Examines the claims of the developers of the Adult Performance Level (APL) program to improve the teaching and testing of adults enrolled in federally supported adult basic education programs, identifies APL's theoretical problems, scrutinizes the technical aspects of its development, and evaluates the role of the U.S. Office of Education in these…

A compilation of papers submitted by the faculty of a teacher training institute, this manual is for reading teachers of adult students. The titles and their subtopics are as follows: (1) Introduction: Student Viewpoint; (2) Recruitment and Retention of the Adult Learner (recruitment information and techniques, how to be a successful recruiter,…

Six goals are essential to basic skills mastery. Goal one is the identification of specific competencies and performance indicators which are necessary for students to master to become a coping adult. The appendix lists 17 competencies modeled after the Adult Performance Level Project (APL). Competencies are organized into five knowledge areas:…

The Adult Performance Level (APL) Competency-Based High School Diploma (CBHSD) Program in Texas is briefly described. The program was developed as a flexible and effective alternative to a conventional high school diploma program and to the General Educational Development (GED) test. Program goals are expressed as competency outcomes which are…

This plan seeks generally to improve literacy skills and specifically to aid adults in progressing through three adult performance levels to obtain the general educational development (GED) diploma. The introduction discusses the general growth of adult basic education; a chart depicts that growth in Kansas. The document is then divided into five…

A project was conducted in Pennsylvania to determine what changes might improve the effectiveness of the State's adult basic education (ABE) program. Northcutt's construct of functional competency adult performance level (APL) and Mezirow's program evaluation model provided the basis for the project's two components: APL assessment and program…

Providing a data basis for the planning and implementation of educational programs for migrant adults, this guide is a product of a year-long research effort which focused on the adult migrants in Pennsylvania, their educational needs and interests, the unique factors which should be considered in designing and providing educational programs and…

This report discusses a nationwide study of Adult Performance Level (APL) which involved sixteen projects in seven states and was conducted to (1) examine the University of Texas at Austin's APL study and describe the results and recommendations in terms of the adult needs in New York State; (2) examine several New York State Adult Basic Education…

This handbook is offered as a guide and resource for Adult Basic Education (ABE) curriculum development in the area of adult competencies and coping skills. It addresses sixty-five Adult Performance Level (APL) objectives identified in a previous study. Following a brief introduction, steps for organizing the curriculum begin in section 2 with…

Intended to help ABE (Adult Basic Education) teachers learn to design effective learning activities, this handbook provides activity suggestions, informative materials, and sample forms and materials. Section 1, Adults as Learners, discusses the adult learner's unique characteristics and includes an article on teaching strategies and learning…