You’ve Got To Measure What You’re Doing For Improvement to Occur

by Dr. Yvonne Thayer

late this easily you really need to take a look at your program. What data are currently available? Think about everything that you are collecting for the NRS, but also think about other information you have. For example, how many employers have asked you for classes that you were unable to provide? What data do we need? If you are trying to convince the Workforce adult education is more evidence that Investment Board that you need funds, our field is being asked to show that what must you show them?

We use measurement all the time. we know what “best practice” is and Is it possible to collect the data When you’re feeling badly, you that we use it to insure the best that we need but do not have? take your body temperature to deter- instructional program for our adult What data collection process do mine if you are above or below 98.6. learners. we have or will we put in place? The You use that information to set a You are collecting a lot of data. You Department of Education (DOE) is course of action to feel better. When it use it to complete students’ individual currently designing a new data collecis cold outside, you check the tempera- planning documents, you report it on tion and reporting Web-based system ture to decide whether or not to cover the NRS, and you get feedback from for you that will replace EdVantage the plants. You use the daily stock GED performance. You know a lot Pro, which we expect to be operational reports to measure the growth of your about what learners want and what next year. That takes care of the NRS, investments. You look at but what do you need for voting records to help other reporting? decide who should be placed in office. We use We tend to measure that which is Do we have a system to analyze the data to data all the time. Except make it useful for program we commonly don’t use it enough for program important to us so we should use it. planning and decisionmaking? improvement. Do we have a process

In some businesses, in place for sharing the customers demand information that you provide for them. What you have data with all of our customers? shows organizational success. Whether to be able to do is organize the infor- If you haven’t analyzed the 2000it is a product or a service, the cus- mation in a way that makes it easy to 01 data you forwarded to DOE, begin tomer wants to know that he is getting study and use. You have to create a now. Make some graphs that compare his dollar’s worth. In our adult educa- measurement system. We tend to this year’s performance with last year’s tion world, we have not had that kind measure that which is important to us, performance, and benchmark how you of accountability. Our student cus- so we should use it to improve and are doing against the goals for the state. tomers have not asked us to prove we perpetuate our system. When you receive the GED testing are doing a good job, probably because Where do we begin when imple- report for 2001, look at the pass rate they are not paying tuition (or paying menting a measurement system? As in for your testing center and compare it minimally) for classes. But our cus- any assessment process, the persons to others in Virginia. You can’t get bettomers who are policy makers are responsible for the assessment must ter if you don’t know how you are beginning to ask for evidence that our answer certain questions before the doing. You won’t get better if you don’t work is helping to increase literacy and system can be designed effectively. measure what you are doing. helping to develop the workforce. The There are several questions that should National Reporting System (NRS) is be answered before the process of Dr. Yvonne Thayer is director of the Office one part of the effort to demonstrate measurement can be developed. of Adult Education and Literacy for the effectiveness with the federal funds we What are the identified measurable Virginia Department of Education. receive. The current call by the Bush goals of the program? What do we administration for scientific research in want to measure? If you cannot articu-