Six practical and readily accessible informal assessment strategies for evaluating adult readers are described. These include (1) observation, (2) simplified reading inventories, (3) cloze procedures, (4) group reading inventories, (5) criterion-referenced tests, and (6) informal reading inventories. (CH)

The syllabus for Workers' Education Association courses was revised to include explicit learning objectives while attempting to overcome adult student resistance to formal assessment. The form enables students to comment on the course and evaluate their own outcomes. (SK)

A rationale for the recognition of prior learning is first based on the fact that learning experientially may be as necessary as learning through theory. One basis for the rationale is that adults in everyday life may have to acquire skills that belong to three domains: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Furthermore, the rationale supports the…

This paper describes a death education curriculum designed for and field-tested on verbally expressive adults with mental retardation. The Communicating About Loss and Mourning (CALM) curriculum was presented to an experimental group in 8 sessions each lasting 50 minutes. Lectures and group discussions were used to convey information about death…

Describes educational systems in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, touching on tuition costs, adult education programs, vocational education programs, folk universities, admission standards, certificate of completion, radio and television courses, study circles, no-grade system, and the international folk college. (TP)

A portfolio is a folder assembled by the learner, containing samples of the learner's work collected over a period of time. The kinds of items reflect the nature of the course content. Each individual who decides to use a portfolio approach must develop unique expectations, guidelines for content, and assessment criteria suitable for the purpose…

The second in a series of manuals on adults with learning disabilities, the booklet covers assessment techniques. The nature of assessment as an ongoing process is stressed, and the role of observation (both systematic and nonsystematic) and interview data are discussed. A seven-step evaluation sequence is proposed, with the major goal of…

This book is designed to help adult educators become skillful in conducting an informal assessment of learning. Chapter 1 gives a background in the basic concepts of assessment and stresses the importance of assessing the design of activities and the behaviors as well as the achievements of learners. Chapter 2 introduces the use of the planning…

This publication, the sixth of seven booklets intended for adult education teachers of students with learning disabilities, reviews assessment and remediation considerations in mathematics. Observation of math disabilities is discussed in terms of social and general academic environment, calculation activities, quantitative concepts, and applied…

The fourth of seven booklets on adults with learning disabilities, this manual examines the assessment and remediation of written language problems. Spelling assessment activities are described, including lists of questions designed to investigate auditory skills, tactile skills, and visual skills. Also considered is assessment of punctuation,…

The third of seven booklets on adults with learning disabilities, this manual addresses the evaluation and remediation of oral language difficulties. An assessment section focuses on behaviors and disorders which adult education teachers should look for as well as informal diagnostic tasks in auditory discrimination, grammar, vocabulary, social…

Designed to provide mature adults in an urban setting with an alternative to the high school diploma, the External High School Diploma Program of the District of Columbia is a systematic assessment of an individual's demonstrated competencies in the four generalized life skills areas of health, social/political, consumer/producer, and career…

This handbook gives the adult student information to complete portfolios that are designed to help adult students earn college credits for outside experience. Portfolio assessment is a flexible and efficient way to earn college credit. Nearly any area of learning can be converted into credits as long as it is taught at a regionally accredited…

A study determined specific skills and competencies that employers in Tempe, Arizona require in entry-level employees. It identified student-produced performance products applicants can use to signal proficiency in the skills and competencies. A modified Delphi inquiry was used, with 3 rounds of questionnaires over a 5-month period to survey 24…

The changing nature of the workplace is increasing recognition of the fact that employee career development is a lifelong process essential to the achievement and maintenance of a high-quality, competitive work force. Offering employees the opportunity to participate in growth and development programs that include career counseling, assessment,…