Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i5NGCEf09102; Wed, 23 Jun 2004 12:12:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 12:12:14 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <s0d9728d.027@webmail.aflcio.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Laura Chenven" <lchenven@workingforamerica.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1396] The use of testing for workforce development X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.5.0 Status: O Content-Length: 1898 Lines: 45 Hi all, I've been trying to get a picture of the use of tests as gatekeepers to workforce education and training. I'm sending this email around and was wondering if you had info or could distribute these questions to people in the field. Let me know. Thanks It has become apparent to many of us in the workforce development and worker education field that standardized tests are used very widely in worker training and education programs. In some cases, the tests are used appropriately to screen workers who would have difficulty in training programs. But we believe in many other cases, the tests keep qualified people out of training because of language issues, learning disabilities, poor test taking skills, and a lack of familiarity and preparation for the tests. We would like to investigate this issue further and were wondering if you could provide answers to the following questions. 1 What tests (if any) does your program or local One Stop Center use as a qualifier or gatekeeper for workforce development program entry or Individual Training Accounts? 2 Do any other public or private training programs in your area also use these or similar tests as qualifiers? What do they use? 3 Roughly, what percentage of people do not get into programs because of "failing" these tests? 4 Do the programs offer test preparation to workers who take the tests? 5 Do you suspect or know that people are being kept out of programs who could be successful in them? 6 Are there other impacts from the testing that you have noticed, especially in regard to workforce development or job acquisition? 7 Is there a particular impact on workers with limited English proficiency? Laura Chenven Healthcare Field Specialist AFL-CIO Working for America Institute 815 16th St. NW Washington, DC 20006 www.workingforamerica.org Phone: 202 974-8107 Fax: 202 974-8101 lchenven@workingforamerica.org
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