DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 419 120 CE 076 392

TITLE "What's the Buzz?"--Pennsylvania's Adult Basic and LiteracyProfessional Development Newsletter. Final Report.

INSTITUTION Adult Education Linkage Services, Troy, PA.SPONS AGENCY Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg. Bureau of

Adult Basic and Literacy Education.PUB DATE 1997-00-00NOTE 64p.; For previous reports and accompanying newsletter

issues, see ED 395 131 and ED 395 098.PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) Reports Descriptive

(141)

JOURNAL CIT What's the Buzz; v16 n1-5 Sep 1996-Jun 1997EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Adult Basic Education; *Adult Educators; Adult Literacy;

Basic Skills; Correctional Education; EducationalLegislation; Federal Legislation; Information Dissemination;Information Sources; Labor Force Development; *LiteracyEducation; Nontraditional Education; *ProfessionalDevelopment; State Legislation; State Programs; StatewidePlanning

IDENTIFIERS *Pennsylvania

ABSTRACTFive issues of an adult basic education newsletter were

developed and disseminated to more than 4,000 adult educators inPennsylvania. The newsletters contained information appropriate to theirprofessional development in a format and by a delivery method that wouldreach the large rural area of Pennsylvania and the large number of part-timeadult educators throughout the state. The 5 issues contained the following:28 articles relating to adult educational professional developmentinformation, resources, and meetings; 8 articles with information either fromor concerning the Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education; 7 articlesrelating to Pennsylvania's Workforce Development Program; 6 articles aboutrecent adult education state or federal legislation; 6 articles dealing withelectronic information resources in adult education; 4 articles describinglocal program activities; 3 articles concerning achievements of individualadult education students; and 2 articles relating to correction education. Inaddition, each issue carried a feature page titled "Newsletter Roundup" with31 excerpts of relevant information from a wide range of newsletters; a pagetitled "People and Programs" which highlighted accomplishments of 26individual adult educators and 21 programs; and "It's a Date," a page whichlists a calendar of upcoming events in adult education. Three issues alsoincluded an insert section dealing primarily with activities of Project EQUAL(Educational Quality to Adult Literacy). (The five issues are included inthis document.) (YLB)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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FINAL REPORT

Project # 99-7003

"What's the Buzz?'--Pennsylvania's Adult Basic and Literacyo Professional Development Newsletter

Project Director: David W. FlukeAdult Education Linkage Services

Box 214, Troy, PA 16947

Project Year 1996-1997

Disclaimer: The activity which is the subject of this report, was supported in part by the U.S.Department of Education. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect theposition or policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Pennsylvania Department ofEducation, and no endorsement should be inferred.

Adult Education Linkage Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice ducahonal Research and Improvement

EOU TIONARESOURCE ICS )INFORMATION

CENTER (E

This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it

0 Minor changes have beenmade to Improve

reproduction Quality..

e Points of view or opinionsstated in this dOCit

ment do not neCeSsanly represent officialOERI position or policy.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

2

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

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CONTENTS

Title Page

Contents

Abstract Pages

Introduction- .Page 3ObjectivesTime Frame

Page 4StaffAudienceDissemination

Body of the Report- Page 5

Objectives Met Page 6Evaluation

Reader Survey Results .Page 7

Suggested Improvements Page 8

Dissemination

3

ABSTRACT PAGE Project No: 99-7003

Grant Recipient: Adult Education Linkage Services

Box 214. Troy, PA 16947

(717) 596-3474

Program Name: "What's the Buzz?"--Deimaylvania's Adult Basic and LiteracyF. clucation professional Development Newsletter.

Grant Allocation: $40,000

Project Period: July 1, 1996-June 30, 1997

Project Director: David W. Fluke

Project Purpose: To prepare an 8-page general adult basiceducation newsletter which containedinformation appropriate to the professionaldevelopment of adult educators inPennsylvania and to disseminate thenewsletter bi-monthly (September to June)to as many persons as could be identifiedwho are involved in adult basic andliteracy education in Pennsylvania.

Project Outcomes:The project prepared and disseminated a newsletter to more than 4,000 Wilteducators in Pennsylvaria in the months of September and November, 1996 and Jimmy,March and June, WE The September, 1996 issue was K) pages it lenglk the November,1996 issue was 8 pages with a 4 page insert deaing with Project EQUAL; the January, 1997issue was 8 pages; the March, OW issue was 10 pagesvelh a 2 page insert on ProjectEQUAL, and the trial issue, Jima, BR, was 9 pages with a 2 page Project EQUALinsert

Content Ercluded 28 articles Mating toadult education professional developmentinformation, resources and meetkigs; 8sides war Norrnation either from theBissau of Adult Basic and LieraGyEducation or about their activkies; 7articles Meng to Pennsylvania'sWorldorce Development program; 6 articlesabout recent edit* educatior' state orfederal legislation; 6 articles deaingwith electronic ktonnation resumesin adult education; 4 articles desakikiglocal program activkies; 3 articlesconcerning achievements of individualadult education studerts; and 2 articlesrelating b axrection eckrcation.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

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In addidon, each issue carried a feature page tided "Newsletter Roundup' withexcerpts of relevard infomudion from a wide range of newsletters (3 articles);"People and Programs" which higtights accomplishments of irsividual adulteducators andkr programs (25 people, 3 programs); arelt's a Dater which gives acalendar of upcoming events in edit education.

The Project EQUAL (Educational Quaky b Aduk Literacy) inserts described someof the activkies of the program in is third year. The inserts we prepared by Tana Reiff ofProject NOS.

Impact Although k is (Mica to evaluate the impact ofthe large anoint of information contained in ournesidetter disseminated among more than 4,000readers, subjective and objective evaluation lead usto believe Ws the Bugg' is being read and thelimitation contained 'n the newsletter is relevantto our adult education reading audience.

More detaled information concerning impact iscaitained it the Evaluation section of the FinalReport.

Product Developed: 5 copies of a newsletter.

Products Amiable Ran: Pennsylvania Slate Adult LieracyResource Center, Sh floor, 333Market Street, Hanisburg, PA um=

Project Continualior' We have received approval for'separation and dissemination of aprofessional development newsletterfor Pennsylvania adult educators kw19117-98.

Future Implcatkins: As the field of Addt Basic andblowy Education becomes morecomplex, as additio' nal sources ofintonation, espedaly dedronic,become available, and as adulteducators in Pennsylvania becomebetter trained in applying elementsof their professional development,we feel the need for print informationsuch as that in our newsletter, wiassusne an ever-inamskely importadrte in the professional developmentof al adui educators.

CtinclusionrJRecommenckdionm Our newsletter is meetkig aneed in the professionaldevelopment of adult educatorsin Pennsylvania. We recommendcollimation and expansionof the project

BEST COPY AVAILABLE5

FINAL REPORT

INTRODUCTION

The purposes (objectives) of this project were to:

>Prepare an 8-page general adult basic education newsletter

containing information such as in-service techniques, Section

353 projects and other information relevant and pertinent to

adult basic and literacy education practitioners in

Pennsylvania.

>Include as newsletter content information from a broad

variety of sources.

>Prepare the newsletter in a format which encourages

recipients to read the articles.

>Identify 3 experienced adult educators to serve as an

editorial board to meet twice during the year and to review

each months' copy prior to publication.

>Prepare, publish and distribute the newsletter in the months

of September and November, 1996 and January, March, and June,

1997.

>Maintain a comprehensive mailing list up-to-date and free of

duplication of up to 4,500 adult educators in Pennsylvania to

receive the newsletter.

Time Frame

The project activities were conducted between July 1, 1996

and June 30, 1997.

6

Staff

Project Director and editor-in-chief was David W. Fluke, CEOof Adult Education Linkage Services, a non-profit, community-based organization based in Troy, PA which providestechnical assistance to adult basic and literacy educationprograms.

Assistant Editor was Juliet B. Fluke.

Associate Editor was Tana Reiff of Project AXIS in Lancaster,PA who was responsible for newsletter layout and graphics.Editorial Board members were: David W. Fluke, Tana Reiff,Ella Morin of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Adult Basic andLiteracy Education and Priscilla Ferguson of the Tri-CountyOIC in Harrisburg.

Audience

The newsletter is designed to provide information to anyoneinvolved in or interested in adult basic and literacyeducation in Pennsylvania.

Dissemination

Permanent copies of each issue are filed in both PennsylvaniaAdult Basic and Literacy Education Resource Centers:Harrisburg, 11th floor, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA17126-0333; Western Pennsylvania, 5347 William Flynn Highway,Rt. 8, Gibsonia, PA 15044.

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BODY OF THE REPORT

The problem addressed by this project was to help meet the

needs of adult educators in Pennsylvania for professional

development information.

With the increased emphasis upon Staff Development and the

increasing amount of information available which is

appropriate to the professional development of adult

educators, came a parallel need for dissemination.

Due to the large rural area of Pennsylvania and the large

number of part time adult educators throughout the state, the

traditional meeting/conference/workshop format reaches only a

small portion of persons involved in working with adult

learners (one project estimated less than 30% statewide).

Following our primary objective of dissemination of

professional development information to adult educators

throughout our state, our newsletter was mailed to more than

4,000 adult educators five times during the 1996-97 program

year.

Contained in 45 pages (total) content in the five issues

were:

28 articles relating to adult education professional

development information, resources, and meetings.

8 articles with information either from or concerning the

Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education.

7 articles relating .to Pennsylvania's Workforce Development

Program.

6 articles about recent adult education state or federal

legislation.

6 articles dealing with electronic information resources in

adult education.

4 articles describing local program activities.

3 articles concerning achievements of individual adult

education students.

2 articles relating to correction education.

In addition, each issue carried a feature page titled

"Newsletter Roundup" with excerpts (31)of relevant

information from a wide range of newsletters; a page titled

"People and Programs" which highlighted accomplishments of

individual adult educators and/or programs (26 people, 21

programs); and "It's a Date!"--a page which lists a calendar

of upcoming events in adult education.

3 issues also included an insert section prepared by the

Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education dealing

primarily with the activities of Project EQUAL (Educational

Quality to Adult Literacy).

OBJECTIVES MET

All objectives were met and, in some cases such as the number

of pages, exceeded. Comments received from readers have been

positive (see evaluation section).

EVALUATION

Evaluation was conducted using both objective and subjective

techniques.

A mail-back evaluation form was sent to 100 readers during

April, 1997. The forms were returned to Sherry Spencer of

the Bradford-Wyoming County Literacy Program. Mrs. Spencer

has no direct relationship with our newsletter. Included on

the next page is a tabulation of the evaluations received.

Although the return was small, 100% of respondents gave our

newsletter top ratings in both information and format. All

but one respondent indicated they read every issue of The

Buzz and 100% said they find the information in the

newsletter useful in their work.

In addition, we regularly receive correspondence and comments

from readers:

"I find it full of useful information."

"Thanks for the great job you're doing."

"I recently attended a training seminar in literacy and they

recommended I request your publication."

"Keep up the good work--we look forward to the next issue of

'What's the Buzz?'"

9

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1996 1997 "WHAT's THE BUZZ?" READER SURVEY

On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) how do you rate The Buzz?

5: 9; 4: 6

How do you rate the information in The Buzz:

5: 9; 4: 6

How do you rate the format of The Buzz?

5: 8; 4: 7

Yes or No: Do you read every issue of The Buzz?

Yes: 14; No: 1

Do you find the information in The Buzz useful to you in yourwork?

Yes: 15

How could we improve "What's the Buzz?" to better meet yourneeds as an adult educator? (please use the other side for ad-ditional comments)

Please continue to feature and describe new materials, es-

pecially software designed for very low level students.

A column to assist programs on legal issues we are faced.

More editions.

Please include in "It's a Date": (1) Penn TESOL-East iteet-ing.dates7- one.is scheduled for Oct.; 1997. (2) Informationregarding. ESOL (more than 70% of our learners (Phila. area)are in these classes. Thanks-- keep up the good work. 5/5/97.

We need some attention to findings from the PAARN & PALPINprojects- such as practices that have yielded measureableresults. I'd like more information on exemplary programpractices.

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"We have had many requests based on articles in 'What's the

Buzz?'" (from ERIC)

"'What's the Buzz?' is a publication that this office finds

very helpful and informative."

IMPROVEMENTS

The following improvements were suggested by the respondents:

>"Please continue to feature and describe new materials,

especially software designed for very low level students."

>"A column (is needed) to assist programs on legal issues we

are faced (with)."

>"More editions."

>"Please include in 'It's a Date' Penn TESOL meeting dates

and information regarding ESOL. Thanks--keep up the good

work."

>"We need some attention to findings from the PAARN and

PALPIN projects--such as practices that have yielded

measurable results. I'd like more information on exemplary

program practices."

DISSEMINATION

Copies of this final report are available from either of the

State Adult Literacy Resource Centers. The final report,

with all copies, is sent to the Bureau of Adult Basic and

Literacy Education, 12th floor, 333 Market Street,

Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333.

Vol. 16, No. 1SEPTEMBER 1996

vwwvALgetetY5it:31/1/1., VL V1/V%V1, v

PENNSYLVANIA ADULT EDUCATION'S PROFESSIONAL NEWSLETTER

from the Bureau

OFF TO AGREAT START

by Cheryl Keenan, Director,Bureau of ABLE

Welcome back to another yearof providing quality educationalservices to Pennsylvania's adultlearners. Although many of youmay not have taken the tradi-tional summer break associatedwith public education, the sum-mer months hopefully did pro-vide you with some time for per-sonal rest and recuperation.Coming back refreshed and re-juvenated will have you readyfor the coming academic year.We at the Bureau have been pre-paring ourselves to assist you inthe services you provide.

We can look back on a suc-cessful year in the implementa-tion of program improvementefforts. During 1995-96, youmet the objectives of the morethan 60,000 adult learners en-rolled in your programs. Currentprogram year contracts have al-ready been processed throughthe Department's approval sys-tem. Last year the Bureau con-solidated the Section 322 of thefederal Adult Education Actfunds to one contract peragency. The 178 agencies re-

Continued on p.2

SEPTEMBER s IGHLIGHTS: ABLE's PC DatabaseOPSCAL

Forums Building Communities Correction Education

RSDCs Now PDCs 113Legislative Updatelai AdvancE Online la

COABE in Retrospect DPW Funding E ILetters El Newsletter

Roundup El People & Programs 9 It's a Date 10

Workforce DevelopmentTeleconference Draws Pictureof Pennsylvania's FutureAdult education is seekingto ensure itself a clearidentity in the new matrix.

"Workforce Development is themost significant criterion forbusinesses who desire to relo-cate to Pennsylvania. WorkforceDevelopment is Economic De-velopment."

With this introductory state-ment to the statewide WorkforceDevelopment Teleconferenceheld June 20, adult educators gottheir first glimpse of Pennsyl-vania's new Workforce Devel-opment priorities, which manyfeel will be the basis for educa-tion services to adults beginningin the near future. Presentationsfrom representatives of the stateDepartments of Labor and In-dustry, Commerce, Public Wel-fare, and Education left littledoubt that we had better get withcoordination and collaborationamong services and programsor, as one adult educator said,"We're in deep trouble!"

A very clear message waspresented by Sherri Heller,Deputy Secretary for Income

Maintenance, Department ofPublic Welfare. Dr. Heller em-phasized that the Common-wealth's new welfare regula-tions, put into practice on June17, reflect not only new require-ments for maintaining cash pay-ments through the public assis-tance programs but also stressimplementation of training, edu-

Throughout theteleconference therewas little specific refer-ence to adult basic andliteracy education andwhat role, if any, it willplay in Pennsylvania'sWorkforce Development.

cation, and job placement activi-ties. Previously, Public Welfare(like ABLE) provided priorityservices to the most in need(lowest-literate, most unem-ployable, etc.). New guidelinesin welfare reform provide ser-vices first to adults most easilytrained or placedthose Dr.Heller referred to as the "mostjob-ready welfare recipients."

Coordination of local ser-vices. From Governor Ridge's

recommendation for IndividualLearning Accounts (ILA's), to"one-stop centers" for employ-ers, job seekers, adult learners,and other adults, to the Depart-ment of Commerce's "RegionalSkill Centers," the block grantconcept was ever present. De-spite the lack of specific imple-mentation information, a repre-sentative of the Governor's Of-fice said, "We will put begin-nings of integrated and coordi-nated processes of workforcedevelopment in place in Penn-sylvania by July 1, 1997," re-gardless of how the feds moveor not move in adopting fund-ing legislation.

Throughout the teleconfer-ence there was little specific ref-erence to adult basic and literacyeducation and what role, if any,it will play in Pennsylvania'sWorkforce Development. Therepresentative of the Depart-ment of Education on the panel,Dr. Mary Ann Nobers, DeputySecretary for Elementary andSecondary Education, noted ini-tiatives such as the School-To-Work program as being an ex-

Continued on p.3

12

SEPTEMBER 1996

NBUIRMZU, groin p.1

ceiving these funds have ben-efited from the timely process-ing of applications and the tran-sition to a monthly paymentschedule. Over 140 agenciesreceive allocations from Act143, the state Adult LiteracyAct, to provide services rangingfrom one-on-one adult literacytutoring to GED preparation.The Pennsylvania LiteracyCorps, a higher education ser-vice learning program that pro-vides community adult basicand literacy education througha corps of well-trained collegestudent volunteers, became apart of ABLE this past year.

Continuing its efforts to en-sure program improvement, the

VVIIWP-447"54/VVVVVIA44rzixurz-z7rfriurrh'etv-

What's the Buzz?, PennsylvaniaAdult Education's ProfessionalNewsletter is published five timesin 1996-97 by Adult Education Link-

age Services, Box 214, Troy, PA16947, under partial funding pro-vided through the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education from theU.S. Adult Education Act, Section353. It is distributed without charge

to practitioners of adult basic andliteracy education in Pennsylvaniaand no endorsement of newsletter

contents by PDE nor USDOE should

be inferred.

Editor: Dave Fluke

Associate Editor: Tana Reiff

Editorial Board: Ella Morin,

Priscilla Ferguson, Tana Reiff

This publication isavailable in alternativemedia on request.

Bureau revised the ProgramGuidelines and streamlined theapplication process. By liftingexcessive and prescriptive rules,the Bureau ensures that agenciescan be flexible and responsivein meeting the needs of theirlearners and their program ob-jectives. The Bureau is also in-stituting mechanized data col-lection and reporting and pro-viding ongoing training andtechnical assistance, in coopera-tion with the Center for Literacy.Data collected can be used forcontinuous program improve-ment. Another activity basedupon the Indicators of ProgramQuality is onsite monitoringconducted by Bureau staff.Through this process, we areable to identify elements for im-provement and determine areasfor training and development.

Professional developmentcontinues as a priority. Trainingin techniques for teaching adultswith learning differences andlearning from practice throughpractitioner inquiry and actionresearch will be provided. Thispast year, a professional devel-opment workgroup made up ofpractitioners and administratorsassisted the Bureau in develop-ing guidelines and policies fora reorganized professional de-velopment system. The priori-ties for a regional professionaldevelopment system assure thatprofessional development op-portunities provided to adulteducation practitioners result inadult learners enhancing theirbasic skills and competencies.Activities for the coming yearinclude a core of topics for prac-titioner training and site-basedtechnical assistance based uponexemplary practices and pro-

grams. Other objectives includeassessing local needs and devel-oping program improvementplans. This year, the six regionalProfessional Development Cen-ters will provide training oppor-tunities for providers across theCommonwealth, increasing par-ticipation in a variety of profes-sional development activities. Aproject will review and collecttraining materials to be used infive content areas, determinedthrough an assessment of train-ing needs. Practitioner trainingbegan with three Summer Insti-tutes that provided learning op-portunities in technology, newteacher orientation, and tech-niques for collaborative learn-ing in the classroom. That train-ing will continue through the year.

Continuing the technologyinitiatives begun in the ALTINproject last year, the ABLENetproject will network and trainacross the Commonwealth byexpanding the number of prac-titioners involved in each of thesix regions. Another project willexamine the reporting of student

data; another will research anddevelop a list of competenciesfor adult learners as workers,family members, and citizens.

Year Three of Project EQuALwill continue to provide techni-cal assistance to the Bureau, lead-ing to improving the quality ofservices provided by your pro-grams through the use of data, andto develop performance standardsfor ABLE programs. The 20 pi-lot sites involved in EQuALproject activities will expand theirefforts and assist in bringing thegoals of the project statewide.

The projects undertaken willassist you in providing instruc-tional programs that lead to adultlearners' achieving their goalsand reaching their full potential.With your efforts we can assurethat there will be continuous im-provement in all programs andthat the learners meet their goalsand objectives. On behalf of theBureau staff, I welcome youback to another year in adulteducation and look forward toour working together. Have agood and successful year!.

A ministrators, Take NoteCheryl Keenan, Director of the Bureau of ABLE, will be talking withprogram administrators and directors this fall at a series of meetingsarranged through the regional Professional Development Centers(PDCs). Cheryl will be talking about the direction for adult educa-tion in the coming years, focusing on the elements of program im-provement begun under Project EQUAL.

With changes that have their beginnings at the federal level andthe awareness nationwide that adult learners are in need of basic skillseducation in order to be competitive and to be full and contributingmembers of society, it is important that all program administratorsunderstand their role in reforming adult education services by in-creasing benefits to learners and using program evaluation to con-tinuously improve programs. Cheryl will provide information aboutcurrent initiatives and future state requirements for adult educationprograms. Notification for the meetings will be made through theregional PDC. Program administrators' attendance is required..

2 13

TELECOMFERIERICE, from p.1

ample of PDE input to the Work-force Development concept.

Focus groups. Follow-upinput to ideas raised during theteleconference was initiated ina series of "Focus Groups" heldthroughout the summer and co-ordinated by the Iacocca Insti-tute based at Lehigh University,Bethlehem. Using the projecttitle "AGILE PA" the Institutesent facilitators to Allentown,Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg,Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, theScranton area, and the State Col-lege area. They met with groupsof from ten to 19 persons repre-senting a wide range of groups,including ABLE providers andstudents. Discussion centeredaround the objectives, status,and needs of workforce devel-opment in Pennsylvania andwhat the "customers" (employ-ers and employees) want froma statewide system of workforcedevelopment.

The following conclusionsseemed to find general acceptanceamong the eight focus groups:

Individual adults should de-cide what they want. It is theindividual's responsibility tosolve his or her own problemsand achieve success. The per-spective should not be "Whatcan the system do for me?"

Initial assessment for adultsentering the system should pro-vide a "reality check" which in-cludes realistic informationabout the client and theworkforce.

There needs to be a basic sys-tem of services in place to in-clude basic literacy programsand an exhaustive, systematizedlist of services.

Retention and the provisionof information about adults inthe system are important. Thisinformation should includecompletion rates, what employ-ment occurred because of train-ing, follow-up to observe long-term success or failure, cus-tomer satisfaction with the job,training received, and the over-all program, and the number ofadults who return for services orgo back on public assistance.

The system should:Be user-friendly.Be based on trust.Be market driven.Be based upon social con-tracts.Have available better labormarket information.Be characterized by collabo-ration and cooperation amongservice providers.Eliminate busy work man-dated by bureaucracy.Establish uniformity of train-ing and information across thestate.Lifelong learning should be

emphasized at all stages of theprocess.

Problems identified by thefocus groups included the lack oftrust among stakeholders andbetween stakeholders and "Har-risburg." Some concern was ex-pressed as to whether the sys-tem would treat rural, suburban,and urban programs equallyfairly. Rural providers expresseda concern that most of the moneywill go to Philadelphia and Pitts-burgh. One focus group made thepoint that the new "instant jobplacement" concept of the welfaresystem is antithesis to the conceptof lifelong learning.

We in Pennsylvania ABLEhave our work cut out for us if

=edew-4-m.SEPTEMBER 1996

we are not to be "left behind"as service providers are identi-fied for participation in "sub-state structures" (a new "Buzz"word) in what teleconferencepresenters referred to a "a single,seamless enterprise system."

For more information aboutPennsylvania Workforce Devel-opment and how you can haveinput, contact the Department ofLabor and Industry, 1721 Laborand Industry Building, 7th andForster Sts., Harrisburg, PA17120.

EILE'S PCT 13ASE: EST YE' Irt

by Bill Murphy, Researchand Evaluation Chief,Bureau of ABLE

This month, instead of thousandsof copy 3's of the student intakeform, the Research Section ofABLE is receiving floppy disksfrom individual agencies. About100 agencies are submitting diskswith their student, tutor, and staffdata. This year, we have cut thenumber of scannable "bubble"forms by more than 60%. Wehave received disks with virusesand experienced some problemswith the programs, but we cansafely say the bubble form era ison the way out. Next year we shalladd 29 new agencies. We are alsoexploring means to includethose agencies which lack thecapability of converting to theautomated data reporting system.

The PC database offers neworganizational possibilities. Forthe past two years, we have beencollecting student data by

"learning environments." Other-wise known as classes or tutorsites, these student groupingswill enable programs to exam-ine student participation andperformance by the instructionalsituations in which they arelearning. As programs begin toanalyze and evaluate their per-formance, these categories willhelp determine how best to re-tain and educate adult studentsat various levels of instruction.The potential is only beginningbut one immediate advantage isalready occurring. Continuingstudents will not have to be re-enrolled, because they are re-tained in the computer. Theagency can create new classesor sites and then place the newand continuing students into theappropriate class/site.

If your agency has not yetcommitted to use the database,you may still sign up by inform-ing the Bureau at (717) 787-8648. Training sessions will beconducted in September. Par-ticipants should be familiar withthe computer keyboard and themouse. They also should havesufficient clerical time availableto do data entry. The scannableform appears easier because theburden of completion all toooften falls to the teacher. Withthe PC database, that burden isshared with the clerical personwho enters the data. We also rec-ommend that agencies collabo-rate on a combined databasesystem. Contracted programscan be maintained separately onthe same computer. Becausedata entry staff require time tolearn the system, database con-solidation will ensure continu-ity and correct entry.

143

&PISEPTEMBER 1996

PSCL\L 9995093

SUCCESS

The Pennsylvania State Coali-tion for Adult Literacy (PSCAL)is a nonprofit, statewide orga-nization supported by fundsfrom the private sector. One ofits organizational purposes is tofoster leadership in adult lit-eracy by serving as a forum forthe exchange of ideas.

Coalition membership con-sists of representatives of Penn-sylvania adult literacy providerorganizations and other organi-zations, individuals, and agen-cies within public and privatesectors who support or are af-fected by literacy activities.

In 1995 the Coalition em-

barked on an ambitious programof public forums dealing withtopics of concern in the literacyfield and having impact uponvarious segments of Pennsyl-vania's population.

The first forum, held Sep-tember 21, 1995, addressedEconomic Development andLiteracy in which a panel of pre-senters discussed local and stateperspectives on economic de-velopment trends in Pennsylva-nia, innovative ways higher edu-cation and academia have re-sponded to training needs predi-cated by a global economy, andhow manufacturing, in particu-lar, has evolved from a processdriven by "brawn power" to oneof "brain power."

The second forum, in De-cember, dealt with the timely

OlaildOng .Commiunities. forLearning Grants AvailableDuring 1995-96 The Pennsylvania State Coalition for Adult Literacy(PSCAL) established four community-based planning sites for theirBuilding Communities for Learning Project.

The community-based planning groups involve adult literacystakeholders representing both agencies and organizations that pro-vide educational, employment, economic, and health services to po-tential or current adult learners. Their purpose is to develop a "seam-less" comprehensive and coordinated learner-centered system of ser-vices that promotes and supports adult learning. At the same time,the planning process promotes interagency collaboration resulting inmaximized use of local resources and services.

Funding available. In 1996-97 PSCAL will award $2,000 start-upgrants to four communities that wish to support the establishment ofcommunity-based planning groups and the development of a com-munity-based planning process. In addition, training and individual-ized technical assistance and mentoring will be made available to thegroups selected. Four additional communities will be invited to par-ticipate in the project and will receive community-based planningtraining materials and assistance.

Applications for funding are now available and are due OctoberI. 1996. For applications and more information contact Dr. Sheila

Sherow, 349 Cricklewood Dr., State College. PA 16803 (814) 235-1130..

issue of Welfare Reform andLiteracy and presenters at-tempted to clarify the potentialand actual impacts of welfarereform on literacy efforts andprograms and to help literacyproviders and supporters movetoward positive outcomes dur-ing the period of significantchange in welfare policy andprocedure.

The third and final forum of1995-96 addressed the charac-teristics of Family and Literacyprograms in a variety of settingsincluding Head Start, EvenStart, Family Centers, and ESLprograms.

The first forum of 1996-97dealt with "The Needs of theESL Student." A white papercovering the highlights of eachforum is prepared and madeavailable without charge. EachProfessional Development Cen-ter will have a copy and addi-tional copies will be availablefrom PSCAL's president,Joanne Shane Plummer, at (717)238-9026.

PSCAL Forums are free andall Buzz readers are invited toattend. Forum dates for the fu-ture are: December 5, 1996, andMarch 6 and June 5, 1997.

CORRECITOOKIEIDUIC TOOMZEES OrFOL4KIOES

by William Mader, Director,Bureau of CorrectionEducation PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education

Nineteen ninety-five was a yearof significant change in the state'scorrectional system. In January, a

special session of the legislaturewas called by Governor Ridge.One of the areas of concentrationof this session was the juvenilejustice system. This session wasthe result of the Governor's con-cern for public safety, and hiscommitment to attack Pennsyl-vania's crime problem. Afterweeks of interaction, severalnew laws that are intended toreduce the number of violentcriminal acts committed by ju-veniles and take violent juve-niles off the street were passed.

By the end of 1995, the popu-lation in the State CorrectionalInstitutions exceeded 32,500, Theincrease of over 4,000 inmatesduring the past year was thelargest increase in the decade ofthe '90s. The current State Cor-rectional Institution occupancyrate exceeds 150% of capacity.

The main emphasis of theBureau of Correction Educa-tion's programs continues to beinstruction in the basic skillsareas of reading, language arts,and math. The objective for the2,500 inmates who participate inthese programs is to increasetheir performance level 1.5months for each month in theprogram. The installation of ba-sic skills laboratories in the fivenew institutions that haveopened in the past 18 monthshas greatly increased our abil-ity to serve inmates/students attheir individual performancelevels. The management systemof these programs is designed torecommend specific strategiesbased on the results of pretests,which determine the student'scurrent functioning level.

The Bureau of CorrectionEducation's GED program

15

continues to be very effective.During the 1995 calendar year,the GED exam was given at 22SCIs; 2,033 inmates took theexam and 1,362 inmates success-fully completed it. This is an over-all success rate of approximately67%. This rate may be slightlylower than that of the generalpopulation, but when one con-siders the initial functioninglevel and prior failure rate ofinmates, a 67% passing rate is asignificant achievement..+

MSDCe. &REMOW PE l©

Since 1992, PennsylvaniaABLE's Regional Staff Devel-opment Centers have filled anessential role in the professionaldevelopment of adult educatorsthroughout the state. Now, theregional professional develop-ment system has been reorga-nized into six Professional De-velopment Centers (PDCs)which will support a statewideprofessional development sys-tem for Pennsylvania adult ba-sic and literacy educators.

In announcing the reorga-nized Centers Cheryl Keenan,Director of the ABLE Bureau,also announced the adoption ofGuiding Principles for the Pro-fessional Development of AdultEducation Practitioners in Penn-sylvania. The Principles weredeveloped by a committee ofpractitioners and professionaldevelopment experts and outlinethe philosophy, mission, andprinciples behind the improve-ment of the quality and charac-ter of professional developmentexperiences provided for and byliteracy educators in our state.

lifitsioao agor-P"SEPTEMBER 1996

PDC staff include: (front row) Paula Smith, Carol Molek, and Brian Frey (SCPDC);

Bootsie Barbour (NWPDC); (back row) Gail Leightley (CNEPDC); Rose Brandt and

Diane Inverso (PHLPDC); Sandy Strunk (SEPDC); and Karen Mundie (SWPDC).

The six PDCs are:Northwest PDC: Director, Rich-

ard Gacka; Coordinator,Bootsie Barbour; (814) 866-3775 ext, 223,NorthWPDC@aol.com

Southwest PDC: Director,Donald Block; Coordinator,Rachel Zilcosky; (412) 661 -READ, SWPDC2@aol.com

South-Central PDC: Director,Carol Molek; Coordinator;Brian Frey; (717) 248-4942;scpdc@pennet.net

Central-Northeast PDC: Direc-tor, Edith Gordon; Coordinator,Gail Leightley; (814) 359-3069; CNEPDC@aol.com

Southeast PDC: Coordinator,Sandra Strunk; (717) 270-2935; SEPDC1@aol.com

Philadelphia PDC: Director,Rose Brandt; Coordinator,Diane Inverso; (215) 685-6602, PHLPDC@aol.comThe Professional Develop-

ment Centers are coordinated byHelen Hall, Staff DevelopmentDirector of the Bureau of AdultBasic and Literacy Education,(717) 787-5532.4

ILIEGBZILaM9TEUPOLVITIE

When we left you last May, lotsof things were happening in stateand federal legislation which per-tain to adult basic and literacyeducation. We asked LegislativeCommittee co-chairs of Pennsyl-vania Association for Adult Con-tinuing Education (PAACE), JeanHenry and JoAnn Weinberger,for an update.

State legislation. The finalapproporiation for FY (fiscalyear) '96'97 included:

$8.525 million for Act 143Adult literacy. This is no in-crease since the 3% increaserequested by Governor Ridgewas cut in a final conferencecommittee.$33.333 million for the tech-nology initiative. $1.7 millionfor basic skill and job train-ing for clients receiving Aidfor Dependent Children. Thiswill be funded under Commu-nity Conservation and YouthEmployment.

$250 million for individuallearning accounts for em-ployed persons.Federal legislation. The

Workforce Education BlockGrant legislation is all but deaddue to deadlocks over issues otherthan adult education. A stripped-down version of the bill may beintroduced this fall. As the adulteducation portion of the bill wasnot the controversial portion, weare in a good position to achievewhat we had worked for duringthis past year, which was to pro-tect adult education as a sepa-rate program rather than as partof a job-training bill.

Funding for the National In-stitute for Literacy was cut andthere is a good possibility thePrison Literacy Program, VISTALiteracy Corps, the Library Lit-eracy Program, and the nationalprograms of the U.S. Departmentof Education will not be fundedin the House. There is a possibil-ity some funding for some ofthese programs (especially thePrison Literacy program) willbe provided in the Senate bill.The basic grants to the stateswould be maintained at the samelevel as FY'96 ($250 million).

Jean and JoAnn suggest thefall of this election year mightbe a good time to invite legisla-tors to visit your adult programsin order to put a face on adulteducation. We should also re-mind politicians and the publicthat adult education is a sepa-rate, but important part of theeducation continuum, and thatit is a vitally important step to-wards self-sufficiency. 40

Editor's note: Thanks to thePAACE Legislative Committee co-chairs for this information and toPAACE for their continual monitor-ing of adult education legislation.

16 5

SEPTEMBER 1996

zaownacE UCDLUE102

by Cheryl Harmon,AdvancE State LiteracyResource Center

Some exciting things have hap-pened during the last year! First,the AdvancE State Literacy Re-source Center collection wasmoved into larger quarters atPDE. The move has enabled usto increase our collection areaand to provide small work ar-eas for individuals using thecollection on-site. Practitionersand tutors can examine re-sources and make selections totake with them.

Second, the collection is nowavailable through LUIS, theonline database of the State Li-brary. Adult basic and literacyeducation resources can besearched from remote locationson either the Internet or throughDial Access! This summer, weasked several local programstaff and administrators to try it.They were given various bro-chures on using LUIS and a few"coaching" tips from AdvancE,then were asked to complete afew searches. After a little prac-tice in getting to LUIS throughthe Internet, participants weresuccessful in locating citationsby searching keywords, titles,and authors.

Now you can locate re-sources for your professionaldevelopment, for student in-struction, or to review exem-plary adult basic and literacyeducation projects. If you haveaccess to a computer, a modem,

and communications software,or access to the Internet, and youwant to search LUIS, contact meat 1-800-992-2283 or athannon@shrsys.hslc.org. Infor-mation on how to search thedatabase will be mailed to you.

We encourage you to visitAdvancE at 333 Market St.,1 1 th Fl., Harrisburg, whileyou're in the area. The ResourceCenter is open from 8-5, Mon-day through Friday.*

COG\DIE OMOWS© Pli-tru-ZDZMOM&KID LPL IMMOVE.-eg lam OLa taIDUEL,UEIDUCaTIOXI

COABE '96 was a spectacularkick-off event for summer 1996.The May National Conferenceof the Commission for AdultBasic Education (an affiliate ofthe American Association for

1,71-1171:41T1r-_eieViI tilb'erriiiVed,'Ilt.,-A jrfit4': 11,

CDair E. Troy, Pennsylvaniaadult Education PioneerWe regret to announce the passing of Clair E. Troy, who for manyyears with his wife Marion has coordinated the registration for theAdult Education Midwinter Conference.

Clair was a charter member of the Pennsylvania Association forAdult Continuing Education (PAACE) and spent many of his 84 yearsin professional and community service.

He was formerly a coordinator in Adult Basic Education for thePennsylvania Department of Education and prior to employment withPDE was a high school teacher, coach, principal, and superintendentof schools in the Upper Dauphin Area Schools.

Clair Troy's efforts and on behalf of adult basic and lit-eracy education in Pennsylvania gained him many friends and ad-mirers among his adult educator colleagues.*

Guido J.. Ruzzier, Teacher andOpera LoverOne of his colleagues described Guido Ruzzier as "an outstandingexample of enthusiasm and motivation in the classroom. He will besorely missed not only in our program, but throughout the area aswell."

Guido J. Ruzzier was born in Italy and taught the Italian lan-guage at Indiana University (Indiana), Italian opera at Edinboro Uni-versity, math at Gannon University, and language at Alliance Collegebefore joining the Erie School District Adult Learning Center as afull-time math instructor.

In addition to his work in the classroom, Guy hosted math andalgebra TV programs for the Erie Schools and was a popular radiopersonality, producing and hosting a program on opera. In the March1996 issue ofTHE Buzz we reviewed a Video Instructional Course forGED Math Teachers developed by Mr. Ruzzier to help adult educa-tion math teachers develop teaching strategies in mathematics.

Mr. Ruzzier died at the age of 64 and spent nearly half of his yearsas an adult educator.

Adult and Continuing Educa-tionAAACE) brought morethan 1,000 adult educators, in-cluding 400 Pennsylvanians, toPittsburgh.

Conference chair JudithAaronson, who heads up theLiteracy Program for GoodwillIndustries of Pittsburgh, re-ceived recognition from herPennsylvania peers by beingnamed 1996 Adult Educator ofthe Year and her substantial ef-forts in making the Conference"come together" received acco-lades from adult educatorsthroughout the country.

AmeriCorps Volunteers weremuch in evidence as they helpedwith the seemingly thousands ofdetails necessary to make a na-tional conference of this scope runsmoothly. Special mention shouldbe made of Rana Taylor, tutormanager for Goodwill IndustriesLiteracy Program in Pittsburgh,for her months of riding herd onregistration information. RonFronzaglio, adult educator withthe Allegheny 10 in Pittsburghdemonstrated his singing talents,and a boat cruise was included in"distractions" available to confer-ence goers. The Conference Bookprepared by Tana Reiff ofLancaster received many wordsof praise from COABE members.A real feather in the professionalcap of the PAACE, which spon-sored the conference.*

Federal Policy Updates from the Na-

tional Institute for Literacy are avail-

able free if your name is on the NIFL

mailing list. To have your name in-

cluded and to receive information

updates on federal legislation and

policy call (202) 632-1600 and se-

lect option 6..

61?

s.72.2.1117-Z12r=7.- -12717717:E.0

NEED FU S?TRY WELFA E...

During the past few months the"new directions" of the Com-monwealth of Pennsylvania inregard to services for adultshave begun to take shape andsome specific priorities are al-ready being identified.

The Pennsylvania Depart-ment of Public Welfare seems tobe the lead agency in puttingnew programs on the street andABLE programs would be welladvised to look into ways theirservices can be coordinated withDPW programs to establish ar-ticulated service delivery to alladults, including adult learners.

DPW recently sent out a Re-quest for Proposals which, al-though the deadline is now past(August 19, 1996), is represen-tative of what we are probablygoing to experience in themonths to come.

Rapid attachment to theWorkforce and Job RetentionProgram. In the materials ac-companying the RFP, the expla-nation of the "Rapid Attach-ment/Job Retention Program"points up the new priority of theWelfare Department to servicewhat are described as the "mostemployable" (high school orGED graduates and adults withwork histories) who are receiv-ing Aid to Families with Depen-dent Children (AFDC) and/orGeneral Assistance (GA).

One statement in the RFP says,"The goal is to match welfare cli-ents with job vacancies by pro-viding four weeks of job readi-ness/preparation training fol-lowed by four weeks of job searchworkshops and job development.

An additional four weeks of re-medial education may be of-fered to participants assessedby the contractor as in need ofsuch services [our emphasis].

And DPW will pay for "par-ticipation" (up to $800 per client),"Job Placement" (up to $400 perclient), and "Job Retention for90 Days" (up to $400).

It's not too late. Althoughthe deadline for program appli-cations has passed, the provisionof some services may still be upfor grabs. The RFP, in additionto job readiness, job search, jobplacement, etc., notes a "key el-ement": literacy, basic educationremediation, and skills brush-uptraining. Sound familiar?

We suggest two courses ofaction to ABLE programs look-ing to develop program servicesgeared for the "new" coordina-tion format: 1) contact the DPWoffice in your area and expressyour desire to work along withservice providers, and 2) get onthe mailing list of DPW so youwon't be left out when otherRFPs begin to show up.

Contact the Pa. Dept. of Pub-lic Welfare at P.O. Box 2675,Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675,(717) 787-7585.*

smasompssionnualmsgcGet Your AdultStudents OnlineDoes your adult education curriculum

include training on using the Internet?

Do you teach adult students how to

use the public library? Combine the

two and use the capability nearly all

libraries in Pennsylvania have to use

the Internet at the public library. The

challenge is to develop ways to teach

your adult students to use this valu-

able service.

AT.t.yraitP"

SEPTEMBER 1996

OlirtRatlersaWrite

Diverse Sexualities andFeamily LiteracyThe January 1996 issue of WHAT'S THE Buzz? provided an excellentpiece on "Multicultural Books About Families." However, the authoromitted a significant family unit, namely gay and lesbian families.

It is widely recognized today that families are not uniform. Oneaspect of that variety indudes sexual diversity. Arguably, gay menand women make up between 2 % -10% of the population, which hassignificance for adult education efforts, including literacy. Gay menand women build families in as varied ways as do non-gay men andwomen. For example, through domestic partnerships, as single par-ents, through adoption and foster care.

How does gay fainily variability affect adult educatOri? Those ofus who believe that adult education must be linked to social responsi-bility choose to be sensitive to the self- definitions and experiences ofour learners. This is especially haportant since gay individualsandthose assumed to be gay=are often marginalized by silence and vio-lence in our society, as a result of homophobia ...

... What can we do? Fora start educate ourselves on gay issues.Secondly, introduce gay- and lesbian-themed texts into our work, re-gardless of the sexual orientation of our learners ... And, since sexualorientation crosses ethnic lines, a number of books portray Latino/Latina, Afro-American, and Asian themes. For straightforwardbutnot itraight-contentreading, The Family Heart, Rubyfruit Jungle,Annie on My Mind, The Persian Boy, and Reflections of a Rock Lob-ster are just a few that might be incorporated into teaching materials.Some organizations and commercial ventures provide extensive read-ing lists. I would be hapPY to dialog with those who are interested inobtaining bibliographies. I ran be reached by email atrjh130 @psuvm.psu.edu.

Robert J. HillAdult Education Program, Penn State University, Harrisburg

Students Getting YoungerRecently I have noticed an increase of younger age students in myGED classes (17 to 18 year olds). When I questioned them concerningtheir attendance in the class the almost universal answer is to escapethe drugs in the high schools. I would certainly appreciate some in-formation on this subject. Is this a trend? Will it have a direct effecton the level of difficulty, etc.? With the inclusion of young students inthe class, my older adult students are having a slightly more difficulttime keeping up. I've had to, in some cases, set up a separate learningschedule. Any information you might have along these lines would bemost appreciated.

Bob LewisDelaware County Community College

Editor's note: How about it? Is this a trend with your classes? Howdo you approach it? Let us know at Box 214, Troy, PA 16947

718

Zits VD; &liar altSEPTEMBER 1996

Student involvement in adultbasic and literacy education isbuilt around the philosophy thatadult students should be at thecenter of their own learning. TheMarch/April 1996 issue of TheLadder, the newsletter of PushLiteracy Action Now (PLAN),featured an extensive articletitled "Student Involvement:Benefits and Barriers for Learn-ers and Programs," by Diane J.Knich, Regional Literacy Coor-dinator for the Washington, DCPublic Library. Knich feelssome literacy practitioners "maybe going overboard to compen-sate for neglecting student'sreal-life literacy needs in thepast." She gives an overview ofstudent involvement and re-views some of the benefits tostudents and programs. Thesame issue has an article whichsuggests many adult educatorsneed to take more time for them-selves and that, although tech-nology is supposed to make lifeeasier, "it also somehow suc-ceeds in squeezing five moreactivities into every day." Theaddress for PLAN is 1528 Penn-sylvania Ave. SE, Washington,DC 20003.

c. Professionalism in adult edu-cation in Pennsylvania centersaround the Pennsylvania Asso-ciation for Adult ContinuingEducation (PAACE). In theSummer, 1996 issue of PAACENews the lead article brings usnews of the passage of Act 42,the Pennsylvania Adult Basicand Literacy Education Act.This legislation was stronglybacked by PAACE in responseto what seems a certainty fromfederal adult education legisla-tion for some type of "block

RIRNMMUEttaRoundup

In whichwe note types and

contents of professionalnewsletters to assist Buzz

readers in finding their waythrough the adult education

newsletter maze .

grant" con-cept. A keyprovision in theAct is the establishment of anInteragency CoordinatingCouncil to develop coordinationamong the five state govern-ment departments and 16 fund-ing streams dealing with adulteducation in the Commonwealth.

Other articles in that issue in-cluded a recap of the COABEconference, an insert by GordonGodbey on Dr. Benjamin W.Barkas, a "Pennsylvania Pioneerof Adult Education," and infor-mation on PAACE Program Di-visions. PAACE News is free toPAACE members. For member-ship information write Box 3796,Harrisburg, PA 17105-3796.

00 GED Items is a free news-letter from the GED Testing Ser-vice. The March/April 1996 is-sue compared the External Di-ploma Program (EDP) and com-petencies identified by the Sec-retary of Labor's Commissionon Achieving Necessary Skills(SCANS). Entitled "EDP'sPlace in a Block Grant World,"the article describes the compe-tency-based performance as-sessment some organizationsare using for awarding a tradi-tional high school diploma. Thisassessment correlates with theSCANS foundation competen-cies. For a complete list of EDP/

SCANS competencies send $5to Barbara Willt, 13122 MemoryLn., Fairfax, VA 22033. To sub-scribe to GED Items, write theAmerican Council on Education,GEDTS, One Dupont Circle,NW, Ste. 250, Washington, DC20036-1163.

oc Special-needs adults are re-ceiving more attention fromadult educators as their numbersincrease in traditional adult ba-sic and literacy education pro-grams. A newsletter with infor-mation relevant to special-needsadult learners is LearningdisAbilities, from Dr. RichardCooper's Center for AlternativeLearning. The May 1996 issuereviews Dr. Cooper's activitieswith the Statewide Staff Devel-opment Project dealing withlearning differences training.The project involved more than700 adult educators in Pennsyl-vania at 50 training sessions.Another topic in the May issuedeals with poor handwriting re-sulting from poor motor controlin some adult learners. Accord-ing to Dr. Cooper, "Word pro-cessors or computers with wordprocessing programs can be anenormous help for individualswith poor handwriting." A sub-scription to Learning dis-Abilities is $10 to PO Box 716,Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

G. Inquiry maps are the topic ofdiscussion in an article from theMay/June 1996 issue of all write

news, a newsletter supported bythe Massachusetts Departmentof Education. Inquiry maps aresimple, project-based, participa-tory learning processes whichoriginate from an adult student'sinterest in a topic, followed byresearch using interviews, sur-veys, traditional library researchand possibly the World WideWeb. The map culminates witha written presentation of the re-search findings. The address forall write news is 989 Common-wealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215.

oc If you're one of our Englishas a Second Language (ESL)readers, now's the time to sub-scribe to what we consider anexcellent periodical in the field:Hands-on English. Each issue isfull of useful information aboutmaterials, techniques, and hap-penings in the ESL field. Sub-scription rate for teachers is $21to P.O. Box 526, Crete, NE 68333.

®o An extensive review ofPennsylVania's ALTIN (AdultLiteracy Technology InnovationNetwork) project appears in theSpring 1996 issue of A.L.L.Points Bulletin. ALTIN is de-signed to provide the technicaltraining and educational strate-gies literacy providers need toimplement technology into adulteducation classrooms and toenable adult educators to usethese skills in a broad range ofprofessional development ac-tivities. A.L.L. Points Bulletinis free from the U.S. Dept. ofEducation, Office of Vocationaland Adult Education, Div. ofAdult Education and Literacy,600 Independence Ave. SW,Washington, DC 20202-8973. 1.°

O At its 41st Annual Conven-tion held last Spring in NewOrleans, the International Read-ing Association (IRA) recog-nized 28 local IRA Councilsnationwide for their programs,community service, literacyprojects, communication pieces,and meeting membership goals.Three of the 28 Honor Councilsare from Pennsylvania: TheDelaware Valley Reading As-sociation, the Erie ReadingCouncil, and the LuzerneCounty Reading Council. Areminder: the IRA has an AdultLiteracy Special Interest Group.For more information contactDolores Perin, Teachers Col-lege, Columbia University, Box70, New York, NY 10027.

The Erie Adult LearningCenter is one of ten sites nation-ally selected to field-test the

"Science + Lit-eracy for HealthDrug EducationPartnership Pro-gram," devel-oped by theAmerican Asso-ciation for theAdvancement of

Science. The program is de-signed to provide current sci-ence information about healthcare issues to low-level readingadults. Joe Mando is director ofthe Center.

4> The Development Centerfor Adults West Branch Tech-nology Center in Lock Havenhas been selected as the technol-ogy training center for statewideABLE-Net training activitiesunder the aegis of the ABLEBureau. The Center is part of the

Central IU #10adult educationprogram di-rected by EdieGordon andis staffed byDeb Burrows,Linda Hin-man, KayLynn Hamil-ton, and JimHeiney. Theycan be reachedat (717) 893-4038.

Pm rams

Welcome toPat Gaul, now president ofTutors of Literacy in the Com-monwealth, a program divisionof the Pennsylvania Associationfor Adult Continuing Education(PAACE). Pat is Director of theDelaware County LiteracyCouncil in Chester and replacesformer TLC president LindaHerr, who is moving to Ken-tucky. Incoming first vice-presi-dent is Diana Statsman, Direc-tor of the Scranton Council forLiteracy Advance (SCOLA).TLC trained more than 300 vol-unteer tutors in '95-'96.

We are continually amazedand heartened by the creativityand initiative shown by someprograms to generate funds foradult basic and literacy educa-tion services to adult learners.The Juniata County LibraryLiteracy Program is primarilyfunded through a CommunityServices Block Grant. Evenwith this support and a success-ful fundraising campaign, Lit-eracy Coordinator Karen

SEPTEMBER 1996

Thome ex-presses thethinking ofmany smallprograms withher commentthat "Literacyis still a shoe-string opera-tion.

O TheAbingtonFree LibraryAdult Lit-eracy Pro-

! gram is pub-lishing a booklet of originalscripts developed as part of itsLiteracy Live program, whichinvolves adult learners as per-formers and writers in varioussituations. Marlyn Cohen, pro-gram supervisor, tells us thebooklets should be available thisfall. The Abington program isalso involved in a Family Lit-eracy program initiated lastspring which involves pre-schoolers and caregivers andusing six volunteers with priorteaching experience to carry outpreschool activities with the 14participants. Chairpersons of thetwo programs are EthelWertheim, Literacy Live, andAnnabelle Folk, Family Lit-eracy. The address of the pro-gram is 1030 Old York Rd.,Abington, PA 19001.

The Center for Literacy(CFL) has released the new edi-tion of its Adult Literacy Hand-book for Students and Tutors.The Handbook was originallypublished in 1984 and has metwith great success among adulteducators throughout the U.S

20

and in Canada. Author AnitaPomerance says the new edi-tion is more user-friendly andthe wording has been revised toachieve a more direct, plainstyle, with specific everydayexamples. "The Handbook ismeant to be used equally by stu-dent and tutor and we have re-vised the latest edition with thisin mind," she explains.

The Handbook is a guide tothe learner-centered approach totutoring and stresses the impor-tance of meeting students' goalsand identifying and consideringtheir interests. Copies are avail-able from CFL, 636 S. 48th St.,Philadelphia, PA 19143. Price is

$11, includingshipping andhandling.

Also, con-gratulations toCFL ExecutiveDirector

JoAnn Weinberger JoAnn Wein-berger who,

along with Yvette Walls andJane McGovern, recently com-pleted their tenth year with theorganization.

Dr. Eunice (Nickie) Askov,Director of Penn State's Institutefor the Study of Adult Literacy,is a candidate for the office ofPresident of the American As-sociation for Adult and Continu-ing Education (AAACE). Dr.Askov is Director of theAAACE's Commission of Busi-ness, Industry and Labor. ThePennsylvania Association forAdult Continuing Education(PAACE) is a state affiliate ofAAACE. ego

9

d

SEPTEMBER 1996

SEPTEMBER 1996

19 Pennsylvania State DataCenter Sixth Annual Users Confer-ence. Contact: Diane Shoop, (717)948-6336.

23 Inter-region professionaldevelopment, Gibsonia. NW andSW Professional DevelopmentCenters. Contacts: Bootsie Barbouror Rachel Zilcosky.

25 NAASLN Pre-Conference.Discussion of resolutions, positionpapers, and issues of concern toadult educators.

25-27National Rural Families16th Annual Conference, Manhat-tan, KS; "Changing Realities ofWorking With Children and Fami-lies." Contact: National RuralFamilies Conference, Kansas StateUniversity; 131 College CourtBldg., Manhattan, KS 66506-6015.

26 National Symposium onAccommodating Adults with Dis-abilities in Adult Education, in con-junction with the NAASLN Con-ference.

26-26 National Association forAdults with Special LearningNeeds (NASSLN) Sixth AnnualNational Conference, New Orleans.A must for adult educators whowish to learn more about methodsresearch, instruction, technology,and all phases of adult basic andliteracy education for adults withspecial needs. Contact Dr. RichardCooper, (610) 525-8336.

The Pennsylvania ABLE Adminis-trators Handbook, 1996 Edition, isnow available through AdvancE.

OCT BEEFS 1996

8 PAACE Board Meeting,Harrisburg State Hospital.

10 RECONCILIATION OFCASH ON HAND QUARTERLYREPORT DUE TO STATECOMPTROLLER'S OFFICE.

24.26 The Eastern Adult, Continu-ing, and Distance Education Re-search Conference, Scanticon Con-ference Center, Penn State. Theory,research, policy, and practice in aforum for practitioners, Policy mak-ers, and researchers across the threeseparate yet interrelated fields ofAdult Education, Continuing Educa-tion, and Distance Education. Con-tact: Dr. Peter S. Cookson, PennState. Charlotte Building, 403 S.

vrAve:

Allen St., Ste. 206, University Park,PA 16801-5202, (814) 863-3781,ciq @psuvm.pse.edu.

27-29 Networking for Adult Stu-dent Success. A national conferenceon recruiting and serving adult stu-dents, New York, NY. Contact: TheCollege Board Office of AdultLearning Services, (212) 713-8101.

30-11lov. 1 Marketing and De-livering Special Program Optionsto Adult Students, Washington, DC.Contact: Office of Adult LearningServices (212) 713-8101.

30Nov. 2 American Associa-tion for Adult and Continuing Edu-cation (AAACE) 1996 Conference,Charlotte, NC. Contact: AAACE,1200 19th St., NW, Ste. 300, Wash-ington, DC 20036.

ZilitliIizz1V4040c!'We are pleased to be able to return with this newsletter for 1996-97.As was the case last year, we will publish five issues starting with thisSeptember 1996 issue. The next issue will be sent to you about the15th of November and subsequent issues on the 15th of January,March, and June, 1997.

In this issue we have two letters from Buzz readers and we hopeyou will feel free to write us about issues of concern to you as youperform your duties as an adult educator. Write Box 214, Troy, PA16947.

Except for the articles that appear over a byline, all the content ofWHAT'S THE Buzz? is written by our editor, Dave Fluke, and reviewedby an editorial board.

Thanks for reading THE Buzz.

31 -Mow. 2 18th International Con-ference on Learning Disabilities,Nashville, TN. Contact: Council forLearning Disabilities, PO Box40303, Overland Park, KS 66204.

114 VENDER 1996

7-8 Workforce Development:A Common Goal for Business andHigher Education, Chicago. Con-tact: Office for Adult Learning Ser-vices (212) 713-8101.

2 PAACE Board Meeting

13 Videoconference: AdultLearning in America: Why andHow Adults Go Back to School.Contact: PBS (800) 257-2578 oryour PDC for downlink sites.

14-1 5Technology and the AdultStudent: Implications for AdultLearning Now and In the Future,Washington, DC. Office for AdultLearning Services (212) 713-8101.

22-24The Association for Com-munity-Based Education (ACBE)Annual Conference, Monterey, CA.Contact: ACBE, 1805 Florida Ave.,NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Vekwanavy 5-7, 9997

The Pennsylvania Adult EducationMidwinter Conference, Hershey.Theme: "The Challenges of Change:Keeping Pace." Call for Papers in thefall issue of PAACE News. Prospec-tive presenters contact Dr. DavidDentler, Center for Continuing Edu-cation, Elizabethtown College, 1 Al-pha Dr., Elizabethtown, PA 17022.(717)361-1286; fax (717) 361 -1487.

Box 214Tvoy, Li 15947

7.109(.

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21

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September 15, 1996

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W V IA fht 1 41 7

Vol. 16, No. 2NOVEMBER 1996

PENNSYLVANIA

o C:3 C:10 C3 C3 CD C3 C:c=3

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SpecialInsert:

IEQUAL.'Year 2 Report

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-1

ADULT EDUCATION'S PROFESSIONAL NEWSLETTER

RIOVEINBERI riCIGHLIIGHTS: New Audit Rules Thanksgiving

at WPALRC ED New Technology Center ED Legal Issues in ABLE

Entrepreneurial Training Cooperative Learning 5,r Newsletter

Roundup People & Programs Its a Date

Keenan Delivers Adult Ed Forecast StatewideAdministrators hear ABLEBureau's outline of whereadult education is headed.

"The field is experiencing manychanges, changes that havetheir beginnings at the federallevel and that focus on theawareness nationwide that adultlearners are in need of basicskills education in order to becompetitive and to take theirplaces as full and contributingmembers in their communities."

With these words, programdirectors and administratorsfrom adult basic and literacyeducation programs were in-vited to join ABLE Bureau Di-rector Cheryl Keenan and mem-bers of her staff in discussing"where we have been, where weare now, and where we are go-ing" at a series of meetings hostedby each of the six regional Pro-fessional Development Centersthroughout the state.

Although the meetings serveda number of purposes, one of thegoals was to provide every pro-gram a consistent baseline of in-formation regarding adult edu-cation reforms by assuring thatevery program hears the sameinformation from the same per-sons in the ABLE Bureau.

The past and the present.Describing Pennsylvania ABLEreforms for the future depends

.1)

At PDC update at Penn State Hazleton, from left: Sonny Sloan, Northwest Area

Advisor; Cheryl Keenan, ABLE Bureau Director; Don Lunday, Regional Programs

Section Chief; Chuck Holbrook, Northeast Area Advisor.

upon an understanding of whathas been happening during thepast several years. Administra-tively, the Bureau has elimi-nated delays in contract process-ing, funding decisions, and thedelivery of funding to local pro-grams. There is also now moreflexibility and less restriction onthe administration of local pro-grams, and technology usage isbeing facilitated and encouraged.

A major initiative beinggiven top priority by the Bureauis the improvement of programquality. With increases in theavailability and accessibility toprofessional development op-portunities and the resultant im-provement in quality of services

to adult learners, it is becomingessential that programs docu-ment results of program ser-vices. "ABLE has moved be-yond being a social cause and

has become an economiccause," said Ms. Keenan, "andalthough it is obvious you feelyou are making a difference inthe lives of the adults which youteach, the inability to documentprogram results has become areal qualitative issue. We, as afield, have to come together todocument the results that we getwith our students."

Closely related to the in-creased professional develop-ment emphasis are the specialchallenges presented by the di-verse teaching competenciesrequired of adult educators andthe varied environments andsituations in which instructionis presented. In a largely ruralstate such as Pennsylvania, adulteducators can feel a sense of iso-lation. The high turnover ofadult education teachers, prima-

Continued on p.2

Fools Boost Adult Ed Act by $95 MillionDon't start revising your budgets yet, but there's going to be morefederal funding available for adult education next year, thanks to alast-minute measure voted for by Democrats and Republicans justbefore the 104th Congress adjourned. Adult education state grantswere increased about 40% and, according to Alice Johnson of the

National Institute for Literacy, "This phenomenal success is the cul-

mination of efforts by the field to educate policymakers about theimportance and effectiveness of adult education and literacy over the

past year or so. Your hard work has paid offcongratulations!"Policy watchers advise adult educators to keep an eye on future

Congressional actions to be sure the increase remains intact through

any rescission actions that may occur in the next Congress..

22

NOVEMBER 1996

FORECAST, from p.1

rily due to the part-time natureof their employment, is anotheraspect of the professional devel-opment challenge. Finally, alarge and very important part ofthe adult education effort inPennsylvania is accomplishedby volunteer tutors. Providingtraining opportunities and defin-ing competencies for volunteerswhich are comparable to thoseof full-time adult educators is acontinuing concern.

The future. On the nationallevel, the Congress gave seriousconsideration in 1996 to theconsolidation of more than 100adult education and job trainingprograms into a structure of

7-504,1,14,147144tellBem, fecteze

What's the Buzz?, PennsylvaniaAdult Education's ProfessionalNewsletter is published five timesin 1996-97 by Adult Education Link-

age Services, Box 214, Troy, PA16947, under partial funding pro-vided through the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education from theU.S. Adult Education Act, Section353. It is distributed without charge

to practitioners of adult basic andliteracy education in Pennsylvaniaand no endorsement of newsletter

contents by PDE nor USDOE should

be inferred.

Editor: Dave Fluke

Associate Editor: Tana Reiff

Editorial Board: Ella Morin,

Priscilla Ferguson, Tana Reiff

This publication isavailable in alternativemedia on request.

block grants to states. This re-structuring would significantlyrevamp how adult basic educa-tion and job training services aredelivered in each state. Gover-nors would be given consider-able flexibility in fashioningnew workforce developmentsystems. Although the legisla-

Virtere is new emphasis onwootztiorce deve0opnroen4and dirifflevent methods offpavviiding edocatilon andjob tasirokrog.

tion was not passed, it is ex-pected to be considered again,in some form, in the future.

Under the Ridge Administra-tion in Pennsylvania there isnew emphasis on workforce de-velopment and different meth-ods of providing education andjob training. Adult basic and lit-eracy education has been a partof the workforce developmentstrategic planning going on atthe state level and, according toMs. Keenan, "The current ad-ministration is looking closelyat what basic skills mean in thecontext of preparing people forjobs in the economy."

In addition to the Indicatorsof Program Quality adopted intothe Adult Education State Planin 1992 which are tied into lo-cal program improvement plans,the Bureau is developing andinitiating a Continuous ProgramImprovement Plan based uponthe necessity of local programsto systematically collect, ana-lyze, and use program data. Thestate, in turn, will support thelocal program efforts by 1) link-ing state policy to support pro-

gram improvement need, 2)identifying what basic skills anadult should know and be ableto demonstrate, 3) developingperformance standards andcommon learner assessmentoutcomes, and 4) providing pro-fessional development opportu-nities to support teaching andlearning and program improve-ment. Included in professionaldevelopment opportunities areProject EQUAL and the Profes-sional Development Centers,along with the two State Lit-eracy Resource Centers.

Participants at the meetingwe attended were appreciativeof the opportunity to "get theword" directly from ABLE Bu-reau leaders. Many of the ini-tiatives discussed have alreadybeen put into effect in some pro-grams; some programs are plan-ning local strategies to incorpo-rate initiatives into a programimprovement plan; still otherswill use the information frommeetings such as this to beginto think about what's happeningin adult basic and literacy edu-cation in Pennsylvania and howand when their local programcan begin to get in step with thenew concepts which are rapidlydeveloping.

Most of us came away from

the meeting with many thoughts,foremost of which was "Thetimes they are a-changin'."4.

G\IJOIDITTDC QUDDIEWIEKITreREUTIZED FORMC:MPGMI=0

Office of Management of theBudget (OMB) Circular A-133contains definitions and othercriteria related to the perfor-mance of required audits fornonprofit organizations, includ-ing adult basic and literacy edu-cation programs receiving fed-eral funds.

On April 22, 1996, OMB re-vised the regulations in A-133and has increased the level re-quired for programs to have au-dits. The new regulation ex-empts nonprofit organizations"expending" (formerly "receiv-ing") less than $300,000. Otherportions of A-133 have been re-vised and nonprofit organiza-tions are advised to consult withtheir accountants.

For additional information,contact the Financial Standardsand Reporting Branch, Office ofFederal Management, OMB,Washington, DC 20503..

Merade 92 Re ding ProficiencyDeclines NationallyReading proficiency has declined among the nation's 12th-grade stu-dents, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department ofEducation's National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). Com-paring reading scores from the National Assessment of EducationPrograms from 1992 to 1994, the report indicates a decline in readingfor literary experience and in reading to perform a task. Only 36% ofthe 12th graders attained a proficient rating in reading. (Ed. note:And guess where they'll be going when they encounter reading prob-lems in the real world.) +

2 23

KSO VINOair AL C

by Chris Kemp, ResourceSpecialist, WPALRC

Each November we rememberhow the Pilgrims gave thanksfor the bounty of the harvest.Seeds sewn in spring growthrough summer, and autumn'sbounty sustains us through thelong dark days of winter. For theWestern Pennsylvania AdultLiteracy Resource Center(WPALRC), 1996 has been aremarkable growing season, andthe staff are truly thankful thatwe are not only still here, but weare growing!

Recision of federal fundingin 1995 threatened the very ex-istence of the Center. WPALRCwishes to thank the Bureau ofAdult Basic and Literacy Edu-cation, collaborating partners,and service providers across theCommonwealth for their unwa-vering support. Last year, theBureau, Even Start, and Correc-tions Education collaborated torescue WPALRC. This year,collaboration between the Bu-reau, the Parent Assistance Cen-ter of Community Action South-west, and Allegheny Intermedi-ate Unit have not only savedWPALRC but established a newresource system. The systemwill include WPALRC at its cur-rent site and a new early child-hood/parent facility in the Pitts-burgh Child Care Institute atStation Square. The PCCI HeadStart Resource and TrainingCenter will have a grand open-ing in January.

The shelf collections at the twocenters will complement each

other, providing information fortrue "lifelong learning." Materi-als and services from both cen-ters will be available to educationproviders throughout Pennsylva-nia. Please watch for more detailsas the snow begins to fly.

WPALRC is especiallythankful for the generosity ofadult education publishers inmaintaining the bounty of theshelf collection. Contemporary,Glenco, and Steck-Vaughn havedonated 177 new materials foreducators to preview.

Collaboration is an excitingway to expand services acrossthe Commonwealth and is defi-nitely the model for the future.Staff at WPALRC are thankfulto be part of this exciting project

4V_I"NOVEMBER 1996

and invite all our friends to"share the bounty" of this rela-tionship. Please call 1- 800 -446-5607, ext. 216 or 273 for moreinformation. :

149 E W TECHCENTER OPENS

On October 1, the West BranchTechnology Center in Lock Ha-ven held its dedication. The im-pressive facility is housed in a104-year-old elementary schoolbuilding. Present at the ceremonywere the mayor of Lock Haven,representatives of county govern-ment and the Ben Franklin Tech-nology Center, and other dignitar-ies, including representatives ofthe U.S. Department of Agricul-

Bobk,Review: Handbocik-fOr Nonprof it st

The Pennsylvania Association of Non-profit Organizations is "dedi-cated to helping Pennsylvania nonprofits operate efficiently and ef-fectively." One of their chief efforts is the publication of the 230+ -page Pennsylvania Non-profit Handbook, which, along with a monthlyPennsylvania Non-profit Report; is designed to provide nonprofit or-ganizations with information they can use in finding their way throughthe legislative and regulitory mazes of federal and state governments.

The newly released, updated 4th edition of the Handbook includesnew chapters on grant writing, strategic planning, personnel matters(how to hire and fire, etc.), and the Internet.

Most adult basic and literacy education programs that have beenaround for awhile have developed their own information and tech-niques for dealing with ethics, taxes, insurance, and fiscal systems,etc. There are, however, a few chapters in the Handbook, such as thosedealing with volunteers, nonprofit boards of directors, etc., that willprovide both new and established programs with information theycan use to "benchmark" their operations.

The real value of the Handbook will be to new programs and pro-grams contemplating nonprofit status. Information on incorporation,bylaws, and other topics will be useful as new programs plan theircourses of action. However, due to the overview nature of the Hand-book, programs should still expect to do additional research, espe-cially in the areas of legislation, audits, and political activity.

For $30.16, including shipping and tax, there is a lot of informa-tion in The Pennsylvania Non-Profit Handbook To order, contact WhiteHat Communications. P.O. Box 5390, Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390.

-

-

West Branch staff: (back) April Falls,

KayLynn Hamilton, Linda Hinman, Terri

Gummo, James Heiney; (front) Debra

Burrows, Joan Schneider, Beth Young

tore in Washington, DC.Minutes before the ribbon-

cutting ceremony which openedthe Center, a fax message wasreceived from President BillClinton, who congratulated theCenter for developing capabili-ties "to help us keep competi-tive in a global economy." Themessage concluded by saying,"I commend the staff of the WestBranch Technology Center."

The Center is part of the Cen-tral I.U. #10's Development Cen-ter for Adults, whose director isEdie Gordon. Debra Burrows isTechnology Center Director.

According to TechnologyCenter staff member LindaHinman, who is coordinatingthe Bureau of Adult Basic andLiteracy Education's ABLENetproject, one or two adult educa-tors from each of the six Pro-fessional Development Centerregions will be trained to serveas trainers at local ABLE pro-grams. Most of the trainer train-ing will take place at the WestBranch Technology Center, withthe first-year goal of the projectto get at least 60 local programsonline with Internet and e-mailcapabilities.

243

-11.11W-0.-W"NOVEMBER 1996

ILIEOL\IL DOZZEZMIDLE

The professional practice ofadult basic and literacy educa-tion is not a sanctuary fromtoday's legal system. Unfortu-nately, there is little statutorynor case law that directly ad-dresses possible legal problemsand situations in our field.

If your organization retainsan attorney or has access to one,you may be able to get someeducated opinions about thepossible legal ramifications ofsituations which you may en-counter in your ABLE programor classroom. An attorney mayable to give you and your col-leagues some guidelines to fol-low so you are in the best pos-sible legal position in your workas an adult educator.

Some matters of concernwhich you may wish to discusswith an attorney are:

If you arrange classes for par-ents to attend and do not pro-vide child care, might you beencouraging child neglect?If you are involved in aworkforce/workplace literacyprogram, what are your re-sponsibilities to the studentsinsofar as employer requestsfor information are concerned(test scores, class participa-tion, progress in class, etc.)?

If you become aware of aspousal abuse problem, pos-sibly a comment made by anadult student, what are yourlegal responsibilities to reportthe situation to the authorities?If you use an assessment in-strument or procedure whichis not valid and/or reliable, areyou exposing yourself to pos-sible legal action by adult stu-dents who might receive in-appropriate instruction be-cause of the assessment?If your program maintains awaiting list, are you exposingyourself to possible legal ac-tion on the part of prospectiveadult students who are notadmitted to your program?A federal appellate court re-

cently concluded that educatorsmay be personally responsiblefor monetary damages if theyviolate special education re-quirements.

The ruling centered on a casein which teachers, specialists,and administrators failed toidentify and provide an appro-priate Individual Education Pro-gram (IEP) for a student, eventhough the educators knew, orshould have known, they wereviolating federal special educa-tion requirements.

According to the Pennsylva-nia State Education Association(PSEA), "It is now even moreimportant that [teachers] famil-

PCINI Airs Recordable ShowsTwo programs on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) beganOctober 1 which can be recorded off-air for nonprofit educationalpurposes: "Learn to Read" airs weekdays, 7 and 7:30 a.m,. and Sat-urdays, noon until 2 p.m. The other program is "GED on TV," 43half-hour episodes on weekdays, 8 and 8:30 a.m., and Saturdays, 2 to5 p.m. To get on the PCN mailing list write 401 Fallowfield Rd., CampHill, PA 17011.

_UM

iarize themselves with and com-ply with all special educationrequirements."

Although many special edu-cation requirements are mootwhen dealing with adult stu-dents, it is suggested that, to pro-tect themselves from possibleliability, adult educators makesure they and their administra-tors are abiding by the letter ofrelevant regulations. It is alsosuggested if they even suspectthat an adult student might needspecial education and/or relatedservices they discuss the matterwith the student, document anddiscuss the matter with the ad-ministrator, and refer the adultto an appropriate service forevaluation.

Coming in our January 1997issue: Legal Issues in ESL.+

IDECONEIRM &XIEIXIMEPRIEMEIDDEG\IXI ECOKIOND©DIEWELCDPNEKTNOBEL

The Penn State Institute for theStudy of Adult Literacy has es-tablished a rural Entrepreneur-ial Training Center (ETC),which is helping adult learnersbecome aware of career oppor-tunities and develop employ-ability skills based upon entre-preneurship training to increaseemployment opportunities.

According to project directorDr. Sheila Sherow, the Section353-funded project involvedmore than 50 adults, ranging inage from 18 to 70, in workshops,discussion groups, and com-puter training related to employ-ment. A heavy emphasis was

placed on developing self-awareness and a positive self-image, since many of the par-ticipants had experienced littlesuccess in the world of work.

In a rural, high-unemploy-ment area such as westernClinton County, some of themost realistic employment op-portunities exist in entrepre-neurial businesses. As the resultof participation in the program,a number of participants haveestablished their own businessesand, reports Dr. Sherow, are suc-ceeding.

One married couple has asmall bakery specializing insugar-free items. Their businesswas featured in an article whichappeared in a local newspaper.

Another married couple es-tablished a pressure weldingbusiness, while another adultlearner developed a businessplan for a cooperative antiquebusiness including advertisingon the Internet (a skill shelearned during the project).

Other participants havefound employment, and someare furthering their education.

A mother of twin boys wrotethe project director followingher participation in the program:"The class taught me that justbecause I have children itdoesn't mean that I can nolonger set goals for myself. Ilearned that by taking smallersteps toward my goals I will beable to achieve. You have helpedme in so many ways."

For more information aboutthe Entrepreneurial TrainingCenter, contact Dr. Sheila Sherowat the Penn State Institute for theStudy of Adult Literacy, (814)863-3777. To borrow the 353project report, contact AdvancE.

425

"Project EQUAL made our teachersmore aware of the link betweeninstruction and assessment. Bylooking at data now, we can deter-mine whether or not instruction ismeeting the students' goals."Judith Aaronson, Goodwill Industries

=LIKESLvvesrnEs

r, A Report onYear Two

Fall 1996

Project EQUALEducational Quality for Adult Literacy

has completed Year Two of a three-year initiative launched

in 1994 by Pennsylvania's Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy

Education. The goal: to build the capacity of local adult education providers

to collect and use data about their learners and their programs. The

purpose: for better program planning and managementto become more

effective in meeting the educational needs of our adult learners. The results

from EQUAL will be used to specify statewide performance standards.

Why this effort? Pennsylvania is moving forward with its

plan to set standards for adult education in response to

4 the requirements of the National Literacy Act and the call

for educational accountability on the state and federal

levels. Standards will include performance levels for adult

learners, adult education program staff, and program

operations. Through the activities of Project EQUAL,

information will be collected to set these standards.

In addition, data collection and analysis

../_

..-- procedures are being developed to assist

programs in improving the quality ofJ

11111ftsiNs.--WHAT YEAR TWO HASSHOWN US

Findings regarding assessment,curriculum and instruction, andstaff development:

Pilot sites found that assessmentprocedures are now more system-atic, but that staff could benefitfrom training on how to select andadminister standardized tests.Staff development needs to involveongoing training related to thecollection and analysis of learnerassessment and program data, aswell as use of data in reviewing the

their services.

Pennsylvania's effort is not isolated. The goals of EQUAL

are part of a national context for improving accountability

and the quality of educational services.

appropriateness of instructionalmethods and materials.

Findings regarding changes inprogram practice:

Review of student enrollment andassessment data indicated that manystudents leave instruction beforepost-testing. To address this issue,more sites are considering imple-menting new monitoring andinterim assessment practices to

26

NM

BUREAU OFADULT BASIC 11

LITERACY EDUCATION

ablePENNSYLVANIADEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATIONWM

%paid Pmrieet

document progress made by stu-dents who separate before programcompletion.Programs are changing their intake,assessment, student evaluation, andclose-out procedures to make pro-gram operations more standardized.Second-year pilot sites reportedbeginning to involve additionalstaff, board members, and volun-teers in data collection and analysisactivities.

Over ...

Continued from other side...

Benefits of participating inProject EQUAL:

Multi-service agencies recognizethe importance of interdepartmentalteamwork, common intake, and datacollection. Welfare reform, declin-ing funding, and demographicchanges are making programs moreconscious of using data to servemore students with decreasedresources, but also to re-examineprogram goals and operations.EQUAL provided staff with amore formalized, structuredapproach to reflect on theirpractice and systematize theway they collect data.Staff have begun torecognize that datacollection andanalysis are tools forprogram improve-ment, not just programrequirements.Instructors have begunto expand their role asteachers to programplanners. They areinvolved in thinking about

program outcomes, not just indi-vidual student improvement.

ON THE AGENDA FORYEAR THREE

The 20 pilot sites will continue datacollection activities and increase thenumber of staff (paid and volunteer)who are involved in the programimprovement activities.A group of eight Core Pilots will be

invited to participate in moreintensive

activities focused on developingIndividual Improvement Plans(IIPs). On-site and group trainingwill be provided on the steps todevelop an IIP that will addresscurriculum and instruction assess-ment, as well as one or two addi-tional program areas.Project EQUAL staff will work withPennsylvania's Professional Devel-opment Centers (PDCs) to beginintegrating EQUAL activities intoongoing regional staff development.

"EQUAL gave us new tools to improve program quality. We betterunderstand the importance of data collection and analysis. Knowingwhat your program has accomplished and what still needs to beimproved are critical." Lauren Giguere, Lehigh Carbon Community College

"The great benefit of Project EQUAL was to engage teachers indiscussion on issues they face in their teaching, to place the power tochange events in the teachers' hands so that they are part of thedecision-making process in the program." Teacher, Intermediate Unit #5

"EQUAL shifted the way we thought about evaluation. We liked theidea that the site is involved in evaluating itself. Too often we think ofevaluation as what someone from the outside does to you."

Monica Mathews, Midstate Literacy Council

"Our teachers are trying to do post-testing every 40-50 hrs. EQUAL hashelped them to see the importance of regular feedback to students. Itis a significant motivator." Lee Knisley, Tri-County OIC

"EQUAL has made us think more about the impact of welfare reform onour program. We realize that stand-alone literacy programs cannotmake it anymore." Pat Haff, Community Women's Education Project

"Our program is changing assessment procedures. We realized that alot of data on the students were in the central office and were notaccessible to instructors. We will be putting more assessment data inthe classroom so teachers can use it in instructional planning."

YEAR TWO HIGHLIGHTS

October 11,1995. COSMOS staffconducted a training session with 45coordinators and teachers from 20 pilotsites representing the diversity of adulteducation providers across the state. Theseincluded school districts, prisons, commu-nity-based organizations, and communitycolleges. Training focused on methods forcollecting, reviewing, and reporting learnerassessment and other data to improveprogram quality. Each new pilot site wasassigned a mentor site from Year One pilots.

January 1996. COSMOS staff conductedtelephone interviews with 20 pilot sitecoordinators to monitor start-up activitiesfor Year Two.

+ October 1995-June 1996. Pilot sitescollected a sample of nearly 1,800 learnersto track learner assessment information:pre- and post-test data, skills achieved, andcompetencies attained. Pilot sites completedLearner Assessment Tracking Forms andData for Decision-Making Logs.

April 1, 1996. COSMOS and PDE staffconducted review meeting of Year Twoactivities with 20 pilot site coordinators andteachers on how to use data to improveprogram quality.

4 May 16-18, 1996. Representatives fromthe Bureau of Adult Basic and LiteracyEducation, COSMOS Corporation, and pilotsites facilitated sessions at COABE Confer-ence about Project EQUAL activities.

May-June 1996. COSMOS conducted amail survey of nearly 100 pilot site staff,including teachers, tutors, counselors, andother support staff who participated inProject EQUAL pilot site activities.

May 1996August 1996. COSMOSconducted end-of-year telephone interviewswith pilot site coordinators and programdirectors.

Bonnie Valeri, Altoona School District 27

Educational Quality Adult Literac

I A, 17"\Lti

NOVEMBER 1996

00A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT REPORT TO PENNSYLVANIA'S

ADULT BASIC & LITERACY EDUCATION COMMUNITY

EquaL us DIM YEAM 3

The 1996 fall meeting of the 21Project EQUAL pilot sites washeld on October 23 in Harris-burg. COSMOS's staff providedinformation to the pilot site par-ticipants concerning the resultsof their Year 2 EQUAL activitiesin collecting learner assessmentdata and in using data for pro-gram management. Issues werediscussed concerning the appro-priate administration and report-ing of standardized tests, andguidelines for test use were dis-tributed. COSMOS's staff alsooutlined the activities for Year 3of EQUAL, in which the pilotsites will form two groupscoreand continuing pilots. The corepilots will participate in devel-opment activities in support ofEQUAL, including the creationof a program plan that will beused to guide program improve-ment and expanding staff partici-pating in EQUAL activities.

Both the core and continuingpilots will carry out data reviewactivities, with an emphasis onexamining practices in curricu-lum and instruction. During Year3, all pilots will look towardimplementing program changesbased on their program and datareview activities.©

RIEPOIETONIGS4TLIMER94 DAIM

The Development of Criteria forStudent Data Reporting Projectis currently contacting selectedEQUAL pilot sites to invite par-ticipation in the data reportingproject. The data project intendsto utilize the insights and knowl-edge gained by EQUAL partici-pants in the development of defi-nitions for student enrollment,

BUREAU OFADULT BASIC &

LITERACY EDUCATION

The Bureau of Adult Basic and LiteracyEducation has raised the bar on thecontinuous improvement initiative forPennsylvania adult education services. Anarray of 1996.97 Section 353 special projects

PENNSYLVANIA is working together in an unprecedented wayDEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION to integrate quality improvement effortsthroughout the Commonwealth.

Project EQUAL, now in the third year of its three-year plan,has been building ABLE programs' capacity to collect, analyze,and use data about learner assessment and overall program evalu-ation to make decisions about improving program operations,with the goal of improving services to adult learners. By theend of this project year, the framework for a performance man-agement system for Pennsylvania's adult education programswill be in place.

Year Three of Project EQUAL extends the meaning of the EQUALacronymEducational Quality for Adult Literacyto all of the 353projects supporting quality improvement. This publication will keepyou informed of their progress during this year.

progress, completion, and out-comes. The project is also re-searching existing definitions,determining compliance withfederal guidelines for reporting,and developing interview proto-cols and other processes for gath-ering information related to theproject. The data reportingproject plans to work withEQUAL participants in Novem-ber to develop draft definitionsfor consideration by February.G

SURIELUALOR901140VIESMIZEKDREI

The Center for Literacy startedthe Transmission of Datathrough Technology project in1994 to enable adult literacy pro-grams throughout the Common-wealth to submit their student,tutor, and staff data to the Bureauof Adult Basic and Literacy Edu-cation via computer disk.

This fall, the database project

has updated the program to in-clude additional levels for stu-dents and to remove unrequireddata elements. To welcome newand continuing users, sevenworkshops in five locations werepresented during October. Eachworkshop, lasting between twoand a half and three hours, cov-ered an introduction to the data-base. Ninety-six participantsfrom 60 agencies attended.

Updated disks, containingchanges in the pull-down menus,have been mailed to each partici-pating agency. A further upgradeto include changes in reports andprinter access will be availablethis winter.

This year the project is striv-ing to make the database appli-cation more user-friendly. In ad-dition to updating certain ele-ments, including the expansionof student entry level as requiredby PDE, a new, easier-to-use in-terface is in the works.e

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ?80 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SITAFF CIEIMIERS121E34172(00710HIED

Professional development foradult basic education practitionersstatewide is focusing on improv-ing teaching and learning thatresults in positive outcomes foradult learners. Recently, the Bu-reau of Adult Basic and LiteracyEducation reorganized nine Re-gional Staff Development Centersinto six Professional Develop-ment Centers (PDCs). Thesecenters carry out well-plannedopportunities for professionaldevelopment with input fromadult educators in the regions.The Regional Professional De-velopment System is workingtoward meeting the challenge ofproviding consistent training incore content areas across regions.

Adult educators are partici-pating in PDC-sponsored activi-ties designed to meet individualand program needs leading toprogram improvement. ThePDCs offer opportunities forteachers, administrators, andvolunteers to participate in bothtraining and research-orientedactivities, as well as take part inworkshops and focus groups.0

DEW/M(0PMTIMAIRIOIMO ULMThe Training DevelopmentProject is developing materialsfor use in Pennsylvania's profes-sional development system.Project outcomes will ensureuniform content in the deliveryof professional development forPennsylvania's adult educators.

Selection of content areas isbeing determined through inputfrom practitioners in activitiessuch as those in Project EQUAL

CONTINUED 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

pilots and the Professional De-velopment Centers as well as re-view of national resources. Prac-titioners statewide will advise oncontent, delivery, and trainer re-cruitment.

Content areas to be consid-ered this year were determinedthrough needs assessments con-ducted in the past year in PDCsand EQUAL pilots. Specialists inthe areas will be designated andappropriate materials will be re-viewed and screened by them aswell as a review committee ofpractitioners, administrators, andstaff from the Bureau and PDCs.Content-area training materialswill highlight emerging prac-tices. Trainers and training planswill be identified. Materials willbe packaged and disseminated totrainers. Delivery of training inat least two content areas isplanned to begin this programyeate

ORTFOREMOPROIFIESSOM

AdvancE at the PDE ResourceCenter in Harrisburg continues toprovide information services.Requests for references, techni-cal assistance, and document re-trievals were answered throughsuch means as the Internet, statelibrary LUIS searches and docu-ment retrieval, telephone/TDD,or subject files.

In support of Section 353projects, certain project directors

were added to AdvancE's e-mailgroup, and federal project reportsand projects were prepared forFocus reviewC

ILEMIA9DIMOVEIIMMANI 171T3LODCIE

Pennsylvania Adult LiteracyPractitioner Inquiry (PALPIN)is providing four primary activi-ties this year. The Winter InquiryInstitute will take place January22-25, 1997 in Philadelphia. ThisInstitute is open to any practitio-ner from an ABLE-funded pro-gram. Three PDC regions willoffer practitioner inquiry semi-nars as well. In the Central-North-east area most of the group'swork will be conducted online.South-Central and Southeast re-gions are situating inquiry groupswithin particular programs.

Each of the regional groupsand the Winter Institute will de-pend on facilitation and mentor-ing from 1995-96 participants. Inthis way, PALPIN has begun tobuild practitioner inquiry leader-ship around the state as it contin-ues to provide ongoing opportu-nities to build professional community, generate new knowledgeabout teaching and learning, andimprove individual practice andprogram development.

The Pennsylvania ActionNetwork (PA-ARN) is in its sec-ond year of training andmentoring practitioners throughthe Southwest, South-Central

and Northwestern PDCs, withCentral-Northeast yet to begin.The first of four Action Updatenewsletter issues have been dis-tributed across the state describ-ing project possibilities and howpersonal peer support will takeplace in 1996-97.e

ILIE&GINIORT2 alLORDUDD DIFFEDEIMIES

The Statewide Staff Develop-ment on Adults with LearningDifferences project began in Au-gust with a training session in thefar corner of Northeastern Penn-sylvania, Wayne and Pike Coun-ties. Already this year, more than200 adult educators have at-tended the 18 training activitiesconducted as part of this project.These activities include intro-ductory, follow-up, and in-depthtraining sessions, as well as dem-onstrations of assessment andteaching techniques to adult edu-cators who have a particular in-terest in learning problems.0

MINA? E NEED40 BE uEnco-augkga?Collection of research and re-ports is under way in the projectcalled Research and Develop-ment of Pennsylvania-SpecificAdult Learner Competenciesin Family, Work, and Commu-nity Contexts. Several states havedeveloped adult competencieslists, usually based on CASAS.

tiaality [Improvement Projects, Contracting Agencies, Key Contactsoo................ ..............................oProject EQUALEducational Quality for Adult Literacy: COSMOS Corporation /Judith Alamprese

Regional Professional Development Centers: Northwest Tri-County I.U. 5/ Richard Gacka, Bootsie Barbour; Central I.U. 10/Edith Gordon, Gaff Leightley; Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council / Donald Block, Karen Mundie, Rachel Zilcosky, Sue Snider;TIU Adult Education & Job Training Center/ Carol Molek, Brian Frey, Paula Smith; Lancaster Lebanon LU. 13/ David Karl,Sandra Strunk, Jaclyn Fowler-Frey; Mayor's Commission on Literacy/ Rose Brandt, Diane Inverso

AdvancE State Literacy Resource Center. Pennsylvania Department of Education /Cheryl Harmon

Western Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Resource Center: Pennsylvania Department of Education /Chris Kemp

Building Communities for Learning: Pennsylvania State Coalition for Adult Literacy/ Sheila M. Sherow

Training Development Project: TIU Adult Education & Job Training Center /Carol Molek

Research & Development of Pennsylvania-Specific Adult Learner Competencies in Family, Work, and Community Contexts:Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, Penn State University / Eunice N. Askov, Barbara Van Horn

Technical Assistance for the Transmission of Data through Technology: Center for Literacy, Inc. / JoAnn Weinberger

Development of Criteria for Reporting Student Data: Center for Literacy, Inc. /Ashley Staudt

Professional Development Evaluation & Reporting System: South-Central Professional Development Center /Brian Frey

Program Improvement Plans & Needs Assessment: Southeast Professional Development Center/ Sandra Strunk

ABLENet: Central-Northeast Professional Development Center /Debra Burrows

Focus on Adaptation: Royce & Royce / Sherry Royce

Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PA-ARN): Penn State University Monroeville /Allan Quigley

Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network (PALPIN): University of Pennsylvania / Alisa Belzer

Statewide Staff Development on Adults with Learning Differences: Center for Alternative Learning /Richard Caaper

Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth: Delaware County Literacy Council / Patricia Reitz Gaul 9AXISAdult education eXpress Intercommunications Support: Lancaster-Lebanon I.U. 13 / Tana Reiff

Much of the research focuses onworkforce education competen-cies, usually based on theSCANS competencies and, morerecently, on O *NET. In addition,the National Institute for Lit-eracy is sponsoring research toexpand on its Equipped for theFuture initiative, identifyingskills that adults need to functionin family, workplace, and citi-zenship contexts.

The project is organizing andsynthesizing the competenciesfound, focusing on a skills-basedmodel encompassing communi-cation and numeracy skills. Thismodel will provide flexibility forprograms to customize the com-petencies to match their goalsand instructional focus. A six-member workgroup will meet inDecember to discuss the compe-tencies framework.0

BUILIDON90 LEaRmume131MIU VMS

The Building Communities forLearning (BCL) project is as-sisting communities in establish-ing a collaborative process of com-munity-based planning throughwhich adult basic and literacy edu-cation providers, business and in-dustry, job-training programs,county and community economicdevelopment and planning groups,local government and municipali-ties, and human resource serviceswork together to improve adulteducation services.

Through their planninggroups, BCL sites identify lit-eracy needs, gaps in services, andwidespread problems; prioritizecurrent and emerging issues; de-velop strategies to promote andsupport literacy efforts; promoteeconomic development by uni-fying literacy services with localemployment needs; and developplans for their most effective use.The result is better-coordinatedand more comprehensive ser-vices for adult learners.

Four new community-basedplanning sites were awarded BCLgrants this fall. Last year's pilotsites (Fayette County, LycomingCounty, and Wyoming Valley) arefunctioning as Mentoring Com-munities, providing the new siteswith field-driven training, techni-cal assistance, resources, and on-going mentoring.e

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COOPIEDLWOWEILEn,G3MOM© OMnomom

by Peggy Elin Rood,Luzerne CountyCommunity College

There's a lot of excitementbuzzing about the Adult Lit-eracy Training and AssistanceProgram (ALTA) at LuzerneCounty Community Collegethese days. Attendance and re-tention are up. ALTA staff haveacquired some new instructionalstrategies and are finding thattheir students are makingprogress more quickly.

It's all because ALTA instruc-tors are implementing coopera-tive learning techniques basedon what they learned during the1996 Summer Institute on coop-erative learning. Some of theinstructors were facilitators forthe Institute, giving them a headstart, for they had to practicewhat they were going to facili-tate. Ever since, the staff haverefined their techniques and areexpressing their satisfactionwith feeling more effective inthe classroom.

As for the students, after ini-tial reluctance, they are askingthe instructors for more groupwork. Students working ingroups tend to stay on task bet-ter, and they are enjoying learn-ing together. Moreover, studentsare placed in cooperative learn-ing groups heterogeneously, sothe groups are comprised of stu-dents of different abilities, eth-nic backgrounds, genders, per-spectives, and languages. Theirdifferent strengths and weak-nesses, along with their diver-

sity, make for powerful learningteams.

An article called "Creativityin Action," (The Creative Edu-cation Foundation, 1990) re-ported that the following skillsare desired by Fortune 500 com-panies: teamwork, problemsolving, interpersonal skills,oral communication, listening,creative thinking, leadership,writing, computation, and read-ing. Implementation of coopera-tive learning strategies allowsinstructors to work towards de-velopment of all these skills.

The benefits of cooperativelearning are higher achieve-ment, increased self-esteem,greater enjoyment of learning,increased retention, higher mo-tivation to learn, and respect fordiverse backgrounds and pointsof view.

The cooperative learningtechniques the staff are using arevery structured to ensure effec-tiveness. Students work in smallgroups to achieve commongoals. The structure involves allstudents in the work and ensuresthat each student learns the ma-terial. The structure of this co-operative learning is based onthree elements:

Positive interdependence:The success of the group de-pends on the efforts of allmembers.Individual accountability:Students are individually re-sponsible for learning the ma-terial.Social skills: Interpersonaland communication skillspromote successful group in-teraction.Positive interdependence

provides students with a reasonto cooperate. An example of

.01-40"

NOVEMBER 1996

positive interdependence is as-signing students roles for inter-acting with one another, such asreader, recorder, materials han-dler, and monitor.

Individual accountabilitymeans assessing whether eachstudent succeeds and mastersthe material, for example by aquiz or random selection of onegroup member's paper to check.

Social skills give students theopportunity to learn and practicethe skills that enable them tointeract successfully with allgroup members. The staff ob-serve the students to identifywhich skills they have andwhich they do not have, andthey are very specific about thesocial skill to be taught. For ex-ample, the word cooperate istoo general. The directives "in-vite others to talk," "disagreepolitely," or "ask each other forhelp" are more specific. Stu-dents monitor themselves withinthe groups as well. What didyour group do well in workingtogether today? What could

The cooperative °earningtechniques the staff areusing are very structuredto ensure eff lectiveness.

your group do even better dur-ing the next session? Giving thestudents time to refine theirtechniques develops the coop-erative skills that make groupwork most effective.

During the 1996-97 programyear, the ALTA staff is trackingstudent progress and retention,comparing the information toprevious program years'completion and impact data.The staff would like to see their

own documentation on the ef-fectiveness of using structuredcooperative learning strategiesin the classroom.

If you'd like to visit ALTAclasses and staff development ses-sions, contact the Institute at (717)740-0406; fax (717) 829-7405, ore-mail at prood@luzerne.edu4

OUCCIE00SUOROIEZ DOOMMELE&ZED

1996 Success Stories: Learningto Leadership is now availableand has already been distributedto many adult educators through-out the state.

Prepared by Dr. Sherry Royceof Lancaster, the book containsthe stories of the ten adult basicand literacy education studentswho were selected as best rep-resenting the successes of themore than 60,000 adults statewidewho overcame personal ob-stacles to learn through their at-tendance in state and federallyfunded ABLE programs duringthe past year.

Having a local program stu-dent selected for Success Storiesrecognition is certainly an im-portant public awareness event,but teachers and tutors in otherprograms can also use the Suc-cess Stories book to present rolemodels who serve as inspirationto help students persevere inadult learning activities. Dead-line for 1997 Success Stories en-tries is December 1.

If you have not receivedyour 1996 Success Stories, con-tact Cheryl Harmon at AdvancE,(800) 992-2283.4>

1.1121g.'"As,..11,..f.L,,,IMEaFt

3 0 3

WI&NOVEMBER 1996

04. Some words of support andencouragement for those of usexperiencing "professional cri-ses" in the September 1996 is-sue of Reading Today, the news-letter of the International Read-ing Association (IRA). The mes-sage from Richard Vacca, pro-fessor of education at Kent StateUniversity: "This too will pass."Dr. Vacca uses as an examplethe Ohio state legislature,which, he says, is "obsessedwith phonics as a quick fix forsolving the purported decline ofliteracy in Western civilization."

The same issue carries a re-port from the IRA National JointCommittee on Learning Dis-abilities, which states a currentdefinition of learning disabili-ties as "a heterogeneous groupof disorders manifested by sig-nificant difficulties in the acqui-sition and use of listening,speaking, reading, writing, rea-soning or mathematical abili-ties. These disorders are intrin-sic to the individual, presumedto be due to central nervous sys-tem dysfunction." The defini-tion excludes social problems,sensory impairment, mental re-tardation, cultural differences,and insufficient instruction andis nearly identical to the defini-tion adopted by the NationalAdult Literacy and LearningDisabilities Center. IRA's addressis 800 Barksdale Rd., P.O. Box8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139.

oc We strongly recommend ourreaders send for the specialSpring 1996 issue of the Na-tional Institute for LiteracyNewsletter, which centers onactivities and information fromthe National Adult Literacy and

In whichwe note types and

contents of professionalnewsletters to assist Buzz

readers in finding their waythrough the adult education

newsletter maze ...

LearningDisabilities(ALLD) Center.Space limitations prohibit ourprinting even synopses of thewell-written, informative ar-ticles from this excellent publi-cation, which brings togetherrelevant information about theCenter, research on learning dis-abilities, an adult educator'sperceptions of identifying andteaching LD adults, and lots ofother useful information. Con-tact the National ALLD Centerat 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW,Washington, DC 20009-1202,fax (800) 953-2553, or http://novel.nifl.gov/nalldtop.htm.

INc2wm[]Rititair_Famundlop

c. In the Summer 1996 Devel-opments (the state of Wash-ington's ABLE newsletter) JudyKrein, Director of Developmen-tal Education at Walla WallaCommunity College, makes thecase for conference attendanceas an essential professional de-velopment activity. "As a pro-fession filled with part-time in-structors," says the author, "Ithink professionalism tends tobe overlooked ... We have toremember how important it is tosupport staff professionally. Aconference is an opportunity tonurture and inspire teachers ...They receive validation of whatthey do ... They learn that thestrategies they use are good ...

they hear about research ... theyare inspired and rejuvenated."

G. The Teacher's Complete andEasy Guide to the Internet isreviewed in the July/August is-sue of Hands-on English, alongwith an article by Meg Gam, anESL teacher in New York, abouthow to find teaching ideasonline. The Teacher's Guide isdistributed by Trifolium Books,(800) 805-1083. In addition tolisting some other useful ESLWeb sites, Ms. Gam highly rec-ommends Linguistic Funland'sESLoop http://math.unr.edu/lin-guistics/esloop. Hands-on En-glish subscriptions are $21, toP.O. Box 256, Crete, NE 68333.

0* In Update, the newsletter ofthe National Center for FamilyLiteracy, June 1996, U.S. Sec-retary of Education RichardRiley says we must do all wecan to reconnect children andfamilies and connect both witheducation. "The biggest 'down-sizer' of economic opportunityis illiteracy. Illiteracy is the ball-and-chain that ties us to pov-erty." NCFL and the USDE areworking together to help getparents who are currently in-volved in adult education to be-come actively involved in theirchildren's education through the"America Goes Back to School"program. NCFL may be con-tacted at Waterfront Plaza, Ste.

31

200, 325 W. Main St., Louis-ville, KY 40202.

oc The Math Practitioner, fromthe Adult Numeracy Practitio-ners Network, is edited by EllenMcDevitt at Carlow College,Pittsburgh. The Spring 1996 is-sue reports the results of a sur-vey on the current state of adultnumeracy research and practicein the U.S., noting that employ-ers increasingly desire quantita-tive skills that are broader thanmere proficiency with the basicmathematical operations. Theyalso look for general problem-solving skills and facility withcommunicating about quantita-tive applications. The study wasconducted by the National Cen-ter on Adult Literacy.

The same issue contains aletter from an adult educatorwho finds it curious that themajority of her students have noexperience in measurement. Shesays, "I consider measuring a`life skill' and have acquired alarge collection of rulers, tapemeasures, yard sticks, etc.,which I use as hands-on mathmanipulatives."

Dues for ANPN membershipare $10, to Rose Steiner, BillingsAdult Education Center, 415 N.30th St., Billings, MT 59101.

Education Week for Septem-ber 11, 1996, contains a worth-while article titled "SchoolOpens With Mixed Picture forAdult Ed." The author discussesthe wide variances from state tostate in providing basic educa-tion and literacy programs forthe nation's four million adulteducation students and some ofthe problems facing adult edu-cators as a result. +

G. Two tutors who are active inPennsylvania literacy programswere honored as "OlympicTorch Bearers" during this year'sSummer Olympics activities.Nancy Warner, an adult lit-eracy tutor with the YorkCounty Literacy Council, waschosen to carry the torch on thebasis of nominations from bothher literacy program and the"Share the Spirit" programsponsored by the Coca-ColaCompany. The other torchbearer was Victor Bishop, aformer adult student with theDelaware County LiteracyCouncil, where he is now a tu-tor. The Literacy Council pro-vided the $300 required to pur-chase the torch Bishop carried.It will be on display in the Cityof Chester's municipal building.

,R)

)}11)

Nancy Warner, Gail Dennis (YCLC)

* He's back! Dr. RichardCooper has been funded for1996-97 to continue his well-received staff developmenttraining on learning differences.The goals of this year's projectare to continue to provide basicinformation about learning dif-ferences to adult educationteachers and tutors and to pro-

vide in-depthtraining forthose who havereceived previ-ous training.For informa-tion abouttraining, re-sources, andinformationabout learningdifferences callDr. Cooper atthe Center forAlternativeLearning inBryn Mawr,(800) 204-7667.

e

Programs

0 Welcome to Stanley 0.Ikenberry, incoming presidentof the American Council onEducation (ACE). Dr. Ikenberrywas president of the Universityof Illinois from 1979 to 1995.He was also formerly with PennState University. ACE is theGED Testing Service's parentorganization.

Two publications designedfor literacy programs in correc-tional settings have been pub-lished by Pennsylvania literacyprograms. The Prison LiteracyProject Handbook is free andincludes tips and replicable pro-cedures for corrections pro-grams. It traces the growth anddevelopment of the literacy pro-gram at the State CorrectionalInstitution at Graterford. In-side Out: Writings from the PrisonLiteracy Project comprises twovolumes of poems, essays, andstories on the prison experience.They are geared for use by new-reader inmates and volunteers.The set is $10, to Prison Literacy

eitiffilw 60.

NOVEMBER '1996

Project, c/oJoan Behr,C o m -

municationManager, 4333Kelly Dr.,Philadelphia,PA 19129.

0 SherrySpencer, Di-rector of theBradford-WyomingCounty Lit-eracy Pro-gram, was one

of a number of Pennsylvaniansin attendance at the LaubachLiteracy Action Biennial Con-ference in Portland in June. Shereports that a number of Penn-sylvania Literacy programs andpersonnel received awards at theconference, including GoodwillLiteracy Initiative of Pitts-burgh (Judith Aaronson, Di-rector), which received the LLANational Award for Excellencefor Outstanding Initiatives;Scranton Council for LiteracyAdvance (Diana Statsman, Di-rector), the National Award forOutstanding Program; JamesGourley, a student with theAdams County LiteracyCouncil (Cynthia Blevins, Co-ordinator), the National Award

Peter Waite (LLA), Diana Statsman,

David Chandler (LLA)

for Outstanding New Reader;and Marty Finsterbusch, newreader activist from the Dela-ware County Literacy Coun-cil (Pat Gaul, Director), who wasrecognized for his work in thenew reader movement. Twoformer Pennsylvanians, MartiLane and Al Bennett, were alsorecognized for their efforts onbehalf of new readers.

O Former Bureau of ABLE AreaAdvisor Dale Mace is recuper-ating at home following a kid-ney transplant. Our best to Dale.

O Apologies to Linda Herr for

Linda Herr

our moving her toKentucky in ourSeptember issue.Linda informedus that, althoughshe did enjoy ashort vacation inKentucky, she re-

mains as Director of theLycoming County Library Lit-eracy Program.

Pennsylvania 2000 is a state-wide coalition of business, edu-cation and state governmentleaders committed to educationreform. The Pennsylvania 2000Adult Literacy Task Force hasconducted numerous statewideactivities, including two confer-ences and publications designedto provide information aboutPennsylvania's literacy needs.According to Task Force StaffDirector JoAnn Weinberger ofthe Center for Literacy in Phila-delphia, Pennsylvania 2000 haschanged its name to The Penn-sylvania Business/EducationPartnership. Adult literacy willcontinue to be a focus of theorganization's activities.

32 7

TW, ,ffear.7NOVEMBER 1996

Movenrober 1996

17-23 American EducationWeek: 75th Annual Observance.

'07-2'0 124th Annual Meeting ofthe American Public Health Asso-ciation, New York, NY. Theme:"Empowering the Disadvantaged:Social Justice in Public Health."Contact: APHA, (202) 789-5600.

22-24 Association for Commu-nity-Based Education (ACBE) 21stAnnual Conference, Monterey, CA.Contact: ACBE, 1805 Florida Ave.,NW, Washington, DC 20009.

23 Penn-Ohio 12. The Penn-Ohio Adult Education Conference,Sheraton-Mars, PA. Theme: "Con-tinuing the Incline to Excellence."8 a.m.-3 p.m. Continental breakfastwith the vendors at 8 a.m. Contact:Bootsie Barbour or Regina

Rastatter at the Northwest PDC(814) 866-3105, ext. 224.

[December, 1996

5 Pennsylvania State Coali-tion for Adult Literacy (PSCAL)Forum, Harrisburg. Topic: Literacyand Workforce Development. Con-tact: Joanne Shane Plummer, (717)238-9026.

10 PAACE Board Meeting.

January 1997

10 Reconciliation of Cash onHand Form due to StateComptroller's Office.

1 2-14National Title I Confer-ence, Oakland, CA. Theme: "Meet-ing the ChangeServing the Chil-

Gratilts:for,BookiVriffatOiaisLaubach Literacy has announced that over the next two years itsNational Book Scholarship Fund will make available $500,000 in booksand educational materials through grants for which ABLE programsmay apply. Last year NBSF gave nearly $200,000 worth of in-kindgrants to 119 adult literacy and educational programs nationwide.

Preference will be given to family literacy programs that work toimprove the literacy skills of parents and their children and to pro-grams working with special groups such as the homeless, refugees,ESL, and adults with mental disabilities.

Deadline for applications is December 15, 1996. Applications areavailable from Mara Roberts, Project Administrator, NBSF, LaubachLiteracy, Box 131, Syracuse, NY 13210 (315) 422-9121.+

dren." Contact: Robert Simpson,Kentucky Dept. of Program Re-sources, 500 Metro St., 820 CapitalPlaza Tower, Frankfort, KY 40601.

14 PAACE Board Meeting.

February 1997

5-7 Adult Education Midwinter

Conference, Hershey. Theme: "TheChallenges of Change: KeepingPace." IMPORTANT: The block ofrooms at the Hershey Lodge andConvention Center designated forthe Conference will be held onlyuntil December 22. Contact: Penn-sylvania Association for Adult Con-tinuing Education (PAACE), P.O.Box 3796 17105-3796.

Internet News for ABLE 0 roH9 eInformation sources which Buzz readers may find useful:

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Education Re-search and Development: gopher.ed.gov. Family Literacy: Di-rections in Research and Implications for Practice is available.

Reading Research Quarterly: The research journal of the Interna-tional Reading Association: www.nevada.edu/home/5/rrq/homepage/rrq.html.

WHAT'S THE Buzz? and Focus as text-only files are available onAmerica Online at keyword: Teachers Lounge.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational EducationWeb site: URL: www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/education/cete/ericacve/index.html.

Adult Numeracy Practitioners Network: www.world.std.com/edi.For information about National Institute for Literacy listservs

on family literacy, workplace literacy, adult learning disabilities, home-less, and ESL, contact Ronna Spacone at NCFL (502) 584-1133 orNCFL_RGS@aol.com. For access to an annotated list of World WideWeb sites as reviewed by adult literacy educators in the Boston area:www2.wgbh.org/MBCWEIS/LTC/ALRI/LiteracyList.html.

To include your e-mail address and that of your program in adatabase for distribution throughout Pennsylvania e-mail JaclynM. Fowler-Frey at Lancaster-Lebanon IU #13: jmf@lanleb.iul3.-kl2.pa.us or call her at (717) 270-2936.

ThroUgh ABLENet, Pennsylvania's Professional DevelopmentCenters are providing modems and Internet access to a limited num-ber of programs. Contact your regional PDC.*

VVVWP-LATSVVVVI/VVI/1/1.44

Bon 214Troy, P 1(5947

33

T.97)<.\

'01 0.y Printed on recycled paper

Mailed

November 15, 1996

Carrier

TIME VALUEPlease Expedite

Bulk Rate

U.S. Postage

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Lancaster, PA 17604

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To: Box 214, Troy, PA 16947

Vol. 16, No. 3JANUARY 1997

1/1, 1,1. /1. "1-,"

PENNSYLVANIA ADULT EDUCATION'S PROFESSIONAL NEWSLETTER

Feature°Dave's Digest

... see p.3

JARILIJARY HOGNILLIGNUS: Legal Issues in ESL 'The Literacy

Dictionary' Reviewed WI Dave's Digest1]Two Passings orrec-

tions Ed Success Story 71 PA Association for Volunteerism DI Myths

& Realities in Teaching Adults F1 NCSALL's Focus on Basics 71

Newsletter Roundup la] People & Programs[] It's a Date El

Penn-Ohio 12: `The longest-runninginterstate literacy conference in the U.S.'One-day event providedcamaraderie, professionaldevelopment, and forecasts.

They did it again! BootsieBarbour (Coordinator, NorthwestPDC) and Rachel Zilcosky (Co-ordinator, Southwest PDC) pro-duced a day of adult educationprofessional development activi-ties which could serve as an ex-emplary model anywhere. Morethan 160 ABLErs from WesternPennsylvania and Eastern Ohiojoined together at the Sheraton-North outside Pittsburgh, wherethey learned, shared, and enjoyedthe camaraderie that seems to betypical of adult educators when-ever/wherever they get together.

Dr. Richard Gacka, adult edu-cation director for IU #5 inEdinboro, started off the day'sactivities by introducing Dr. Ri-chard Cooper as "the person whohas done the most to advance thecause of adult education in Penn-sylvania." Dr. Cooper, founderand Director of the Center forAlternative Learning in BrynMawr, presented the keynote ad-dress, "If They Learn Differently,Shouldn't They Study Differ-ently?" In his remarks, Dr. Coo-per lamented that many adult stu-

MAKI .1=44.2211ININSIBIaa

dents are taught study skills bypersons who think and learn dif-ferently from the adult and thatadult educators must develop anawareness of learning differencesif they are to assist their adult stu-dents in developing efficient, ef-fective study skills. He presentedattendees with suggestions as tohow to help adult learners pro-duce effective results in study-ing and emphasized that "manyadult learners gravitate towardtheir areas of strength and ne-glect the areas of basic skills thatneed developing."

The morning session con-cluded with presentations byCheryl Keenan, Director of

Dr. Richard Gacka kicked off the 12th

Penn-Ohio.

Pennsylvania's Bureau of AdultBasic and literacy Education, andJim Bowling, Director of Ohio'sDivision of Adult and VocationalEducation. In their "State of theState" reports, both directorsdealt with the changing adult edu-cation scene and gave conferenceattendees an overview of eachstate's initiatives designed toimprove quality of delivery ser-vices in adult education.

The word from Washington.Ms. Keenan reported on her re-cent meetings with U.S. Depart-ment of Education officials con-cerning recommendations to bepresented to the 105th Congressin 1997. These could includepossible establishment of a na-tional accountability programfor adult education to addressthe question, "What happens topeople who are involved in adulteducation after they leave?" Itis hoped that accountability andfollow-up would produce infor-mation about the impact of adulteducation which could be usedby providers, government of-fices, and other stakeholders.

Keenan also gave an over-view of other Bureau initiatives,including the development ofcompetencies appropriate toadult learners as family mem-

r:TAiniiMikattn-athava,±triariaviguolaktmszaai

bers, community citizens, andskilled workers and an updateon the EQUAL projects whichare designed to establish infor-mation appropriate to the im-provement of instructional qual-ity in local programs.

Mr. Bowling presented Ms.Keenan with an Ohio State Uni-versity cap and sweatshirt whichshe graciously accepted with thecomment that, in Pennsylvania,adult education and academics aregradually replacing the emphasison sports. (Following the confer-ence many attendees adjourned towatch either Ohio State's lossand/or Penn State's win).

Materials exhibited. Ven-dors representing a number ofadult education publishers werealso present at the 12th Penn-Ohio. Most adult educators inattendance carried off lots ofbook samples and informationabout new publications.

The afternoon was devoted toa series of "Carousels" which fea-tured 14 roundtable discussionsby authorities on a number oftopics ranging from correctionseducation, to adult education re-sources and publications, tocounseling in adult education, toworkforce education and wel-fare reform.

It was a fruitful day, deliver-ing lots of information and proofthat a one-day professional de-velopment activity can producegood results..

Z .5CE EMilti fhb. :Itoftifi:Vtin::%da17.11

JANUAR Y 1 9 9 7

LEMC\L EISSIDESOM VINE ESLCLn,SSMOOKI

In our November issue we raisedsome legal issues which adultbasic and literacy educatorsmight wish to consider as theyplan instructional and supportservices for adult learners withspecial needs.

As noted, there have beenvery few problems in Pennsyl-vania adult education whichhave resulted in court action, butlocal programs might find itwise to consult an attorney soas to establish acceptable poli-cies and procedures before aproblem arises.

ESL and the law. The field

What's the Buzz?, PennsylvaniaAdult Education's ProfessionalNewsletter is published five timesin 1996-97 by Adult Education Link-

age Services, Box 214, Troy, PA16947, under partial funding pro-vided through the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education from theU.S. Adult Education Act, Section353. It is distributed without charge

to practitioners of adult basic andliteracy education in Pennsylvaniaand no endorsement of newsletter

contents by PDE nor USDOE should

be inferred.

Editor: Dave Fluke

Associate Editor: Tana Reiff

Editorial Board: Ella Morin,

Priscilla Ferguson, Tana Reiff

This publication isavailable in alternativemedia on request.

of English as a second languageis somewhat complicated by re-cent changes in immigrationlaws. For example, the AdultEducation Act specifies thatadult instruction will apply toAdult Basic Education, AdultSecondary Education, and"Adults With Limited EnglishProficiency." Instruction forimmigrants falls into this lattercategory and defines an immi-grant as "any refugee admitted

Must programs determinethe legal status offimmigrants hefforeadmitting them to class?

or paroled into this country."Does this exclude adults whoenter the country illegally? Insome states, agents from theImmigration and NaturalizationService have entered ESLclasses and arrested adult learn-ers who could not furnish proofof citizenship or legal immigra-tion status.

Some questions which ESLprograms might want to con-sider are:

Must programs determine thelegal status of immigrants be-fore admitting them to class?In a situation in York, an EvenStart program making this in-quiry of the Pennsylvania De-partment of Education wastold, "You do not have to de-termine immigration status."What should ESL personneldo if law enforcement offic-ers enter their classroom toscreen for illegal immigrants?Some other areas of possible

legal concern have to do withthe validity and reliability of

A new reference tool of literacy terms ...B.00kReview: The Literacy Dictionary

The field of literacy draws its substance from many domains of knowl-edge, and its theories, terminology, and practice develop and changeover time. A recent publication, The Literacy Dictionary: The Vocabu-lary of Reading and Writing, prepared by the International ReadingAssociation (IRA) includes up-to-date vocabulary specific to the teach-ing of reading and writing; vocabulary relevant to reading research;related vocabulary from linguistics, literary analyses, and clinicalpractices; and vocabulary describing the more general types of tools,operations, and characteristics of education and society as they affectliterary.

In addition to definitions and explanations from ABC Book to Zscore ("a standard score in which a raw score is explained in terms ofthe number of standard deviations it deviates from the mean"), thisnew reference tool is more than a dictionaryit is a source book whichcould save adult educators much of their limited time in trackingdown terminology from a variety of reference books.

Edited by Dr. Richard E. Hodges, who specializes in literacy in-struction, and the late Dr. Theodore L. Harris, a recognized lexicog-rapher, The Literacy Dictionary, along with succinct descriptions ofterms in literacy, contains short essays by widely respected scholarsin the field. An entry on "Emerging Literacy," for example, examinesin two pages how the discipline that studies how individuals thinkabout literacy and their strategies in reading and writing has replacedthe concept of "reading readiness. Another one-page essay deals with"Phonemic Awareness" (awareness of sounds that make up words).

A section of the Dictionary which our review panel thought espe-cially useful was a list of 120 abbreviations used in literacy and theirmeanings, from ABE to ZPD (zone of proximal development: the dis-tance between the actual development level and potential develop-ment).

The final section of the Dictionary contains 798 cross-references.For example, a teacher or tutor researching the term word blindnessis directed to the word alexia.

The Literacy Dictionary (#138-963) is $35 for IRA nonmembers or$25 for members, plus $2 for shipping. Call IRA at (800) 336 -READ.ext. 266, or write 800 Barksdale Rd., PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139.:

ESL assessments. Many personsin the field consider most widelyused tests as neither valid norreliable when used with ESLpopulations. Does this put theprogram at risk when develop-ing IEPs, waiting lists, etc.?

If your program has encoun-

tered legal problems involvingadult learners and you wouldlike to share your experienceswith our readers, please write toThe Buzz, Box 214, Troy, PA16947.+

'caj, 1`5 . '

2

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Dave's DigestOn which your editorattempts to tie togethervaried information concern-ing the changing times inadult education.

eoo The U.S. Department ofEducation may allow local pro-grams to charge tuition. That'sthe good newsand the badnews. This proposal is beingconsidered as part of the ClintonAdministration's effort to elimi-nate federal regulations that areunnecessary or burdensome. Itseems there never was statutoryauthority for the regulation for-bidding charges to adult learn-ers, and now the Office of Vo-cational and Adult Education isconsidering regulatory changesthat would permit programs tocharge fees so as to offset threat-ened service cutbacks (and, pre-sumably, to cover the increasein the number of adults apply-ing because of welfare reforms).There are many questions stillto be answered in this matter,including that of whether someprograms should be permitted tocharge under some conditionsand others not. For more infor-mation see the October 16, 1996Federal Register, pages 54024-54027. It is available fromAdvancE, (800) 992-2283.

...Update on PennsylvaniaWorkforce Development. Abouta year ago, the PennsylvaniaWorkforce Development Strate-gic Planning Group was formed,comprised of five governmen-tal department representatives

(Aging, Community and Eco-nomic Development, Education,Labor and Industry, and PublicWelfare). The Group recentlydistributed the first in a seriesof "Updates" in which they out-line the basic aspects of theirplanning process (role, struc-ture, accountability, funding,etc.) and ask for input and feed-back from employers, employ-ees, and service providers (that'sus). One of the questions theGroup is focusing on is whethera single department should beresponsible for workforce de-velopment at the state level andif so should it be a new depart-ment. To get on the Update mail-ing list and/or to let the Groupknow your thoughts, write Rm.1721, L&I Bldg., 7th and ForsterSts., Harrisburg, PA 17120.

CC® How to prepare for welfarechanges. In addition to ten mil-lion children, there are four mil-lion adults on welfare in thecountry. Many of them need toimprove their literacy skills inorder to succeed in the work-

We Beare recipients, onaverage, read at theshah-grade Bevel.

place; 50% do not have a highschool diploma or GED creden-tial. Welfare recipients, on aver-age, read at the sixth-grade level.

The Welfare Bill recentlysigned into law narrows thenumber of recipients who canparticipate in education andtraining at any one time. Be-cause of this, according to theNational Institute for Literacy(NIFL), about 300,000 welfarerecipients now enrolled in adultbasic and literary education na-

1E44 .Ie!, LC

JANUAR Y

tionwide will be displaced. Un-der the new law, it appears thatthe only way to include adultbasic skills and literacy instruc-tion in a welfare-to-work pro-gram is as part of an integratedskill training and work experi-ence program. A crucial firststep is for adult education, train-ing providers, and welfare pro-gram staff to learn about eachother's service delivery system.All three groups must be will-ing to reevaluate how they dobusiness.

NIFL has distributed the firstin a series of "Policy Updates"dealing with how local ABLEprograms can prepare for thechanging times, along with someways they might restructure theirprograms to the new realitiesfaced by families on welfare.

The October 28, 1996 Up-date deals with defining the roleof adult education in the newsystem, what programs can doto ensure adult education countsas work (time limits on aid meaneducators must find ways toshorten completion times andmore directly connect school towork), work participation ratesmandated under the new law,and other information critical toan understanding of our newroles in adult education.

Governor Ridge is given greatlatitude in implementing thenew law, and the adult educa-tion community hopes the finalstate regulations will reflect theneed of welfare recipients to im-prove their education skills.

To get on the mailing list of"Policy Update" from NIFL,write 800 Connecticut Ave. NW,Ste. 200, Washington, DC20202-7560 or call (202) 632-1500 and choose Option 6.4.

1 9 9 7

nanumos UTAIE&IDLE Fn,Irdl=

Former ABLE Bureau advisorDale Mace passed away follow-ing his recent kidney transplant.Dale joined the Bureau in 1992as advisor in Philadelphia andDelaware Counties after work-ing as an adult education teacherat the Adult Enrichment Center,Lancaster. He also served asABLE Bureau Central Advisorand, because of his extensiveexperience in teaching ESL andhis studies abroad, as theBureau's ESL advisor.

ABLE Bureau Director CherylKeenan eulogized Dale Macewith the comment, "Dale pro-vided competent assistance to theBureau in carrying out the respon-sibilities of our adult educationmission. He will be missed."

Dr. Beverly J. Smith, direc-tor of Immigration and RefugeeServices in Harrisburg, passedaway on December 11, 1996.For the past 16 years, Bev workedwith refugee resettlement; En-glish language training; jobpreparation, placement, and fol-low-up; and immigration pro-cessing. She oversaw CatholicCharities' ESL program, devel-oped ESL Summer Institutes forABLE, read Success Stories forthe Bureau, served as Directorof the Region 6 Staff Develop-ment Center, and developedpartnerships with SETCO and theDepartment of Public Welfare.

Professional membershipsincluded AAACE, PAACE, andPhi Delta Kappa, Temple Uni-versity (from which she re-ceived her doctorate in Adultand Continuing Education in1994).+

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3

JANUARY 1997

LA ZUCCEZOSUCDMV" utiCOMMECUTIOR0ELMILICAUOOKI

I:Perseverance provesvaluable.

by Susan Quinn, AdultLearning Center Instructor,State CorrectionalInstitution at Huntingdon

All parents' fondest wish is fortheir son or daughter to gradu-ate from high school and be-come a productive and success-ful adult. This was the wish ofJesus M. Torres, Sr., but Mr.Torres found there are timeswhen this dream is interruptedby the realities of life. Mr. Tonesleft school in the sixth grade tohelp support his brothers andsisters in Puerto Rico. Hemoved to York, Pennsylvania,where he opened his own busi-ness and began a family. How-ever, his plans to complete hiseducation were overshadowedby the pressures of life and JesusTones fell to the lure of easymoney in the drug culture.

His son, Jesus Jr., quit schoolin eleventh grade, fell in withthe "wrong crowd," and fol-lowed his father into the worldof drug dealing.

Both father and son werecommitted to SCI-Huntingdon.There, they reexamined theirpriorities in life and enrolled inadult classes. Today, pride is theTorreses' watchword. Both fa-ther and son have passed theGeneral Educational Develop-ment Tests, and both continue towork on their academic devel-opment while making plans for

their futures.Jesus, Jr. plans to work with

troubled youthto convince stu-dents to stay in school. He says,"Life is like hills with ups anddowns. I lived through the downs;now I want to live life to the full-est and teach others that they mustmake a choice between right andwrong. I will not let my jail ex-perience affect me."

At Huntingdon we have dis-covered, along with many adulteducation teachers and students,that the GED is a stepping stoneto a more positive future; it isan expression of the accom-plishments that are possiblewhen an individual takes con-trol of one's own education, giv-ing direction and substance tolife. As the Torreses have dis-covered, dreams and aspirationscan be attained at any age, any-where, anytime.

Editor's Note: Our thanks toSCI-Huntingdon Director of Edu-cation Steve Polte for bringingthis story to our attention.

Literacy inPrison"Prison literacy is losingground," says a new study bythe Educational Testing Ser-vice. The study says one-thirdof America's prisoners arelikely to fail at simple tasks suchas reading a map, and two-thirds would have difficultywriting a letter to explain a bill-ing error. According to ETSPresident Nancy Cole, "It iscounterproductive to crimeprevention to have people re-leased from prison who arelacking in the most fundamen-tal skills for employment andcitizenship."+

c000maWOLCLORTMEIERZ?

JJOIM ELAN

The Pennsylvania Associationfor Volunteerism is a nonprofitorganization with 350+ mem-bers statewide who have joinedtogether to provide educationaland networking services to or-ganizations and programs usingvolunteer.

Legal issues. One of the top-ics under discussion at a recentRegion 2 PAV meeting was therisk and liabilities of organiza-tions using volunteers. An attor-ney with experience in repre-senting nonprofit organizationsemphasized that, although therehave been very few lawsuits inPennsylvania concerning theuse of volunteers, programs arewell advised to be aware of theareas of potential liability totheir programs and plan care-fully as they develop plans forvolunteer use.

Although each situation mustbe considered individually on a"facts" basis, it was emphasizedthat liability may exist when ei-ther the volunteer or the organi-zation is negligent or careless.Organizations can be held re-sponsible for the carelessness oftheir employees (even an unpaidvolunteer may be considered anemployee) if negligence is com-mitted during the course of hisor her employment. Courts haveheld the key to liability of theorganization depends upon thedegree of direction and controlwhich the program exerts on itsvolunteers; more control and di-rection assumes more liabilityfor the volunteers' negligence. .

Most problems occur in the

operation of motor vehicles byvolunteers. In one case, a vol-unteer was delivering cookiesfor a church and caused an ac-cident with a motorcyclist. Be-cause the church had told thevolunteer when and where to go,it was held liable for the inju-ries sustained in the accident.

Selection and screening. In alawsuit, carelessness in selectingand screening volunteers might beused to show negligence of theorganization with the possibilityof monetary damages paid by theprogram. A matter of concern tosome attendees at the meeting hadto do with convicts who are givenhours of community service aspart of their sentence. Close com-munication between the programand the probation officer is nec-essary to determine the appro-priateness of the individual inthe program as a volunteer. Theattorney also identified the one-to-one tutoring activity as asource of possible liability, es-pecially in a home setting.

Minimize liability. Sugges-tions for minimizing the liabilityof your organization are: 1) pur-chase a general liability insurancepolicy, 2) have volunteers sign arelease if they are to be engagedin a risky activity, 3) screen vol-unteers carefully, and 4) establisha "thin" corporation exclusive ofthe program or literacy council,which has the responsibility ofhiring and supervising volunteers.

This topic and others of con-cern to programs using volun-teers will be discussed at thePAV State Conference on June25, 26, and 27 in Williamsport.To join PAV ($25 annual dues)or for more information aboutthe conference, write PO Box385, Reading, PA 19607.4>

KIVUNIS &MIDMEGMOIES4E&CMDKIOL\DULT'S

Have you heard these?Adults tend to be self-direct-ing.Adults have a rich reservoir ofexperience that can serve as aresource for learning.Adults tend to have a life-taskor problem-centered orienta-tion to learning as opposed toa subject-matter orientation.Adults are generally motivatedto learn due to internal or in-trinsic rather than externalforces. (Adult education au-thor Malcolm Knowles usesthe example of parents want-ing to help their children withhomework as a strong motiva-tion for some adult learners.)These and other myths and

realities about adult learners arecontained in ERIC Digest #154,which suggests some aware-nesses and techniques whichadult educators should considerfor the improvement of learner-centered adult education.

It is generally accepted that

adult learners and their instruc-tors should be considered asmutual partners in the learningprocess. The basis of theandragogical model in adulteducation stresses learner-cen-tered instruction, which ad-dresses the needs and interestsof learners. Adult educationteachers working with conceptsof learner-centered instructionwill use varying styles of teach-ing so as to develop learner-cen-tered settings where adult learn-ers can set their own goals andorganize their learning aroundpresent life needs.

Different types of adultlearning. ERIC's Susan Imelsuggests examining how adultslearn. A 1994 research studyclassifies adult learning intothree categories:

Subject-oriented adult learn-ing, in which the primary goalis to achieve content.Consumer-oriented adultlearning, in which learners settheir learning goals and iden-tify objectives, while the edu-cators act as facilitators.Emancipatory adult learning,in which there is no limit tolearners' options and the edu-

New Freebies for ABLE Is NowAvailable (and it's free, of course)A brand-new edition of Freebies forABLE is now available at no chargethrough the State Literacy Resource Centers. The 24-page cataloglists a variety of materials that would be appropriate for use in adulteducation settings. Listings are divided into the categories of Home& Family, Health, Math & Money, Recreation, Science & Environ-ment, Government & Law, and Education/Professional. The catalogalso contains sections on how to use the free materials, "ScavengingOther Sources," and tapping the resources available from the SLRCsand regional Professional DevelopmentCenters. The new Freebies was pro-duced by Tana Reiff, Project AXIS,Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13.

FREEBIES

JANUARY 1997

cator plays an active role infostering critical reflection.Emancipatory learning hasbecome more commonlyknown as transformativelearning and has been de-scribed by some as the onlylearning type which is uniqueto adult learning.Not until the adult years is

the individual able to transformfrom being a student who adaptsto changing circumstances toone who desires to develop newperspectives in order to gain amore complete understandingand have a greater control overhis or her life.

Remember:Adults do not have to be there.Adults vote with their feet.Adults are not captive learners.The most important person inyour class is the adult learner.For copies of materials from

ERIC, write the Center on Edu-cation and Training for Employ-ment, The Ohio State Univer-sity, 1900 Kenny Rd., Colum-bus, OH 43210.4.

LOYEe3AIINING2,

ERIE 0 T CA

A 1995 survey conducted byTraining Magazine measuredtraining offered in the workforceby employers. The three groupswho received the largest totalhours of training are productionworkers, professionals, and cus-tomer-service people. Only 40%of employers provide trainingand the majority of this beingdone in-house. Basic computerskills is the most prevalent typeof training.

The survey results were re-ported in Workforce Brief (Au-gust 1996), from the Rural Ser-vices Institute at MansfieldUniversity.4

FOCUS OME3L\SOCSFROW ROCS&ILL

The National Center for theStudy of Adult Learning andLiteracy (NCSALL) has beenestablished as a collaborativeeffort between Harvard Univer-sity's Graduate School of Edu-cation and World Education, anadult education organizationbased in Boston. Similar Cen-ters will be established in theSouth at the University of Ten-nessee and in the Midwest andWest.

The Centers will disseminateresearch and best practices topractitioners, scholars, andpolicymakers in adult education.Their first effort in disseminationis publication of a quarterly news-letter Focus on Basics. The news-letter features articles written bypractitioners, researchers, andothers to foster continuous com-munication between researchersand practitioners. The first issueaddresses the question "What isResearch?" and the second andthird will deal with topics such asreading and multilevel classrooms.

For information about receiv-ing Focus on Basics, contactAnita Patwardhan at World Edu-cation, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston,MA, 02210-1211 or e-mail towei @WorldEd.org. The Bureauof ABLE will be provided withcopies which they are charged todisseminate through theWPALRC..

7:74 TEMEETAIINCIt ist.11.EM

38

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5

&MN 4'71

JANUARY 1997

c. The Fall 1996 issue of NCLEnotes (published twice yearly bythe National Clearinghouse forESL Literacy Education) ex-cerpts a newly published book,Literacy and Language Diversityin the United States, by TerranceG. Wiley. The author contendsthat although English is thedominant language in theUnited States, English literacycannot fulfill all the needs oflanguage-minority groups. Dr.Wiley also refutes the myth thatlanguage minorities today arenot as eager to learn English andassimilate as prior generationswere. He uses as evidence ESLprogram waiting lists of 40,000adults in California. The news-letter also reviews tabulations ofESL waiting lists in a numberof states including a program inAllentown that graduates ap-proximately 600 students peryear and has another 300-500 onwaiting lists with a wait of threeto twelve months. NCLEnotes isfree from CAL, 1118 22nd St.,NW, Washington, DC 20037.

04:1 Update, the newsletter of theNational Center for Family Lit-eracy, in its October 1996 issue,sends congratulations to gradu-ates of the Pittsburgh Familiesfor Learning Class of '96, spon-sored by the Greater PittsburghLiteracy Council (Don Block,Director) for their plans to en-ter the world of work or receiveadditional job training. "Be-cause they understand the valueof education and are trying toreach their fullest potential, eachwill encourage their children toattain new heights with theirown educations." The addressfor NCFL is Waterfront Plaza,

In whichwe note types and

contents of professionalnewsletters to assist Buzzreaders in finding their way

through the adult educationnewsletter maze ...

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Suite 200, 325 W. Main St.,Louisville, KY 40202..

The U.S. Department ofEducation's Office of Voca-tional and Adult Education hasa free newsletter available.A.L.L. Points Bulletin for Fall1996 features an article titled"The Role of Program QualityIndicators in Program Improve-ment," and includes informationabout eight states' initiatives,including Pennsylvania'sProject EQUAL, which is de-signed to allow programs tomeasure their outcomes againststatewide standards as well asprovide a program evaluationtool that links technical assis-tance to program improvement.

The same issue reviews ThePennsylvania Adult Basic andLiteracy Education Staff Hand-book, 1995 Edition, developedby New Educational Projects inLancaster under the leadershipof Tana Reiff. The Handbookwas produced to help new andexperienced practitioners im-prove their performance andaccountability and containsmore than 50 articles dealingwith a broad range of practitio-ner concerns.

A.L.L. Points Bulletin may berequested from Tammy Fortune

at 600 Independence Ave, SW,Washington, DC 20202; fax:(202) 205-8973. The StaffHandbook is available from ei-ther of the State Adult LiteracyResource Centers: AdvancE,(800) 992-2283 or WPALRC,(800) 446-5607, ext. 216.

.4* "Multicultural Education isthat which allows all students toreach their potential as learners... it respects diversity and in-dividuality and emphasizes thecontributions of the variousgroups." The April 1996 issueof Multicultural Messenger, de-fines and explains multiculturaleducation and discusses the con-cepts of Classroom Develop-ment (the curriculum must in-clude contributions made by dif-ferent ethnic groups) and Pre-paring Students (values aboutperceptions of different ethnicgroups need to be made explicitand must be explored).

A special insert article by Dr.Molefi Asante, Chair of AfricanAmerican Studies at TempleUniversity, contains his re-sponse to a number of articleswritten by Eurocentrists whichrecently appeared in nationalmagazines and newspapers.Mention is also made of plansfor National African AmericanParent Involvement Day to beheld February 10, 1997. For in-formation about subscribing toMulticultural Messenger call(800) 822-1080.

00 The October/November1996 issue of Reading Today,the newsletter of the Interna-tional Reading Association con-tains an article about PresidentClinton's recently establishedprogram, "America's ReadingChallenge," which is designedto provide challenge grants toorganizations to help parentssupport their children's readingprogress. The initiative will ex-pand the Head Start programand would recruit a milliontrained and supervised tutors toprovide individualized after-school and summer tutoring formore than three million chil-dren. IRA's address is 800Barksdale Rd., PO Box 8139,Newark, DE 19714.

"Authentic Reading Assess-ment: Practices and Possibili-ties" is one of a number of booksand bibliographies noted in theSeptember 1996 issue of North-west Report, the newsletter fromthe Northwest Regional Educa-tional Laboratory (105 S. MainSt., Suite 500, Portland, OR97204). The authors describenine projects which implementauthentic assessment in reading;include an overview, definition,and rationale for alternative as-sessments; and provide nine ex-amples of assessment.

The same issue reviews theHandbook for Student Perfor-mance Assessment in an Era ofRestructuring for "educators whowant cutting-edge informationon new forms of assessment."The handbook discusses whyassessments need to change andhow to implement performance-based assessment. For orderinginformation call NRWEL at(800) 547-6339, ext. 550..0

rullirmIllrernWfril# 7111PIIIm;CRIZINIERIC77.;;MWMIPHIS ' -for -.17172C

39

O Miss America 1997, TaraHolland, recently visited theDelaware County LiteracyCouncil and addressed theCouncil's annual membershipmeeting. In her remarks Ms.Holland said, "Promoting lit-eracy unlocks the door to Amer-ica's future and each one of usholds the key. As Miss America,I will reach out to all people, en-couraging each of them to con-nect with one person or partici-pate in one program that will notonly make a difference in theirown lives, but will contribute toimproving the overall literacy ofour nation." Pat Gaul, DCLCDirector, called Ms. Holland "achampion for adult literacy andthe national adult literacy move-

ment." Adulteducators at-tending theFebruary 5-7MidwinterConferencewill have thepleasure ofhearing Ms.Hollandspeak at theThursdaynight ban-quet.

Miss America 1997,

Tam Holland

* The PDC News from theSouth-Central ProfessionalDevelopment Center (CarolMolek, Director; Brian Frey,Coordinator) notes the SCPDCis establishing focus groupswhich will meet with a facilita-tor three or four times during theyear to give practitioners an op-portunity to discuss issues thatarise as they work with adultlearners. There will be groups inESL, ABE/GED, Literacy, Cor-

rections Edu- Dailacation, and 1-1Workplace Lit-eracy.

9 An article byMary Lind-quist, formercoordinator ofthe CrawfordCounty READProgram,which ran in theMay 1995Buzz, was re-printed in a re-cent issue ofTrainer Touchstone, published byLaubach Literacy for literacy-trainers nationally. Mary dis-cussed the importance of staff de-velopment in tutor training andlamented the lack of informationand a database of Pennsylvaniavolunteer tutors. Some sourcesreport that Pennsylvania hasmore volunteers involved inadult literacy (7,000+) than anyother state.

Programs

9 The Pennsylvania StateCoalition for Adult Literacyhas undertaken a series of fo-rums on Literacy and WorkforceDevelopment. The first, held onDecember 5, addressed theproblem of establishing a com-mon base of knowledge in lit-eracy and workforce develop-ment. The second forum in theseries will be held on February5 in conjunction with the Mid-winter Conference and will fo-cus on state policy-level activi-ties. For more information con-tact the PSCAL at 403 Herr St.,Harrisburg, PA 17102, (717)238-9026.

JANUARY

C. ABLE pro-grams are en-couraged to ap-ply for valida-tion under theNeighborhoodAssistance TaxCredit Program.Organizationsapproved by thePennsylvaniaDepartment ofCommunityand EconomicDevelopmentfind the ap-proval results in

greater acceptance by the busi-nesses they solicit for funds. Todate 125 "approved" agencieshave received $13.5 million. Formore information contact Den-nis Darling at DCED (717)787-1984.

Dorothy Happ, ESL instruc-tor for Adult Literary Action atBeaver-Penn State (NancyWoods, Director), has recentlyreturned from Taiwan where shehad been invited to present anESL workshop. The workshopwas designed to help teachAmerican English to Chinesestudents. Although Taiwanesestudents are taught English inschool, there is an increasingneed for fluency in conversa-tional "American-English."

* Another opportunity forABLE programs to form coop-erative arrangements is the Linkto Learn Technology Initia-tive, which allocates $33 mil-lion this year to public schooldistricts. Under the program,districts can form communitypartnerships with adult literacyand other community groups to

1 9 9 7

share computer time and othertechnologies with the commu-nity. ABLE Bureau DirectorCheryl Keenan is encouraginglocal programs to coordinateclosely with their school dis-tricts and take advantage of thistechnology initiative to enhancetechnology services in theiradult basic education programs.

0 Don Lunday, formerly Chiefof the Regional Programs Sec-tion of the ABLE Bureau, hasbeen temporarily assigned asDirector of the Bureau ofTeacher Preparation and Certi-fication. Don's responsibilitiesare being handled by SonnySloan, Northwest Advisor.

Congratulations to Dr. Rich-ard Cooper and his wife, Anne-Louise D. Cooper, who were

each awardedthe President'sAward at thenational con-ference of theNational Asso-ciation forAdults withSpecial Learn-ing Needs. Theaward was inrecognition oftheir work onbehalf of theAssociation,including theirwork on the

Anne-Louise Cooper conference. Dr.Cooper is the

founder and director of the Cen-ter for Alternative Learning,Bryn Mawr, and is involved ina statewide adult educationtraining initiative in LearningDifferences and AlternativeStudy Skills.

Richard Cooper

atIat:L 4r,ialifillfflY-Lt.lealiniatj inunuaranywk. ARVIN40 7

JANUARY 1997

Jarman, 1997

10 RECONCILIATION OFCASH ON HAND FORM DUETO STATE COMPTROLLER'sOFFICE

92.94 National Title I Confer-ence, Oakland, CA. Theme: "Meet-ing the ChangeServing the Chil-dren." Contact: Robert Simpson,Kentucky Department of ProgramResources, 500 Metro St., 820Capital Plaza Tower, Frankfort, KY40601

PAACE Board Meeting

22-25 PALPIN Winter InquiryInstitute: "Learning From Practice:A Collaborative Exploration ofLearner-Centered Education." Uni-versity of Pennsylvania. Contact:Alisa Belzer, (215) 898-8865.

23-25 Educational ComputerConferences' 15th Annual NationalConference, San Francisco. Con-tact: Diane Frost (888) 594-1249.

29.31 Technology in Adult BasicEducation, Atlanta, GA. Theme:"Current Thinking, New Direc-tions: A Winter Institute." Contact:Liz Dillon Black, (800) 428-7323.

Febnaavy 1997

5.7 Adult Education Midwin-ter Conference, Hershey, PA.Theme: "The Challenges ofChange: Keeping Pace." Contact:Pennsylvania Association for AdultContinuing Education (PAACE),Box 3796, Harrisburg, PA 17105,(717) 772-7561.

1/11/Psf407SWL'VVI/1/1"1",14/

17 if Ze

111* Call for Links!If your agency or program has a site on the World Wide Web,

and you would like to have a link on the Bureau of ABLE's

upcoming site, please e-mail Tana Reiff at tanars@aol.com. If

you have not already done so, please list your e-mail address(es)

with Jaclyn Fowler-Frey at jrnf @lanleb.iu13.k12.pa.us. The e-mail

directory will also be included in the Bureau's site.

1997: Happy New Year!ltaillttriliaalietitofilia*irifeCriffarreiroW

It's not too late to register!Most of us in adult basic and literacy education in Pennsylvania lookupon the Midwinter Conference as the professional event of the year.Last year the Midwinter was replaced by the COABE Conference inPittsburgh in May, but this year, 1997, it's back and promises to bean excellent opportunity for inspiration, rejuvenation, and camara-derie.

Your PAACE Program Division (ABE/GED, Business and Indus-try, Continuing Higher Education, ESL, and Literacy) has had sub-stantial input to the Concurrent and Special Sessions, and there willbe plenty of opportunity for conference attendees to hear about re-search and new developments in their respective fields. Lots of ven-dors will be at the Midwinter with free samples and information aboutthe newest materials in adult basic and literacy education.

Honorary Chairperson is Phebe Novakovic, former Director ofContinuing Education at Temple University. The keynote address willbe by Dr. Donald Gogniat, Campus Executive Officer of Penn State-York. His theme will be "The Challenges of Change."

Miss America of 1997, Tara Holland, will visit the Conference onThursday evening to present her thoughts on promoting literacythe theme of her year's activities as Miss America.

Pre-Conference Session: On February 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 ABLEBureau Director Cheryl Keenan will meet with program administra-tors and directors to continue the dialogue begun at the fall adminis-trators meetings.

Some Professional Development Centers are providing funds tohelp cover conference expenses. Contact your regional PDC.

For conference registration forms, contact PAACE at Box 3796,Harrisburg, PA 17105-3796 or call conference program chair DaveDentler at (8001 877-2694. See you in Hershey February 5-7!+

EON 214Wolf, P 15947

AODe.,

NowePrinted on recycled paper

11(1) National African-Ameri-can Parent Involvement Day.

Dasych 1997

Pennsylvania State Coali-tion for Adult Literacy (PSCAL)Forum, Harrisburg. Contact:Joanne Shane Plummer (717) 238-9026.

11-15 TESOL Convention, Or-lando, FL. Contact: Teachers ofEnglish to Speakers of Other Lan-guages, 1600 Cameron St., Ste.300, Alexandria, VA 22314.

awn 1997

20.22 National Conference onFamily Literacy, Louisville, KY.Pre-conference, April 17-18. Con-tact: NCFL, (502) 584-1133,

nay 1997

28.31 COABE '97, Detroit. Con-tact: Gloria Mills, (810) 340-6841.

Jame 1997

25.27 Pennsylvania Associationfor Volunteerism State Conference.Williamsport. Contact: PAV, POBox 385, Reading, PA 19607.

alovenrobev 1997

9-11 AAACE '97, Cincinnati.Contact: Judy Scherrer, (513) 887-5021.

41

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Return Postage GuaranteedTo: Box 214, Troy, PA 16947

Vol. 16, No. 4MARCH 1997

PENNSYLVANIA ADU

C31:3 C3 C:3 0 C3 C3 C:3 C:3 C3 C:1 C3 i:=3C:1C3 C3

SpecOallrinsed This [lavas,:

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LT EDUCATION'S PROFESSIONAL NEWSLETTER

MARCFI MIGHLOGFIVS: Politics of Adult Education [E] Draft

Program Performance Standards 131 Geography Instruction

Legal Pitfalls in Workplace Education B.1 Critical Numeracy

I g3I

Review: New Book by Quigley ICI News You Can Use 171 New

Publications ro Opinion: PA's Workforce Development System [6]

Learning Styles MI Lobbying vs. Political Activity TINewsletter

Roundup [OPeople & Programs [0 It's a Date

The 32nd Adult Education MidwinterConference: 'A Time to Celebrate'More than 600 Pennsylvaniaadult educators gathered inHershey February 5-7.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Edu-cation Eugene Hickok said inhis remarks of greeting to theLegislative Luncheon whichopened the 32nd Adult Educa-tion Midwinter Conference inHershey: "We need to take timeto celebrate.

"Governor Ridge proposed a3% increase in funding for adultliteracy programs. It is obvious

to us," Secretary Hickok contin-ued, "that the need for AdultBasic Education has never beenmore necessary. When 50% ofour citizens can't compete,Pennsylvania can't compete."

Judy Koloski, executive di-rector of the National AdultEducation Professional Devel-opment Consortium, Inc.(NAEPDC), which links adultbasic education state directors,told attendees at the PDE updatesession on Thursday that adulteducators throughout the coun-try and especially in Pennsylva-

t

At the Midwinter Conference, from left, Evelyn Mayer, Assistant Commissioner for

Postsecondary Higher Education; Michael Poliakoff, Deputy Secretary for

Postsecondary Education; Eugene Hickok, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education;

Cheryl Keenan, Director of the Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education.

nia have created an awarenesson the part of Congress whichhas resulted in bipartisan sup-port of literacy and adult edu-cation. She singled out the "cru-cial" efforts of members of thePennsylvania Association forAdult Continuing Education(PAACE) for their work withSenator Specter and Congress-man Goodling, whose efforts onbehalf of adult education helpedproduce a $95 million increasein adult education funding forthe 1997-98 year (an increasewhich most local programs will

031,

see in their budgets).Ms. Koloski noted, however,

the battle is far from over andthe next few months will becritical as Congress addressesthe reauthorization of the AdultEducation Act. She emphasizedthat, with the hoped for increasein funding, there will also be de-mands by the Congress and Ad-ministration for additional ac-countability and quality im-provement on the part of adultbasic and literacy educationprograms.

Administrators to FormAssociation

About 150 administrators of ABLE programs met in Hershey on Feb-ruary 5 to discuss the formation of a statewide administrators asso-ciation. The purpose of the group will be to provide input to the Bu-reau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education on policy matters.

The Bureau is supporting the formation of such a group and hasemphasized the importance of administrators having a forum to workwith the Bureau on matters of importance to the adult education field.

At the meeting directors from six regions around the state volun-teered to convene regional meetings. Every program will be invitedto participate. The administrators will continue the planning processfor the association at those meetings.

For more information contact Donald Block, Greater PittsburghLiteracy Council, 100 Sheridan Sq., Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

42

MARCH 1 9 9 7

'IDEFORguma zi\ExumuEDUCCAITICDKImz:40 zusonre01EIER9 POLOUOCall2

This statement by William S.Griffith in the 1994 issue of thePAACE Journal of LifelongLearning identifies the spring-board for his article, "AdultEducators' Political Power." Dr.Griffith's conclusions and sug-gestions present a challenge toPennsylvania adult educatorswhich is especially relevant in1997 as they struggle to get theiract together to survive the up-heavals which are likely to char-acterize our profession in thenear future.

WVVVWHAT'SVVVVVVVVINV

'am 3_,3012=?What's the Buzz?, PennsylvaniaAdult Education's ProfessionalNewsletter is published five timesin 1996-97 by Adult Education Link-

age Services, Box 214, Troy, PA16947, under partial funding pro-vided through the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education from theU.S. Adult Education Act, Section353. It is distributed without charge

to practitioners of adult basic andliteracy education in Pennsylvaniaand no endorsement of newsletter

contents by PDE nor USDOE should

be inferred.

Editor: Dave Fluke

Associate Editor: Tana Reiff

Editorial Board: Ella Morin,

Priscilla Ferguson, Tana Reiff

This publication isavailable in alternativemedia on request.

The basic thesis of the articleis that the political whole ofadult education is less than thesum of its partsthe parts in-teract in ways that detract fromtheir potential collective impact.

Dr. Griffith, Professor ofAdult Education at the Univer-sity of British Columbia and1990-91 president of the Ameri-can Association for Adult Con-tinuing EducationAAACE,says, "Administrators and adulteducation instructors tend to bepreoccupied with immediate,everyday institutional concernsto the exclusion of broader pub-lic issues." He feels lobbyingactivities of various professionalorganizations in adult educationare geared toward the promotionof legislation that will serve toadvance their own institutionalsegment (continuing education,community education, adult ba-sic education, literacy, etc.) withthe result that "busy adult edu-cators seem to have little energyleft to lobby for legislation thatwill bring increased support toother sectors of the field."

The author identifies the"apolitical nature" of the adulteducator in the United States asbeing the result of public-school, child/youth-centeredbackgrounds of most adult edu-cators which produce a reluc-tance to become politically in-volved in advancing a broad vi-sion of their field and its poten-tial contributions to society. Insimple terms, we don't like toblow our own horn.

Adult students should par-ticipate. Dr. Griffith feels teach-ers and administrators of adult

education programs have notencouraged their students totake a public stand regarding thevalue of adult education. "Mostadults who are participating ineducational programs are notbecoming aware of their poten-tial influence on governmentprograms that could enlarge andimprove such programmingboth for themselves and their

"Admunisitvaracws andadmit educationinstructors tend to bepreoccupied withimmediate, everrrdarinstitutional concerns tothe enclusion off broaderpublic issues."

neighbors."Adult educators are not

involved in national research.The lack of direct involvementof adult educators in nationalsurveys and other adult educa-tion research being carried on inthe United States has resulted inprivate organizations being per-ceived as superior to uninvolvedadult education researchers. Dr.Griffith cites the NationalEvaluation of Adult EducationPrograms (NAEP), and The As-sessment of Adult Literacy inAmerica as examples of missedopportunities for adult educa-tion researchers.

The proliferation of asso-ciations has resulted in diverseassociations of adult educatorswhich "are not linked effec-tively with existing, broadlybased associations which havebeen in existence for decades."This, he says, has led to "politi-cal impotence for both groups.

When two or three adult educa-tors are gathered together, theyexhibit an almost irresistibleurge to start a new organization,one that lies outside of all theexisting associations and one toserve a single segment of thebroad field." He cites as an ex-ample the Coalition of AdultEducation Organizations(CAEO) which, in 1973, iden-tified seven purposes to beserved toward the betterment ofadult education. According toDr. Griffith, "Though the needsremain great, these purposeshave yet to be achieved."

In the final section, "What ToDo?," the author lists seven po-litical steps designed to improvepublic appreciation and accep-tance of adult education and toincrease public funding. Thesuggestions center around im-proved articulation among orga-nizations and include recom-mendations that adult educatorspursue graduate study in thefield.

The PAACE Journal of Life-long Learning, edited byGary Dean and Trenton Ferro,both of Indiana University ofPennsylvania, is rapidly devel-oping as a top-notch researchpublication in adult educationthroughout the country. It is oneof the "perks" of membership inthe Pennsylvania Associationfor Adult Continuing Education.To join, write Box 3796, Har-risburg, PA 17105.*

EFT T11.4.:;702-r .2-FIKEEMIATE11 '''-'4"L'r_t_qr 1E2 "I otal.11- 2".'" TV. 1"r..]::

2 43

MARCH 1 9 9 7

Exploring New Territory:ctivities and Resources for

Geography Instructi n"I know geography is important,but my adults want to learn lifeskills or something that will helpthem pass the GED Test; myinstructional time is limited andI can't spend time on geogra-phy."

It is for adult education in-structors who feel this way thatDaryl Gordon of the LutheranSettlement House Women'sProgram in Philadelphia com-piled more than 15 units of in-structional objectives, materi-als, and lots of interesting, rel-evant activities in geography foradults. (Incidentally, 15% of theGED social studies test is aboutgeography.)

The first unit in the manualdeveloped by the project is titled"Local Geography." In additionto working with map reading,directional skills, awareness ofthe location of important localbuildings, etc., the activitieshelp develop some of the "inte-grated, comprehensive skills"measured in the GED test. Thisand other sections of the mate-rials also give ABE and ESLinstructors an opportunity tohelp learners develop an aware-ness of their communities whilethey practice valuable cognitiveskills such as comprehension,application, and analysis.

Maps, graphs, examples

What's Your GQ*?*Geography Quotient

Try this multiple-choice quiz! Answers appear on page 7.

9. A geographer studying developing countrieswould be most interested in which of the follow-ing questions?

a. What economic changes can be made to ensure a betterfuture?

b. What changes can be made in natural resources use?c. What are the social effects of technological change?d. How can communication between governments and their

citizens be improved?e. How can people learn to cope better with urban living?

2. Which of the following helps to explain why thereis only one trade route from oil reserves in north-ern Alaska?

a. These oil reserves are not needed.h. The area is so inaccessible that only one route has been

developed.c. Other energy supplies are abundant in that region.d. The United States does not have drilling rights in Alaska.e. The United States does not wish to compete with the Soviet

Union. for Alaskan trade routes.

from other cultures (an excerptof A Small Place by JamaicaKincaid is used to focus aware-ness on Antigua), and numerousthinking, writing, and discus-sion activities produce an excel-lent free resource.

Like all Section 353 projectsthe manual from "ExploringNew Territory" (AE 2475-106)is available on free loan fromeither of the State Adult LiteracyResource Centers: Harrisburg,(800) 992-2283; Gibsonia,(800) 446-5607, ext. 216.4.

&IDLE DZMEQUIlaDROWEOILSPROMR&INPERFORM:U:9CEavamptanDe

Accountability ... accountabil-ity ... accountability ... is thedriving force behind the newProgram Performance Stan-dards unveiled at a specialWednesday morning precon-ference at the Adult EducationMidwinter Conference lastmonth in Hershey.

Cheryl Keenan, Director ofthe Bureau of Adult Basic andLiteracy Education, assisted byElla Morin, Chief of the Divi-sion of Special Programs, andSonny Sloan, Acting Chief ofthe Regional Programs Divi-sion, presented program admin-istrators with a draft of ProgramPerformance Standards whichare designed to define a level of

expected performance by localadult education programsthroughout Pennsylvania.

The performance standardsare based on results obtainedprimarily from the 20 ProjectEQUAL sites during the pasttwo and a half years and covertwo main areas: a program'sadministrative performance andits educational, or program, per-formance. Director Keenan em-phasized that "we are not talk-ing about content standards norare we talking about proficiencystandards of adult students.

"Some local programs havedeveloped some very good ac-countability systems," she said,"but we need to develop a state-wide accountability system."

Program standards and theirrationale were discussed duringthe meeing. Administrators andBureau staff engaged in discus-sion about accountability,learner assessment, and continu-ous program improvement.

The upcoming 1997-98project year is the field-testphase of the draft standards. TheABLE Bureau plans to reissuethe standards in final form forimplementation by all programsin 1998-99. At that time it is ex-pected funding of local pro-grams will be determined tosome extent by the informationgenerated by programperformance.+

Link Up!If your program has a Web site,

please e-mail the URL (address) to

Tana Reiff, tanars@aol.com, so that

it can be linked from the Bureau of

Adult Basic and Literacy

Education's upcoming site.

44 3

iltgrage,MARCH 1997

NYOMMEDLLZ,CEIMDUCGMOKIENLY37 IXIL:\WEIMMO G2ULEO

As adult education leaves thetraditional classroom setting tomeet the instructional needs ofadults in the workforce, educa-tors may find a new ballgamein which new rules apply.

What are your responsibili-ties to the employee and theemployer insofar as the report-ing of workforce student atten-dance and achievement infor-mation is concerned?

Does the employer want ac-cess to any assessment results,such as standardized test scoresof individuals enrolled in theeducational program? Are con-fidentiality rights being hon-ored? What can and should youreport to the employer regard-ing student achievements, and inwhat manner?

What is your obligation todeliver the program goals, suchas learning gains and skillsachievement, to the workers andto the employers?

Before establishing a work-force/workplace adult educationprogram you should discussquestions such as these withpersons in authority at the com-pany involved. These personsshould include management,worker, and union representa-tive. Approach the provision ofworkforce/workplace educationon .a business basis; this maymean making contractual ar-rangements. Be sure each partyunderstands and accepts theterms of any such agreement.There are adult education agen-cies in the Commonwealth that

471'

offer educational programs tobusinesses, and such agenciescan provide some help to you inanswering questions such asthose raised above and assistyou in knowing what questionsto ask. You, of course, can alsoget legal information on issuessuch as confidentiality from anattorney.*

La k7U.DOQEEUFRON

CEMOCgORTVOG\LMLIDNER&CV

The Educational Research andImprovement Center (ERIC)Clearinghouse for Adult, Ca-reer, and Vocational Educationhas lots of free, easily accessedinformation for ABLE practitio-ners who may or may not havetime to participate in profes-sional development activitiesbut wish to pursue independentprofessional development.

In addition to comprehen-sive, in-depth treatments of awide variety of professionalconcerns to adult educators,ERIC publishes a series of Di-gests reviewing the research intwo-page synopses of informa-tion dealing with specific topics.

In ERIC Digest #163, "NotJust a Number: Critical Numer-acy for Adults," author SandraKerka notes that "numeracy hasan uncertain place in adult ba-sic education." One of the rea-sons she lists is a lack of prepa-ration and motivation on the partof teachers and volunteers toteach math and, indeed, someinstructors share the students'anxiety about it.

Rather than gearing adult

basic math instruction to thedemands of the GED Test, saysMs. Kerka, "literacy and numer-acy should be linked andcontextualized. Math is betterunderstood if learned in famil-iar contexts that can make mathmore accessible for those whohave felt alienated from it."

Just as a lack of literacymeans learners are not empow-ered to participate fully in theeconomic, political, and socialrealities of life, so does a lackof math understanding inhibitadult learners' voice and controlover their life circumstances.

Numeracy can be the vehicle tothis empowerment with func-tional skills in math.

For more information aboutadult numeracy, contact eitherof the State Adult Literacy Re-source Centers: Harrisburg,(800) 992-2283, Gibsonia, (800)446-5607, ext. 216. Additionalinformation is available fromERIC at 1900 Kenny Rd., Co-lumbus, OH 43210 (URL: http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/education/cete/ericacve/index.html) and the Adult NumeracyPractitioners Network (http://world.std.com/-ed1/).

Rethinking Literacy EducaUionThe Critical Need for Practice-Based Changeby B. Allan QuigleyReviewed by Tana Reiff

Allan Quigley's new book (Jossey-Bass, 1997) challenges manyassumptions about perceptions, public support, and classroomapproaches to adult basic and literacy education. In nine chapters,arranged in four sections, the Penn State Monroeville associateprofessor presents his case from societal, political, participant, andpractitioner perspectives, offering readers practical ways to strengthenthe field by rejecting destructive stereotypes of illiterates, developinga "working philosophy," keeping adult students engaged, and con-ducting field-based research.

Rethinking Literacy Education draws on Quigley's favorite aca-demic topics over the last decade, including his work with studentattrition and retention, underlying messages of sexism and racism("hidden curricula") in textbooks, and action research. The flowingwriting style and citations of a substantial amount of relevant researchare laced with humorous and poignant anecdotes.

Some among us may be offended if we are unwilling to recognizeourselves as perpetrators of the prevailing myths and misguided pro-fessional behaviors, such as not truly accepting that our students arenot large children. Some may take issue with contentions such as thatfunding is not the essential problem: "People can bring about changein the world as they see and define it. They do not have to wait for theexternals to changethey can change the externals" (p.221).

The book would be a rich text for ongoing group discussion, andit poses intriguing questions for future research. Indeed, any one sec-tion provides plenty of material to "rethink"; for example, the his-tory of adult literacy education puts many issues into context. Readthe whole book and we've got quite a lot to talk aboutand act upon.*

45

News YouBuilding Communities

for Learning project, spon-.. sored by the Pennsylvania. State Coalition for Adult Lit-. eracy (PSCAL) and funded. through Section 353, sup-. ports the establishment of: community-based collabora-; tive planning groups for the: purpose of better serving the; needs of adult learners. To be; put on the BCL mailing list

f or information about train-; ing, technical assistance, and; future funding opportunities,; contact Sheila Sherow, P.O.Box 501, Millheim, PA

; 16854.

; UNESCO Publishing/Columbia University Presshas published Volume 2 of

; Sourcebook of Korean Civi-; lization: from the Seven-

t eenth Century to the Modern; Period. This English-language; anthology contains material

on Korean civilization.

The Adult Public Educa-.; tion About the Law Mini-; grant Program, sponsored; by the American Bar Asso-; ciation, is designed to pro-; mote the development of in-

novative adult education; projects on the law and legal; system. Grants for up to

$5,000 will be awarded.Deadline for applications isMay 1, 1997. For further in-.formation, contact TracyeGraves at (312) 988-5721 ortgraves@staff.abanet.org.

Freebies for ABLE is a freecatalog of free materialsavailable for ABLE pro-.

Can Usegrams. Edited by Tana Reiffof Project AXIS in Lancaster,the catalog is availablethrough AdvancE, (800) 992-2283, or WPALRC (800)446-5607, ext. 216.

Laubach Literacy has anew Web site providing in-formation about programsand publications of the or-ganization: http://www.laubach.org.

The Provider Directory isa newly published listing ofproviders of adult basic andliteracy education services inPennsylvania. In addition toaddresses, phone numbers,and e-mail addresses, theDirectory lists the number ofstudents, staff members, vol-unteers, sites, countiesserved, and a short programdescription. The ProviderDirectory is available fromof the Professional Develop-ment Centers.

Typical of all the attention ;literacy is receiving from po- ;liticos these days was Presi- ;dent Clinton's National ;Radio Address on Decem-ber 21, 1996. He covered ;most of the bases describing ;his America Reads initiative($2.75 billion to literacy over ;the next five years to help ;third-graders read), $300 ;million to help local pro- ;grams involve parents in ;helping their children to read, ;and mobilizing 100,000 col- ;lege work-study students to ;join the literacy initiative.4.

7:29E/MM ARCH 1997

N feVAIELELOC VD MS

Alit LT'ROC TO N

Every day we see new books,materials and other types ofpublications being made avail-able for busy adult educatorswho can somehow find the timefrom their full-time or full/part-time jobs to remain up-to-datein their profession.

To help Buzz readers usetheir time to advantage, we arenoting here some recent publi-cations in a number of adult edu-cation areas which might beworth your while.

Family literacy. "TheAmerican Bar AssociationGuide to Family Law" is a new180-page book for people look-ing for accurate, useful, easy-to-read information about how thelaw affects domestic life. Therange of topics (marriage, birthor adoption, raising children,estate planning, preventing do-mestic violence, divorce, col-lecting child support) may pro-vide the adult educator sensitiveto the needs of adult learners thekind of supplemental informa-tion not found in other texts. TheGuide is $12 and is availablefrom the publisher (TimesBooks/Random House) at (800)726-0600.

Our profession. A recentpublication, Adult Education forSocial Change: From CenterStage to the Wings and BackAgain, by Tom Heaney, consid-ers the contradictory roles ofadult education practice. In thiscase the "fashionable" conceptof linking adult literacy to

democratic social change sug-gests there may be a need to re-construct the foundations ofadult education and possibly re-name the field (send your sug-gestions to Box 214, Troy, PA16947). Adult Education forSocial Change is available fromERIC/ACVE, CETE, 1900Kenny Rd., Columbus, OH43210-1090 ($8).

Literacy/Whole Language.New Readers Press is the pub-lishing arm of Laubach Literacy.One of their releases of last yearmay help clear up some of theconfusion in adult educators'minds concerning the concept ofWhole Language. Whole Lan-guage for Adults is a series offour books that provide a col-lection of resources enablingteachers to present reading,writing, and spoken language aspurposeful communication,without compromising vitalskills. The series presents AGuide to Instruction, A Guide toInitial Assessment, A Guide toPortfolio Assessment, and AGuide to Administration and StaffDevelopment. Complete set priceis $75.

New Readers Press also hasa collection of 12 books whichis designed to provide a smoothintegration with adult whole-language reading instruction atlevels 2-3. The collection con-sists of three sets of four bookseach in the areas of Family Is-sues, Work Issues, and Commu-nity Issues. The set is accompa-nied by a Teacher's Guide andread-along tapes; $59.95 for theset. For more information oneither publication call NewReaders Press at (800) 448-8878.°

5

atMARCH 1 9 9 7

In 1995 Governor Ridge estab-lished a Workforce Develop-ment Strategic Planning Groupmade up of representatives ofvarious state-level departments.The announced goal of thegroup was to determine stepsnecessary to position Pennsyl-vania as a competitor in the na-tional and global economies.

The latest presentation of thegroup's goals and conclusionswas at the Adult Education Mid-winter Conference last monthand, although "excellence ineducation" is one of the key val-ues identified in the WorkforceDevelopment System draft,some adult basic and literacyeducators present at the Fridaysession wondered if the valuesand goals of the Workforce De-velopment Strategic PlanningGroup will supplant educationalgoals and instructional pro-grams which have created a sys-tem of adult education in ourstate which, with some excep-tions, is effective, is well-basedin research about adult learners,and is working.

Nevin Mind lin of the Penn-sylvania Department of Laborand Industry, the lead agency inthe Workforce DevelopmentInitiative, and chair of the Plan-ning Group, speaks of "an edu-cated workforce with relevantskills,"a goal no adult educa-tor would quarrel with.

"Work and the demands ofthe marketplace," says theWorkforce Development Plan,"drive workforce development.Education and transitional/worksupport services must be re-sponsive to the needs ofPennsylvania's employers andjob seekers."

The existing system of adult

PennswElwanDE93 'WookifovceDeweElopmeKra Sys'ent) End &IBILIEgCoompOsnrixenvaaoy, SaappElementErn

ono b\eilwecrsartlE0?by Dave Fluke, Editor, WHAT'S THE Buzz?

education in Pennsylvania con-centrates a substantial portion ofits efforts in assisting adultlearners to bridge the gap be-tween education and work.Meaningful employment is animportant goal to adults enter-ing our programs and they pro-vide instructional and supportsystems to assist students inreaching this goal.

We, however, echo some ofthe concerns expressed by adulteducators in the discussion ses-sion followingthe StrategicPlanning Grouppresentation.Sponsored bythe Pennsylvania Coalition forAdult Literacy (PSCAL), pro-gram directors, teachers and tu-tors found problems with boththe expressed philosophy be-hind the Workforce Develop-ment System Plan as well aswith some of the implementa-tion guidelines.

It was our strong opinion aswe listened to the comments ofthe Strategic Planning Grouprepresentatives that, despite theinclusion of "job seekers" alongwith "employers" as primarycustomers of the WorkforceDevelopment System, the planis market driven rather than cli-ent driven.

Adult educators base their pro-gram goals and practices upon theneeds of their clients. We realize

the importance of job skillsdevelopment, just as we realizeour clients have other personal,family, and community needs.

In terms of implementationof the plan, there is real distruston the part of many providerstoward what the plan calls Re-gional Investment Boards,which would assess the needs ofthe workforce and direct fund-ing to meet these needsfund-ing which might include themonies programs presently re-

ceive to sup-port their ABE,GED, ESL,and literacy ef-forts.

The Boards (perhaps 12throughout the state) would becomprised primarily of busi-nesses and other groups whowould not provide direct ser-vices to adults. This wouldeliminate adult education pro-grams from voting member-ships on these boards. Manyquestions raised in the discus-sion by adult educators reflectedproviders' concerns that fundingdecisions by regional boardswould be based upon political,ill-informed decisions. Ques-tions were also raised as to howwell-informed Board memberswould be of the needs of adultsin remote locations. A Board inScranton, for example, mightlack much of the informationand concern for the needs of

The paean is nnravaD.oev {hen c

arftet drivenfie ne driven.

adult learners in Williamsport.Can adult educators work

with the proposed WorkforceDevelopment System? Yes. Aswith other programs which in-clude our services but are notdirectly administered by theABLE Bureau, adult educationprograms must look at their lo-cal and regional situations anddevelop techniques and proce-dures which assure their full,active participation in decisionswhich will directly affect theirfunding.

Get together now with localbusinesses, community organi-zations, and other providers todevelop relevant strategies. WhenRegional Investment Boards orsimilar controlling groups areformed be sure that your pro-gram has representatives who,if not voting members, are atleast advisory members of theseBoards. Put together now infor-mation which can be used byBoard members to put into per-spective the role of your pro-gram in providing needed ser-vices to job-seeking adults.

We are impressed with theattempts by the Strategic Plan-ning Group to get opinions andinformation from any individualor organization interested inmeeting with them. Despitesome of the decisions whichseem to be firmly established,there are still opportunities tohave your thoughts in this mat-ter heard. Scott Bishop, Execu-tive Policy Specialist for theDepartment of Education, hasoffered to act as a conduit forinput from adult educators in thefield. You may contact him at333 Market St., Harrisburg, PA17126 03331, (717) 783-6719,fax (717) 787-7222.4

71-m7117.r.72" q,-"At3WWWWWWX,..

6 47

Educational Quality AdultFEBRUARY1997

00A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT REPORT TO PENNSYLVANIA'S

ADULT BASIC & LITERACY EDUCATION COMMUNITY

PG200E04 EeUn,ILPaG2411COMTDOM01201011M0 DM YEAR 3Project EQUAL pilots are ex-panding program improvementinitiatives within their respectiveagencies. By year end, pilots willhave expanded the number ofstaff involved in program im-provement and examined issuesin new areas of operation. Otherselected pilot sites will havetested a program self-assessmenttool and written program im-provement plans. In these ways,EQUAL pilots will have diffusedquality continuous improvementprocesses throughout their entireagencies.

In early February, core pilotsand Professional DevelopmentCenter coordinators met to dis-cuss and design the materialsneeded to train new agencies inProject EQUAL activities.Drawing on their experiencesand what they have learned in thetwo and a half years of EQUAL,they are developing trainingmodules for the skills and knowl-edge leading to implementationof continuous program improve-ment activities statewide.

With the dissemination of thedraft program performance stan-dards, the Section 353 develop-ment projects funded in recentyears, the revised statewidemonitoring system, and the newstructure of the PDCs, ABLE-funded programs have guidanceand assistance in meeting thegoals and needs in their agenciesfor program improvement.

This publication is designed tokeep you informed of theSection 353 projects operat-ing in Pennsylvania in supportof the EQUAL initiative.

BUREAU OFADULT BASIC

LITERACY EDUCATION

ablePENNSYLVANIA

DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION

Quality improvement for programs funded bythe Bureau of Adult Basic and LiteracyEducation took on a new, visible dimensionwith the introduction of the slogan "... AndQuality For All!" at the Midwinter Conferenceon Adult Education. Adult educators of everyilk were seen sporting lapel pins bearing theslogan, and a seven-foot banner served as abackdrop for the PDE Update session.

" ... And Quality For All!" signifies a unity among Pennsylvaniaadult basic and literacy education providers to work cooperativelytoward the goals stated in the Draft Program Performance Standardsreleased at the Bureau of ABLE Preconference Administrators andDirectors Meeting:

Every adult who wishes to improve his or her basic educationalfoundation shall have access to quality adult education that willenable the individual to articulate educational goals, persist inlearning, demonstrate achievement, and become a lifelong learner.

Thus, the initiative known as EQUALEducational Quality forAdult Literacymoves us another step forward as we all worktogether for a high-quality, accountable adult basic and literacy edu-cation system in Pennsylvania.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

PG2021T2n,LNIDIMPROWENEMITI.,'MERE SvanuThe Program ImprovementPlans & Needs Assessmentproject at Lancaster-LebanonIntermediate Unit 13 has devel-oped a draft Program Self-As-sessment that is now being field-tested by several EQUAL corepilot sites. Its purpose is to helpidentify and prioritize programimprovement needs related toPennsylvania's ten Indicators ofProgram Quality. It is designedto help establish benchmarks forprogram improvement by usinga consistent measurement instru-ment.

The Self-Assessment is thefirst step in a larger ProgramImprovement Plan that will takeinformation gleaned from theSelf-Assessment, help programsprioritize identified areas of

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need, present a consistent struc-ture for reporting program im-provement plans to ABLE, andintegrate the Data for Decision-Making process that has becomesecond nature to EQUAL pilotsites. At the conclusion of theproject, Pennsylvania's adulteducation programs will have anew tool for initiating continu-ous improvement efforts at thelocal leve1.0

00 PCWOLL Ell 'SCULLS'

Barb Van Horn, director of theAdult Learner Competenciesproject, met with an advisorygroup comprised of ABE, GED,ESL, and workplace practitio-ners in December. They dis-cussed the goals of the project,definitions of competencies, andwhat the field would need to

make the competencies useful asa tool for linking curriculum, in-struction, and assessment to im-prove instruction and learneroutcomes.

The final competencies willbe phrased in terms of commu-nication (reading, writing, speak-ing, listening) and math skills, aswell as "soft skills" (e.g., em-ployability skills). The skills willbe arranged from basic to higher-order skills and divided intoseveral levels (beginning, inter-mediate, advanced). The finalreport will include backgroundinformation on competencies,the list of competencies, examplesof how the competencies can beused to build curricula and in-struction in family, work, andcommunity contexts, and links tostandardized assessments.0

UGMOMOMO NODULESUnGZOMS SIMPE

The goal of the Training Devel-opment Project is to providePennsylvania ABE practitionerswith the tools for quality teach-ing and lifelong learning throughthe provision of consistent train-ing activities.

The content areas selected forthis year were field driven andbased on input from practitionersserving in various roles of adulteducation throughout the state.

Modules include: Teaching theReading Process, Math as Prob-lem Solving, Teaching Strategiesfor Multi-Level ESL Classes,Cooperative Learning, CaseManagement, and Assessment.

Some of the modules weredeveloped by a consortium in theNorthwest and will be adopted;

CONTINUED D

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others will be adopted and uti-lized with supplemental materi-als particular to Pennsylvania'sspecific needs. The other mod-ules are being produced based onprojects developed in Pennsylva-nia, as well as other resources.

The training modules willprovide important tools for prac-titioners to use to address qual-ity improvement in their pro-grams.0

ORDCADIMDL:70 WADRIDS

The Action Research Project'straining team has been meetingwith groups in four regions: North-west, Southwest, Central-North-east, and South-Central. Thereare 40 participants this year.

Action Researchers are pos-ing questions in five broad areas:teaching and evaluating ESL stu-dents, retaining ABLE students,student skill building, improvingstudent diagnosis and placement,and program evaluation. Severalresearchers from last year areserving as mentors. Participantswork on problems in the groupsetting, like last year, but they arenow linked to researchers state-wide according to the nature oftheir question. And, they are ex-amining "lasting change" as aninternal study of changes to prac-titioners and programs as a re-sult of involvement with Action

Research. The project continuesto maintain a database so thatfindings can be shared.

In the east, the PennsylvaniaAdult Literacy Practitioner In-quiry Network (PALPIN) con-tinues to support the develop-ment of inquiry groups in tworegions of the state.

The Central-Northeast Re-gional Inquiry Seminar hasscheduled four face-to-facemeetings but is doing most of itswork online. After severalrounds of discussion on pressingissues in the field in relationshipto their own work, everyone isnow moving toward developingan inquiry focus. Online work isbeing facilitated by participantsin last year's Winter Inquiry In-stitute.

In the Southeast region, par-ticipants from two of last year'sregional inquiry groups are lead-ing "program-based" inquirygroups. These groups come to-gether within an agency and aredeveloping a single thematic fo-cus for their inquiries.

The statewide Winter InquiryInstitute was held in January.More than half of the 19 partici-pants were from western Penn-sylvania, which means that evenwithout inquiry groups there,practitioners are getting involvedin PALPIN. After this intensiveinquiry experience, participantsidentified an inquiry focus and

are now collecting data.At Midwinter Conference,

PALPIN hosted a preconferencesession as an opportunity for on-going sharing and network de-velopment and a concurrent ses-sion providing hands-on experi-ence for those new to inquiry. Atthe University of PennsylvaniaEthnography in Education Con-ference, PALPIN will present apanel discussion on moving fromparticipant to leader in inquirygroups.0

ABLE KIE4 DS MOMOM VINE MED

ABLE Net serves as a technol-ogy resource for Pennsylvania'sABE/GED and literacy pro-grams, with emphasis on devel-oping online capabilities amongpractitioners and providing train-ing across the state through tech-nology mentors located in eachof the six PDCs. ABLE Netmaintains a Web page with linksto useful sites in eight categories:Potential Sources of Funding, In-teractive Sites, Career and Vo-cational Education, School-to-Work, Career Information, Cur-rent Events Sites, Career Coun-seling Sites, and Links of Inter-est for Adult Educators. URL ishttp://eagle.lhup.edu/-lhinman.

Progress is being made to-ward the goal of bringing 60 new

Quenly ampmelleameM Pmjecitz, Coovavaicating Agenciles, DZev Comaacits0 0 00 000 0 0

Project EQUALEducational Quality for Adult Literacy: Abt Associates /Judith Alamprese

Regional Professional Development Centers: Northwest Tri-County I.U. 5/ Richard Gacka, Bootsie Barbour; Central I.U. 10/Edith Gordon, Gail Leightley; Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council / Donald Block, Karen Mundie, Rachel Zilcosky, Sue Snider;TIU Adult Education & Job Training Center/ Carol Molek, Brian Frey, Paula Smith; Lancaster Lebanon I.U. 13 / David Karl,Sandra Strunk; Mayor's Commission on Literacy /Rose Brandt, Diane lnverso

AdvancE State Literacy Resource Center: Pennsylvania Department of Education /Cheryl Harmon

Western Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Resource Center: Pennsylvania Department of Education /Chris Kemp

Building Communities for Learning: Pennsylvania State Coalition for Adult Literacy/Sheila M. Sherow

Training Development Project: TIU Adult Education & Job Training Center/ Carol Molek

Research & Development of Pennsylvania-Specific Adult Learner Competencies in Family, Work, and Community Contexts:Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, Penn State University/ Eunice N. Askov, Barbara Van Horn

Technical Assistance for the Transmission of Data through Technology: Center for Literacy, Inc. / JoAnn Weinberger

Development of Criteria for Reporting Student Data: Center for Literacy, Inc. /Ashley Stoudt

Professional Development Evaluation & Reporting System: South-Central Professional Development Center /Brian Frey

Program Improvement Plans & Needs Assessment: Southeast Professional Development Center/ Sandra Strunk

ABLE Net: Central-Northeast Professional Development Center /Debra Burrows

Focus on Adaptation: Royce & Royce/Sherry Royce

Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PA-ARN): Penn State University Monroeville /Allan Quigley

Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network (PALPIN): University of Pennsylvania / Alisa Belzer

Statewide Staff Development on Adults with Learning Differences: Center for Alternative Learning /Richard Cooper

Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth: Delaware County Literacy Council /Patricia Reitz Gaul

AXISAdult education eXpress Intercommunications Support: Lancaster-Lebanon I.U. 13/Tana Reiff 4 9

programs online in 1996-97,with 23 additional programsfully connected and utilizingonline capabilities as of Decem-ber. At Midwinter Conference,ABLE Net mentors met for a ses-sion on technology planning andproblem solving, and ProjectDirector Debra Burrows made apresentation on funding strate-gies for technology purchases. InFebruary, ABLE Net assistedtwo PDCs with training sessionson software and technology plan-ning and funding.

ABLE Net staff and mentorshave encountered numerous im-pediments to technology utiliza-tion. However, the hard workwill be worth it, since technol-ogy is a tool programs can useto achieve quality improvementgoals.0

©OMAR:704DESJODIADORDO COO EICESDM PLARDRDDIADO

The Building Communities forLearning (BCL) project con-ducted a competitive process toselect four more communities toparticipate in a collaborativeplanning process among adultbasic and literacy education pro-viders, business and industry,job-training programs, economicdevelopment groups, local gov-ernment, and human resourceservices.

Communities awarded newgrants are Carbon County, Wash-ington County, NorthernCambria County, and Pittsburgh.Last year's three pilot sitesFayette County, LycomingCounty, and Wyoming Valleyare functioning this year asMentoring Communities and arematched with new sites to pro-vide ongoing technical assis-tance and support.

Project director SheilaSherow urges adult literacy pro-viders to look at community-wide collaboration as a necessityin providing adult learners withthe high-quality, comprehensiveservices they need to become in-dependent and productive mem-bers of the community. For moreinformation, contact Dr. Sherowat P.O. Box 501, Millheim, PA16854 or sms20@psu.edu.e

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11.1EG\NRIDNIelSTVILIES FORGMILII:TS?

by Dave Fluke

Recently we have been involvedin a number of discussions withadult educators concerning theaddition of an assessment oflearning styles to their programof testing and assessment. Mostof the literature we have con-sulted indicates that very littlesubstantive research has beencompleted in the determinationand assessment of learningstyles of adults. What little thathas been done seems to indicatethe most reliable, valid informa-tion is achieved when dealingwith adults with high (college andabove) levels of formal education.

One of the assessmentswhich gained favor in highschools a number of years agowas the Learning Style Profile,edited by James W. Keefe andJohn S. Mork and published bythe National Association of Sec-ondary School Principals(NASSP), 1904 Association Dr.,Reston, VA 22091. It is basedupon the "general operationsmodel" of Charles Letteri (1982).

This model views learning as

information processingthestorage and retrieval of informa-tion. The authors developedtheir assessment with the basicpremise that subject matter isinformation and must passthrough the individual's infor-mation-processing system to belearned, retained, and recalled.

The NASSP defines learningstyle as: "The composite ofcharacteristic cognitive, affec-tive, and physiological factorsthat serve as relatively stableindicators of how a learner per-ceives, interacts with, and re-sponds to the learning environ-ment. It is demonstrated in thatpattern of behavior and perfor-mance by which an individualapproaches educational experi-ences. Its basis lies in the struc-ture of neural organization andpersonality which both moldsand is molded by home, school,and society."

The Learning Style Profile,marketed by the NASSP, wasnormed using college and highschool students. The readinglevel as determined by the DaleChall Formula is grade 5-6.

The NASSP Profile is nottimed, but it is estimated moststudents can finish it in one classperiod. It yields scores in 23 ar-eas representing four higher-order

aOSCIUGG'S to Geognarphy C)mesamns

(Thanks to Joyce Kerrick, Director of the Adult Education Programat Lackawanna Junior College, for checking the answers.)Both correct answers are b. These questions were taken from FormAA of the Official GED Practice Test marketed by Steck-Vaughn (PArep is Ron Ray, (412) 925-7717). We should also tell readers whomissed #2 that a map is included with this question in the PracticeTest. We asked Ron about the reference to the Soviet Union in ques-tion #2 and he told us forms AA and BB have been updated to EE andFF (programs still using the original forms might want to switch).Ron reminds us that Steck-Vaughn also has scoring software for thePractice Test which yields score analyses, prediction reports, individu-alized prescription reports, etc.+

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M ARCH 1997

factors: cognitive skills, percep-tual responses, study preferences,and instructional preferences.

Another Learning Style Sur-vey being used by some adulteducators in Pennsylvania isThe Learning Efficiency Test II,published by Academic Therm/Publications 20 CommercialBlvd., Novato, CA 94949-6191.

LET II is a 1992 revision ofthe original LET and is designedto be administered individuallyto persons with suspected learn-ing difficulties or memory im-pairments. Unlike many learn-ing-styles inventories it wasnormed from ages 5 through 75.LET II can be administered in10-20 minutes and includes Vi-sual Memory and AuditoryMemory tests. Each test is com-prised of six subtests measuringordered and unordered recall,with varying types and degreesof verbal interference presented.

According to the latest issueof Trainer Touchstone, publishedby Laubach Literacy Action forTutor Trainers, most educationexperts recognize that adultspossess numerous kinds of in-telligence, or learning styles.The article goes on to describeseven areas of strength referredto as "Seven Intelligences," andnotes that most people tend torely on their strongest intelli-gences. The seven are: Verbal/Linguistic, Logical/Mathemati-cal, Visual/Spatial, Body/Kines-thetic, Musical/Rhythmic, Inter-personal, and Intrapersonal.

Lorraine Loitz, the new chairof Laubach's Training and Cer-tification Committee, says it isimportant to prepare tutors torecognize the skills their stu-dents have and "instead of try-ing to move the student from

where he is to where the tutoris, it's more important for thetutor to try to move to where thestudent is."

As with most "alternativeassessments," adult educationprograms using a learning-stylesinventory should develop a poolof experiences using assessmentresults over the years as anorming procedure from whichthey can reasonably predictadult-learner performance. Aswith any assessment, programpersonnel should predeterminehow results are to be used; thisis especially true with learning-styles inventories since manyprograms will not want to ex-pend the time or funds necessaryto purchase materials and traininstructors and staff in properlyusing learning-style information.+

OM 40 L0C31:3V6:704

E lMe&OEP OLDUOCL=\ILG\CUDWOUV

Independent Sector (IS) is a na-tional forum dealing with not-for-profit organizations. In a re-cent release IS notes that non-profit 501(c)(3) organizationsare encouraged to lobby for theoutcome of legislation by Sec-tion 1307 of PL94-455 passedby the U.S. Congress in 1976.A strong distinction is made be-tween "lobbying (influencingthe outcome of legislation)permitted, and "political activ-ity" (against or for a candi-dates)prohibited.

For more information contactIS at 1828 L St. NW Washing-ton, DC 20036.+

!

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M A R C HAR CH 1997

Laubach Literacy Advance(LLA) will combine three of itsnewsletters (Literacy Advance,Trainer Touchstone, and Fo-rum) into one publication be-ginning in spring 1997. Accord-ing to LLA Executive DirectorPeter Waite, the new LitScapewill reflect the multiple roleswithin most literacy programsand will address the many fac-ets of adult literacy. LLA's ad-dress is Box 131, Syracuse, NY13210.

oc The November/Decemberissue of GED Items from theGeneral Educational Develop-ment Testing Service (GEDTS)carries a section on "TeachingTips: Interpreting Literature andthe Arts," by Katherine Wood-ward, test specialist for GEDTSin the Literature/Arts test. Dr.Woodward explains how GEDTSselects passages for inclusion onthe test using six criteria: length(200-400 words for prose, 8-25lines for poetry); coherence(must have a clear beginning,middle, and end); level of diffi-culty (appropriate for the typi-cal high school senior); modelof good writing (must have sig-nificant literary merit); suffi-cient richness for questions(each passage has to yield tenquestions evenly spread acrossfour cognitive areas); appropri-ateness of topic (should containnothing that unfairly disadvan-tages or advantages certaingroups of examinees). GEDItems may be ordered fromGEDTS, One DuPont CircleNW, Ste. 250, Washington, DC20036.

In whichwe note types and

contents of professionalnewsletters to assist Buzzreaders in finding their waythrough the adult education

newsletter maze ...

Reading TODAY, the news-letter of the International Read-ing Association, will launch anew electronic journal, ReadingOnline, in May 1997. The newtype of publishing is intended toserve literacy educators work-ing at all levels who are inter-ested in using an electronicmedium for explorations ofresearch, instruction, and com-munication. Extensive coverageof classroom/instructional infor-mation is planned. To get on theROL mailing list send yourname, address, phone, fax, ande-mail addresses to: WendyRuss, IRA, 800 Barksdale Rd.,P.O. Box 8139, Newark, DE19714, (302) 731-1600, x252;fax 302-731-1057; e-mail76734.3231@compuserve.com.

0* In the November/December1996 Hands-on English, editor

Anna Silliman writes of readerresponses to a request aboutmaterials designed for teachingESL students for work in thehotel industry. A "Job SiteESOL Curriculum for the HotelIndustry" is available from AnnJackson, ELC/8, 445 W.Almelia St., Orlando, FL 32801.Another resource is a videotapefrom the National Clearing-house for ESL Literacy Educa-tion (NCLE) called "SharingWhat Works." The tape is $40from NCLE at (202) 429-9292,x200. Subscriptions to Hands-on English are $21 to P.O. Box256, Crete, NE 68333.

oc. In the Winter 1997 edition ofCSIU Read All About It, thenewsletter of the SusquehannaValley Adult Literacy Coopera-tive, editor Esther Zabitzmakes three predictions for

ABLE Net Web Pagefor Practitioners

The ABLE Net Web Page contains information about resources foruse in the classroom, for planning programs, for professional devel-opment, for funding sources for technology, and much more for adult

educators in Pennsylvania.The ABLE Net web page address is http://eagle.lhup.edu/

- Ihinman. For more information contact Linda Hinman, ABLENet Coordinator, at (717) 893-4038 or Ihinman@eagle.lhup.edu.:

1997 adult literacy: 1) The fed-eral government will allow adultliteracy programs to lift the cur-rent ban on fees. According tothe article, Andy Hartman, di-rector of the National Institutefor Literacy, says fees mightprove to be a way to improvestudent retention. 2) The federalgovernment will require literacyprograms that accept govern-ment funds to provide more ac-curate measures to demonstratestudent progress. 3) The Na-tional Education Goals Panelwhich was formed in 1989 tomonitor progress toward thenation's 10 Education Goals(#5/6: "By the year 2000 alladults in the U.S. will be liter-ate."), will have nothing to sayin 1997: According to the ar-ticle, "Apparently an update ofthe national adult literacy prob-lem is not one of their priorities."

The Winter 1996 issue ofBright Ideas, the adult educa-tion newsletter of Massachu-setts, discusses in detail the con-cept of "ABE CurriculumFrameworks," which are guidesto help adult learning centersdevelop curricula grounded inan understanding of how adultslearn most effectively. Frame-works are used by teachers todesign learning experiences foradults that encourage them togain knowledge by asking ques-tions, solving problems, explor-ing interests, and developingskills applicable to their lives.Write World Education, 44Farnsworth St., Boston, MA02210.

O The Scranton Council onLiteracy Advance (SCOLA;Diana Statsman, Director) re-cently completed a quality sur-vey of its 118 tutors and 90 lit-eracy students to determine theimpact of services. Fully 100%of both tutors and students re-sponding to the survey indicatedtheir experience with the lit-eracy program has been posi-tive. SCOLA has (not coinci-dentally) been selected as one ofthe national field-test sites forthe combined Pennsylvania De-partment of Education/ LaubachLiteracy Advance NationalQuality Standards for VolunteerLiteracy Programs.

G Congratulations to CarolMolek, who was awarded the

"OutstandingAdult Educatorof the Year"honors at theMidwinterConference.Congratula-tions, also, toDehra Shafer,

recipient of the PAACE ServiceAward, for her extraordinaryservice to the organization.Carol is Director of the Tusca-rora IU Adult Education and JobTraining Center in Lewistown;Dehra is with the Continuingand Distance Education pro-gram at Penn State. Both arepast presidents of PAACE.

Carol Molek

0 James Gourley, a construc-tion worker from Orrtanna, PA,has been active in new-readercircles in our state and the U.S.for a number of years. James isone of six new readers featuredin a corporate video producedby Laubach Literacy. In the

video he sayshe spent 40years of his life"feeling downand stupid" butnow is a"changed man... able to helpothers." Jameswas also fea-tured in a tele-vision news-cast about lit-eracy whichwas broadcastfrom the Mid-winter Confer-ence.

Programs

O Congratulations to RichardLyon from Springboro, Cum-berland County, top GED scorerin Pennsylvania for 1996. Rich-ard had perfect scores on theSocial Studies, Literature andArts, and Math sections of thetest. His scores place him in thetop 1% of the 802,000 GED testtakers in the U.S. Richard was

awarded aplaque from theGeneral Educa-tional TestingService, and a$100 checkfrom PA ACEwas awardedhim by stateGED Coordina-

tor Larry Goodwin at the Mid-winter Conference.

Richard Lyon

O Marciene Mattleman,founder and Executive Directorof Philadelphia Futures, anorganization which mobilizespublic interest and private sup-port to expand futures for Phila-delphia youth, has been ap-

MARCH

pointed as acontinuingmember of theAdvisory Boardof the NationalInstitute for Lit-eracy. Mattle-man was for-merly a profes-sor of Englishat Temple andserved as theexecutive di-rector of theMayor's Com-mission on Lit-eracy in Phila-

delphia from 1984 to 1988.

* Welcome to HayleenCarlini, the new Director of theFamily Literacy Division of thePennsylvania Association forAdult Continuing Education(PAACE). Hayleen is Even StartCoordinator/Director for theYork City School District.

e Dr. Gordon Godbey, pres-ently recuperating from surgery,was one of 20 professor emeritihonored recently by Penn State'sCollege of Education. Gordon isrecognized as a pioneer in adulteducation, is a former presidentof PAACE, and is presently thehistorian for the organization.Get well soon, Gordon!

* The Lutheran Social Mis-sion Society/Lutheran Settle-ment House in Philadelphia hasbeen awarded $9,648 to workwith a parents' organization andadult learners to develop womenleaders in the impoverishedWest Kensington section of thecity. The award was presentedby Laubach's Women in Lit-eracy/USA program. Education

1997

Coordinator for LSMS/LSH isAntoinette Falco.

0 ABLE programs are encour-aged to apply for validationunder the Neighborhood Assis-tance Tax Credit Program.Organizations approved by thePennsylvania Department ofCommunity and EconomicDevelopment find the approvalresults in greater acceptance bythe businesses they solicit forfunds. To date 125 "approved"agencies have received $13.5million. For information, con-tact Dennis Darling at DCED(717) 787-1984.

0 Marlowe Froke, HonoraryChair of the 1992 MidwinterConference, former President ofPAACE, retired manager ofWPSX-TV and associate pro-fessor of Communications at

Penn State, andstrong advocateof adult educa-tion in Pennsyl-vania, has beennamed Directorof the CableTelevision Mu-seum in Denver.

'2"Z.

Marlowe Froke

* A Numeracy StakeholdersGroup is being formed in West-ern Pennsylvania to help influ-ence the direction of mathemat-ics reform in adult education byidentifying and discussing is-sues that contribute to numeracyproblems, examine current re-form movements, and provide aforum for sharing and develop-ing resources. Interested partici-pants should contact RachelZilcosky at the SouthwesternPDC (412) 661-7323.4.

C"..11t-111:1117.11; V.1111, 7iI1R P.7 r .1ZIPATIEgrlir ttlf.n

529

M ARCH 1 9 9 7

Awn 1997

7- Attracting and KeepingAdult Students: Retention Strate-gies That Work. Washington, DC.Contact: Office of Adult LearningServices (OALS), The CollegeBoard, (212) 713-8101.

1 CI) RECONCILIATION OFCASH ON HAND DUE to StateComptroller's Office.

11 Fifth Annual Inter-Re-gional Conference, Radisson Hotel,Sharon; Northwest and SouthwestRegions. Contact your ProfessionalDevelopment Center for more in-formation.

17.1 Preconferences to NationalFamily Literacy Conference: "In-corporating Arts to Enhance theDevelopment of Family Literacy"and "Making the Case for Partici-pant-Centered Curriculum."

20-22 Sixth Annual NationalConference on Family Literacy,Louisville, KY. Contact: NationalCenter for Family Literacy, (502)584-1133.

2:! -29 Workplace Learning:Shaping the Future, Milwaukee,WI; contact: (800) 446-0399.

May 1997

2 Call to Action III: Upgrad-ing the Skills of the Workforce,

Carlisle. Sponsored by the Pennsyl-vania Business-Education Partner-ship and the Pennsylvania StateCoalition for Adult Literacy. Fo-cuses on the relationships amonggovernment policies, businessneeds, and adult literacy providers.Contact: JoAnn Weinberger, Co-chair PBEP Adult Literacy TaskForce, (215) 474-1235.

4-S) 42nd Annual InternationalReading Association Convention,Atlanta, GA. Contact: IRA (800)336-7323.

15-1 Adult Education ResearchConference, Stillwater, OK. Con-tact: Dr. Robert Nolan, (405) 744-9190.

2'. - -31 COABE '97: NationalConference of the Commission onAdult Basic Education, Detroit.Contact: Gloria Mills, (810) 340-6841.

June 1997

R904E: There will not be a North-east Regional Literacy Conferencein June 1997 due to the number ofstatewide conferences. For moreinformation contact your TLC rep-resentative or TLC President PatGaul at (610) 876-4811.

Pennsylvania State Coali-tion for Adult Literacy (PSCAL)Forum, Harrisburg. Contact:Joanne Shane Plummer, (717) 238-9026.

OUTSTANDING ADULT STUDENTS Honored at the1997 MidwinterConference: AdultBasic and LiteracyEducation"OutstandingStudents"Theten studentshonored withawards representthe achievementsof the 60,000+

successful adultstudents inPennsylvaniaABLE programs.Top row, from left:Robert Sevey,

Bangor/Pen Argylwith Sponsor,Janet Herr;Michelle Taylor,

Greater PittsburghLiteracy Councilwith Sponsor, DonBlock; PatrickClifford, ScrantonCouncil forLiteracy Advancewith Sponsor,

Molly Quinn Philbin; Madeline Rosada, LSMS Lutheran Settlement House(Philadelphia) with Sponsor, Antoinette Falco.Middle row: Charlotte Pinder, Delaware County Community College, ChesterCampus GED with Sponsor, Delores Taddeo; James Robinson, Center forLiteracy, Inc. (Philadelphia); with Sponsor, Leah Williams; Donna Smith,Cumberland Valley School District with Sponsor, Samuel Gruber.Front row: Esther Iglesias, Reading Area Community College with Sponsors, MarySchmidt and Zelda Yoder; Antonio Cancel, Inglis House (Philadelphia) withSponsor, Paula Silver; Shirley Poole, Community Learning Center (Philadelphia)with Sponsor, Jean Fleschute.

VVVVVP-LATSWVVIA/1.4.4/14/1

Eon 2147Voy, PA 1(5947

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7.10De\

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Vol. 16, No. 5JUNE 1997

LiteracyCampaign:

Sae page 2 PENNSYLVANIA ADULT EDUCATION'S PROFESSIONAL NEWSLETTER

1-800-228-8813

AMIE GIIIONLOGIVS: Starting a Workplace ProgramITINIFL

Literacy Campaign School-to-Work for Adults rg] In My

Opinion Fal ABLE Bureau Technology Update7TABE Passing

Scores Correction [23] Student Competencies ELegislative Thanks

El Newsletter Roundup i62 People & Programs VE1 It's a Date! El

[1,t1.5E_BRIS-11 New Literacy Coordinating Council & EQUAL Update

Call to Action III: Upgrading theSkills of the State's WorkforceState agencies involved in worldorce development,including Adult Basic and Literacy Education, held theirthird major colloquy. Focus was on what employers need.

"If you want to understand skillsin the workforce, you must firstunderstand employers." Theseintroductory remarks by Dr. Pe-ter Cape lli, keynote speaker atthe Call to Action III Confer-ence held last month in Carlisle,established the "thread" for theconference.

Among conference attendeeswere providers from 48 adultbasic and literacy programs inPennsylvania and representa-tives of state government, busi-ness and industry, and profes-sional and labor organizations.

The ideas expressed by Dr.Capelli were bounced back andforth throughout the day's ac-tivities, which included presen-tations by other speakers, fourafternoon discussion groups,and a luncheon presentation byrepresentatives of the NationalSkills Standards Board.

Dr. Capelli, Co-director ofthe National Center for Educa-tional Quality of the Workforce,is on the staff of the WhartonSchool of the University of

Pennsylvania and has served ona number of advisory groupsand panels dealing with adultliteracy and skills in theworkforce.

What do employers want?Although employers are still in-terested in employees with ba-sic literacy skills, said Dr.Cape lli, they want adults to beable to demonstrate a mastery ofapplied skills. In addition, em-ployers want behavioralskillsappropriate work atti-tudes, communication skills,and work-based skills.

Dr. Cape lli summed up hisremarks by saying: "Employerswant more skills; they want ahigher level of skills, and it isharder for employers to provideskill training. Employers are in-creasingly turning employeesback to the schools in order tohelp with their problems. Thismeans work and education isgoing to become a lifelong op-portunity. The solution is in de-veloping partnerships betweenemployers and schools and our

Dr. Peter Capelli from Penn's National

Center for Educational Quality of the

Workforce was the keynote speaker.

literacy programs."State government's response

to the needs. Dr. Capelli's re-marks were followed by a panelof representatives from fourstate agencies currently in-volved in workforce and eco-nomic development.

Martha Harris, Advisor to theGovernor's Office for WorkforceDevelopment, noted there is afundamental challenge to alignthe resources of state agenciesinvolved in training and work-

54

force development to see thatresources are spent more effi-ciently and effectively in train-ing and retraining workers andwelfare recipients. The basicchallenge, she indicated, is fos-tering learning; that employerswho desire an improvement inthe quality of their workers aredefining a necessity for work-ers to assume an attitude of life-long learning. "Our #1 need isto upgrade basic skills," shesaid.

Sherri Heller, Deputy of theOffice of Income Maintenance,Pennsylvania Department ofPublic Welfare, presented anoutline of the recently enactedstrategy for welfare reform inthe Commonwealth. She ex-plained how changes in welfarerules, such as 60-month lifetimelimits on cash assistance andchanges in the state deductionof earned income of persons onwelfare with jobs has resulted inchanges in the strategies beingused by many welfare recipients.

A third characteristic of wel-fare reform concerns what theDepartment of Welfare calls the"Quick Attachment Program."Welfare recipients most able toenter employment are given job-readiness training and supportservices to get them into the la-bor market as soon as possible.This is a shift from previous

Continued on p.2

JUNE 1 9 9 7

CALL TO ACTBORY, groan p.1

policies which provided ser-vices first to those most in need.According to Ms. Heller, thenew procedures result in mon-ies being saved which are thenavailable to those recipientswho are in greatest need, thoserequiring the most training andservices. The Quick AttachmentProgram last year resulted in30,000 jobs for welfare recipi-ents, and a follow-up showed75% of these people were stillin their jobs after one year.

Michael Poliakoff, DeputySecretary for Postsecondary andHigher Education of the Depart-ment of Education, stated thatthe Department is moving to-ward performance-based cur-

WVINYVHATSWWVVW1/44

CCP1)_1112U.:,tortic-What's the Buzz?, PennsylvaniaAdult Education's ProfessionalNewsletter is published five times

in 1996-97 by Adult Education Link-

age Services, Box 214, Troy, PA16947, under partial funding pro-vided through the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education from theU.S. Adult Education Act, Section353. It is distributed without charge

to practitioners of adult basic andliteracy education in Pennsylvaniaand no endorsement of newslettercontents by PDE nor USDOE should

be inferred.

Editor: Dave Fluke

Associate Editor: Tana Reiff

Editorial Board: Ella Morin,

Priscilla Ferguson, Tana Reiff

This publication isavailable in alternativemedia on request.

2

ricula and achievement in Penn-sylvania schools. "Educationhas an obligation to listen care-fully to business and industry,"said Dr. Poliakoff. He noted thatgeneral aptitudes, writing, com-municative ability, quantitativeability, and the ability to readand analyze critically are nec-essary components of every-one's education. "Occupationalskills must be incorporated intoevery level of education," heindicated.

Dr. Poliakoff praised ProjectEQUAL in adult literacy as anexemplary program which ishelping to assess adult studentsso that students and employerswill be aware of the achieve-ments developed in adult edu-cation classes.

Emphasizing outcomes. Thefinal panel presenter was AlanWilliamson, Deputy Secretaryfor Employment Security andJob Training of the Departmentof Labor and Industry. "We needto focus on outcomes," he said."We can no longer just dole outmoney to training programs andnot know what happens to theirgraduates. The money needs tolook at the outcomes."

He noted that this year theU.S. House of Representativeshas consolidated funding for 50programs into three blockgrants: adult training programs,youth training programs, andadult literacy programs. Hestressed the importance of co-operative working relationshipsamong service providers to pro-vide a "seamless approach" toworkforce-development services.

"After 60 years of unemploy-ment compensation we havediscovered that we had itwrong," said Mr. Williamson.

attmuraiing WorkpElace Pozguamm?Gilere's how to plan ...One outstanding countywide workplace literacy program in Penn-sylvania is run out of the Penn State Adult Literacy Program in Bea-ver County. Its program director, Nancy Woods, has involved everysegment of the community in the program's activities. After years ofencouragement to document her ideas and accomplishments so otheradult basic and literacy education programs could benefit from herexperience, she's finally done it. Laubach Literacy Action's publish-ing arm, New Readers Press, has just released Planning a WorkplaceLiteracy Program, coauthored by Nancy Woods and Karen Norton,formerly of Literacy Volunteers of America.

The book covers planning, marketing, designing company-spe-cific programs, evaluation, program profiles, literacy resources, andquestions for employers. For more information contact the LaubachLiteracy Action Information Center (315) 422-9121, fax (315) 422-6369, e-mail info @laubach.org.+

"The most important thing to theunemployed is not their check,it is getting another job. We arenow identifying unemployedpersons who are most likely toexhaust their unemploymentbenefits before getting a job andproviding additional trainingand assistance to these personsand move them toward employ-ment."

Following reports from thefour afternoon discussion groups,JoAnn Weinberger, ExecutiveDirector of the Center for Lit-eracy in Philadelphia and Co-chair of the Adult Literacy TaskForce of the Pennsylvania Busi-ness-Education Partnership (for-m e rl y Pennsylvania 2000),which co-sponsored the Confer-ence with the PennsylvaniaState Coalition for Adult Lit-eracy, noted that a report of theConference information andrecommendations would be pre-pared and disseminated through-out the state. Buzz readers wish-ing a copy may contact the Busi-ness-Education Partnership at200 North Third St., Ste. 1000,Harrisbur PA 17101.4>

55

MOIL 1,11`71M2a0.17CG\IXIPnOMM11300C30 OFF

Chris Kemp, Adult LiteracyResource Specialist at the West-ern Pennsylvania Adult Literacy

Center, has beennamed state coor-dinator of theNational Institutefor Literacy's na-tionwide adult lit-eracy campaign.Titled "Literacy:

It's a Whole New World," thecampaign is designed to raisepublic awareness of growingadult literacy problems such asemployees who can't read, dobasic math, or use technology,and parents who can't read andpass on that legacy to their chil-dren.

In introducing the NIFL pro-gram, President Clinton said,"This campaign will helpAmericans understand that lit-eracy is about more than read-

Continued on p.7

)2,

Chris Kemp

THE ISTAM .13 LTS FSCHO

FULTS

by Dr. Richard Gacka

When I was asked to prepare anarticle for THE Buzz on adulteducation and School-to-WorkI thought, hey, I've been coor-dinating tech prep, Youth Ap-prenticeship, School-to-Work,and Adult Education programsfor several years so why notshare some general impressionsbased on that experience. Sohere goes.

General thoughts. The labelSchool-to-Work probably is nota good fit for adult education. Abetter term might be employ-ability training. The real issueis that a very large portion of theadult population lacks the basicskills that are needed for successin an increasingly demandingwork environment.

Employers are asking more

Thankoyou!

of employees, and there is a nar-rowing tolerance for errors. Thebar is continually being raisedand with each notch it goes up,more of the general populationfinds it harder and harder tokeep up.

Many workers do not seethemselves as being academi-cally deficient, but they are.They fail to take advantage ofservices available to them; someare even resentful when the re-alities of the situation are ex-plained to them. "Leverage" isa critical element within anyworkforce preparation program.Employers are the ones with le-verage.

The success or failure of aprogram is determined by thepeople involved in it. The samemodel in two locations can beas different as night and day.The main variable is not theagency, the curriculum, or themodel being used; it's thepeople teaching and directing.Leadership is a critical factor.

Thoughts for adult educa-tion teachers. Adult educators

This is the final issue of WHAT'S THE Buzz? for 1996-97. We have re-ceived word there will be a Buzz in 1997-98, and we expect the firstissue to be in your hands by September 15, 1997.

We now send WHAT'S THE Buzz? to more than 4,000 adult educa-tors throughout Pennsylvania, and each week we receive requests tobe added to our mailing list.

Our thanks to the Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Educationfor the technical and financial support they have provided us overthe years. Thanks also to our editorial board: Priscilla Ferguson ofthe Tri-County OIC in Harrisburg; Ella Morin, Chief of the SpecialProjects Division for the ABLE Bureau; and Tana Reiff, Project AXISCoordinator, Lancaster-Lebanon 1.U. 13.

We appreciate your supportive comments and look forward tohearing from you in 1997-98. We hope you have a relaxing, enjoy-able, and challenging summer.

Dave Fluke, Editor

IrEirattps,_ lairmar0-2rJUNE 1997

need to send a clear message tostudents that success depends inlarge part on accepting the factthat they will have to accept andfollow some external set ofrules. (Read: play the game.)

Raise your standards andstick to them, regardless of howmuch students might complain.Part of the problem is that foryears educators have been low-ering standards and making ex-cuses for unacceptable perfor-mance.

Employers are fond of say-ing, "It's what goes out the back

An absolutely criticalelement of all adulteducation is the develop-ment of self-discipline.

door that counts." For educa-tors, two questions sum up thisidea: 1) Does what you areteaching have relevance to stu-dents' lives? and 2) What canstudents do at the end of a ses-sion that they couldn't do whenthe session started?

Regardless of what you callit"work ethic," "work harden-ing," or "responsibility"anabsolutely critical element of alladult education is the develop-ment of self-discipline. Buildactivities that develop self-con-trol into every lesson youpresent.

There are three keys to adultlearners' success in the world ofwork: ability, skills, and attitude.Some jobs don't require a highlevel of skill or ability, but alljobs require a positive attitude.

Teach by doing, not by talk-ing. Request that projects bedone, not worksheets. There's

not an employer out there whoassesses workers using a mul-tiple-choice test.

Thoughts for administra-tors. Adult literacy providersare named in funding guidelinesas "partners" or "stakeholders."We can learn a lot from what isgoing on in Tech Prep, School-to-Work, and Vocational Educa-tion. If you're not talking tothese people you should be, be-cause that's the only way youwill get in on the action. Onceat the table, you will need toclearly explain what your pro-gram has to offer. Vague gener-alities and educational pabulumwon't cut it. Remember the backdoor.

Employers and educatorslive in two very differentworlds, talk different languages,and play by different sets ofrules, but have essentially thesame problems. Employersknow they have problems butmany of them have difficultyexplaining to educators whatthose problems are.

Don't look for a School-to-Work curriculum silver bulletthere is no such thing. School-to-Work is a concept that hasmore to do with common sensethan any special technique.Teach students what they needto know and make them proveto you what they can do.+

Dr. Gacka isDirector of AdultEducation/TechPrep/School-to-Work at theNorthwest Tri-County Interme-

diate Unit #5 in Edinboro.

1=EIMMINIMERNROXEEMar

563

JUNE 1997

School-to-Work: For youth? yes.For adults?maybe.by Dave Fluke, Editor

Economic competitiveness andthe changing nature of the work-place have created pressures onadult basic and literacy educa-tion to provide adequate prepa-ration for adults entering theworld of workpreparationthat extends skills and compe-tencies developed in traditionalreading, writing, and math in-struction to job and occupa-tional skills.

Since 1994, when the U.S.Congress passed the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, wehave seen adult education pro-grams searching for ideas as tohow the concept of moving fromschool to work can be built intoour programs.

Unfortunately, as state gov-ernments (including Pennsylva-nia) developed guidelines andprocedures for School-to-Work,most of the transition movement'senergy was applied to youth, notadults, specifically in-schoolyouth, not adult learners.

Now that "economic devel-opment" is the name of thegame, policymakers are begin-ning to realize the importance ofwhat adult educators haveknown all alongbasic skillsare basic skills and there are noshortcuts for adults who cannotread, write, or do math as theymove into a work situation re-quiring adaptable and flexibleworkers with high levels of aca-demic and technical skills.

In this issue of THE Buzz wefeature comments by an experi-enced adult educator who has

4

been ahead of the game in theareas of Tech Prep and School-to-Work. Richard Gacka notesthat "the label School-to-Workprobably is not a good fit foradult education." We agree.

On the other hand, adult edu-cators must recognize tradi-tional business as usual in adultlearner instruction isn't going towork. As much as we insist thatwe are "client-driven" ratherthan "economy-driven," we mustaccept the truism that our pro-grams follow the money. At thistime in adult education federaland state money is supportingworkforce development conceptssuch as School-to-Workevenfor adults.

It's a challenge to shift in-struction from priorities set bya book publisher to assistingadult learners meet the goalsthey identify as important tothem. It's a challenge to get outof the classroom and developcooperative education and train-ing experiences for adult stu-dents with local businesses. Andto date there hasn't been muchhelp available to adult educatorswho share their students' needto develop up-to-date job skills.

Help is available. Contact theState Literacy Resource Centersand ask for materials and infor-mation: AdvancE, (800) 992-2283; WPALRC, (800) 446-5607, ext. 216.

The ERIC Clearinghouse onAdult, Career, and VocationalEducation (1900 Kenny Rd.,Columbus, OH 43210) has ma-terials available including an"Alert" titled "School-to-Work

Transition," which lists 18 printresources and six resource orga-nizations dealing with School-to-Work in high schools.

Some excellent materialsconcerning School-to-Work areavailable from the NorthwestEducational Laboratory, 101S.W. Main St., Ste. 500, Port-land, OR 97204-3297.

And ask aroundthere is agood chance some School-to-Work activities are taking placein a nearby school district. Adultlearners have needs and experi-ences different from high schoolstudents, but until more adulteducation programs developcomprehensive programs wemight have to depend on what-ever information we can find.

&BILE E LI)

UNCESTEC ID YE

The Adult Basic and LiteracyEducation Bureau recently no-tified program directors of itsongoing activities concerningtechnology use designed to im-prove services to adult learners.

The Bureau recognizes theimportance of adult learners'developing skills in technologyif they are expected to functionin an increasingly technologi-cally oriented society. With thisin mind the Bureau encouragesABLE programs to develop atechnology plan so the transitionto technology in the classroomand administrative functionswill be orderly and efficient.ABLE Net is a project con-ducted with section 353 fundsby Central IU #10 to assist adulteducation programs and profes-

5 7

sionals to develop technologyplans and activities.

Despite limits imposed onprograms for the purchase ofcomputers and other equipment,ABLE Net can provide techni-cal assistance for programslooking for alternative fundingsources. For more informationcall ABLE Net coordinator DebBurrows at (717) 893-4038.*

USDOECO ECUS7M131E SCONES

On October 25, 1996, the U.S.Secretary of Education pub-lished a notice in the FederalRegister which provided a listof "ability-to-benefit" tests andacceptable (passing) scores ap-proved for use under the HigherEducation Act of 1965. Thesetests and passing scores are usedto determine eligibility for fed-eral Pell grants and other finan-cial-aid programs. Incorrectpassing scores for the Test ofAdult Basic Education (TABE)were listed and, in the Registerfor March 7, 1997, the Depart-ment of Education issued a list-ing of the correct scores:

Forms 5 & 6, Level A, Sur-vey Version and CompleteBattery Version: Reading To-tal-768; Total Mathematics-783; Total Language-714.Forms 7 & 8, Level A, Sur-vey Version and CompleteBattery Version: Reading-559; Total Mathematics-562;Language-545.For more information call

Lorraine Kennedy, U.S. Depart-ment of Education (202) 708-7888.*

ititibm0 jaarorarJUNE 1997

First Lady Michele Ridge Announces Appointeesto Statewide Literacy Coordinating Council

WILLIAMSPORT (May 12)Joined by reigning MissAmerica Tara Dawn Hollandand Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker'swife, Kathy, First Lady MicheleM. Ridge announced Gov. TomRidge's appointees to the Penn-sylvania Adult Basic and Lit-eracy Education InteragencyCoordinating Council.

Gov. Ridge has charged thenew council with helping coor-dinate literacy services offeredby the Pennsylvania Departmentsof Education, Public Welfare,Labor and Industry, and Com-munity and Economic Develop-ment. The council also will helpdevelop communications strat-egies to promote literacy, witha focus on enabling adult stu-dents to become life-long learn-ers and more productive mem-bers of their communities.

"The governor and I believethis is a major step forward inour effort to create more com-prehensive and efficient literacyservices," Mrs. Ridge said of thecouncil, whose members repre-sent local providers of adult ba-sic and literacy education; busi-ness, industry and unions; themedia; and state government.

"As these many segments ofthe community join forces toimprove the literacy skills ofchildren and adults, we are mak-ing a powerful investment in thefuture of Pennsylvania," the firstlady added during the an-nouncement at the James V.Brown Library in Williamsport.

Mrs. Ridge also lauded theLycoming County LiteracyProject, based at the library, for

its involvement in "Forging a Lit-eracy Partnership for ViolencePrevention"a program thatteaches a curriculum to improvefamily literacy and conflict reso-lution skills. The program, sup-ported by a grant announced byGov. Ridge last year, is a collabo-rative effort of the Governor'sCommunity Partnership for SafeChildren and the PennsylvaniaDepartments of Education andLabor and Industry. Chaired byMrs. Ridge, the Governor's

eracy council are:Carol Molek, Director ofAdult Education, TuscaroraIntermediate Unit, McVey-town, Mifflin County;Jo Ann Weinberger, execu-tive director, Center for Lit-eracy, and co-chair of AdultLiteracy Task Force of Penn-sylvania Business EducationPartnership, Philadelphia;Willie Woods, vice president,Harrisburg Area CommunityCollege, Dauphin County;

"we are making a powerful investment in the futureoff Pennsylvania." First Lady Michele i,idde

Community Partnership for SafeChildren is a community-basedinitiative that seeks to curb youthviolence by reducing illiteracy,academic failure, child abuse, andother factors that make childrenmore likely to commit crime.

Following the announcementat the James V. Brown library,Mrs. Ridge, Mrs. Schweiker,and Ms. Holland visited theCommunity Arts Center inWilliamsport, where they ad-dressed approximately 1,500students, literacy volunteers,and adult and youth learnersfrom the Lycoming County area.Ms. Holland highlighted herMiss America platform promot-ing literacy.

Gov. Ridge, under the newstate budget, has allocated $48million for libraries and literacyprogramsa $1.4 million in-crease over the previous fiscalyear.

Members of the statewide lit-

Hayleen Stephan, projectdirector, Even Start Program,York City School District,York County;Linda Herr, director,Lycoming County LiteracyCouncil, Williamsport,Lycoming County;Andrea Eberling, Newspa-pers In Education, LebanonDaily News, Lebanon, Leba-non County;Brian Lockman, vice presi-dent and chief operatingofficer, Pennsylvania CableNetwork, Camp Hill, Cum-berland County;Larry Sparta, coordinator ofenergy education programs,PP&L, Allentown, LehighCounty;Fred Hartwigsen, vice presi-dent of public relations, UGICorp., and member of theAdult Literacy Task Force,Harrisburg, Dauphin County;Donna Cheatham, educa-

tional coordinator, Pennsylva-nia Blue Shield, Camp Hill,Cumberland County;Peter Butler, engineeringmanager, Proctor and GambleCo., and member of the StateJob Training CoordinatingCouncil, Mehoopany, Wyo-ming County;Dan Merk, Lycoming CountyLiteracy Coalition, Williams-port, Lycoming County;Sandy Strunk, first vicepresident, Pennsylvania Asso-ciation for Adult ContinuingEducation;Susan Brownlee, co-director,the Grable Foundation, Pitts-burgh, Allegheny County;Gary Millspaugh, executivedirector and CEO, AllentownRescue Mission, Allentown,Lehigh County;Dick Torbert, vice president,Mellon Bank, and chair ofAdult Literacy Task Force ofPennsylvania Business Educa-tion Partnership, Philadelphia;Alan Williamson, deputy ofthe Office of Employmentand Training, Department ofLabor and Industry;Sherry Heller, deputy of theOffice of Income Mainte-nance, Department of PublicWelfarePhilip Calhoun, Deputy ofthe Office of Trade, Technol-ogy, and Economic Develop-ment, Department of Com-munity and Economic Devel-opment; andMichael Poliakoff, Deputyof the Office of Postsec-ondary and Higher Education,Department of Education+

58

Educational Quality fr Adult Literacy

EOUAL7

0 0 0 0 0 0JUNE '1 9 9 7

00A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT REPORT TO PENNSYLVANIA'S

ADULT BASIC & LITERACY EDUCATION COMMUNITY

SIELIF.aSSESONEMFORST STEP IMMODONPROWENERTY

The Program Improvement Plansproject is working with severalEQUAL sites in piloting a draftself-assessment instrument de-signed to help programs thinkthrough what they are doing,how they are doing it, and whythey are doing it. When the pi-lots have completed the draftself-assessment, they will havenot only a laundry list of poten-tial areas for program improve-ment, but also a solid sense ofwhat is and is not working in keyprogram areas. The EQUAL pi-lot sites will provide valuablefeedback related to the design ofthe self-assessment instrumentand the process of workingthrough it with a Program Im-provement Team.

Based on the ten Indicators ofProgram Quality, the self-assess-ment tool guides Program Im-provement Teams through a se-ries of questions related to eachindicator. Questions are of threetypes: 1) questions aboutwhether a program is doing cer-tain things and if documentationis collected to support these ac-tivities, 2) descriptive questionsthat ask how certain things aredone within the program, and3) brainstorming questions de-signed to generate ideas for fu-ture investigation.

Project findings are not yetavailable; it is clear, however,that the pilot sites have found theinstrument helpful in identifyingareas for program improvement.

Training will soon be avail-able to help programs use therevised self-assessment instru-ment. Since it parallels the ABLEmonitoring instrument, it willalso be an excellent tool for help-

BUREAU OFADULT BASIC &

LITERACY EDUCATION

PENNSYLVANIADEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION-

Project EQUAL is developing Pennsylvania'sadult education program improvement andaccountability system. The staff of AbtAssociates have been working to support thefurther development and dissemination ofProject EQUAL through a number of activities.

Janet Voight from Abt conducted visits to eachof the Project EQUAL core pilot sites, meetingwith staff to discuss their EQUAL activities and

ways in which their participation in EQUAL has helped improvetheir program operations.

Abt's staff have reviewed the Data for Decision Making Logssubmitted by EQUAL sites and are providing feedback to the siteson their problem-solving strategies using program data.

An important component of Abt's work on Project EQUAL thisyear has been to provide technical assistance to Bureau of AdultBasic and Literacy Education staff and Section 353 project direc-tors. Judy Alamprese facilitated a discussion with EQUAL sites andProfessional Development Center staff to develop the frameworkfor EQUAL training modules. She also has been working with Sec-tion 353 project directors in their development of materials to sup-port the dissemination and implementation of EQUAL.Q

0000000000000ing programs prepare for a moni-toring visit. Until a program canclearly articulate what it is do-ing, how it is doing it, and why,positive change is little morethan a shot in the dark. As thefirst step in the program-im-provement cycle, program self-assessment plays an essentialrole in helping programs system-atically identify key areas ofstrength and weakness. With thisknowledge as a starting point, aprogram is well on its way todemonstrating continuous im-provement.e)

DIERMOMO LEaRIMEL=2COUPEUEMCOES

The work group of the LearnerCompetencies project has met toreview and discuss the draftskills lists. These lists includecommunication (reading, writ-ing, speaking, listening), math,

0000000000000metacognitive (learning-to-learn), and basic "employability"(e.g., time management) skills.Organized in three levels (begin-ning, intermediate, advanced),these lists will provide a frame-work for ABLE programs thatwill inform curriculum design,focus instruction, and link in-struction to assessment.Q

S4REGUMORHIR70SUIDGMOVICKI

An upgrade of the data system,Version 2.1, has been mailed toagencies participating in mecha-nized data collection. Many bugshave been fixed (e.g. printerproblems), and fields have beenadded to enable complete exportto PDE of the Program DataForm. This version will assistprograms in providing valid andcomplete information for exportto PDE at the end of the year.0

4MIIIMOR70 NODULESGYK:\OLMLIE 3COM

As the project year winds downstaff training modules are in thelast stages of development by theTraining Development Project.

The Assessment module of-fers comprehensive training in athree-day format with a follow-up period during which techni-cal assistance will be offered.Content of the module includestheory of assessment, selectingand administering standardizedassessments, assessment for pro-gram accountability, informal as-sessments, and program assess-ment planning. Trainers will pro-vide hands-on activities for smallgroups.

The Case Management mod-ule will offer a comprehensiveplanning guide to developing acase management system withinABE programs.

Both modules will be readyfor delivery by the end of thesummer. Contact your regionalPDC for scheduling. Other mod-ules include Teaching Strategiesfor the Multi-level ESL Class-room, Cooperative Learning, andMath Problem Solving.G)

24aVIMO OCJ VOIDMI

Project AXIS has been workingbehind the scenes in a commu-nication-support role. Publica-tions including The ABLE Admin-istrators Handbook, The ProviderDirectory, and Freebies for ABLEwere produced during 1996-97.A Web site for the Bureau ofAdult Basic and Literacy Educa-tion will soon be announced."ABLE Site" contains informa-tion on adult basic and literacyeducation in Pennsylvania, theentire Provider Directory in Web-

CONTINUED 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5q

accessible format, downloadablefiles of publications, PDE fund-ing guidelines and forms, andmuch more.e

IMIOLDR70 EICDMIECC:MUMMIESBuilding Communities forLearning (BCL) is a Pennsylva-nia State Coalition for Adult Lit-eracy (PSCAL) community-based planning project designedto improve the delivery of adultlearner services and, ultimately,adult learner outcomes. During1996-97 four pilot sites wereadded: Carbon County, NorthernCambria County, the PittsburghNeighborhood Learning Collabo-rative, and Washington County.These sites, along with FayetteCounty, Lycoming County, andWyoming Valley, established in1995-96, are building compre-hensive, coordinated deliverysystems of adult learner services.As a result of their collaborativeefforts, these communities aremore effectively and efficientlyserving the multiple needs ofadult learners.

The three original pilot siteswere matched with 1996-97grantees to provide individual-ized technical assistance andsupport. PSCAL plans to addfour new community-based plan-ning sites during August andSeptember 1997. For more infor-mation or to be placed on theBCL mailing list, contact Dr.Sheila Sherow at sms20@psu.edu or (814) 349-2444.0

RESOURCE CEEKITEROU1717K:MIES &COMO

AdvancE's collection, files, andcomputers moved to a new loca-tion on the 11th floor of the De-partment of Education. Thechange combines all the collec-tions housed in the ResourceCenter and provides improvedaccess to the adult, vocational/School-to-Work, and basic edu-cation resources. The downlinksite for teleconferences and anarea for videoconferencing dem-onstrations are also available.

In support of the dissemina-tion of 353 projects, AdvancEproduced the Projects Abstractsfor the Fiscal Year 1995-96 andsubmitted all 1995-96 final re-

ports and products to the U.S.Department of Education and toERIC for review and possibleinclusion in the ERIC database.The 1995-96 final reports arebeing cataloged and entered intothe State Library database. Tosearch the AdvancE collectioncheck out Access Pennsylvaniaat http://accesspa.brodart.com.0

GMBIESACNI MEL:AmL1 KIXICYMIED@IE

Participants in Pennsylvania AdultLiteracy Practitioner Inquiryare busily analyzing data andwriting up the findings from theirinquiry projects. The topics rep-resent a broad range of experi-ences and program types.

A literacy council coordina-tor used dialogue journals withthree learner-tutor pairs to learnmore about program partici-pants' needs. A volunteer tutor isseeing how his students respondto language experience activities.A math teacher is learning moreabout how to help students suc-ceed by involving them in devel-oping a new math placement testand then collecting math writingsamples and observations of

them doing their work. He re-ports that this "has revealed a tonof information." A number ofparticipants are either trying outa new approach and document-ing how students respond to it orare working to understand betterhow students perceive and re-spond to current practices as away to develop new approaches.

A number of PALPIN partici-pants in the Southeast regionhave been working with col-leagues to develop a program-wide inquiry project. Two suchgroups are investigating the chal-lenges of meeting the literacyneeds of ESL learners where lis-tening and speaking have beenthe primary instructional empha-sis. One group is developing aplan to restructure their programbased on the inquiry work.

This brief summary illustratesways in which inquiry is help-ing to improve individual prac-tice and contribute to overall pro-gram improvement and knowl-edge generation for the field.

The Pennsylvania ActionResearch Network researchteam has logged hundreds ofhours and miles to meet and ex-ceed the project's goals. A brief

GlatimPty bliTID3ROVeciffSent Project= Agertcles/Ccatacts0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Project EQUAL- Educational Quality for Adult Literacy: Abt Associates/Judith Alamprese

Regional Professional Development Centers: Northwest Tri-County LU. 5/ RichardGacka, Bootsie Barbour; Central LU. 10/ Edith Gordon, Gail Leightley; Greater PittsburghLiteracy Council /Donald Block, Karen Mundie, Rachel Zilcosky, Sue Snider,. TIU AdultEducation & Job Training Center /Carol Molek, Brian Frey, Paula Smith; LancasterLebanon LU. 13/ David Kart, Sandra Strunk lisa Powell Diller; Mayors Commission onLiteracy/ Rose Brandt, Diane lnverso

AdvancE State Literacy Resource Center. Pennsylvania Dept. of Education/Cheryl Harmon

ilostern Pa. Adult Literacy Resource Center: Pennsylvania Dept. of Education/Chris Kemp

Building Communities for Learning: Pennsylvania State Coalition for Aduft Literacy/Sheila M. Sherow

Training Development Prefect TIU Adult Education & Job Training Center /Carol Molek

Research & Development of Pennsylvania-Specific Adult Learner Competencies inFamily, Work, and Community Contexts: Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, PennState University/ Eunice N. Askov, Barbara Van Horn

Technical Assistance for the Transmission of Data through Technology: Center forLiteracy, Inc. /JoAnn Weinberger

Development of Criteria for Reporting Student Data: Center for Literacy, lnc./Ashley Staudt

Professional Development Evaluation & Reporting System: South-Central ProfessionalDevelopment Center/ Brian Frey

Program Improvement Plans & Needs Assessment Southeast Professional DevelopmentCenter/ Sandra Strunk

ABLE Net: Central-Northeast Professional Development Center /Debra Burrows

Focus on Adaptation: Royce & Royce /Sherry Royce

Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PA-ARN): Penn State University Monroeville /Allan Quigley

Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network (PALPIN): University ofPennsylvania / Alisa Belzer

Statewide Staff Development on Adults with Learning Differences: Center for AlternativeLearning / Richard Cooper

Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth: Delaware Co. Literacy Council/Patricia Reitz Gaul

AXISAdult education eXpress Intercommunications Support: Lancaster-Lebanon I.U.13/ Tana Reiff

summary: PA-ARN providedtraining and mentoring alongwith a training handbook. About30 participants are expected tocomplete projects and mono-graphs. The Action Update news-letter kept practitioners aware ofboth PA-ARN and PALPIN. Adata bank is making everyproject accessible to anyone.Mentors from last year's projectassisted this year. A panel of ex-perts added objective input to theindividual projects in two regions.

An internal evaluation of im-pact involving participants inPA-ARN's first year showed thatsome had continued with actionresearch, some had not; yet, 94%said they "look at problems in amore systematic way as a resultof action research." The samepercent said they had "betterproblem solving strategies." Atotal of 63% had changed theirprogram permanently and 63%said the institution's procedureshad seen a lasting change as well.Their supervisors confirmedthese statements in a secondround of interviews.

Project leaders report that ac-tion research is beginning toshow consistent strategies andpatterns of findings, and that thefield is already seeing some last-ing impactboth in practice andinstitutional functions. With agrowing base of knowledge, theyhope that emerging patterns ofsuccessful strategies can be evenbetter disseminated.Q

©M ORE aCCIESSmnoamcomaCOUULUIRIOCC-71381X1

ABLE Net developed and main-tains a Web page (www.lhup.edu/-lhinman/home.htm) targeted toABLE programs by providinglinks and information on technol-ogy funding, lesson plans, pend-ing legislation, ESL, School-to-Work, training opportunities,workforce education, and more.During the past year, there hasbeen a significant increase in thenumber of ABLE-affiliated indi-viduals and programs that havesecured online access. This willprovide opportunities for faster,more efficient communicationand access to information, whichwill help with the overall pro-gram improvement effort@

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OVUDEIMUCCDNPIEVERTZDEZ2N5000:c170.ACE9F&INIDE.Vs,CONNUMITTV

Not so many years ago, manyadult educators considered theterm competency-based adulteducation an oxymoron. Someadventurous programs beganthe daring journey into "lifeskills." Then the field began totalk about "meeting the needs ofour adult students"that ourinstructional and support pro-grams should work with adultstudents to develop the skills/awarenesses/competencies re-quired to make our clients effec-tive workers, well-informedvoters, and model parents whowould help turn around thecycle of low literacy. It was atall order.

Functional-context educa-tion. In a program based on afunctional-context concept suchas that of workplace compe-tency, most instructional mate-rials are drawn from actual on-the-job materials. Because ofthe emphasis on "context" andjob-specific curricula, adult edu-cators must improve theirawareness of what goes on in theworkplace so they can pull outconcepts and information anduse them as vehicles for teach-ing basic skills.

Customized materials mustbe developed instead of relyingsolely on published materials.The objectives of a companyand its employees will deter-mine whether or not job contextis incorporated into basic-skills

instruction.Criterion-referenced mea-

surement. Adult basic and lit-eracy education programs initi-ating a system of competency-based instruction must developan assessment program designedto evaluate the instructionalgoals and objectives of the newprogram. Criterion-referencedassessment, standardized orinformal, measures an individ-ual's competence against a pre-determined standard of accept-able performance, rather than onhow well adult learners perform

The objectives of acompany and itsemployees will determinewhether or not jobcontext is incorporatedinto basic-skillsinstruction.

in comparison to others.Assessment must be fre-

quent, providing learners withregular feedback, allowing themto advance when ready. Becausecompetency-based assessmentrecognizes the significance ofprior learning and experience (amust in adult education), manyfeel it is more appropriate foruse with adults than norm-ref-erenced standardized testing ora materials-based approach.

SCANSadult learnercompetencies for the work-place. In 1990 the U.S. Secre-tary of Labor appointed a com-mission to look into charges thatAmericans are ill-equipped tosucceed in the workforce. TheSecretary's Commission onAchieving Necessary Skills(SCANS) prepared a list of

afitiptiffPJUNE 1997

workforce competency skillsand stressed the importance ofthe workplace and job-relatedtasks as the most effective learn-ing environment.

Although some SCANScompetencies are hands-on (se-lecting equipment and tools,troubleshooting equipment),most deal with attitudes, inter-personal skills, thinking, reason-ing, etc. (One area even dealswith competencies in reading,writing, speaking, listening, andmath.)

CASASLife Skills Com-petencies. The ComprehensiveAdult Student Assessment Sys-tem (CASAS) was developed anumber of years ago and hasbeen revised to correlate withSCANS competencies.

CASAS is attractive to someABLE programs because it pro-vides a system of assessmentupon which to determine theextent of adult learner compe-tencies in life skills. As is truein many competency-based pro-grams, adult educators who re-sist "teaching to the test" mayneed to make some philosophi-cal adjustment if their instruc-tional program is grounded onthe CASAS competencies ofBasic Communication, Con-sumer Economics, CommunityResources, Health, Employ-ment, Government and Law,Computation, Learning toLearn, and Independent Living.

Dangers of a list. SCANS,CASAS, and other programswhich identify "necessary com-petencies" tend to lead to atrivialization of the individualnature of achievement. Indi-vidualization has always been a

keystone of successful adulteducation instruction, and cau-tion must be taken not to elimi-nate this individualization in at-tempts to systematize learningand learning goals.

Adults with learning prob-lems may make attainment of aparticular competency impos-sible in an adult education set-ting. We must not lose sight ofthe attitudes and techniquesconcerning individual abilitieswhich Dr. Richard Cooper andothers have worked so hard inconveying to us.

Lists have a way of beingaccepted as easily identifiablegoals and objectives. Once theyare accepted, lists are sometimesused as representing that whichis best for all. Adult competen-cies, in their present context ofwelfare reform, economic de-velopment, etc., are across-the-board skills which employerswould like to see. Adult educa-tors must continue the practiceof meeting the needs of indi-vidual students. This can bedone if we use competency listsas guidelines rather than indi-vidual learning goals..

LegislativeFlash!According to JoAnn Wein-berger, co-chair of the PAACELegislative Committee, thestate budget approved on May6 includes a 3% increase infunding for Act 143, the StateAdult Literacy Act. This wasthe amount requested by Gov-ernor Ridge.

A suggestion: contact yourstate legislators and thankthem.*

talazrak

5

allro-ArJUNE 199

oc The March 1997 Missouri'sLiteracy Network News lists theresults of a one-year researchproject dealing with the charac-teristics of ABE students. Someof the findings: Adult studentswho spend less than 10-12 hoursper week studying spend halfthat time reviewing; 80 contacthours is the minimum time re-quired for a significant learninggain; adult students who usesupport services are more likelyto persist than those who do not;ABE students enrolled in smallprograms are more likely to per-sist than those in large pro-grams; adult students enrolled inday classes are more likely topersist than students enrolled atnight; moving from one-on-oneinstruction to small-group in-struction is beneficial to stu-dents but requires more prepa-ration time for instructors.

0.) VINE, the newsletter of thePennsylvania Association forVolunteerism, in its Winter 1997issue, has some interesting sta-tistics about the nation's agingpopulation. With the first waveof "baby boomers" enteringtheir 50s, it is expected that dur-ing the next 50 years the 55+ agegroup will increase from thepresent level of 21% of thepopulation to 33%. The articlesays boomers are not as inter-ested in civic participation aswere previous generations, andorganizations that count on vol-unteers are already encounteringproblems getting volunteers.There are now nearly eight mil-lion fewer volunteers nation-wide than in 1974. (It will beinteresting to see if the Volun-

6

7

In whichwe note types and

contents of professionalnewsletters to assist Buzzreaders in finding their way

through the adult educationnewsletter maze ...

HawmDattar[Roundup

teer Summit held in April inPhiladelphia will help counter-act this trend.)

c+ The newsletter of the U.S.Department of Education's Di-vision of Adult Education andLiteracy, Winter 1997 issue, re-ported on a project at GeorgeWashington University whichidentified several principles al-lowing ESL educators to createan "ideal" environment for stu-dents. Included are: 1) Hold lim-ited English-proficient studentsto the same high expectation oflearning established for all stu-dents; 2) Develop full receptiveand productive proficiencies inEnglish, consistent with expec-tations for all students; 3) En-able limited-English students tomeet performance standards inall content areas. For more in-formation call GW University at(800) 925-3223. To get on theA.L.L. Points Bulletin mailinglist write to DAEL, 600 Inde-pendence Ave., SW, Washing-ton, DC 20202-7240.

Read On is the newsletter ofthe Mayor's Commission onLiteracy in Philadelphia. TheWinter 1997 issue featured anarticle titled "Staying Informed

on Welfare Changes," whichdiscussed the key provisions ofthe Temporary Assistance forNeedy Families (TANF) Pro-gram, which went into effect inPennsylvania on March 3, 1997.The article suggests local pro-grams read the state plan (it'snot easy reading) and share itwith staff members and commu-nity groups. For more informa-tion contact the PennsylvaniaDept. of Public Welfare, Rm.431, Health and Welfare Bldg.,Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675.

In the same issue MCOLExecutive Director Rose Brandtnotes some concerns expressedby literacy practitioners. In ad-dition to a feeling of isolation("our program is different fromothers"), they noted the socialand political climate and theimplications for program fund-ing; how program participantswill be able to continue theirbasic needs in these times ofchange and whether, after meet-ing these basic needs, there willbe any time and energy left foreducation; and the need to adaptprograms to address the changesin our society. Many programsare finding they are workingwith a different type of partici-pant, one who is younger and isrequired to participate, and anumber of programs are con-cerned that incidents of inappro-priate or threatening behaviorare becoming increasingly com-mon.

62

00 The Winter 1997 issue ofDevelopments, the newsletterfor ABLE programs in Washing-ton state, has an article on teach-ing with themes in adult basiceducation. It suggests theme-based instruction increaseslearner motivation and reten-tion, critical thinking, reading,writing, and research skills.Themes are identified by adultstudents and a catalog is madeof what is known and not knownabout the subject. Activities aredeveloped to research the topicand students hold a critique atthe end of the project.

pc GED Items, a free newslet-ter from the GED Testing Ser-vice, contains lots of informa-tion especially relevant to GEDprogram instructors. In the Janu-ary/February 1997 issue,GEDTS Interim Director JoanE. Auchter tells of a plan pro-posed this year in Massachusettswhich provided for the admin-istration of the seven-hour, 35-minute General EducationalDevelopment Test to everygraduating senior in the state. Inproposing the test administra-tion, the Chair of the Massachu-setts Board of Education saidthat using the GED test wouldput an end to "social promo-tions" and serve as a wake-upcall to schools where studentperformance was consistentlypoor. After a significant publicprotest led by a Boston news-paper, the Board reversed itsdecision.

To get on the mailing list ofGED Items, write GEDTS, OneDuPont Circle NW, Ste. 250,Washington, DC 20036-1163.4

O The Bridges/PREP em-ployment readiness programof the Lebanon County Housingand Redevelopment Authorityhas received an Award of Meritfrom the Mid-Atlantic Regionof the National Association ofHousing and RedevelopmentOfficials. The Bridges/PREPprogram helps build self-esteemand assists participants to de-velop the necessary skills to jointhe work force or continue theireducation. Program director isJean Henry.

O Ron Ray, formerly sales rep-resentative for Steck-Vaughn,writes us that, although he en-joyed seeing all of his adult edu-cation colleagues at the 1997Midwinter Conference, he at-tended as a "civilian" due to acorporate decision which elimi-nated his and nine other salesrep positions. Ron says he ap-preciates the support of hisPennsylvania friends in adulteducation and hopes their pathswill cross again soon.

O Len Keller, sales represen-tative for EDS publishers, hasestablished an award for nontra-ditional adult students at Cali-fornia (PA) University. Given inhonor of his father, says Len,"The reason I've established theaward is that I've been involvedwith adult education in Pennsyl-vania for many years and seenmany adults who want to learn.I hope this will help a little bit."

i Temple University has es-tablished a new masters degreeprogram in Adult and Organiza-tional Development which willbegin in fall, 1997. The programwill be a combination of two

previous pro-grams and, ac-cording to theUniversity,"will carry on along traditionof preparingsuccessfulpractitioners inthe field."

Program di-rector CherylBoyer, Assis-tant Professorat Temple Har-risburg, andMel .Silber-

JUNE

man, ProgramCoordinator inPhiladelphia,say they havefashioned acutting-edgeprogram whichwill featurepractical skilldevelopment,relevant theoryand research,and a facultywho are amongthe leadingprofessionalsin the field...I.

Ugal Pennsylvania ProgramsSelected for Nationwide.PartnershipLiteracy Partners, the parent organization of Literacy Volunteers ofAmerica in New York City, has announced the selection of two Penn-sylvania adult basic and literacy education programs as members ofthe newly fornied "What Works in Literacy Partnership?'

Representatives from the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (Ex-ecutive Director, Don Block) and the Center for Literacy in Philadel-phia (Executive Director, JoAnn Weinberger) joined other LiteracyPartnership members at a March conference in New York City tolaunch the program. Major themes were evaluation and assessmentand advanced technologies and telecommunications.

The partnership is a national network of 16 outstanding programsfrom cities across the United States (Pennsylvania is the only statewith two programs selected). Member programs will be linked bytelecommunications, four national conferences, 15 national work-shops, and publications to demonstrate that literacy programs areeffective in helping adults learn.

The program is funded through a $1 million grant from the LilaWallace-Readers Digest Fund to invest in programs that enhance thecultural life of communities..

63

L1 9 9 7

reOFL Campaign, from p.2

ing. It is also about opportunityand giving people the tools theyneed to make the most of theirGod-given potential. It is aboutpreparing for the 21st century,when a full literate work forcewill be crucial to our continuedstrength as a nation."

NIFL has targeted 26 televi-sion stations and 63 radio sta-tions throughout Pennsylvania,and the first mailing of publicservice announcements support-ing the literacy public awarenesscampaign have been distributed,with others to follow.

Other Pennsylvanians on theNIFL state Media Task Forceare Autumn Gemberling,Deputy Press Secretary to FirstLady Michele Ridge; MicheleHaskins, Pennsylvania Depart-ment of Education Press Office;Cheryl Keenan, Director of theBureau of Adult Basic and Lit-eracy Education; LindaMcCrossan, Director of theLehigh Valley Adult LiteracyResource Center; Susan Mor-gan, Pennsylvania NewspaperPublishers' Association; EllaMorin, Chief of the Special Pro-grams Division of the ABLEBureau; JoAnn Weinberger,Executive Director of the Cen-ter for Literacy, Philadelphia;and Nancy Woods, Director ofAdult Literacy Action, PennState Beaver Campus..0

atil From left: Jo Ann Weinberger

and Ashley Stoudt from The Center

for Literacy and Karen Mundie and

Michele Joyce from the Greater

Pittsburgh Literacy Council.

7

JUNE 1997

Jane 1997

NOTE: There will not be a North-east Regional Literacy Conferencein June 1997 due to the number ofstatewide conferences. For moreinformation[ contact your TLC rep-resentative or TLC President PatGaul at (610) 876-4811.

2-3 18th International Councilfor Distance Learning Conference,Penn State. Contact: (800) 778-8632.

5 Pennsylvania State Coali-tion for Adult Literacy (PSCAL)Forum, Harrisburg. Contact JoanneShane Plummer (717) 238-9026.

5 Teleconference: "Planningand Funding Technology for AdultLiteracy," sponsored by PBS AdultLearning Satellite Service. Telecon-ference: "Changing Culture in theWorkplace"; eight 60-minute pro-grams. Contact: PBS, (800) 257-2578.

11.13E 1997 Pennsylvania RuralHealth Conference, State College.Contact: Lisa Davis, (814) 863-8214.

1 5- 1 7 Inter-regional Conferenceon Teaching and Learning, Franklinand Marshall College, Lancaster.Contact: SEPDC, (717) 270-2935or SCPDC, (717) 232-0568.

25.27 Pennsylvania Associationfor Volunteerism (PAV) AnnualStatewide Conference; Williams-port, PA Contact: PAV, P.O. Box385, Reading, PA 19607.

co'I-"yeMIETITMETSLaNW,ii FaCtierallfiraittitZWATFroWaThere will be three sped professional development institutes (for-merly called the Summer Institutes) held during the 1997-98 year.Exact details and dates were not available at press time, but inter-ested ABLErs should contact their program directors and/or thesources noted here:

Correctionspossible dates: August 20-22; possible location:Millersville. Contact: William Mader, Bureau of Correction Educa-tion, (717) 783-9209.

ESLContact: Manuel Gonzalez, Northampton Area Commu-nity College, (610) 861-5068.

New Teachers Training and Orientation: first session to be held atthe end of summer. Contact: Carol Molek, TIU Adult Education andJob Training Center, (717) 248-4942.4

Literacy Summit in Camp Hill June 9A forum on literacy to focus the attention of lawmakers, businessleaders, educators, volunteer organizations and other groups on thechallenge of improving literacy skills will be held at the Radisson PennHarris Hotel and Convention Center in Camp Hill on June 9, 1997from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The forum will be chaired by U.S. Congressmen William F.Goodling of York County and George W. Gekas of Dauphin Countyand is sponsored by the Public Forum Institute, a nonpartisan publicpolicy group.

For more information contact Krista Donahue at the Institute (202)

547-2470.0

august 1997

208121 Teleconference: "ConnectWith English"; ESL series of 2530-minute programs from PBS.Contact: (800) 257-2578.

SegneErErobev 1997

13 International Literacy Day

October 1997

Family Literacy Month

New Reader Conference, spon-sored by Teachers of Literacy in theCommonwealth (TLC); date andplace to be announced. Contact: PatGaul, TLC Chair, (610) 876-4811.

25.28 59th Annual Associationfor Continuing Higher EducationConference, Penn State. Theme:"Changing the Rules: Access andAccessibility in an InformationAge."

Mover rubev 1997

9-11 AAACE '97. NationalConference of the American Asso-ciation for Adult and ContinuingEducation, Cincinnati. Contact:Judy Scherrer (513) 887-5021.

Febnoanr 199

4-8 1998 Adult EducationMidwinter Conference, Hershey.Theme: Linking Learning to Life."

rBon 214Troy, PA 16947

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"What's the Buzz": Pennsylvania's Adult Basic and LiteracyD.exr.e.lopreant....Newalette.r

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June 1997

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