Program and professional development staff in adult education currently employ a variety of strategies to select professional development materials, but generally lack a systematic selection approach. Selections are often based on familiarity rather than quality or how well-suited the materials are to the learning goals of instructors and the objectives of programs. In order to develop a framework for programs to assess the viability and appropriateness of resources, and to guide the development of new professional development materials, selection and development criteria were created using a field-based research approach that included a selected literature review, field surveys, interviews, and reviews by experts in the field. Twenty criteria that fall into the following four distinct categories were identified: (1) appropriateness of general content; (2) appropriateness of design and delivery; (3) quality of research base; and (4) ease of adoption/adaptation. Each category has a set of criteria as well as indicators or descriptors that more fully explain the criteria. Adult education professional development staff and program administrators at the national, state, regional, and local levels can use the criteria to help them both select existing professional development materials and develop their own. (Appendices include selection and development criteria and a rubric developed by the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project. Contains 29 references and a list of telephone interviews.) (MO)