Our mission is to help you locate what you are searching for as quickly as possible. Think of this site as your mode of transportation to your final destination. We hope that you visit us often, and that your visits are always brief!

At this site you can explore resources covering a variety of assessment topics that include

• general information and overviews on adult learner assessment
• practical classroom application
• alternative standardized and informal assessment processes and instruments
• commercial standardized assessment instruments
• policy information on adult learner assessment
• the latest research being conducted on adult learner assessment

In the Features section, you can subscribe to the Assessment Online Discussion as well as view the archived messages for this and previous years. Read the LINCS Guide to Understanding and Using Research, and view research-based assessment resources. Find the terms you've been searching for in the Glossaries, or get the contact information for a test publisher in Published Tests.

Explore the Literacy Resources section to access a wide variety of adult education assessment resources useful to adult learners, teachers and tutors, program administrators, and policy makers. Resources include how to best prepare for test-taking or test administration, and understanding what test scores mean; selecting or developing appropriate assessments; and implementing effective assessment strategies and policies at the program level.

The Quick Reference section provides links to assessment information and statistics, links to assessment-related topics and websites, and assessment-related news and events.

In addition to the General LINCS Selection Criteria, materials included in the Assessment Special Collection are chosen with the following criteria as a guide: Assessment Special Collection Selection Criteria.

This collection of resources relating to assessment is currently maintained by the Ohio Literacy Resource Center as part of a joint effort of the National Institute for Literacy. Your comments on these pages would be appreciated. Please contact us to make suggestions or contact either Marie Cora or Tim Ponder directly at marie.cora@hotspurpartners.com or tponder@literacy.kent.edu.

A Brief History/The Core Knowledge Group (CKG)

The Assessment Special Collection was launched in June of 2001 and is funded in part by the Office of Adult and Vocational Education. The site provides individuals dealing with assessment and evaluation in adult literacy programs a means to access a variety of resources electronically. This Collection focuses on assessment and evaluation topics for both program and instruction. Professional development topics and current event information dealing with assessment are also included. The Collection Coordinator works closely with the Core Knowledge Group, or CKG, who is responsible for populating the Collection with high quality resources.

Resources for the Assessment Special Collection are identified through recommendations by practitioners, postings on discussion lists, articles in various professional journals and newsletters, and web searches. Once sites are identified they are sent to the CKG who decide if they are suitable for the Special Collection. The members of the CKG are considered experts in the field of assessment in adult education. Members of the CKG work in pairs to evaluate the sites based on the quality and usefulness of the information and the organization of the site. A specific set of criteria is used as the basis for evaluating and selecting resources (see Assessment Special Collection Selection Criteria.). If the two reviewers do not agree, the site is sent to a third member of the CKG for review. New sites are added to the Special Collection multiple times a year. CKG members communicate by e-mail and periodic conference calls.

Members of the Core Knowledge Group - CKG Members

The CKG, or Core Knowledge Group for the Assessment Special Collection is an advisory group of subject experts who provide input and set policy for the project. They assist in the quality control of the Collection by ensuring that rigorous selection criteria lead to the inclusion of high quality resources; by locating and suggesting sites for review; and by checking the progress of the site throughout the year. Past and present members of the CKG include:

Dianna Baycich (previous coordinator)
Ohio Literacy Resource Center
Kent State University

Rita Bean
Professor of Education
Pittsburgh, PA

Marie Cora (coordinator)
Consultant
Hotspur Partners
Boston, MA

Susan K. Cowles
Project Director
NIFL Science & Numeracy Special Collection

Eileen Eckert
Consultant
Sacramento, CA

Jane Eguez
Director of Development CASAS
San Diego, CA

Judy Franks
Ohio Literacy Resource Center
Kent State University
Kent, OH

Patricia Lawler, Ed.D.
Professor
Chester, PA

Evan Leach
Director, Center for Organizational Effectiveness
West Chester University's School of Business
and Public Affairs

Jeri Levesque
Director, Missouri Reading First Evaluation
Affiliate Associate Professor, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Program Evaluator, LIFT-Missouri

Dale Lipschultz
Literacy Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services
American Library Association
Chicago, IL

Peggy McGuire, MA
Senior Research Associate
Center for Literacy Studies
University of Tennessee

Pat Rickard
Executive Director, CASAS
San Diego, CA

Diane Rosenthal
What Works Literacy Partnership
Literacy Partners, Inc.
New York, NY

Carol H. Van Duzer
National Center for ESL Literacy Education
Center for Applied Linguistics

Patti White
Arkansas Adult Literacy Resource Center
Little Rock, AR

Cynthia Zengler
ABLE Regional Consultant
Ohio Department of Education
Columbus, Ohio

April Zenisky, Ed. D.
Senior Research Fellow
Center for Educational Assessment
University of Massachusetts at Amherst