In the United States, approximately one in ten adults -- nearly 36 million people -- lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, while 27 million adults lack a high school diploma. Over the last decade, new models for adult education have emerged that integrate basic skills education with workforce and college-readiness training. These integrated…

A study examined some of the ways in which vocational education has sought to ensure students a higher degree of preparation in the basic academic subjects at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Various Ohio programs as well as programs in New York, Virginia, and Michigan were examined. Special attention was paid to Ohio's Program Options…

A study was conducted in Minnesota to identify generic knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that are germane to all of the fields of vocational education--that all students will need for future roles in the family and work force. The research consisted of a review of the literature pertaining to generic skills needed for work and a validation…

Project Basic is a program developed by the Maryland State Department of Education to assure that students attain basic skills in a variety of areas. Two levels of tests are given in grade 7 to monitor progress, and in grades 9 to 12 to determine whether each student has met the state minimum competency level. Students must pass the higher level…

A June 1992 survey was conducted to determine the number of teenage mothers receiving Aid for Dependent Children (AFDC) who were participating in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program of the Family Support Act of 1988, and who were receiving education, job training, and child care. Some of the findings from the statistics gathered…

Guidelines are provided to assist New Jersey local school districts in improving and strengthening their graduation policies in accordance with the new law and regulations. Basic skills proficiency requirements have been enacted in Chapter 241, Laws of 1979. This law requires that students successfully pass tests in reading, writing and…

Due to the current legislative trend toward competency-based education, and the accompanying minimal competency testing, a variety of local school districts and state education agencies are concurrently developing programs to meet the standards set by their state's legislation. This selective bibliography was compiled in order to aid those…

A study examined the system of performance measures and standards approved in each state in response to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. An initial letter and two follow-up letters were sent to 54 state directors of vocational education. All states responded with information concerning their approved systems of…

After 2 years of a 5-year pilot project to develop approaches to strengthen basic competencies of students enrolled in vocational programs in Oklahoma, two of the projects were reviewed. The study sought to: (1) document the incidence and level of basic skills instruction, along with the teaching methods and materials used, in the vocational and…

Procedures for administering the Proficiency Testing Program, adopted by the Idaho State Department of Education, are explained in this test administration manual. The tests are described as given on a district optional basis to ninth grade students in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics. Criterion-referenced…

A project provided teachers and other school personnel with a set of practical instruments for assessing students' generalizable mathematics skills in the secondary vocational training programs in Illinois. The major accomplishments of the project were advisory committee identification and selection; population and sample identification and…

The nature of the listening and speaking instruments used for the Massachusetts assessment of those skills is discussed in this paper. Information concerning the design and administration of the assessment and data analysis is included. Copies of the instruments are appended. (FL)

This report summarizes the contents of the 270 secondary level basic skills improvement program plans for reading, writing, and mathematics submitted by school districts in Massachusetts to the State Department of Education. School districts developed these plans in response to the State Board of Education Policy and Regulations published in…

A study examined the skill areas and skills that were generalizable within and across the secondary vocational training programs in the 32 area vocational centers in Illinois. During the project, researchers worked to develop, validate, and determine the reliability of a generalizable skills instrument and to identify which mathematics,…

Implementation of the Proficiency Testing Program, adopted by the Idaho State Board of Education, is explained in the districts coordinator's manual. The tests are described as administered on a district optional basis to ninth grade students in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics. Criterion referenced tests are…