[AAACE-NLA] Accountability

Mon Apr 26 13:16:57 EDT 2010

Hello Gabriele and all,

Of course, when it comes to holding schools accountable, students and teachers alike (and perhaps most importantly) must be vested in the assessments by which their schools are judged.  In fundamental ways, this can be quite more intricate than business accountability, because the constructs presumed embedded in assessments must themselves be subjected to considerable validation efforts.  Then, if schools were to adopt what I consider to be far more illuminating assessment tools - ones that shed light on the reasoning, traits, and strengths of test-takers, they become administratively far more demanding in time and effort.

I'm passing on a link to a presentation about international testing standards by Linda Darling-Hammond at Stanford.  They were the subject of a guest discussion she held on NIFL's assessment list in November of last year.  The video is worth watching (it's only ca. nine minutes long), if you are not familiar with it.  Click on http://www.edutopia.org/international-teaching-learning-assessment-video.

Michael

Michael A. Gyori
Maui International Language School
www.mauilanguage.com

________________________________
From: "Strohschen, Gabriele" <GSTROHSC at depaul.edu>
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>; National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Sun, April 25, 2010 11:01:49 AM
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Accountability

Thanks Michael.

Let me add something to the conversation. There is an article from Connors and Smith in this month's Talent Management regarding the accountability conversation, titled, "Think positive: Transforming accountability."

Go to

www.talentmgt.com

for the online version.

This is one vantage point to consider :-)

Gabriele Strohschen
Faculty Mentor/Associate Professor
School for New Learning - DePaul University
14 East Jackson Boulevard - Suite 1400
Chicago Illinois USA 60604
OFFICE:  (312) 362-5122
SKYPE:    gabrielechitown
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gabriele-strohschen/3/1b1/ba9

Take a look at our book - all proceeds benefit an orphanage in Thailand. We have already been able to support the orphanage with 2 months worth of operational costs this year! Pass along the link!

http://www.springer.com/education/learning+&+instruction/book/978-0-387-09442-7

Take a look at the work of our friends in Kenya. We can help with ease. Let's!

http://www.projectaidsorphan.org/index.php

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org on behalf of Michael Gyori
Sent: Fri 4/23/2010 00:49
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Accountability

Greetings all,

So...let's start peeling the onion, layer after layer.  As we know, when we're done peeling, there'll be nothing left.

We need a seed, however, to grow an onion.  Let's call that seed accountability.  Absolutely yes - we need to be accountable to ourselves and have whatever it may be to be held accountable against.

Absolutely yes, we need to sit down together and have a very serious discussion about the agendas (hidden and articulated),  along with their underlying constructs, assumptions, and underpinnings.

As long as we're not openly, freely, and consensually  vested in whatever systems accountability creates, we're going to wreak havoc, and learners will pay the price.

Michael 

Michael A. Gyori
Maui International Language School
www.mauilanguage.com

________________________________
From: "Strohschen, Gabriele" <GSTROHSC at depaul.edu>
To: Debbie Yoho <yohogclc at earthlink.net>; National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>; National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>; aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
Cc: "Strohschen, Gabriele" <GSTROHSC at depaul.edu>
Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 5:03:14 AM
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] No Where to Go But Up

Good morning,

I have rather quietly listened to the discussions here over the past two years; nodding, chuckling, shaking my head ... taking it in but not all too seriously (sorry in advance should anyone take offense to this comment!)

I am certain that many, many, if not most here, are dedicated in their work and passionate about the "cause," and that we all are not reaping rewards or raking in the money for our work. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt! The profession of AE has not and is not valued in mainstream ways in mainstream society.  We know this. And that is not why most, if not all of us, chose to dedicate ourselves to this profession, now, is it?

Ok, that said with the serious intent of not ruffling feather of an ego kind among us here, allow me to respectfully disagree with the notion that we ought to hold still now when times are tough and the powers-that-be do not offer ________  (fill in what it is you deem important to the AE/Literacy struggle).

Folks, it is ALL about accountability!  Accountability was the battle cry of some of us here in Illinois in the 1980s, when we put native language literacy on the agenda of the state board decision-makers! It became funded. Accountability was the process-based argument we pulled out when we reasoned how funding for adult literacy saves the local business man, too (well, ok, and woman ;-)!!!). We made some strides in partnering with businesses. Accountability was the logic every so-termed "undereducated" adult learned about with us in the community centers so that the adult could discern which classes or which instructor really facilitated their learning appropriately. Adult learners empowered themselves.

See, if not now, when?

Things have not changed. The facts would bear this out (i.e., funding, rates, approaches). This may well be intentionally/institutionalized - but that is yet another debate ...

Accountability in its various levels and across participants/stakeholders is KEY. Who makes decisions? Who spends the money on what? How do we assess and evaluate the appropriateness of "education programs?" Who sets what standards for what?  Whose values are valued? Whose reality is considered? Who categorizes adults based on what criteria? Good grief, the list goes on. I am with Brookfield here in that I agree that we hold ohsotightly (and we may not even know we do this; or we may be so self righteous; or we may be so convinced we are doing the good thing) to those paradigmatic assumptions that we cannot see anything "other" from self. And in the absence of questioning assumptions --- our own and those of others --- we tread water, at best, in this field of adult literacy. (hm, mixed metaphor, sorry.)

See, if not I, who?

As education professionals, (and as Cunningham keeps saying that we need to look at the root of the word "professionals" for its proper meaning in our field), as such professionals we must speak up. And we must ask those hard questions... of ourselves and of others.

Now, from my vantage point, such asking does not mean we nilly-willy fall into dogmatic ranting about this or that ideology ... oh, just look at the many paralleling universes we have created and the divisions they have caused, yes?

What we ought to do is to make sure we get to sit at the tables where decisions are being made and inform those decision-makers. And we ought to make sure that we proactively build tables where decisions are being made!

Bottomline? It does take all of us - it does take many approaches - it does take grasping/understanding the varied values, realities, and purposes of and for "literacy" - we ought to define it together and we ought to embrace a both-and attitude when it comes to designing, developing, and implementing - preferably collaboratively. 

Yes, it is 2010 and nothing REALLY has changed with respect to the situation the disfranchised experience globally, and with the ways in which we approach this issue. THAT the situation is political is a given; so where are AAACE's politics? And where is AAACE's commitment to ask for accountability across all participants/stakeholders (i.e., teachers, policy-makers, funders, elected officials, students, community leaders, corporations etc)?

We have not designed, developed, or implemented a sustainable education infrastructure that provides the basic human right to learn what each human needs to live in peace and in health. And as long as we professionals don't clamor for that with all of our passion, knowledge, caring, and skills whilst we also listen hard to the "other" so that we can blend appropriate practices to provide access to education, none of us will achieve this cherished North American ideal of "happiness."

Thanks for reading this rant. I have to get back to work now :-)!

Best

Gabriele Strohschen
Faculty Mentor/Associate Professor
School for New Learning - DePaul University
14 East Jackson Boulevard - Suite 1400
Chicago Illinois USA 60604
OFFICE:  (312) 362-5122
SKYPE:    gabrielechitown
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gabriele-strohschen/3/1b1/ba9

Take a look at our book - all proceeds benefit an orphanage in Thailand. We have already been able to support the orphanage with 2 months worth of operational costs this year! Pass along the link!

http://www.springer.com/education/learning+&+instruction/book/978-0-387-09442-7

Take a look at the work of our friends in Kenya. We can help with ease. Let's!

http://www.projectaidsorphan.org/index.php

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org on behalf of Debbie Yoho
Sent: Fri 4/16/2010 10:20
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE; aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] No Where to Go But Up

As he often does, Tom Sticht has thrown down a gauntlet asking about AE progress.  The trouble is, Tom, answering your most recent questions begs the issue of whether the glass is half full or half empty. Of course there is little evidence of real progress. The need has grown.  We are still struggling mightily with a heavy weight on our economy and on our sense of justice:  undereducated adults remain sidelined. Or you could make a good case that of course we are accomplishing miracles, creating something out of virtually nothing. Under the circumstances, we should hold up our heads proudly.

The accountability movement has exacerbated this problem.  We need to honestly appraise the effort in order to continuously improve.  But more and more the outcome of any really useful evaluation is a self-defeating leap to judgment about whom to blame. No one outside of the field accepts the premise anymore that we are essentially doing very good work, work that can get better, but work that is intrinsically valuable and deserves support.  Throw in the realities of "this economy" and everyone is scrambling to survive.  Some even welcome this insanity because they embrace the idea of "survival of the fittest".

Even as I am aware of my own unwillingness right now to take risks, to call for more in an era of scarcity, to keep up the fight no matter where the chips may fall, I too have a bunker mentality much of the time.  I've lost the edge.  We all have.

So Tom, this in not the time to take stock of progress. I can't get excited about that at the moment. "When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is hard to remember your intention was to drain the swamp."

On the other hand, I think we may soon reach the point where there is little left to lose. And we all know that nothing can stop a determined person, or a determined group, who believes there is no where to go but up. In the months to come we shall find out who our real friends are, and who are the sunshine soldiers. 

-----Original Message-----
>From: tsticht at znet.com
>Sent: Apr 14, 2010 2:28 PM
>To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
>Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Any movement on the seven PReP PAAP program factors?
>
>Colleagues: Earlier I asked about pre- and post-NIFL activites going forward
>after the NIFL is disbanded. In a post three years ago I asked about the
>seven PReP PAAP factors in adult literacy programs. I'm wondering if anyone
>has seen any advances in one or more of these seven factors which are given
>in the note below. If so, can you give a quick summary of your experience.
>Thanks,
>Tom Sticht
>
>
>
>October 11, 2007
>
>The Seven Enduring PReP PAAP Activities in Adult Literacy Education
>
>Tom Sticht
>International Consultant in Adult Education
>
>For decades practitioners in adult literacy education have consistently
>encountered seven salient, enduring, and recurring activities.  These can
>be summarized as the seven PReP PAAP (pronounced prep pap) activities.
>These seven activities deal with questions concerned with adult language,
>literacy, and numeracy (LLN) instruction. Here is a summary of the seven
>PReP PAAP activities, the questions they repeatedly raise in adult literacy
>education, and some data bearing on each activity from the United States
>experience. How does your program do on this checklist of 7 PReP PAAP
>activities?
>
>1. PARTICIPATION: How many adults need LLN, how many want LLN, how many
>enroll in LLN programs? [In the U.S., the government says some 47 percent
>or 93 million adults need LLN, but only about 5 percent or around 10
>million adults think they need LLN, and fewer than 1.5 percent or 3 million
>adults enroll in LLN programs each year].
>
>2. RETENTION:  How long do adults stay in a program once they enroll and
>what can be done to increase completion rates? [In the U.S. adults stay in
>English as a second language (ESL) programs about 60-120 hours, in adult
>basic education programs about 35-70 hours, in secondary (high school/GED)
>programs about 30-55 hours.]
>
>3. PERSISTENCE:  How can adults be helped to persist in learning LLN in
>programs and by self-study outside the classroom? [In the U.S. some
>programs provide support services such as child care, transportation
>assistance, etc. some make programs more relevant by using Functional
>Context Education (FCE-using real life materials and contexts) to teach LLN
>and to facilitate further practice of skills and self-study outside of
>class.]
>
>4. PROGRESSION:  How can progress in learning LLN be facilitated, observed,
>and made noticeable to learners and others?  [In the U.S. some programs
>facilitate learning using FCE; some provide repeated, formative assessments
>of learner's work, and help learners maintain portfolios of their work for
>learners and others to examine.]
>
>5. ACHIEVEMENT:  How many adults achieve education
>credentials/qualifications and/or other important outcomes of learning? [In
>the U.S. the National Reporting System maintains records on how many adults
>in the federally funded Title 2: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
>programs, which serve about 2.7 million adults, achieve high school or GED
>completion. About 45 percent of those with this credential goal achieve
>it.]
>
>6. ACCOUNTABILITY:  How do programs and learners account for their uses of
>publicly provided educational resources? [In the U. S. the National
>Reporting System provides accountability for the federally funded Title 2:
>Adult Education and Family Literacy Act programs and provides reports to
>the Congress regarding selected outcomes of participation in the LLN
>programs for adults.]
>
>7. PREVENTION:  How does adult engagement in LLN provision promote the
>intergenerational transfer of LLN abilities and prevent learning and
>schooling  difficulties of the adult's children? [All U.S. surveys of
>children's and adult's literacy skills show strong effects of parent's
>education levels on children's educational achievement. Additional evidence
> suggests that adults participation in LLN programs may affect the learning
>and schooling of their children.]
>
>Methods of dealing with PReP PAAP activities and additional answers to the
>PReP PAAP questions have emerged in the professional wisdom of adult
>literacy educators and these activities have been studied in research in a
>number of industrialized nations. Information about several of these
>activities is available online in two reports I have prepared.  While these
>reports are not framed in exactly the same way as the PReP PAAP activities,
>they deal with each of the seven activities.
>
>In a report entitled "Reforming Adult Literacy Education: Transforming Local
>Programs Into National Systems in Canada, the United Kingdom & the United
>States" (http://www.nald.ca/library/research/sticht/reformin/cover.htm) I
>discuss six of the seven activities n these three nations for transforming
>adult literacy education from a variety of disparate programs into
>organized systems of education for adults. Activities include: 1.
>Participation: Scale of Need: determining how many adults are in
>need of adult basic skills education. 2. Participation: Access to Provision:
>determining how many adults are aware of, have access to and enroll in adult
>literacy education provision. 3. Retention, Persistence: Nature of
>Provision: determining the nature of the delivery system of adult literacy
>provision. 4. Retention, Persistence: Quality of Provision: determining the
>need for improved quality. 5. Progression: Achievement, Accountability of
>Provision: improving methods for determining student learning and other
>outcomes.
>
>The activity of Prevention of children's problems are discussed in "Toward a
>Multiple Life Cycles Education Policy: Investing in the Education of Adults
>to Improve the Educability of Children."
>(http://www.nald.ca/library/research/sticht/06dec/06dec.pdf ) This paper
>argues for education policy that recognizes that literacy is transferred
>across generations from parents to their children. Therefore, we need to
>have a much larger investment in the education of youth and adults who are
>parents or who will be parents. Adult literacy education affects multiple
>life cycles. An extensive review is presented of research on early
>childhood education, relationships of parent's education to children's
>literacy, parenting and preschool effectiveness, and other issues.
>
>If obtaining and reading these reports is not convenient, but you would
>still like to learn more about PReP PAAP activities, I have prepared a FREE
>one day workshop called "Adult Literacy Education in Industrialized Nations:
>The Seven PReP PAAP Activities of Adult Literacy Education." In one
>information packed day you can learn a lot about these seven enduring
>concerns of adult literacy education and what is being done about them in
>Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United
>States. Contact me at tsticht at aznet.net for additional information about
>the locations and contacts for the presently scheduled workshops or how to
>sponsor a workshop in your area.
>
>Thomas G. Sticht
>International Consultant in Adult Education
>2062 Valley View Blvd.
>El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
>USA
>Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
>Email: tsticht at aznet.net
>
>
>
>
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>http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
>LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
>http://literacytent.org

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