You may recall that about a year ago, the results of the PIAAC were released. If you are new to the adult literacy and numeracy world, you may have missed this event. The PIAAC represented an international effort to assess adults' literacy and numeracy levels. PIAAC is the acronym for the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. The work based on those results included reshaping federal job training programs and initiatives in adult education. Documents and research continue to be disseminated regarding the PIAAC results.
As I recall, late in 2013 the LINCS community started or participated in several discussions and activities regarding the PIAAC. I'm curious how these results might have reshaped your curricular and instructional practices. What changes or shifts have you made in your program and more importantly, have they made a difference in the long-term outcomes of your participants, especially in employment preparation? What PIAAC findings helped engage your staff? On the other hand, you may have felt like your program was already responding to initiatives such as the Common Core State Standards. What do you view as making a meaningful difference in your program?
As you consider changes within your adult education and literacy programs, consider how the literacy and numeracy skill deficits from this PIAAC research might direct some of your curricular and instructional decisions. I imagine that staff in many programs continue to research and evaluate their efforts to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes. Your experiences could be very valuable to them. I hope you will share your wisdom.
Here's a link to PIAAC news and earlier related work.
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=df1c56e5d3&e=e873225cd7
So much work to do!
Daryl
Reading and Writing Community Moderator