2017-2018 Florida Adult Education Assessment Technical Assistance Paper
Author: Florida Department of Education
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Education,State Policy,Educational Assessment,Program Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Achievement Gains,Evaluation Methods,Disabilities,Special Needs Students,Distance Education,Training,Accountability,Computer Assisted Testing,Alternative Assessment,Public Policy,Disclosure,English Language Learners,Vocational Education,Scores,Information Dissemination,Benchmarking,Integrity,Information Security,Standardized Tests

This technical assistance paper provides policy and guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. Rule 6A-6.014, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), titled, General Requirements for Adult General Education Programs, requires all adult education programs to report all student measurable educational gains and demographic information to Florida's reporting system. State policies outlined in this rule apply to the state-approved assessments that programs may use to report educational gains and are in compliance with both the state and National Reporting System (NRS) requirements. The NRS is the accountability system for the federally funded adult education program, mandated by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). There are three important reasons for creating a data-driven accountability system for adult education programs: (1) The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) requires each state to establish and utilize performance measures for making continued funding decisions for federal grant programs. Furthermore, each state is expected to institute a system for program monitoring and continued technical assistance that is centered on program enrollment and performance. (2) The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has enhanced its monitoring processes by instituting a data-driven system for determining program performance. (3) The FDOE program administrators can focus attention on establishing program performance targets and program improvement. To assist programs with student and program performance reporting and accountability, Florida's data reporting system and the NRS are uniform and compatible for measuring student's educational gains. Progress is measured in Literacy Completion Points (LCPs). The term, Literacy Completion Point, used by the state is synonymous with the federal term Measurable Skill Gain (MSG). LCPs are required to be reported to show gains and progression in Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) for NRS. The Florida assessment policies and guidelines presented in this technical assessment paper are appropriate for state and federal reporting. Therefore, guidance and procedures regarding the selection and use of appropriate student assessment are included in this technical assistance paper. Additionally, the following important information for adult education programs is reviewed: (1) The definition of key terms and acronyms; (2) Selection of appropriate assessments by student and program type; (3) Appropriate student placement into program and instructional level; (3) Verification of student learning gains, Educational Functioning Level, and/or program completion; (4) Accommodations for students with disabilities and other special needs; (5) Assessment procedures for Distance Education; and (6) Training for all staff who administer the standardized assessments. [For the 2016-2017 version of this paper, see ED579162.]