10 acronyms every ESL teacher should know

Pearson Languages
A male teacher stood in front of a class smiling at them
Reading time: 3 minutes

As you might have learned, the CASAS Life and Work Test series has been updated to become the CASAS STEPS (Student Test of English Progress). In last week’s blog, we discussed a few of the reasons for the change, and now it is time to review some key terminology to help you further understand what goes on in the ESL field of Adult Education. This week, we’ll review a list of 10 significant Adult ESL acronyms you will come across throughout your teaching career.

1) WIOA - Workforce Innovations Opportunity Act

Passed in 2014, the WIOA was designed to strengthen and improve our public workforce system by helping job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services. It requires states to strategically align their workforce development programs to coordinate the needs of both job seekers and employers.

2) OCTAE - Office of Career Technical and Adult Education

The OCTAE administers and coordinates programs related to adult education and literacy, career and technical education, and community colleges.

3) NRS - National Reporting System for Adult Education

The NRS is the accountability system for federally funded adult education programs authorized by the WIOA. The NRS includes the WIOA primary performance indicators, which describe adult education students and programs.

4) EFL - Educational Functioning Levels

EFL Descriptors for Literacy/English Language Arts are intended to guide both teaching and assessment for adult learners. They are organized into reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language domains. There are 6 NRS EFLs: Level 1) Beginning ESL Literacy, Level 2) Low Beginning ESL, Level 3) High Beginning ESL, Level 4) Low Intermediate ESL, Level 5) High Intermediate ESL, and Level 6) Advanced ESL.

5) ELPS - English Language Proficiency Standards

ELPS are standards developed to address the need for educational equity, access and rigor for adult ESOL learners with the goal of preparing students for career/postsecondary education.

6) CCR - College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education

The CCR reflects the content most relevant to preparing adult students for success in colleges, technical training programs, work, and citizenship in the areas of English language arts/literacy and mathematics.

7) CASAS - Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems

CASAS provides testing of basic and academic skills for youth and adults and curriculum tools for educators. Tests are approved by the Department of Education and the Department of Labor for native and non-native English speakers to assess reading, listening, speaking, writing, and math skills from the lowest literacy levels to high school exit and transition to postsecondary education, training, and the workforce.

8) CASAS STEPS - Student Test of English Progress and Success

NRS-approved assessments for ESL that measure academic vocabulary and higher-order thinking skills contained in the ELPS. Replaced the CASAS Life and Work reading and listening test series.

9) MSG - Measurable Skill Gain

MSG is the documented academic, technical, occupational, or other forms of progress toward a credential or employment. Documented progress can be measured by comparing a participant’s initial EFL as determined by a basic skills pre-test with the participant’s EFL as determined by the same basic skills post-test.

10) IET - Integrated Education & Training

IET is an education model that combines occupational skills training with adult education services to increase the educational and career advancement of participants. It has three required components - adult education and literacy activities, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training, which must all be provided simultaneously.

What other acronyms have you come across in the Adult Education field?

Click here to download a printable version of this cheat sheet to browse our textbook selection, including our CASAS STEPS-aligned FUTURE Series. If your program is not yet using the series, or if you’d like tutorials and tips as a current user, click here. Follow along on social media and share this post with your fellow teachers and administrators.

Download the CASAS Accronym PDF

References

  1. www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa
  2. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/index.html
  3. https://nrsweb.org/
  4. https://www.casas.org/docs/default-source/pagecontents/nrs-new-abe-ase-reading-efl-descriptors.pdf
  5. https://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-964
  6. https://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-521
  7. https://www.casas.org/about-casas
  8. https://www.casas.org/product-overviews/assessments
  9. https://www.floridajobs.org/docs/default-source/office-of-workforce-services/resources/msg_resourceguide_final-dec2020.pdf
  10. https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/IET_checklist508FINAL_0.pdf

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