An example of how levels can be broken down has been provided by Dr. Theresa Kline, who worked in an advisory capacity on the framework initiative.

Kline points out that the level divisions are based on the standard error of measurement of the literacy scales, and therefore rest on a sound (psychometric) basis.

We wanted to see what the pattern of TOWES scores looked like using these finer categories. We thought they might have potential for identifying students who were struggling academically. We know that TOWES is a good indicator of academic performance. Considering the constraints of the field test, we had a fairly homogeneous group of students, i.e., students who were half way or more through their communication or math courses with college post secondary and Apprenticeship goals. For the purpose of the study, we chose a cutoff point at low Level 2 Essential Skills. This was somewhat arbitrary but based on research that indicates that moving from Level 2 to Level 3 Essential Skills represents a key transition for students. ^{Footnote 2} Kirsch, Jungleblut, Jenkins, and Kolstad (1993) reported that adults with Essential Skills below Level 3 tended to be less educated and participate less in their communities. We felt students above this cutoff point would have a better chance of success at their next steps. It was not known, of course, how much progress students were capable of making in the weeks or months remaining in their programs.

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