IOWA'S ADULT BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM BENCHMARK OBJECTIVES FOR PROGRAM YEAR 2002

(July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002)

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

The purpose of this report is to present Iowa's adult basic education statewide National Reporting System (NRS) based benchmark objectives for Program year 2002 (July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2002). The Program Year 2002 benchmark objectives were established, based on an analysis of the attainment of the benchmarks for Program Year 2001 (July 1, 2000-June 30, 2001), and projecting reasonable, attainable benchmark objectives for Program Year 2002. The report titled Iowa's Basic Education Program Annual Benchmark Report for Program Year 2001 delineates Iowa's benchmark performance attainment for Program Year 2001.

The benchmark objectives for Program Year 2002 are designed to improve Iowa's basic skills literacy program in those instructional programs, educational functioning levels, and follow-up categories which did not achieve the negotiated benchmark levels for Program Year 2001. The instructional programs, educational functioning levels and follow-up categories in which the attained benchmarks met or exceeded the negotiated benchmarks for Program Year 2001 should not be allowed to fall below the Program Year 2001 levels for Program Year 2002.

The following tables present the benchmark projections for Program Year 2002:

• Table 1 presents Program Year 2001 pre/post assessment percentage attainment levels with Program Year 2002 projected percentage attainment levels for each instructional program and the educational functioning levels within each instructional program;

• Table 2 displays Program Year percentage attainment levels and Program Year 2002 projected percentage attainment levels for the category labeled Educational Gains, which is referenced as NRS core indicator # 1, for each instructional program and the educational functioning levels within each instructional program;

• Table 3 delineates Program Year 2001 percentage attainment levels and Program Year 2002 projected percentage attainment levels for the category labeled Follow-up Measures which is referenced as NRS core indicator #2;

• Table 4 presents Program Years 1998-2001 data for the number of community colleges participating in Iowa's Basic Skills Certification Program and the projected participation number for Program Year 2002;

• Table 5 displays the overall benchmark percentage attainment for Program Year 2001 and the projected percentage attainment for Program Year 2002.

PERSPECTIVE

The projected benchmark percentage goals for Program Year 2002 are realistic and achievable due to the following factors:

• Increased understanding of the relationship between the TOPSpro software and the (NRS) Report. During Program Year 2001, an intensive staff development effort was implemented to assist Iowa's ABE practitioners understand the obvious and subtle relationships between the coding of the TOPSpro forms and the resultant effects on the NRS tables (specifically Tables 4, 4B, and 5). In addition, a document titled TOPSpro/NRS Coding Guidelines was developed to assist in documenting the important relationships between these two entities. The documented titled Iowa's TOPSpro Data Dictionary is updated on a semi annual basis to reflect changes in policy, TOPSpro software updates, increased specificity in coding guidelines, etc.

• Increased Field Based Experience in Coding TOPSpro Forms to Reflect Adult Learner Outcomes and Accomplishments in Relation to Realistic Personal Goals Achievable During the Current Program Year. Iowa's ABE practitioners have two years of experience in the coding of the TOPSpro forms. One of the observations to emerged from this collective experience is the necessity of determining realistic adult learners goals which are achievable during the current reporting period as opposed to coding long term or unrealistic goals which can not be achieved in the current reporting period. Once realistic goals are determined and properly coded on the TOPSpro Entry Record, the learner results, coded on the TOPSpro Update Record, will determine the extent to which the adult learner's goal(s) were achieved during the current reporting period.

• Commitment to Educational Excellence and Program Accountability. Iowa's community college consortium based basic literacy skills program has been perceived as an educational program committed to the concepts of educational excellence and accountability. The successful attainment of the NRS performance benchmarks is the most visible and understandable way of demonstrating educational excellence and accountability to a variety of target populations including business and industry, other literacy partners, key decision makers, funding sources, etc. The successful attainment of the NRS performance benchmarks also effectively documents the validity of Iowa's community college consortium based adult basic education delivery system.

• Continued Assurance of Federal Funding for Iowa's Basic Literacy Skills Program. The continued successful attainment of the NRS performance benchmarks insures continued federal funding of Iowa's basic literacy skills program under the aegis of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) enacted as Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. The successful attainment of the NRS performance benchmarks also provides the potential of receiving a portion of the incentive grants available under the aegis of WIA.

• Visionary Leadership. The ability to provide visionary, proactive leadership at the local, state and federal levels has proven to be one of the key factors in the successful attainment of NRS performance benchmarks. This type of leadership has always been a hallmark of Iowa's basic literacy skills program. This type of leadership will continue through the next reauthorization of WIA.

Table 1
Pre/Post Assessment Percentage By Program Type and Educational Functioning Level and Projections for Program Year 2002

Table 2
Percentage Comparison of Iowa's Adult Basic Education Program
Performance Measures For NRS Core Indicator #1 and Projections for Program Year 2002

Core Indicator #1 [Educational Gain]: Demonstrated improvements in literacy skills in reading, writing, and speaking the English language, numeracy, problem-solving, English language acquisition and other literacy skills.

Instructional Program	Educational Functioning Level	*Negotiated Percent	**Attained Percent for Program Year 2001	***Percent Above or Below Negotiated Benchmark	****Projected Attainment Percent for Program Year 2002
Adult Basic Education (ABE)	Beginning Literacy	20	15	-5	23
	Beginning Basic Education ABE	22	29	+7	29
	Low Intermediate ABE	20	37	+17	37
	High Intermediate ABE	22	43	+21	43
English-as-a-Second Language (ESL)	Beginning Literacy ESL	26	68	+42	68
	Beginning ESL	24	46	+22	46
	Low Intermediate ESL	29	47	+18	47
	High Intermediate ESL	31	47	+16	47
	Low Advanced ESL	32	16	-16	33
	High Advanced ESL	32	31	-1	34
Adult Secondary Education (ASE)	Low Adult Secondary Education	32	73	+41	73

*Source:	Iowa's State Plan for Adult Basic Education: Fiscal Years 2000-2004; Revised Table #12. This column represents the negotiated percentage for the core indicators between the Iowa Department of Education and the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE:DAEL).
**Source:	Iowa's National Reporting System (NRS) report for Program Year 2001; Table 4B, column H. This column represents the percent of total enrollees who were pre/post accessed with pared scores and completed each educational functioning level.
***Source:	This column indicates the percentage points above or below the benchmark levels negotiated between the Iowa Department of Education and the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE: DAEL).
****Source:	This column represents the projected benchmark attainment percentages for Program Year 2002. The figures in bold indicate the projected benchmark percentage level for Program Year 2002 which did not meet or exceed the negotiated percentage for Program Year 2001.

Table 3
Percentage Comparison of Iowa's Adult Basic Education Program Performance Measures for NRS Core Indicator #2 and Projections for Program Year 2002

Core Indicator #2 [Follow-up Measures]: Placement in, retention in, or completion of postsecondary education, training, unsubsidized employment or career advancement.

Follow-up Measure	*Negotiated Percent	**Attained Percent for ProgramYear 2001	***Percent Above or Below Negotiated Benchmark	****Projected Attainment Percent for Program Year 2002
Entered Employment1	52	75	+23	75
Retained Employment1	77	71	-6	79
Obtained a GED or Adult Secondary School Diploma2	42	51	+9	51
Entered Postsecondary Education or Training3	14	10	-4	16

*Source:	Iowa's State Plan for Adult Basic Education: Fiscal Years 2000-2004; Revised Table #12. This column represents the negotiated percentage for the core indicators between the Iowa Department of Education and the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE:DAEL).
**Source:	Iowa's National Reporting System (NRS) report for Program Year 2001; Table 5, column G. This column represents the percent of adult basic education enrollees who achieved each follow-up measure.
***Source:	This column indicates the percentage points above or below the benchmark levels negotiated between the Iowa Department of Education and the United States Department of Education: Division of Adult Education and Literacy (USDE: DAEL).
****Source:	This column represents the projected benchmark attainment percentages for Program Year 2002. The figures in bold indicate the projected benchmark percentage level for Program Year 2002 which did not meet or exceed the negotiated percentage for Program Year 2001.

• The percentage attained data reported for the follow-up measures of Entered Employment and Retained Employment were obtained as a result of a data match between the Iowa adult basic education electronic reporting system and the Iowa Workforce Development's base and benefits wage records for the period of July 1, 2000 through September 30, 2001 for the Entered Employment outcome measure and October 1, 2000 through September 30, 2001 for the Retained Employment outcome measure. This database is referenced as the Iowa Customer Tracking System.

• The percentage attained data reported for the follow-up measure of Obtained a GED or Adult Secondary School Diploma were obtained as a result of a data match between the Iowa adult basic education electronic reporting system and the Iowa Department of Education's Iowa High School Equivalency Diploma database, Iowa's GED candidate data base at GEDScoring.COM and the number of Adult High School Diplomas issued.

• The percent attained data reported for the follow-up measure of Entered Postsecondary Education and Training were obtained as a result of data matches between: (1) the Iowa adult basic education electronic reporting system and the Iowa Department of Education's Community College Management Information System for the first quarter of Program year 2002 (July 1, 2001-September 30, 2001), and (2) the Iowa adult basic education electronic reporting system and each community college's full time enrollment database.

Table 4
Comparison of Iowa's Adult Basic Education Program Performance Measures for State of Iowa Core Indicator #3

Core Indicator #3 [Basic Skills Certificates]: A program designed to issue basic literacy skills certificates based on the attainment of demonstrated literacy competencies at pre-established levels. The benchmark for Iowa's Basic Skills Certification Program was to have Iowa's 15 community colleges participating in the basic skill certification program by Program Year 2001.

Fiscal Year	Number of Certificates Issued	Fiscal Year % Increase	No. of Community Colleges Participating	Projected Benchmark for Program Year 2002
1998	323	--	4	--
1999	566	75	6	--
2000	1,591	182	12	--
2001	3,214	102	15	15
Total	5,694	--	--	--

Source(s):

Iowa's State Plan for Adult Basic Education: Fiscal Years 2000-2004; Section 5.3.1 (pp. 65-73). Iowa Basic Skills Certification Reports for Fiscal Years 1998-2001. Table 5 Projected Overall Benchmark Attainment for Program Year 2002 Number of Benchmarks Number of Benchmarks Met for Program Year 2001 Attained Percent for Program Year 2001 Projected Attainment Percent for Program Year 2002 16 11 68 90 Source: The benchmark projection for Program Year 2002 is an attainment rate of 90%. This figure translate into meeting or exceeding 15 of 16 benchmarks for Program Year 2002 as opposed to the 11 of 16 benchmark attainment for Program Year 2001. posted January 3, 2002