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Research Briefs and Digests

California Research Briefs

Research Brief #8: Technology Use in California Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title II Funded Adult Education Programs 2005 - 06 get adobe reader
Directors, administrators, instructors, and other educators emphasize the current and potential role of technology to add value to California WIA Title II Adult Education Programs. This research brief addresses the use of technology in these programs. Click on the link above to view the Research Brief.

Research Brief #7: WIA Title II Program Implementation 2005 - 06 get adobe reader
Fiscal year 2005-06 represents the seventh year of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title II implementation. In 2005-06, 289 agencies served 833,624 students. The agencies reach a diverse adult population geographically located throughout the state representing a wide variety of ethnicities. The agencies vary from small CBOs, library literacy programs, and county offices of education to small, medium, and large adult schools, community colleges, state agencies, and jail programs. Their primary goal is to assist adults in acquiring the language and basic skills they need to enable them to become productive citizens of this country. Click on the link above to view the Research Brief.

Research Brief #6: Voices from the Field: WIA Title II Program Implementation 2004 - 05 get adobe reader
Fiscal year 2004-05 represents the sixth year of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title II implementation. Each year California has seen an increase in both the numbers of students served and agencies serving them. The agencies reach a diverse adult population geographically located throughout the state representing a wide variety of ethnicities. The agencies vary from small CBOs, library literacy programs, and county offices of education to small, medium, and large adult schools, community colleges, state agencies, and jail programs. Their primary goal is to assist adults in acquiring the language and basic skills they need to enable them to become productive citizens of this country. Click on the link above to view the Research Brief.

Research Brief #4: Voices from the Field: WIA Title II Program Implementation 2003 - 04 get adobe reader
Fiscal year 2003-04 represents the fifth year of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title II implementation. Each year California has seen an increase in both the numbers of students served and agencies serving them. During the 2003-04 program year, 291 agencies served 842,464 students (See Table 1 and Table 2). The agencies reach a diverse adult population geographically located throughout the state representing a wide variety of ethnicities. The agencies vary from small CBOs, library literacy programs, and county offices of education to small, medium, and large adult schools, community colleges, state agencies, and jail programs. Their primary goal is to assist adults in acquiring the language and basic skills they need to enable them to become productive citizens of this country. Click on the link above to view the Research Brief.

Research Brief #3: Participation and Performance of Youth in Adult Education Programs 2004  get adobe reader
What is the participation rate of youth, ages 16 to 24, in WIA Title II programs? Over the past 5 years, approximately 32% of the total enrollment for California's WIA Title II was composed of youth (16 to 24 years of age). Click on the link above to see the differences in youth participation among the three WIA Title II program areas that include Adult Basic Education.

Research Brief #2: The Relationship of Adult ESL Reading Performance to Instructional Time 2004 get adobe reader
Does time spent in the classroom affect ESL student performance on reading tests? Does student persistence make a difference? Do test scores really increase for those students with more instructional hours? What does the research tell us? Click on the link above to learn the answer.

Research Brief #1: Relationship between California EL Civics Objectives and CASAS Competencies 2004 get adobe reader
California EL Civics-funded adult education programs identified key civic objectives through extensive community and student needs assessments from 2001 to 2003. These agency-identified civic objectives were then correlated to CASAS Competencies. The correlation demonstrates that CASAS Competencies continue to reflect critical adult learner needs across states, across adult population groups, and across functional levels. CASAS Competencies form the basis of the CASAS integrated assessment and curriculum management system, documenting more than 300 essential skills that youth and adults need to be successful members of families, communities, and the workforce. Click on the link above to read the Research Brief.

Research Digests

Research Digest #1: Using Portfolio Assessment in EL Civics Classes in California 2003 get adobe reader
This research brief describes portfolio assessment and explains why it may be an appropriate assessment selection for California EL Civics classes. Portfolio assessment is an ongoing process involving learners and their instructors in selecting samples of student work for inclusion in a collection, the main purpose of which is to show the progress of learners. Perhaps the greatest overall benefit of using portfolio assessment in EL Civics projects is that the learners are taught by example to become independent thinkers, and their ability to take control of their own learning is facilitated. Click on the link above to view the Research Brief. (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL), and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) including GED.

National Research Briefs

Study of the CASAS Relationship to GED 2014 get adobe reader

CASAS, in cooperation with the GED Testing Service®, is conducting a study to provide guidance to adult education programs and instructional staff regarding student readiness to take the 2014 GED® test. The study examines the relationship of CASAS reading and math scores to the GED Ready® practice test results in Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA) and Mathematical Reasoning.

To date, more than 1,000 students have participated in the study from three principal states — California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. CASAS and the GED Testing Service® continue to recruit participants to increase the sample size of the study. This research brief presents preliminary results that show a positive relationship between CASAS reading scores and the GED® Reasoning Through Language Arts Ready Test scores as well as between CASAS math scores and GED® Mathematical Reasoning Ready Test scores.

Research Brief #5: Calibration Study of POWER Performance Levels to the CASAS Scale get adobe reader
POWER - Providing Options for the Workplace, Education, and Rehabilitation, is a new standardized curriculum and performance-based assessment system for secondary and adult students with developmental disabilities. Performance levels indicate the amount of support learners require to demonstrate basic skills successfully, regardless of ability level. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of calibrating the CASAS POWER standardized performance levels and subsequently, to link the levels to the CASAS standardized scale.

Study of the CASAS Relationship to GED 2002 get adobe reader
Is there a relationship between CASAS reading and math tests and the GED Tests? At what CASAS test level do students have the highest probability of passing the GED Tests? What does the research tell us? Click on the link above to find out!

Accommodations get adobe reader
Accommodations in testing alter the conditions for administering a test or change the nature of an assessment instrument allowing test takers with disabilities to demonstrate more accurately their skills and abilities. Proper accommodations meet the needs of examinees without changing what a test is intended to measure. Click on the link above for more information about Accommodations.

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