The summative evaluation of the impact of workplace literacy programs is best performed using a combination of standard assessment tools and custom-designed measures. The custom-designed measures usually reflect the types of reading done on the job and in training courses. In addition, they can focus upon special objectives central to the workplace literacy program (e.g., increased productivity and comprehending safety information). This chapter will discuss several standard and custom-designed measures and provide examples.

* Standardized tests, their advantages and disadvantages
* Custom-designed measures such as Cloze tests and job scenarios based on literacy task analysis
* Assessing a broader conception of adult literacy growth which includes learners' literacy beliefs, practices, processes, and plans.

Model custom-designed measures, including Cloze tests, interviews, and questionnaires are available in Appendices A- C.

Standardized reading tests are sometimes used in workplace literacy programs as a means of identifying the general reading abilities of learners. These tests often employ multiple-choice questions and short reading passages, from a few sentences to a paragraph or two. Some are based on tests developed for use in elementary and secondary schools.

The most commonly used tests are the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) and the Adult Basic Learning Examination (ABLE). Occasionally a workplace literacy program operating in conjunction with a community college may use higher level general reading and study skills tests provided by the college.

The advantages of standardized tests are two-fold. They can provide information on the general reading abilities of potential learners. Many community colleges offering technical training courses, for example, will not enroll students with general reading or computational abilities below the eighth grade level. The results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (Kirsch & Jungeblutt, 1986) indicated that approximately 20% of American adults read below the eighth grade level--including a significant number of adults who graduated from high school. In some industries, more than half of the hourly employees scored below an eighth grade level. Such individuals are prime candidates for basic skills support before and during technical training. Sometimes, standardized tests can be used to help identify such individuals.

In addition, standardized tests can be used as program pre- and post-assessments to measure gains in general reading abilities. Comparison of pre- and post-test scores can indicate the degree of effectiveness of a program. Also, post-test scores can indicate whether learners are ready to go on to textbooks and other general materials in technical training classes. These scores are generally indicative of how well someone can understand material with which he or she has little familiarity. For example, adults scoring at the 10th grade level on a standardized test would be very likely to have some difficulty with a textbook on an unfamiliar topic which was written above the 10th grade level. With some background knowledge on the topic, such people might be able to comprehend material a few grades above their standardized test scores. It is extremely rare that an individual can comprehend material more than a few grade levels above his or her standardized test scores (i.e., even extensive background knowledge is nearly always insufficient to allow a reader at the sixth grade level to comprehend a manual written at the 11th 12th grade level).

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