UPDATES from NCER

IES is currently supporting projects that are looking at adults with low literacy across a number of settings including adult literacy programs and postsecondary settings. Below are links to current projects:

·         A Cognitive Science Investigation of Struggling Adult Readers' Skills - http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1285

·         Center for the Study of Adult Literacy (CSAL): Developing Instructional Approaches Suited to the Cognitive and Motivational Needs for Struggling Adults -http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1343

·         A Process View of Reading Among Adult Literacy Learners - http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1443

·         Study of Effects of Accelerated Basic Skills Instruction on Adults' GED Attainment and Enrollment in Postsecondary Education - http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1491

Here are a few others that may also be of interest:

·         Evaluating the Impact of CUNY Start through a Researcher (MDRC) – Local Education Agency (City University of New York) Partnership - http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1520

·         Designing a RCT Experiment to Test the Impact of Innovative Interventions and Policies for Postsecondary Developmental Education: A RAND—TX Higher Education Coordinating Board Research Partnership - http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1431

·         Using Computer-Assisted Instruction to Accelerate Students through Developmental Math: An Impact Study of Modularization and Compression [NOTE: this study has changed so that it is now focusing on Texas only and is including work on what happens to students who test too low to go into developmental end and who instead get the colleges’ “adult education” programs] - http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=1441

I also mentioned two competitions that researchers may be interested in, namely 305A and 305H. You can find the Request for Applications for both of them here:http://ies.ed.gov/funding/16rfas.asp

I encourage anyone considering IES as a funding source to read through our funding page: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/.  I also suggest signing up for a webinar to learn more about how IES funding works: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/index.asp#webinar

Also, if you’d like to see the meeting minutes from the Technical Working Group we hosted in 2012, they’re available here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/whatsnew/techworkinggroup/pdf/AAER_2012.pdf.

UPDATES from NCES on PIAAC

PIAAC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programme_for_the_International_Assessment_of_Adult_Competencies

In 2014, the PIAAC team presented on PIAAC results in 31 conferences and meetings.  During the first few months of 2015, the PIAAC team presented at the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education as well as national conferences such as the Comparative & International Education Society and National Center for Families Learning. Between mid-April to mid-May, the staff will be presenting at six different national and statewide conferences. 

We are working hard on PIAAC National Supplement results. Three reports --First Look (Dec, 2015), Prison Report (Feb. 2016) and Young Adults (May/June, 2016) will be released. And we recently updated the PIAAC website at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/.

The PIAAC Supplement data is scheduled to be released at the end of this year and beginning/middle of next year. Specifically, here are some estimated dates:

·         First Look (Dec. 2015)

·         Prison Report (Feb. 2016)

·         Young Adults (May/June 2016)

·         PIAAC National Supplement Technical Report (Dec. 2015)

·         PIAAC National Supplement data files (public and restricted) 2016

·         PIAAC National Supplement Data Explore (2016)

On the NCES PIAAC website (https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/),  we updated the content so that it includes more detailed information about the PIAAC Household Supplement Study and Prison Study.  We have posted the prison study background questionnaires (in English and Spanish) on the site at: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/questionnaire.asp.

In addition, there are new online tables (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/tables/B_4_13.asp) on the distribution of earnings by proficiency level using PIAAC data.  The PIAAC home page also has a Data Snapshot illustration on the lower right side of the page.

There are many new resources on the PIAAC Gateway (http://piaacgateway.com). Some major additions include

·         The 2014 PIAAC Conference page (http://piaacgateway.com/us-piaac-conference).  This page includes links to the full text of all research papers, as well as videos of all the presentations.

·         The Q&A page (http://piaacgateway.com/your-questions-our-answers/) that includes answers to technical questions (for researchers) and non-technical questions.

·         The PIAAC Toolkit (http://piaacgateway.com/toolkit) with multiple presentations, brochures and infographics. 

·         Pressroom with updated online articles on the PIAAC.

·         PIAAC calendar with nationwide PIAAC events and conferences.

OTHER UPDATES FROM NCES

In addition to PIAAC, NCES wants you to know about the Adult Training and Education Survey (ATES) that they will be conducting next year. Info on that is available on the GEMEnA website:  http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/gemena/milestones.asp