The California State Library Literacy Service (C.L.L.S.), in an effort to enhance the accountability of all 110 library literacy programs in the State, is now requiring that programs utilize a new method of measuring learner progress. This Roles and Goals assessment form is based on research from the Equipped For the Future (EFF) project at the National Institute for Literacy in Washington D.C.
Here at Project Read, we’ve been using a simpler version of the Roles & Goals form for many years. Our Goal Setting sheet, which you should be familiar with, has been utilized during all initial assessments and sent to each tutor when newly matched with a learner. As you recall, it lists the adult roles of Self, Work, Family, & Community and asks the learner what goals they have in those four areas of life. As you look at the new Roles & Goals form from the State Library, you will notice that it is essentially an expanded version of the Goal Setting sheet. One minor difference is that the State Library is using the term Life-Long Learner in place of the Self category found on our form.
We have discovered that the original Goal Setting sheet which you received can be a good starting point for looking at the more detailed list of personal goals found on the Roles & Goals form. You might want to begin by pulling out your copy of the Goal Setting sheet for your learner and looking specifically at the adult roles under which your learner has already set goals. Here’s a tip from the staff who regularly use this form, if you find that your learner wants to mark "goal set" for each listed goal, stop and discuss your ability, as a team, to actually work on all those goals during the next few months. You can always set more goals later (this form will be sent to you for updates twice a year).
As you work your way through the Roles & Goals form with your learner, you may be surprised to find how many goals your learner has actually accomplished. When filling out the form, it is perfectly acceptable to write in “progress made” rather than checking “goal met”. Future versions of this form will most likely reflect this alternative.
We will be using this new accountability tool with all new learners as they enter the program (administered by program staff) and additionally all continuing tutor/learner teams will be asked to complete this form twice a year. We hope you will find it to be a useful means of staying focused, as a team, on the personal goals that your learner has set, which is central to Project Read’s goal of creating a learner-centered approach to instruction.
In May, we will again be sending out the Roles & Goals forms for all tutor/learner teams to complete. Remember, the California State Library is requiring that this form be completed for all learners in California, and they are an important source of funding for Project Read. Please help us by completing and returning this form by the scheduled date.
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