Assessment or evaluation practices (for placement of students, setting learning objectives, assessing individual learning, and measuring overall program outcomes) are a subject of ongoing discussion. Many programs emphasize student self-evaluation, or the informal evaluation that occurs in on-going dialogue between student and tutor or teacher. In one practice, a teacher, or a co-ordinator and tutor, meet with a student to define goals, and to decide how to measure or document learning, perhaps drawing up a "learning contract." At a later meeting they discuss and agree upon a description of progress made. Success is seen when a student reaches his or her own personal goal, which may vary from passing a driver's test to entering another educational program. This emphasis allows for maximum learner control, and for programming and teaching that are responsive to learner needs.¹⁴⁹

Student participation in programming planning and control is another aspect of learner-centredness. Some programs now involve learners on their boards or planning committees. Many learner events and conferences provide opportunities for learners to compare experiences and to speak out. Advocacy organizations and interest groups often include learners as members. (The Learner Action Group of Canada, formed under the auspices of the Movement for Canadian Literacy to promote learner participation at all levels, is one of the more visible). There should be further documentation of experiences of learner participation.¹⁵⁰

One-to-one volunteer tutoring, groups and paid workers

A number of virtues are commonly claimed for volunteer tutoring in literacy: Tutoring allows an intense and supportive one-to-one relationship, especially at the basic literacy level. One-to-one tutoring allows confidentiality, to avoid the identification and embarrassment of students. Sometimes the personal commitment in volunteer tutoring is said to be the heart of true literacy work.

However, there have also been perennial criticisms of one-to-one volunteer tutoring, to the extent that in some contexts of discussion, "volunteer" is a pejorative term. Some practitioners and advocates argue that volunteers should not be relied on to teach, as a "cheap" solution — providing education to those with least, on terms that those with more would never accept. Others argue that literacy teaching should strive to avoid isolated one-to-one situations whenever possible, that, in groups, students learn they are not alone, that group work allows a broader support, and, in groups meeting several times a week, a more continuous support. There are also discussions concerning ways to strengthen the use of volunteers, for example through improved training, and ongoing training, or through assigning volunteers a variety of roles throughout programs, not only in teaching.