Using CASAS to Meet NRS Accountability Requirements

History of the National Reporting System (NRS)

The National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) is an outcome-based reporting system for the state-administered, federally funded adult education program. NRS began in response to the trend toward greater accountability, for both adult education and employment programs. With a system designed to demonstrate program effectiveness and improve student outcomes, the NRS provides a means of regular evaluation for adult education nationwide—for states, programs, teachers, and students.

In August 1998, the voluntary nature of the NRS changed when the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act within the Workforce Investment Act (WIA – P.L. 105-220) became law. Mandatory statewide implementation of NRS began in 1999. In 2000, states began submitting student and program outcomes to the NRS.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

WIOA was signed into law on July 22, 2014, and supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. This Act brings together the core programs of the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Education (ED) to help youth and adult job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market. It also works to match employers with the skilled workers needed to compete in the global economy.

WIOA requires states to:

Align workforce development programs
Promote accountability and transparency
Foster regional collaboration
Improve the American Job Center (AJC) system
Improve services to employers
Promote work-based training

WIOA also requires states to:

Provide access to training
Enhance services for the unemployed and other job seekers
Improve services to individuals with disabilities
Provide services to disconnected youth and other vulnerable populations
Enhance Job Corps programs
Streamline and strengthen strategic roles of Workforce Development Boards (WDBs)

Components of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

WIOA requires core programs to report on common performance indicators, measure and report worker and student progress, and evaluate program and service effectiveness. Core programs services use standardized assessments to collect and report student and client learning gains data. This process ensures accurate and consistent monitoring of program results among programs and agencies and provides baseline data needed to document improvements in literacy skills. CASAS tests meet these requirements and correlate with the Educational Functioning Level definitions used in the NRS.

Resources about NRS

Visit the official NRS website
Access the NRS Technical Assistance (TA) Guide

Resources about WIOA

Bar chart showing data trends with vertical blue and teal bars representing different categories or time periods.
Visit the U.S. Department of Labor
WIOA webpage
Access the WIOA law publication