The National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) is an outcome-based reporting system for the State-administered, federally funded adult education program. Developed by the U.S. Department of Education's Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL), the NRS continues a cooperative process through which State adult education directors and DAEL manage a reporting system that demonstrates learner outcomes for adult education. The project is being conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, DC. An NRS technical working group provides guidance to DAEL on NRS policy and projects designed to improve use of NRS data.

The NRS Guidelines include the NRS Implementation Guidelines and related documents used to assist State and local education staff in managing reporting systems. The NRS Implementation Guidelines, the core of the NRS, may be downloaded for printing or viewed online in a searchable format. In addition, a recent NRS Webinar provides details to changes made in late 2005. Related NRS documents provide information and changes from recent program years, including changes to NRS Guidelines for Distance Learners that went into effect in June 2007.

New Assessment Regulations PDF (4.2MB) issued on January 14, 2008 specify requirements for statewide assessment policies for the NRS that must contain certain elements and be submitted to and approved by OVAE each year. The regulations also describe how tests must be administered locally in order to accurately measure education gains.

Annual State Reporting Requirements

OVAE issues guidance on annual reporting requirements PDF (46KB) to eligible state agencies by October 1 each year. All reports must be submitted by December 31. Annual reporting requirements include:

• NRS Statistical Tables
• Narrative Report
• Assessment Policy
• Data Quality Checklist
• Financial Status Reports

State and National Data Reports

The reports, available on the NRS web site , reflect the current status of the NRS. They are either provided by the Federal government or were created by the project staff.