The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), which is being developed for administration in 2002, will determine the status of adult literacy in the United States and serve as a follow-up to the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey. Three discussion groups consisting of a total of 23 literacy researchers, users of the 1992 survey, potential users of the 2002 survey, and other stakeholders were convened to obtain input on the NAAL's content and issues related to its development. A professional facilitator used a set of structured questions and probes to lead the discussions with each group. Several problems in using the data from the 1992 survey at the federal and state levels were noted. Suggestions for making the NAAL more meaningful than the 1992 survey were quite similar among the three groups. A major focus was on ensuring that the data could be useful at the state level even if states cannot conduct an individual survey. Suggestions for interpretation of the NAAL fell into four topical areas: use of subscales, broadness of levels, utilization of composite scores, and linkages between the 2002 assessment and other surveys. (Appended are a list of focus group participants and overview of the NAAL.) (MN)