CASAS Educational Standards & Frameworks 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) does the National Reporting System (NRS) define for Adult Basic Education (ABE)?
- Four
- Five
- Six (Correct answer)
- Eight
Correct answer: Six
The NRS defines six EFLs for ABE, ranging from Beginning Literacy through High Adult Secondary.
Question 2: Which NRS level corresponds to a CASAS ABE Reading scale score range of 221–235?
- Beginning ABE Literacy
- Beginning Basic Education
- Low Intermediate Basic Education (Correct answer)
- High Intermediate Basic Education
Correct answer: Low Intermediate Basic Education
Low Intermediate Basic Education corresponds to CASAS Reading scale scores of 221–235.
Question 3: In the NRS framework, which EFL represents learners functioning at approximately grades 9–10?
- High Intermediate Basic Education
- Low Adult Secondary Education (Correct answer)
- High Adult Secondary Education
- Beginning Basic Education
Correct answer: Low Adult Secondary Education
Low Adult Secondary Education aligns with approximately grades 9–10 on the NRS scale.
Question 4: CASAS ESL assessments align learners to NRS ESL levels. How many NRS ESL levels exist?
- Four
- Five
- Six (Correct answer)
- Seven
Correct answer: Six
The NRS defines six ESL Educational Functioning Levels, from ESL Beginning Literacy through ESL High Advanced.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of NRS Educational Functioning Levels in adult education programs?
- To rank programs for federal funding allocation
- To provide a uniform measure of learner progress for federal reporting (Correct answer)
- To certify adult educators at different skill levels
- To replace GED testing requirements
Correct answer: To provide a uniform measure of learner progress for federal reporting
NRS EFLs provide a standardized framework so programs can uniformly report learner gains to the federal government.
Question 6: Which CASAS assessment series is specifically designed to measure ESL High Advanced learner skills at the NRS Level 6 benchmark?
- CASAS GOALS Reading
- CASAS Life and Work Reading (Correct answer)
- CASAS Workforce
- CASAS STEPS
Correct answer: CASAS Life and Work Reading
CASAS Life and Work Reading assessments cover the upper ESL and ABE ranges including NRS Level 6.
Question 7: Pre-testing a learner at an EFL to establish a baseline and post-testing after 60 hours of instruction is a standard NRS practice known as what?
- Formative evaluation
- Measurable skills gain documentation (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic placement testing
- Criterion-referenced benchmarking
Correct answer: Measurable skills gain documentation
NRS requires programs to document Measurable Skills Gains (MSGs) by comparing pre- and post-test scores after sufficient instruction.
CASAS Educational Standards & Frameworks 2
How many Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) does the National Reporting System (NRS) define for Adult Basic Education (ABE)?