3.2 Charts, Graphs, and Progress Planning

Read the Chart Before the Numbers

Charts and graphs appear often on CASAS because adults read data at work, in health care, in school, and at home. A display may show weekly hours, monthly utility cost, sales totals, class attendance, blood pressure readings, temperatures, bus ridership, or program progress. The first skill is not calculation. It is knowing what the display shows. Skip this step and the arithmetic is correct but aimed at the wrong number.

Use this chart-reading order on every graph item:

1. Title: What is the chart about overall?
2. Axis labels: What does each axis or column measure?
3. Units: Are values in dollars, hours, people, miles, points, percent, or dates?
4. Legend: What do colors, symbols, or line styles mean?
5. Scale: Does the axis count by 1s, 5s, 10s, 50s, or another interval? A gridline between 40 and 50 on a by-5s scale reads 45, not 41.
6. Question: Does it want an exact value, a comparison, a difference, an average, a rate, or a trend?

Exact Values, Comparisons, Differences, and Trends

An exact-value question wants one number. Find the correct bar, point, row, or column and read the scale carefully. A comparison question asks which is larger, smaller, earliest, latest, most, or least; confirm you are comparing the same unit and the same legend series. A difference question asks how much more or less: subtract the smaller value from the larger. A trend question wants the overall pattern; a line that climbs January to March then dips in April still rose overall for the first three months but did not rise steadily all year.

Reasonableness Checks for Graphs

Reasonableness checks prevent obvious errors. If a bar reaches halfway between 40 and 50, an answer near 45 fits, while 14 or 90 does not. If sales rose from $1,200 to $1,500, the increase must be $300, not $2,700. If a line graph has two series in its legend, confirm you are tracing the correct line before you calculate. On a stacked or double-bar chart, decide whether the question wants one segment or the combined total.

Pre-Test, Post-Test, and Score Planning

CASAS is the assessment many adult education programs use for placement, instruction planning, and progress reporting under the federal National Reporting System (NRS). A learner usually takes a locator or appraisal first so staff can assign an appropriate pre-test form. The pre-test gives a starting CASAS scale score; after instruction, a post-test uses an alternate form at the right level to measure growth.

Tie the score report to instruction:

• Start with the series and subject, such as Reading GOALS 2 or Math GOALS 2 (five aligned test levels).
• Record the pre-test scale score and the matching NRS Educational Functioning Level (EFL).
• Identify skill gaps such as unit price, pay stubs, chart reading, forms, or measurement.
• Allow enough instruction before post-testing. CASAS guidance points programs to roughly 70 to 100 instructional hours, and most states enforce a minimum of 40 hours (the 40-hour rule) before a post-test counts.
• Compare the post-test scale score with the pre-test score and the learner's program goal.

NRS Levels and Real Scale-Score Ranges

Do not tell learners CASAS has one fixed passing score. CASAS reports scale scores, and programs read those scores together with the test series, form level, NRS Educational Functioning Level, and local goals. The same number can mean placement, an EFL gain, or simply a starting point depending on context.

For orientation, the Math GOALS 2 scale-score ranges map to NRS levels approximately as follows: Beginning ABE Literacy = 192 and below; Beginning Basic Education = 193-203; Low Intermediate = 204-213; Middle (High) Intermediate = 214-224, continuing upward through the secondary levels. Reading GOALS 2 uses its own slightly higher cut points (for example, Beginning ABE Literacy at 203 and below). Always read the official range chart for the exact series rather than assuming Reading and Math share cut scores.

A learner whose Math score moves from 201 to 209 has crossed from Beginning Basic into Low Intermediate, which is a reportable EFL gain even though no single 'pass' number exists.

Progress Planning Checklist

Use this checklist when reviewing a CASAS score report:

1. Confirm the correct test series, subject, and form level.
2. Compare pre-test and post-test scale scores, not raw percent correct.
3. Check the NRS EFL using only the correct score range for that series.
4. Verify enough instructional hours have passed (target 70-100, minimum 40).
5. Identify the skill areas that should drive the next instruction block.
6. Avoid promising a universal pass score; use the program's stated goal and policy.

A strong study plan treats charts and scores the same way: read the labels, use the right scale, check the units, and make a practical next decision.