A Finer Grained Assessment Approach for Literacy Learners

Michael Christie LINC TasmaniaJennifer Dunbabin Skills Tasmania

…and the learning goes on: anytime, anywhere, anyhow, anyoneVALBEC Conference 16 May

2014

Outline of session

• Tasmanian Adult Literacy Action Plan 2010-15• Measuring and Reporting Learner Progress• Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF)• ACSF finer grained options• Exploring finer grained options: 2 projects• Next steps

Tasmanian Adult Literacy Action Plan 2010-15

• Tasmania state government funded plan• 3 strategies– Informal community and workplace network of

adult literacy support—26TEN + Skills Tasmania + LINC Tasmania

– State wide literacy coordinator network supported by trained volunteers—LINC Tasmania

– Key indicators to measure improvements in adult literacy support and outcomes—Skills Tasmania + LICN Tasmania

Tasmanian Adult Literacy Action Plan 2010-15

• 26TEN-Skills Tasmania Community and Workplace literacy programs• Grants programs-external

• LINC Tasmania Community programs• One-to-one volunteer tutoring• Small group literacy support• Community grants program-internal

• Action Plan key indicators• Education, employment, confidence and self-esteem

outcomes• ACSF core skills improvement—rise one level in one indicator

Measuring and Reporting Learner Progress

• Grants programs—workplace and community• Range of projects: many target specific skills, 1 to 2 weeks

duration, short time spent in learning activity• Difficult to perform pre- and post-assessments• Literacy skills embedded in community programs

• One-to-one tutoring and small group programs• Can be long term (up to 3 years) but 1 to 2 hours p/week. • Focus on building Learning skills and learner identity for low

skilled learners• High proportion are pre-level 1 or level 1 in one or more Core

Skills. These are generally hardest + slowest to make skill improvements

Measuring and Reporting Learner Progress

3 purposes—who and what is the assessment for?1. To provide feedback to and for the learner (learner centred—Lifelong

Learning)2. To hone and program teaching and learning activities (teacher-tutor centred

—Improving teaching and learning)3. To account for program performance (funder-centred—Systems

accountability and reporting)

Activity• What sorts of learner progress do you see in your program?• How do you measure this progress?• What evidence do you use to demonstrate this progress?• Who is this measurement for?

Page 10 ACSF

Australian Core Skills FrameworkOverview

Australian Core Skills Framework

• A framework for:– Assessment– Programming learning activities– Mapping training programs to benchmarked skills levels– A training package (Foundation Skills)

• Doesn’t come with instructions on how to use as an assessment tool

• Activity• Do you use the ACSF? • How do you use it?

Australian Core Skills Framework

• What constitutes progress?

• Movement between finer grained measures?

• Provide evidence of gain • against a core skill • against one indicator in a core skill• against a predominant focus area/s for a core skill• in an indicator against performance features• in a core skill using text types • against level of support• against domains

Australian Core Skills Framework

Australian Core Skills FrameworkDomains of Communication

Using finer grained measures in a community program

Using finer grained measures in a community program

Exploring finer grained measures in a workplace program

Next Steps

• Comments?• Critique?• Could this approach be applied or trialled in

your program?

• Trial project

A Finer Grained Assessment Approach for Literacy Learners

• Contact Jennifer Dunbabinjennifer.dunbabin@skills.tas.gov.auMichael Christie michael.christie@education.tas.gov.au.au

• Further information