Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks
for ABE ASE and ESL Learners

Implementation Guide
Version 1.0
June 2007

Section 1: Introduction

Overview of the Texas Adult Education Standards Project
Synopsis of Standards-based Adult Education

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Overview of the Texas Adult Education Standards Project

ince 2001, a number of adult education practitioners in Texas have been hard at work to propose the standards that accurately describe what adult learners should know and be able to do as a result of instructional content and delivery, as well as to develop the statements of how well learners need to be able to demonstrate levels of proficiency.  An initial endeavor was to adapt, adopt, and implement Florida’s Department of Education Adult Basic Education Curriculum Standards.  This endeavor yielded the Texas Standardized Curriculum Framework (TSCF).

In early 2004, Texas LEARNS, the administrative oversight of Texas’ adult education programs, funded the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning (TCALL) at Texas A&M University to (1) gauge the adoption and implementation efforts of TSCF across Texas and (2) convene a taskforce to assess TSCF in its current form and recommend future directions for Texas LEARNS as they considered adopting standards statewide.  TCALL, in turn, formed the Texas Adult Education Standards Project (TAESP) and assigned staff members to the project to accomplish the charges set forth by Texas LEARNS.  The following phases describe what TAESP has achieved to date and plans to undertake in the future.

Phase I (January 2004 - August 2004)

In March 2004, the TAESP staff conducted a survey of adult education teachers and administrators with a working knowledge of TSCF. The goal of the survey was to acquire from practitioners data regarding:

• advantages/disadvantages of TSCF,
• users' perceptions of how TSCF should be used,
• its impact on instructional planning and delivery,
• users' concerns about time and effort, and
• availability and/or development of instructional materials responsive to the standards and benchmarks of TSCF.

The data acquired from the survey was presented to a taskforce of adult education practitioners from across the state in July 2004. The taskforce was directed to:

• examine progress to date on the development of adult education standards in Texas,
• discuss reactions to using the standards by local program staff members,
• explore, in small groups, future directions for further standards development, and
• develop a schedule for field-testing the revisions recommended by taskforce members.

After reviewing the feedback acquired from the taskforce meeting, several questions emerged:  What are adult learners' needs?  Does TSCF adequately address these needs?  What changes are needed to align TSCF and learners' needs? To answer these crucial questions, which are fundamental to standards development and implementation, the TAESP staff moved to the second phase of the project—conducting focus groups and taskforce meetings.

Phase II (September 2004 - June 2005)

To determine the needs of adult learners in Texas, the TAESP staff conducted focus group interviews throughout Texas during Fall 2004.  Ninety-six adult learners enrolled in adult education programs and 75 adult education practitioners were interviewed.  The findings helped to support the decision made by the TAESP staff and Texas LEARNS that TSCF would be replaced by new content standards and renamed the Texas Adult Education Standards (TAES).  Writing teams would be formed to develop the standards and/or benchmarks.

Standards Adopted (April 2005)
In April 2005, adult education practitioners who participated in the focus group interviews and/or in the July 2004 taskforce workshop were invited to a follow-up workshop.  At this workshop, the findings from the focus group interviews were presented and the participants engaged in discussions on the elements and characteristics of content standards, to include the content standards of Equipped for the Future (EFF).  Because the focus group findings indicated that EFF’s standards would address the needs of the adult learners in Texas, the group agreed to adopt the following five EFF standards:

• Listen Actively,
• Speak So Others Can Understand,
• Read With Understanding,
• Convey Ideas in Writing, and
• Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate.

Writing Teams Formed (June 2005)
Discussions were also held at the April 2005 workshop regarding the elements and characteristics of writing teams, the groups who would be charged to develop the benchmarks for the five EFF standards.  At the end of the workshop, the writing team application was presented and the participants were encouraged to apply and/or nominate other adult education practitioners.

By June 2005, three writing teams—listening/speaking, reading/writing, and math—were formed consisting of 26 adult education practitioners from all across Texas.  They met for the first time in June during a 2-day workshop and volunteered to work on one of the three teams.  The listening/speaking team was assigned the standards Listen Actively and Speak So Others Can Understand; the reading/writing team was assigned the standards Read With Understanding and Convey Ideas in Writing; and the math team was assigned the standard Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate.

Phase III (July 2005 – June 2006)

Four major activities occurred during this phase: (1) the draft benchmarks were developed, (2) a controlled field test was conducted, (3) external reviewers evaluated the benchmarks, and (4) the draft benchmarks were modified as a result of the controlled field test and external reviews.

Benchmarks Developed (July – November 2005)
The writing teams came together three times in the Bryan/College Station area between July – November 2005 and developed the draft benchmarks for the standards they were assigned.  In November, they completed the draft benchmarks and deemed them ready for the controlled field test. 

Controlled Field Test (January – March 2006)
Twelve adult education teachers, again from all across Texas, implemented the benchmarks in a controlled field test.  These teachers were either writing team members or worked closely with the writing team members during the field test.  The goals were to collect preliminary data from teachers on how effective the benchmarks were in the field and what types of professional development would be needed in order to implement the benchmarks.

External Reviews (January – March 2006)
While the controlled field test was in progress, three nationally-known external reviewers also evaluated the benchmarks for rigor, clarity, measurability, manageability, applicability, gaps, and the presence of bias.  One reviewer evaluated the listening and speaking benchmarks, another evaluated the reading and writing benchmarks, and the third evaluated the math benchmarks.

Data Collection and Analysis (March – May 2006)
After the completion of the controlled field test in mid-March, the TAESP staff analyzed three types of data: data from the telephone conference calls conducted throughout the field test to assess how it was coming along, the evaluation forms completed by the field test participants, and the data from the face-to-face interviews of the field test participants.  Useful findings resulted from the controlled field test.

Modified Benchmarks (May 2006)
The TAESP staff presented the findings of the controlled field test, along with the reports of the external reviewers, to the writing team members when they convened in the Bryan/College Station area in May 2006.  These findings guided the teams in determining if and how to modify the benchmarks into a more refined set ready for the statewide field test in Fall 2006.  The new English as a Second Language (ESL) level descriptors that were recently released by the National Reporting System (NRS) for Adult Education were also presented to the writing teams for aligning the listening and speaking benchmarks to the new NRS ESL level descriptors. 

Reading/Writing Benchmarks Aligned for the ESL Learners (June 2006)
The listening/speaking and reading/writing teams came together for a 1-day meeting in June 2006 to align the reading and writing benchmarks for the ESL learners.  This activity was conducted to ensure that the reading and writing benchmarks will address the needs of both ABE/ASE and ESL learners.

Phase IV (July 2006 – June 2007)

The TAESP staff members have completed all of the nine goals set for this phase.  The completed goals are: (1) recruited participants for the statewide field test, (2) conducted the train-the-trainer workshops, (3) provided professional development to the statewide field test participants, (4) implemented the statewide field test, (5) recruited additional standards specialists,  (6) modified the benchmarks and delivered the final product of the completed benchmarks to Texas LEARNS, (7) compiled learning activities, (8) conducted a refresher standards specialist training, and (9) unveiled the standards and benchmarks and provide professional development during the statewide conference Texas…ReachingNewStandards.

Recruitment of Statewide Field Test Participants (June – July 2006)
In preparation for the statewide field test, teachers and volunteer teachers were recruited between June and July 2006.  Those who were interested in becoming a field test participant were asked to submit an application packet.  Of the 66 applicants, 55 teachers were selected using these criteria: (1) fair representation of all eight Getting Results Educating Adults in Texas (GREAT) regions, (2) teacher status, and (3) applicant rationale for wanting to become a field test participant.

Train-the-Trainer Workshop (July 2006)
One feedback we repeatedly received from the participants of the controlled field test was the need for professional development on how to teach with standards and benchmarks.  To address this issue, we recruited and trained 16 standards specialists, who in turn would provide the necessary professional development to the statewide field test participants.

Professional Development for Field Test Participants (July – August 2006)
The standards specialists and TAESP staff held 1-day professional development sessions for the field test participants in five cities to cover all eight GREAT regional areas: Austin (Central), El Paso (Far West and West), Houston (Coastal), Richardson (North and East), and San Antonio (South Central and South).  The 1-day session was mandatory and a requirement to continue as a field test participant.  Of the 55 teachers who were selected to become field test participants, seven did not attend the session, and thus could not continue as field test participants.

Statewide Field Test and Modified Benchmarks (August 2006 – April 2007)
Between August 2006 and February 2007, the TAESP staff implemented the statewide field test, collected various forms of data, and analyzed the data.  The writing teams came together in the Bryan/College Station area during February 7-9, 2007 and modified the benchmarks based on the findings of the statewide field test.  The resulting benchmarks were delivered to Texas LEARNS in April 2007, unveiled at the statewide conference Texas…Reaching New Standards in June 2007, and will be ready for statewide implementation in Fall 2007.

Recruitment of Additional Standards Specialists (January – February 2007)
To facilitate implementing the finalized standards and benchmarks throughout Texas, additional standards specialists were recruited from the pool of 44 field test participants who successfully completed the statewide field test.  Field test participants interested in becoming a standards specialist were asked to submit an application.  Sixteen field test participants submitted applications and all were selected as standards specialists.  Therefore, the new total number of standards specialists is now 32.

Compilation of Learning Activities (September 2006 – May 2007)
Since September 2006, the TAESP staff members have been compiling learning activities and this effort continued until May 2007.  The two sources of the learning activities are: (1) the field test participants, who were asked to submit three learning activities as part of the statewide field test, and (2) the field of adult literacy education.  The TAESP staff members will review each learning activity to ensure it is aligned with the finalized benchmarks.  The resulting collection will be available online and in CD format, and will be distributed at the statewide conference Texas…Reaching New Standards. 

Refresher Standards Specialist Training (June 2007)
The first and second groups of standards specialists came together for a 1-day refresher training on June 2 that was held at the Educational Service Center, Region 20 in San Antonio.  In addition to the standards specialists, each GREAT center participated in this event by sending up to two trainers.  The purpose of this 1-day training was to prepare the standards specialists for the statewide conference Texas…Reaching New Standards since they are leading or co-leading the professional development sessions during the conference.  The workshop also provided an opportunity for the GREAT center trainers to preview the standards and benchmarks and to become familiar with the approaches to teaching using them.

Statewide Conference: Texas…Reaching New Standards (June 2007)
The finalized standards and benchmarks were unveiled and professional development on how to teach using the standards and benchmarks was provided at this statewide conference held at the Austin Convention Center in downtown Austin, Texas, June 24-26, 2007.

Overall Timeline

The overall timeline below describes the activities completed to date.

January 2004 – August 2004 (Phase I)

• Conducted a survey of adult education teachers and administrators with a working knowledge of TSCF.
• Presented the findings to a taskforce of adult education practitioners from across the state.

September 2004 – June 2005 (Phase II)

• Adopted standards.
• Formed writing teams.

July 2005 – June 2006 (Phase III)

• Developed benchmarks.
• Conducted controlled field test.
• Conducted external reviews.
• Collected and analyzed data from the controlled field test.
• Modified benchmarks.
• Aligned reading/writing benchmarks to ESL learner needs.

July 2006 – June 2007 (Phase IV)

• Selected statewide field test participants.
• Conducted standards specialist workshop.
• Conducted professional development for field test participants.
• Implemented statewide field test, analyzed data, and modified benchmarks.
• Recruited additional standards specialists.
• Compiled learning activities.
• Conducted refresher standards specialist training.
•  Held statewide conference to unveil standards and benchmarks.

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Synopsis of Standards-based Adult Education

his section provides a brief synopsis of standards-based adult literacy education by attending to these four questions: (1) what are the goals of standards-based adult education; (2) how do standards affect learners, teachers, and programs; (3) what are the implications for flexible, locally driven curriculum and instruction in standards-based system; and (4) what will happen to TSCF.  Most of the content in this segment is from A Process Guide for Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards, a document prepared jointly by the American Institutes for Research and U.S. Department of Education.  Published in August 2005, this document is available online at http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/ReferenceFiles/Guide/Adult_Education_Process_Guide_050907.pdf. {PDF document} Adobe® Acrobat® Reader From this point on, this document will be referred to as the Process Guide.

What are the goals of standards-based adult education?

According to the Process Guide, developing content standards “is a valuable process for (1) negotiating the range of knowledge and skills that learners should have, (2) measuring learners’ knowledge and skills, and (3) developing curriculum with a clearly articulated instructional approach and maintaining a strong delivery system” (from page three of the Process Guide).   The guide lists the following points as goals for developing and implementing standards and they are included here verbatim (also from page three):

• Raise expectations for all learners and communities;
• Engage stakeholders in building a common set of goals and vocabulary;
• Improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment to consistently reflect best practices within the disciplines and within the field of adult learning;
• Enhance professional development to support instruction;
• Hold teachers accountable for providing appropriate and high quality education and for strengthening assessment practices;
• Articulate adult education goals and possibly align them with those from other departments, agencies, and organizations; and
• Raise awareness and visibility in the community and, thereby, increase commitment to the programs and the learners served.

How do standards affect learners, teachers, and programs?

Content standards describe “what learners should know and be able to do.  Instructors use content standards to plan instruction, and learners use standards to set learning goals.  Standards help instructors and learners develop plans that keep them focused and engaged. … Standards-based education provides a structured approach for state adult education agencies and local programs to create a system that explicitly links standards, assessments, and instructional delivery” (from the Process Guide, page one).

What are the implications for flexible, locally driven curriculum and instruction in a standards-based system?

The adopted EFF standards and the associated TAES benchmarks do not prescribe a specific curriculum.  Instead, instructors and programs are encouraged to develop lesson plans and learning activities using the TAES benchmarks as a reliable and valid guidepost.

What will happen to TSCF?

Instructors and programs who found the framework of TSCF useful and helpful are encouraged to continue using TSCF as a resource as long as the TSCF portions that are used address some TAES benchmark.