Some respondents want clear adult literacy levels and "a common language with regard to measuring levels." Currently, IALS is the only set of national levels and one assessment tool-TOWES-has been correlated to it. One might argue that other assessment tools could be articulated to the five levels in the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS); however, IALS Level 1 would exclude a high percentage of students enrolled in adult literacy programs who are emergent readers and writers. Moreover, the narrow range of the IALS tasks or benchmarks does not align with what is being taught and learned in the adult literacy educational system.

A set of national levels and benchmarks based on research and practice has the potential to embrace uniformity and diversity. A set of assessment tools that are culturally relevant, wholistic, and customized for populations with specific learning needs could be articulated to a national set of levels and benchmarks. A flexible system that employs multiple assessment tools and approaches has the potential to meet the needs of diverse student populations and honour the complex nature of learning.