3.2 Charts, Graphs, and Progress Planning

Read the Chart Before the Numbers

Charts and graphs are common CASAS documents because adults use data at work, in health care, in school, and at home. A chart may show weekly hours, monthly utility use, sales totals, class attendance, blood pressure readings, temperatures, bus ridership, or program progress. The first skill is not calculation. The first skill is knowing what the display is showing.

Use this chart-reading order:

1. Title: What is the chart about?
2. Axis labels: What does each direction or column measure?
3. Units: Are the values 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?
6. Question: Does it ask for an exact value, comparison, difference, average, rate, or trend?

Exact Values, Comparisons, and Trends

An exact-value question asks for one number from the chart. Find the correct bar, point, row, or column and read the scale carefully.

A comparison question asks which is larger, smaller, earliest, latest, most, least, highest, or lowest. Check that you are comparing the same unit. A bar for dollars should not be compared to a bar for hours unless the chart is designed that way.

A difference question asks how much more or less: subtract the smaller value from the larger value. A trend question asks for the overall pattern. A line that rises from January to March and falls in April may still show an increase over the first three months, but not a steady increase for the whole period.

Reasonableness Checks for Graphs

Reasonableness checks are not extra work; they prevent obvious wrong answers. If a bar reaches halfway between 40 and 50, an answer near 45 may be reasonable, while 14 or 90 is not. If sales rose from $1,200 to $1,500, the increase must be $300, not $2,700. If a line graph uses a legend with two lines, make sure you are reading the correct line before calculating.

Pre-Test, Post-Test, and Score Planning

CASAS is used by adult education programs for placement, instruction, and progress reporting. A learner often takes a locator or appraisal first so the program can choose an appropriate pre-test level. The pre-test gives a starting CASAS scale score. After instruction, the post-test uses an appropriate alternate form to measure progress.

Planning should connect the score report to instruction:

• Start with the test series and subject, such as Reading GOALS 2 or Math GOALS 2.
• Record the pre-test scale score and the matching CASAS or NRS level information used by the program.
• Identify skill gaps, such as unit price, pay stubs, chart reading, forms, or measurement.
• Allow enough instruction before post-testing. CASAS guidance commonly points programs toward substantial instruction time rather than immediate retesting.
• Compare the post-test scale score with the pre-test scale score and the learner's program goal.

NRS Levels Without a Fixed Pass Score

Do not tell learners that CASAS has one fixed passing score. CASAS reports scale scores, and programs use those scores with test series, form level, National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Levels, and local goals. A score may show placement, progress, or an educational functioning level gain without being a pass/fail result.

NRS levels are useful because they group adult education progress for reporting. For a learner, the practical question is usually: did the post-test show enough growth to support the next instructional step? That may mean moving to a higher level, targeting a weak skill area, continuing instruction before post-testing again, or preparing for a different goal such as high school equivalency readiness.

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 Educational Functioning Level only from the correct score range for that series.
4. Look for the skill areas that should drive the next instruction block.
5. Avoid promising a universal pass score; use the program's stated goal and policy.
6. Pair score review with document practice, especially charts, pay stubs, receipts, labels, schedules, and measurement tasks.

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.