Professor Stephen Reder presented the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL) at The Centre's 2011 Fall Institute--IALS: Its Meaning and Impact for Policy and Practice--whose findings had implications far beyond assessment. Based on evidence from the ten-year study of more than a thousand adult high school drop-outs, Dr. Reder challenges many deeply-held assumptions about the impacts of, and links between, formal programs, self-study, proficiency gains and literacy practices on learners over time. The author suggests implications from LSAL and makes recommendations for adult basic education policy, program and system design, and assessment. This brief is meant to generate questions and discussion about factors that influence the impacts and results of adult basic education and seed new ways to think about the implications for workplace learning. [Funding for this paper was provided by the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES), Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.]