The Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool

1. The Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool A workshop for Trainers and Assessors • The Assessment Tool: • What is it? • Why do we have it? • What are the options? • Things to consider

2. Information Continuum: What do you know already? 3-4 ticks 7-8 ticks 5-6 ticks 0-2 ticks

3. What is it? • Developed for the Tertiary Education Commission by • the NZ Council for Educational Research. • Used nationwide and administered by: • Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics • Wānanga • Private Training Providers • Industry Training Organisations • Some large workplaces • Normal part of enrolment in all Levels 1 – 2 qualifications (from 2014). Workplace Training

4. What is it? • A web-based interactive tool using • ‘adaptive’ software - mostly multi-choice answers to select from. • Paper-based (non-adaptive) versions are available. • It is not a pass or fail assessment • - it’s about finding where the learner’s literacy and numeracy skills are at. • It maps the learner’s results to “The Progressions” • - literacy and numeracy skills matrices that progress from Step 1 – Step 6. • Four assessments currently available on the Tool: • - Reading • - Writing • - General Numeracy • - Vocabulary (designed for adults at Step 1 or below). 2014

5. Required for our Level 2 enrolments only Use when appropriate at Level 3 - When a trainee is new to tertiary education - When you feel the trainee can go straight to Level 3 - When you want to be sure you are not setting up your trainee to fail.

6. Why do we assess for literacy and numeracy? • The Ministry of Education / Tertiary Education Commission: • To ensure successful outcomes in adult education • To improve the learning experience for NZ adults • To identify best practice in training provision • To ensure adults can progress into higher levels of training • To inform future funding for tertiary education To find what works best !

7. Why do we assess for literacy and numeracy? • Our Sectors: • To ensure successful outcomes for our training programmes • To improve the learning experience for our trainees • To identify the best ways we can support workplace learning • To inform how we resource training and development in the future To be the best we can be !

8. Why do we assess for literacy and numeracy? • Our Sectors: • To ensure successful outcomes for our training programmes • To improve the learning experience for our trainees • To identify the best ways we can support workplace learning • To inform how we resource training and development in the future

9. Why do we assess for literacy and numeracy? • What are the options: • Online • Paper-based Assessment Tool • The Health, Community Care, Cleaning and Pest Management Sector: • To ensure successful outcomes for our training programmes • To improve the learning experience for our trainees • To identify the best ways we can support workplace learning • To inform how we resource training and development in the future To be the best we can be !

10. Paper-based Assessment https://assess.literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/Login.aspx Trainee completes the paper assessment Sent to Careerforce with Training Agreement Trainee’s answers entered into Assessment Tool Literacy Report on iPortal Includes: - Learner’s name - Step score - Login code (to retrieve full report from Tool website) Once a week Careerforce imports results from Assessment Tool Careerforce processes Training Agreement. Trainee signs up for Industry training Online login code sent to Literacy Coordinator Trainee completes the online assessment Trainee has access to instant results and full report from Assessment Tool Online Assessment

11. Oct-Dec Reading 2014 Q4 Jul-Sep Reading 2014 Q3 Apr-Jun Reading 2014 Q2 Jan-Mar Reading 2014 Q1 Paper-based Assessment Every three months a new paper-based assessment is created and sent to designated Literacy Coordinator. Also posted onto the Careerforce website. Paper-based codes expire permanently in 60 days Assessment sent to Careerforce with Training Agreement. Trainee details loaded into the Assessment Tool (with NSN) Trainee’s answers entered into Assessment Tool Trainee completes the latest paper assessment Literacy Report on iPortal Includes: - Learner’s name - Step score - Login code (to retrieve full report from Tool website) Once a week Careerforce imports results from Assessment Tool Careerforce processes Training Agreement and generates new (or verifies existing) National Student Number (NSN) Trainee signs up for Industry training New Training Agreement includes trainee’s permission to share literacy assessment results with company and Careerforce (for educational purposes only). Trainee details loaded into The Assessment Tool (with NSN) Online login code sent to Literacy Coordinator - Auto-email from Computer System Trainee completes the online assessment Trainee has access to instant results Online codes expire 6 months after they are generated Online Assessment

12. Things to consider for 2014: (overall) • designated “Literacy Coordinator” • for Careerforce to liaise with • (can be existing Training Coordinator) • process to disperse login codes from literacy coordinator to relevant educators involved in training (confidentiality considerations) • process to retrieve and store full diagnostic reports from the Assessment Tool website. • (if desired)

13. Things to consider for 2014: (paper-based) • process to disperse latest paper assessment to educators/assessors • (sent as a PDF to the literacy coordinator every 3mths) • policy and process on keeping scanned copies of the completed paper assessment in trainee records • (if desired) • Note: Careerforce will be shredding the paper assessments once the literacy report goes to iPortal

14. Assessment Tool Things to consider for 2014: (online) • process to disperse login codes from literacy coordinator • (to the educator/assessor) to the trainee • (confidentiality considerations) • policy on when/where a trainee can login and do the online assessments. • e.g. - in the workplace on work time • - at home on their own computers • process to follow up to ensure the assessment has been done • (use login code to check that it’s completed and • retrieve the full diagnostic report)