the support of southerners, many of whom saw ABE as a wedge  
to undercut state literacy voting laws, ABE would have no place in  
the fast-developing OEO bill.

But legislative possibilities changed dramatically when Congress  
passed the historic Voting Rights Act of 1964.  The power of state  
literacy tests to thwart voting by Blacks would sharply decline, if  
not entirely disappear.  The mood and tactics among southern  
lawmakers shifted accordingly.  As one leading southern senator said  
in closed caucus, ?If we are going to have to let ?them? vote, we had  
better be sure they can at least read.?

In the House of Representatives, responsibility for overseeing the  
contents of the draft Economic Opportunity bill was assigned to a  
subcommittee chaired by Carl Perkins, the ranking majority member on  
the House Education and Labor Committee, who represented an East  
Kentucky district characterized by high poverty and even higher  
illiteracy.  During a meeting of Committee members and our HEW  
legislative staff to consider the provisions of the draft OEO bill, I  
raised with Mr. Perkins the relevance of including HEW?s proposals  
for ABE and college work-study.  Mr. Perkins immediately and  
enthusiastically embraced incorporating both provisions in the OEO  
bill when it was reported to the House of Representatives for its  
approval.  Despite opposition from OEO to these inclusions, Perkins  
argued that the added provisions would strengthen support for the  
overall bill.  Thus, when President Johnson signed the Economic  
Opportunity Act on August 20, 1964 (Public Law 88-452), its Title  
IIB, the Adult Basic Education Act, authorized OEO to make grants to  
state education agencies to advance adult literacy. OEO promptly  
assigned administration of the two new programs to the U.S. Office of  
Education.

On March 1, 1966, ABE and the college work-study legislative  
authorizations were formally transferred from OEO to the Office of  
Education.  These transfers were much less the result of adult  
educators? lobbying efforts than of  OEO?s desire to rid itself of an  
unwelcome burden and, more especially, of the energetic campaign of  
Edith Green of Oregon, subcommittee chairman for higher education  
issues on the House Committee on Education and Labor.  Mrs. Green, a  
formidable education leader, was strongly critical of President  
Johnson?s war on poverty and, particularly, of the powers and funds  
it conferred on the new OEO ?super-czar agency? to intervene in the  
traditional operations of many levels of government, including  
schools. Amid mounting sharp criticism of OEO?s initial ventures in  
community action and legal services, Mrs. Green met scant resistance  
to ?returning? HEW?s original proposals to the U.S. Office of Education.

Thus, forty years ago, the Adult Education Act was born, a small but  
durable foundation stone on which to build a much-needed adult  
learning system for the American people.

Today, however, research shows that 93 million Americans over age 16  
lack the literacy and skill levels needed to function effectively in  
a globally competitive, economically challenging world, one  
characterized by massive in-immigration of low-literacy workers. We  
must question whether a 40 year-old, generally under-funded adult  
education ?system,? staffed 80 percent by part-time instructors and  
often detached from the needs of cutting-edge economic developments,  
is even faintly adequate to meeting the challenges of the 21st Century.

This is clearly not America?s moment to rest on the anniversary  
laurels of 1966. Rather, we must forge ahead to help our nation?s  
children and adults become the most skilled, the most literate, and  
the most empowered generations in our national history.



* As Assistant U.S. Commissioner of Education for Legislation and  
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation in the Department of  
Health, Education and Welfare during the years 1961-1969.

** Sticht, T. (2002). The Rise of the Adult Education and Literacy  
System of the United States: 1600-2000, in
J. Comings, B. Garner and C. Smith (eds.) Annual Review of Adult  
Learning and Literacy, vol. 3, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp.10-43.




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From marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com  Thu Dec 21 10:21:59 2006
From: marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com (Marie Cora)
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:21:59 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 562]  Message for the New Year
Message-ID: <0a8801c72513$c31184a0$0202a8c0@LITNOW>

The following message is from Tom Sticht.

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

-------



December 20, 2006

Peeling Potatoes for Freedom from Want:
A Message for the New Year of 2007

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

On February 13, 2003, the United Nations Literacy Decade was launched,
with
the theme of Literacy as Freedom. To celebrate the U.N. Decade of
Literacy's theme of Literacy as Freedom, I conducted a speaking tour in
the
United Kingdom, Canada and the United States called Literacy Frees the
World
(LFW).   Part  of the LFW presentation discussed the work of adult
literacy
educators contributing to the achievement by adult learners  of each of
the
Four Freedoms discussed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941.

The presentation also discussed the importance of teaching literacy
following Functional Context Education (FCE) principles in which the
teaching of basic skills is  integrated with or embedded in the teaching
of
knowledge within the contexts of the adult students' lives. One
illustration
of this FCE approach occurred during World War II. During that war, over
a
quarter million young men learned to read in Special Training Units in
the
Army. One of the resources used to teach reading was a newspaper, Our
War,
which was published monthly from June 1942 through September 1945. Each
issue of Our War included a cartoon strip about the fictional Private
Pete
and his buddy, Daffy. The January 1944 issue discussed the New Year.  It
has a message pertinent to today's times and circumstances, including
the
United Nation's Decade of Literacy theme of Literacy as Freedom.
Following
is a synopsis of the strip.

Our War    January 1944			Private Pete Starts the New Year
Right

The strip opens with a panel showing Private Pete and Daffy dancing at a
U.S.O. party. Then they walk back to their barracks and Private Pete
says
to Daffy, "That was a swell party. Sure makes you want to start the New
Year Right.

The next strip shows Pete saying to Daffy, who is still in his bunk,
"Time
to get up! Remember your New Year's resolutions. Let's go!" After making
his bunk up, Pete says, "Are these corners o.k., Daffy?" Daffy says,
"They
sure are. And look at mine, too. Daffy then says, "Look at the shine on
these shoes, Pete." Pete says, "Good! But what about your laundry?"

The next panel is two weeks later on Jan. 15. Daffy says, "Gee, I've
kept my
promises for two whole weeks." Next panel, Pete and Daffy walk into the
barracks day room. Daffy says, "What are you going to do, Pete?" Pete
says,
"I'm going to find out more about the war. Remember, I promised to to
that
all year long."  Looking at a magazine in the day room Pete says, "This
magazine shows what happened when the war started."

Several panels on, Pete says, "And there's another big job to do after
the
war is over." Next panel, Pete says, "Remember the poster we say about
the
Four Freedoms?" Daffy says excitedly, "I know them.FREEDOM FROM WANT,
FREEDOM FROM FEAR, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, FREEDOM OF SPEECH."

Next the cartoon shows Pete and Daffy walking from their barracks to the
mess hall. Pete says, "Everything we do helps to win the war." Daffy
says,
"You mean K.P., too?"

In the final panel, Daffy and Pete are pealing potatoes while on K.P.
and
Daffy says, with a smile on his face, "Guess this takes care of freedom
from want!"

Still, today, over sixty years from the fictional discussion of Private
Pete
and Daffy, men and women around the world are still seeking literacy as
one
of the key tools for securing the Four Freedoms for themselves and their
families. And hundreds of thousands of adult literacy teachers are
working,
often under dangerous and oppressive conditions, to help these adults
achieve life sustaining and enhancing literacy skills.  With great
resolve,
this work by literacy learners and their teachers will continue in the
New
Year of 2007!

Literacy Frees the World!

Happy New Year!

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net




From kabeall at comcast.net  Wed Dec 27 19:51:38 2006
From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall)
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:51:38 -0500
Subject: [Assessment 563]  New from NCSALL
Message-ID: <008001c72a1a$56756940$0302a8c0@your4105e587b6>

The Components of Numeracy by Lynda Ginsburg, Myrna Manly, and Mary Jane
Schmitt
This occasional paper attempts to describe the complex nature of numeracy as
it exists today. While there are large-scale assessments, standards
documents, and position papers, there has not been a field- and
research-based synthesis of the components required for adults to be
numerate, to act numerately, and to acquire numeracy skills. This paper
attempts to identify and clarify the nature of these components with the
hope that such identification and clarification will guide instruction,
contribute to the design of assessments, frame research, and inform policy. 
To download the paper, go to:  <http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26#numeracy>
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26#numeracy

 

 

****************

Kaye Beall

World Education

4401 S. Madison St.

Muncie, IN  47302

Tel: 765-717-3942

Fax: 617-482-0617

kaye_beall at worlded.org

http://www.worlded.org

 

 

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