[NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:2950] Re: DL (SD:) and NRS regulations

From: David J. Rosen (DJRosen@theworld.com)
Date: Fri Jul 18 2003 - 07:33:52 EDT


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Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:2950] Re: DL (SD:) and NRS regulations
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Tommy and others,

NRS is the acronym for the National Reporting system, a set of United 
States Department of Education (USED) regulations for learner progress 
and outcome assessment called for by the Workforce Investment Act of 
1998 (WIA).  All adult education programs funded through the WIA (Title 
II, Education and Family Literacy Act) must comply with these 
regulations which require the use of state-approved standardized tests 
such as the BEST, REEP, TABE, or CASAS, among others.  The NRS also 
requires follow-up on employment-related goals.

Presumably adult distance learning programs with federal funds need to 
comply with NRS regulations, i.e. take standardized pre- and post-tests 
and , if they identify employment-related goals, have follow-up data 
provided on these.

It might be helpful, for those who are concerned abut the problems with 
fitting DL students with NRS requirements, to hear what you see as the 
issues of fit with the NRS for DL students.  One as Marian mentioned, 
is how students who are 100% pure DL can take the tests. Are there 
others?

For detailed information on the NRS regulations go to

http://www.nrsweb.org

David J. Rosen
NIFL Technology Guest Moderator
DJRosen@theworld.com


On Thursday, July 17, 2003, at 06:47 PM, Tommy B McDonell wrote:

> What is NRS?
>
> Fran, there has been some research that evaluates distance education 
> programs, but not much in evaluating it in terms of ESL I don't 
> believe. I know I briefly looked at these when looking for a 
> dissertation topic. Part of the problem is, of course, identifying 
> whether or not the person who has done the work is really the person 
> signed up.
>
> I have rubrics in my class for evaluating online work that I have 
> collected from various sources. I can't send them as an attachment on 
> NIFL but would be willing to send them (in a week when i'm back from 
> the vacation and on my home computer)to individuals. I have three or 
> four of them from different universities. I also have a collection of 
> articles on evaluating distance ed, somewhere. And I believe there 
> have been dissertations on it recently to evaluate teachers.
>
> In the dark ages, when I did my dissertation, I studied the difference 
> between online, video and computer conferencing. Some of this is still 
> valid.
>
> But evaluation isn't something that I think we do very well. We talk 
> about it--but what kind of test would we give a distance learner? 
> Fluency I think is what we want but it is difficult to measure, eh, on 
> many systems.
>
> Tommy
>
> Tommy B. McDonell
> Tommy.McDonell@nyu.edu
> ESL and educational technology trainer and consultant
> Adjunct Marymount Manhattan College;
> Doctoral Candidate TESOL at NYU
> H: 212-414-8513
> F: 212-414-1293
>
>
David J. Rosen, Ed.D.
Newsome Associates
7 Newsome Park
Boston, MA 02130-4024
617-522-7020
DJRosen@theworld.com



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