And my question about the costs is, what is the value added?  What will 
learners and instructors receive that will inform future learning, that 
other assessments don't already provide?  What will program managers 
receive that will inform program design and funding allocations, beyond 
what current assessments and evaluations already provide?  What will 
legislators and other funders learn that will benefit future funding, 
that they are not already learning from adult education advocates?  And, 
what will be reportable to the NRS that is not already reported?

My understanding of these assessments is that they are developing 
standardized assessments aligned to the EFF content standards.  Do we 
need this?  Aren't other assessments already aligned with EFF enough to 
provide the information each stakeholder needs to make their decisions?  
Isn't the current mix of formal and informal, standardized and local, 
performance and objective assessments essentially doing the necessary 
tasks (leaving room for continuous improvements, of course)?  I can see 
why some programs may want to have a highly aligned, standardized 
assessment, and perhaps they should have that option and be wiling to 
pay for it.  But will most of us need it?

I believe that in considering the most efficient use of scarce 
resources, we should look to value added by these investments.

Howard D.


David Rosen wrote:


>Assessment Colleagues,

>

>Thanks for bringing this up, Marcia.  In K-12 and higher education,  

>the costs of assessment relative to instruction are relatively  

>small.  In vastly underfunded adult literacy education the additional  

>costs may be relatively significant, and may severely drain resources  

>from already thinly-provided instruction.  Does this mean we should  

>abandon assessment?  Of course not.  But perhaps it is time to cost  

>it out, and to ask Congress and state legislatures to pay for the  

>increased costs.  It is possible that some state legislatures -- and  

>possibly Congress -- would understand a line item increase needed to  

>pay for assessment, even in times of fiscal restraint.

>

>So, my question for Julie Eastland: What are the costs involved?

>

>• For being a participating state?

>• For teachers' time to learn how to conduct the assessments?

>• For the assessment instruments?

>

>And what might this be in terms of additional cost-per-student?  In  

>other words, if a State Director of Adult Education were asked by a  

>legislator how much it would cost to fully implement EFF assessments,  

>what would be the answer? What would the additional cost per student  

>be, recognizing that that would vary for states with larger or fewer  

>numbers of students?

>

>David J. Rosen

>newsomeassociates.com

>djrosen at comcast.net

>  

>