Chapter 4

Testing and Accountability in Adult Literacy Programs in the Workforce Education Act of 1998

A need for better standards and indicators for accountability in federal adult literacy programs was codified in the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. In September of 1995, a General Accounting Office report entitled Adult Education: Measuring Program Results Has Been Challenging (GAO/HEHS-95-153) was released. The GAO study of the federally and state-sponsored adult literacy education system indicated that progress in achieving GPRA in the federal adult education program had been stymied because "...program objectives have not been clearly defined and questions exist about the validity and appropriateness of student assessments and the usefulness of nationally reported data on results “(p.23).

In June of 1997, the GAO produced another report entitled The Government Performance and Results Act: 1997 Government wide Implementation Will be Uneven (GAO/GGD-97-109. This report found mixed results in performance accountability across government agencies and observed that among the significant challenges many agencies face are those that “…involve methodological difficulties in identifying performance measures or the lack of data needed to establish goals and assess performance.” (p. 6).

To facilitate the accountability of the federal adult education program, Congress passed the new Workforce Investment Act of 1998 with Title II, The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Title II calls for states to develop five year plans that include, among other things, performance measures described in section 212 of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Section 212 requires “core indicators” of performance that include:

• Demonstrated improvements in literacy skill levels in reading, writing and speaking the English language, numeracy, problem-solving, English language acquisition, and other literacy skills.
• Placement in, retention in, or completion of, post-secondary education, training, unsubsidized employment or career advancement.
• Receipt of a High School diploma or its recognized equivalent.