Measuring Literacy Performance Levels for Adults (2005) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 15-22
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 15... ...
This assessment, called the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) , was a household survey of a nationally representative sample of 26,000 adults aged 16 years and older.
|
From page 16... ...
The performance levels were designed to demonstrate the range of literacy demands placed on adults as part of their daily lives but not to shed light on the types of literacy demands associated with particular contexts of life. For example, the performance levels were not intended to support conclusions about the specific levels of English literacy required to obtain, remain, or advance in a particular occupation, to manage a household, or to obtain
|
From page 17... ...
The Committee on Performance Levels for Adult Literacy was established to provide this advice. The committee included individuals with a broad array of expertise, including adult education, educational measurement and standard setting, English for speakers of other languages, literacy and literacy measurement, psychology, political science, public health, sociology, statistics, and survey methodology.
|
From page 18... ...
This placed certain limitations on our work and substantially narrowed the range of options available to us as we tried to develop new performance levels. For example, when we began our work, development of the tasks that make up the literacy assessment was finished, and the background questionnaire administered in conjunction with NAAL had already been finalized.
|
From page 19... ...
Developing performance levels retroactively, as the time constraints on the committee required, clearly is not best assessment practice. Despite our reservations, we accepted the charge to assist the Department of Education with the challenging problem of communicating about adults' literacy skills and improving understanding and interpretation of NAAL findings.
|
From page 20... ...
In terms of the job opportunities available to them, individuals in California and Texas who are monolingual in English or in another language are at a distinct disadvantage compared with bilingual adults. When literacy assessments test only literacy in English, they ignore the literacy skills of immigrants and refugees who are able to read and write in their native language, skills that should be considered when a nation with the diversity of the United States paints a picture of the literacy abilities of its citizens.
|
From page 21... ...
After the second meeting, the committee prepared and issued a letter report to address three areas of concern, two related to initial screening procedures for determining survey participants and whether they would take the low-level Adult Literacy Supplemental Assessment or not, and the other related to sampling procedures. The letter report can be found at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10762.html.
|
From page 22... ...
The committee also sponsored two standard-setting sessions, one with the 1992 data and test questions and one with the 2003 data and test questions, to obtain judgments about cut scores for new performance levels and to receive additional feedback about performance-level descriptions. Participants in these standard settings included adult educators (directors, coordinators, and teachers of adult education services)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.