A Lightning History of learner Assessment in Adult Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL

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A Lightning History of learner Assessment in
Adult Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL

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FEFC Quote

• During the last decade there has been a
  trend towards greater use of accredited awards.
  This has improved the quality of provision,
  providing greater rigour and a more structured
  approach. For most students, the opportunity to
  gain a nationally recognised qualifications,
  which can be the first step to other studies, is
  a welcome development. Some students, however,
  still do not perceive accreditation to be of
  value, given their immediate circumstances, and
  some teachers do not offer student sufficient
  encouragement to register for qualifications.
• FEFC 1998, p. 31

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Phase One Mid 1970s

• Rejection of school-based tests for children.
  
• Assessment was informal.
• There was a need to shake off the image of
  remedial education.
• RSA or City and Guilds certificates were
  available
• Some students had to prepare for vocational
  entrance tests

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Phase Two 1980s

• ALBSU developed guidance on assessment,
  including the progress profile
• Open Colleges were developing alternative
  accreditation
• The Training agency became interested in
  materials for employment service staff to use
• 1986 NCVQ created
• 1988 Education Reform Act

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Phase Three 1989 1998

• Formalization of assessment and outcome related
  funding
• National accreditation initiative Wordpower and
  Numberpower
• OECD co-ordinates the International Adult
  Literacy Survey
• 1992 Further and Higher Education Act

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..everyone was thinking competency
and NVQs. everybody was developing
assignments Somebody who really loved doing
Word Power and Number Power did it creatively,
and their students liked it too, it wasnt
necessarily a bad thing at all !
I remember introducing the idea of the open
college passport and being able to build up
credits and adult students getting certification
for work and, explaining for that to happen, we
were going to have to keep some records. And it
caused complete consternation
So if you were doing a basic skills class in
literacy and numeracy you had to do Number Power
or Word Power and the adults didnt want to do
Number Power and Word Power, they hated it. We
didnt like delivering it and they didnt like
doing it but that was the only way of getting
funding through the local authority
Word Power and Number Power
developed largely against the will of
practitioners, I mean when we consulted on both
of those ..a high number of people were against
it butit was immensely popular with the
learners, they liked it
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Phase Four 1998- present

International and national survey
research Development of Skills for Life strategy
and national test Core Curriculum ILPs/PDPs