Assessment

National Reporting System for Adult Education
The web site for information, resources and training relating to the National Reporting System (NRS).

National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL)
NCSALL pursues basic and applied research, builds partnerships between researchers and practitioners, and disseminates information.

American Institutes for Research
Founded in 1946, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a not-for-profit corporation providing the adult education community with tools necessary to determine and incorporate effective practices, and affording adult education stakeholders information on policy, research findings, and initiatives in the field.

Creating Rubrics Through Negotiable Contracting and Assessment
Andi Stix
This article discusses the creation and integration of the rubric, including suggesting neutral language for the various stages of performance and examples of how the rubrics might be integrated into lessons and topics.

Assessing Adult Learners Through Project-Based Learning Instruction
Kyle Family Learning & Career Center
This article describes some processes of project-based learning and assessment and how this is incorporated into students' instruction.

Adult ESL Learner Assessment: Purposes and Tools
Miriam Burt & Fran Keenan
This digest looks at learner assessment in adult ESL programs. It describes commercially available tests and alternative assessment tools, discusses key issues in assessment, and highlights some of the differences between assessment and evaluation.

A Basic Guide to Program Evaluation
C. McNamara
Developed by a nonprofit management consultant and hosted by the Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits in St. Paul, Minnesota, this article explores some myths about program evaluation, provides an overview of data collection methods and gives broad guidelines for analyzing and reporting data.

Florida Department of Education Curriculum Check List

Forms of Alternative Assessment from The pH Factor
This self-directed, Web-based tutorial for adult literacy teachers provides information on the official GED test. Although designed for Florida teachers, the information is universal and covers everything from effective teaching to the makeup of the test itself.

Equipped for the Future Assessment Report: How Instructors Can Support Adult Learners Through Performance-Based Assessment
This paper introduces specific performance-based assessment methods that may be useful for those basing instruction on EFF standards.

RubiStar
RubiStar is a free, web-based tool that allows teachers to develop customized rubrics for use in evaluating student performance.

An Adult Education Administrator’s Guide for Continuous Improvement and Evaluation
This manual is to be an aide to the adult education administrator in the pursuit of continuous excellence and quality improvement in adult education programs in the State of Texas. The ideals set forth in this publication can be adapted to other states and their programs as well.

The Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning
The findings of the longitudinal study represents adults who when the study started were age 18-44, residents of the Portland (Oregon) metropolitan area, proficient but not necessarily native speakers of English, who did not have a high school diploma or GED and were not in high school.

The Adult Reading Components Study
On this website, 569 Adult Basic Education (ABE) learners from the ARCS are grouped into 11 profiles. Each profile group shows a distinctive pattern and/or level of reading component skills. You will learn more about profiles as you navigate the site via the two tracks described.

At Your Fingertips: Using Everyday Data to Improve Schools
Step-by-step guide takes users through the process of establishing goals; identifying outcomes, practices and inputs; determining data sources and indicators; examining data; setting performance targets; and monitoring performance over time. Appendices include worksheets and other resources for learning how to collect and use data. Designed for K-12 community but adaptable to adult education and workforce development programs.

The Literacy Program Evaluation Tool
Seven-step, online tool provides practical guidance for school-level literacy program evaluation. Some topics covered include conducting a needs assessment, collecting data, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, and developing an action plan.