ABE program steps up adult student assessment efforts

By Marian A. Maraya

Staff Reporter

A three-member delegation from the Northern Marianas College Adult Basic Education program will be sent to Hawaii this month to undergo training on the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System, the most widely used method for assessing adult basic skills.

ABE Director Fe Y. Calixterio said the training is part of the implementation plan the college is expected to produce, aimed at ensuring that key staff are appropriately trained to administer CASAS tests, interpret results, use assessment data for evaluation, and support continuous program development.

The ABE program recently received funds to support the college’s participation in the four-day training scheduled to start on October 30, 2000.

“We figured it would be cheaper for us and much more profitable if we joined Hawaii. We are determined not just to sit there and listen but to observe what is actually happening and share some of the experiences with Hawaii,” said Ms. Calixterio.

Over $50,000 in fresh funds have been granted to the ABE program to include two other training programs on technology instruction and management.

Aside from the CNMI, other entities participating in the series of development exercises are American Samoa, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.

The comprehensive assessment system is the only evaluation method of its kind approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Education in the area of adult literacy.

The system provides a framework for implementing quality programs with a built-in standardized accountability system for reporting results, supported by more than 18 years of research and development in adult assessment, instruction, and evaluation.

The assessment, training, and evaluation are based on the critical competencies and skills areas required for success in the workplace, community, and family.

Furthermore, CASAS is used extensively through the United States in programs such as workforce development, school-to-work employment preparation, welfare reform, English as second language, corrections, family learning, special education, secondary level programs, private industries, among others.

Based on a 1993 revalidation process commissioned by the U.S. Dept. of Education Program Effectiveness Panel, findings showed that students enrolled in adult alternative education programs that have implemented key elements of the CASAS system demonstrate significant learning gains, increased hours of participation, and achieve increased goal attainment.

The unique system includes more than 140 standardized assessment instruments, and assessment can be customized to measure specific competencies.