This booklet along with six others comprises a curriculum guide developed for adult education supervisors and teachers of undereducated workers or job seekers whose inability to develop the skills and obtain the knowledge necessary to meet the requirements of the working world are primarily due to a lack of competence in reading and math skills. This first booklet is a summary of the reading and math skills and an explanation of the development of diagnostic and instructional instruments utilized in each of the instructional packets. (Booklets 4-7 are the instructional packets developed in each of the following areas: Manufacturing, municipal government, health services, and construction.) Section 1 of the booklet contains a list of reading skills; discusses the development of diagnostic instruments for assessing reading level, including testing instructions and the test; and explains the development of instructional instruments, including a summary of the following method for preparing career-related materials: Collect print from career sites, analyze the print for suitability in content and vocabulary, locate a sample skills lesson, substitute career-oriented vocabulary and content in the sample exercises, and follow-up with practice. Section 2 contains a list of basic mathematical skills and adult performance level objectives; and, like the section on reading, explains the development of the diagnostic and instructional instruments utilized in each of the instructional packets. (EM)