Equipped for the Future

Since 1994 the National Institute for Literacy has led a collaborative, nationwide effort to develop adult learning standards that can guide instruction and assessment and improve the quality and results of adult literacy programs. The 16 Equipped for the Future standards define the knowledge and skills adults need in order to successfully carry out their roles as parents, citizens, and workers in the 21st Century. These skills include strong reading, writing, and math skills; they also include the skills we need to communicate and work well with others; to solve problems; and to keep up with change.

Although Equipped for the Future (EFF) is a voluntary initiative, nearly 600 adult literacy programs in 38 states are already using the EFF content framework to guide teaching and learning. Eighteen states have begun using the EFF standards to improve the quality of one or more of their adult learning systems. In addition, key national organizations like the National Center for Family Literacy, the National Urban League, ProLiteracy, and the National Retail Federation are using EFF as an integral part of their own training and program improvement systems.

EFF is currently working with these state and national partners to develop a range of research-based tools that can assist programs, states, and national organizations in using the standards to improve instruction and results. These include:

• A training package that helps programs integrate evidence-based reading practices within EFF practices.
• A toolkit for teachers based on a 10-step model of standards-based instruction and assessment.
• A handbook for program improvement based on the EFF Quality Model.
• A work-readiness credential that defines, measures, and certifies mastery of the knowledge and skills required in the 21st century workplace.

The work readiness credential, a joint project of NIFL and several states including Florida, New Jersey, New York and Washington, is one strand of current EFF research and development focused on developing assessments for multiple purposes that are aligned with EFF content standards. Other ongoing assessment development efforts include:

• Training practitioners in using standards to focus both instruction and assessment more sharply on the knowledge and skills adult students need to learn.
• Piloting a set of performance assessments designed to measure how well adults can use the standard Read with Understanding. These assessments are aligned with the U.S. Department of Education National Reporting System (NRS), and will enable programs to report movement from level to level on the NRS as well as to demonstrate mastery of real world reading tasks.

For more information about the EFF initiative, visit the EFF Special Collection.