Abstract
This chapter describes adult basic education (ABE) assessment by identifying four broad categories of its use: accountability, diagnosis, credentialing, and population study. Assessment for accountability for federal funding was first mandated by the Workforce Investment Act (1998) and updated in 2014 when the reauthorization legislation known as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act was passed. Diagnostic assessments can be used to detect and address reasons for difficulties by providing a detailed view of the extent to which individuals are able to deploy reading, writing, and math skills. Assessment in ABE has evolved to provide a high school equivalency credential as an alternative for those who leave school before graduating. The value added in authenticity and descriptiveness likely will always be counterbalanced by the policymaker’s and the funder’s needs for relatively easy to interpret and easy to compare data to inform decisions about return on investment. This tension demonstrates well the competing interests and the Gordian knot that is ABE assessment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability in Adult Education |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Pages | 57-71 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781000974546 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781620368503 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2023 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Social Sciences