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Executive Summary
Pages 1-14

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From page 1...
... Such assessments can provide the foundation and impetus for policy interventions. The National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS)
From page 2...
... Two other components were added to increase the information gathered about adults with low-level English literacy skills: the Fluency Addition and the Adult Literacy Supplemental Assessment (ALSA)
From page 3...
... The statistical estimate of each question's difficulty used to rank-order the questions was calculated to represent a certain chance of responding correctly. In the language of test design, this chance is called a "response probability." The choice of a specific response probability value is an important decision because it affects the value of the cut scores used to separate the performance levels: the cut scores could be higher or lower simply as a consequence of the response probability selected.
From page 4...
... An open process would be in line with currently accepted guidelines for educational and psychological testing. There is a broad literature on procedures for developing performance levels and setting cut scores.
From page 5...
... They want to know what percentage of adults in the United States: · Have very low literacy skills and are in need of basic adult literacy services, including services for adult English language learners. · Are ready for GED (general educational development)
From page 6...
... A brief description of each level appears below: Nonliterate in English: may recognize some letters, numbers, or common sight words in everyday contexts. Below Basic Literacy: may sometimes be able to locate and use simple words, phrases, and numbers in everyday contexts and perform simple one-step arithmetic operations.
From page 7...
... Although it was not possible to establish a one-to-one correspondence between the NAAL and NRS levels, there appears to be a rough parallel between nonliterate in English and the NRS beginning literacy level; between below basic and the NRS beginning basic and low intermediate levels; and between basic and the NRS high intermediate level. Setting Cut Scores The literature on setting achievement levels documents the strengths and weaknesses of various methods of setting cut scores.
From page 8...
... We examined the cut scores that emerged from the bookmark procedures in relation to relevant background information and made slight adjustments. We make the following recommendation with regard to the cut scores for the performance levels: RECOMMENDATION 5-1: The scale-score intervals associated with each of the levels should be as shown below for the prose, document, and quantitative dimensions of literacy.
From page 9...
... OTHER ISSUES Communicating Survey Results Experience with the initial release and subsequent media coverage of the 1992 NALS results highlighted the critical importance of clearly communicating assessment results so they are interpreted correctly and are useful to the various audiences concerned about adult literacy in the United States. The substantive challenge will be to convey the message that literacy is not a unidimensional concept or an all-or-nothing state.
From page 10...
... Policy Interventions for Low-Literate Adults With the development of ALSA in 2003, specific attention was focused on the skills of low-literate adults, and one would expect that many services will be directed at the needs of this group. The nonliterate in English and below basic categories are likely to be heterogeneous, encompassing English speakers who have weak literacy skills, non-English speakers who are highly literate in their native languages but not in English, and non-English speakers who are not literate in any language.
From page 11...
... In our judgment, ongoing assessment of the literacy skills of this nation's adults is important, and planning for a followup to NAAL should begin now. In an effort to be forward looking, we offer several suggestions for ways to improve the assessment instrument and expand on the literacy skills assessed.
From page 12...
... The department should consider revising the quantitative literacy component on future assessments of adult literacy to include a numeracy component assessed as a separate construct, less tied to prose or document literacy but still reflective of the types of tasks encountered by adults in everyday life situations. The numeracy skills to include on the assessment should be identified as part of an analysis of critical literacy demands in six content areas.
From page 13...
... If background questions were asked in a language newcomers could understand, the range of information obtained would be much broader, and policy makers would gain a more accurate picture of the literacy needs in this country. The department should seek to expand the information obtained about non-English speakers in future assessments of adult literacy, including background information about formal education, training and work experience here and abroad, and self-reports about the use of print materials in languages other than English.


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