Adults enrolled in local adult basic education programs at six sites in Louisiana were used to compare the credibility of Adult Performance Level (APL) competency-based instructional programs (experimental group) with traditional adult education instructional activities (control group). Focus was on determining the correlation between grade level achievement and APL objectives, impact on the retention of adult students, and the strengths and weaknesses of the APL instructional program. The California Achievement Test (CAT) and the APL survey were administered to both the experimental and control groups as pre- and post-tests. The experimental group related lessons to competencies necessary for adult living while the control group participated in a traditional adult education program. Only those students who had pre- and post-test scores were used in the final analysis. Thus, the sample consisted of 136 students (34 in the control group and 102 in the experimental group). The findings were as follows: the change in pre- and post-test scores was greatest for the experimental group; average test scores increased in both groups; the dropout rate for the control group was greater than that of the experimental group; and students, teachers, and supervisors reported an overall favorable attitude toward APL material. (Summaries of student, teacher, and supervisor evaluations are appended.) (EM)