Mapping adult literacy performance

This paper outlines a study the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is undertaking to determine whether performance levels on the literacy and numeracy scales of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey can be reliably mapped to the performance levels of the Australian Core Skills Framework. The initial stage is promising, with an expert panel concluding that it is feasible to map Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey items to Australian Core Skills Framework levels. The second stage will involve a larger-scale study to empirically align the two frameworks. If this stage is successful, then various possibilities arise for monitoring the language, literacy and numeracy skills of various groups against the Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey scale.