From Research to Practice

ABE/ESL to Work Credentials

Luzelma Canales, PhDLuzelma Canales, PhD

Heide Spruck Wrigley, PhD

For the

Consortium of Community Colleges for Immigrant Education

White Plains, NY – Dec 2010

MEETING THE NEEDSMEETING THE NEEDS

Of immigrant adults with Of immigrant adults with

limited formal schooling

through innovative programs

THE SYSTEM THE SYSTEM THE SYSTEM THE SYSTEM

Could be a bit more

perfect

TO CREATE APPROPRIATE TO CREATE APPROPRIATE

INTERVENTIONS ….INTERVENTIONS ….

It is important not only to

address issues related to address issues related to

academic literacy

TO CREATE APPROPRIATE TO CREATE APPROPRIATE

INTERVENTIONS ….INTERVENTIONS ….

We also need to look at socio-

economic issues and economic issues and

turbulence factors that make

it difficult for vulnerable

immigrants to persist

Personal Development Matrix

At-Risk Level Growth Level

In-Crisis Vulnerable Stable Safe Thriving

Shelter

Food and Nutrition

Transportation and Mobility

Health and SafetyHealth and Safety

Social/Emotional Health

Finances

Family Relations

Children’s Ed. and Development

Community Involvement

Adult Education and Training

Language and Literacy

Employment

Immigration and Resettlement

Community Development Matrix Model

Example: ShelterTHRIVING· Owns home or has long term tenancy

· Able to comfortably afford housing costs

· Family feels housing is safe and appropriate for their needs

SAFE/SELF-SUFFICIENT· Owns home or tenancy is secure for at least a year

· Able to pay rent or mortgage each month and have enough income for other expensesAble to pay rent or mortgage each month and have enough income for other expenses

· Housing is safe and not over-crowded

STABLE· Living in permanent housing, or temporary situation that will last at least six months

· Able to pay rent each month

· Housing is not hazardous, unhealthy, overcrowded

VULNERABLE· Lives in temporary or transitional housing and is not certain where next shelter is to be found

· Unable to pay rent on time every month

· Housing is unsafe or seriously over-crowded

IN-CRISIS· Homeless or on the verge of homelessness

· Primary source of income has ceased, no resources to cover housing

· Living in dangerous conditions

MODELS MODELS MODELS MODELS

for educating and training

adult English Language

Learners

Sequential ESL-first model

This model has all the basic components needed to

prepare an LEP student for work. The only problem is

that few students actually acquire the skills needed for

college classes or make it through such a lengthy

process.process.

Life Skills Related ESL(Levels 1-6)

ABE/GEDVocational Training

Job

Sequential model with transitions

This model attempts to prepare students for college

success by adding a transition class between ESL and

GED and then again between GED and college training.

Unfortunately, this approach ends up making a long

and arduous process even longer.and arduous process even longer.

Life Skills Related ESL

(Levels 1-6)

ABE/GEDVocational Training

JobTransition to

ABE/GEDTransition to

College

II--BEST BEST ––TEAM TEACHING TEAM TEACHING II--BEST BEST ––TEAM TEACHING TEAM TEACHING

A driver for change

Integrated Basic Education Skills

Training (I-BEST) model

The I-BEST model in Washington State targets

LEP students at an intermediate level. ESL and

ABE instructors co-teach an integrated course

of language and vocational skills training at the of language and vocational skills training at the

same time. Students are supported with

advising, mentoring, tutoring, child care and

transportation.

SO WHAT SO WHAT SO WHAT SO WHAT

What Difference Does an

Integrated Model Make?

I-BEST impact

“When compared to traditional ESL students at the same proficiency level studying during the same time period, students in the I-BEST program earned students in the I-BEST program earned five times more college credits and were 15 times more likely to complete workforce training.”

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, 2005

Contextualized

ABE/ESL/Pre-GED

Job Development /

Academic Advising

Job or Academic

Pathway

VESL for Health &

Health Care

Contextualized

GED

Integrated Health Care

Bilingual Career Exploration

EPCC comprehensive and integrated education, services and training model

Currently under development – builds on

comprehensive and integrated model.

ABE/ESL

(Beginning)BCE

CNA

Technical Training

Academic Advising Pathway

Supportive and Transition Services

(High Beginning)

ESL Literacy

(Low Beginning)

Currently funded and operated by

local school districts

(optional)

Contextualized

ABE/ESL/Pre-GED

IT

Technical Training

Job Development /

Academic Advising

Job or Academic

Pathway

Supportive and Transition Services

VESL for Personal

Computing & IT

(High Beginning)

Contextualized

GED

(optional)

Integrated Information Technology

Lone Star College System

ABE-IG Program Flow Chart

Student Referrals

•LSCS ESL Classes

VESL/Vocational

ASE

Workforce

Certificate Course

(CNA or Welding)•LSCS ESL Classes

•LSCS GED Classes

•Region 6 Classes

•Community

Intake and AdvisingCareer and College

Orientation

(CNA or Welding)

Tutoring

Advising

Job or Additional

Training

El Paso Community College

ABE-IG Program Flow Chart

CNA Technical

Training

Life Skills ESL

(Beginning ESL)

(Levels 1-3)

Bilingual Life &

Career Exploration

(Workshop)

ESL for Health &

Health Care

(Low Intermediate)

College Prep for

Health Care

Contextualized VESL

Supportive and Transition Services

(Support Counseling, Career Planning, Academic

Advising, Job Development)

Contextualized GED

(optional)

Job or Academic

Pathway

LEAP

Career Exploration

and Support(Levels 1-3) (Workshop)

ESL for Personal

Computing & IT

(Low Intermediate)

College Prep for IT

Advising, Job Development)

IT Technical Training

Contextualized VESL

Contextualized GED

(optional)

Job or Academic

Pathway

and Support

Pre-Academic ESLCollege Prep for

Academic Purposes

Intensive English for

Academic Purposes

Contextualized GED

(optional)Academic Courses

English for Personal

Enrichment

ESL for Family,

Civics, Citizenship

South Texas College

Dual Language On-Ramp

Outreach &

IntakeAssessment

English for

Specific

Purposes

Contextual GEDCertificate

Training A

Certificate

Training B AA

Proactive Job

Development Job

Professional

Spanish

College Prep

Customized Supportive Services & Proactive Counseling

Project VIDA

STC Continuing Education

STC Academic Programs

Workforce Solutions

LUZELMA CANALES LUZELMA CANALES LUZELMA CANALES LUZELMA CANALES

South Texas College

Pathways

STC DUAL LANGUAGE ON RAMP

From Research to Practice From Research to Practice

Students Working

On Their Presentations

What We Know and What Is Needed

What we know Therefore

2/3 of immigrants from

Mexico have less than a

high school completion

We need to create

educational

opportunities especially high school completion

and have limited

proficiency in English .

They also lead complex

lives.

opportunities especially

designed for this group

of high need students

since they are not likely

to succeed in

conventional programs

Profile of High Need Adults in

South Texas

• Varied life experiences

• Not working or working in entry level jobs

• Limited experience with formal schooling

• Speak a language other than English at home • Speak a language other than English at home

• Dominant in Spanish

• Limited exposure to academic language and literacy skills in English AND in Spanish

• Multiple turbulence factors

How long does

it take to learn it take to learn

English

What We Know and What Is Needed

What we know Therefore

•It takes 5-7 years to

develop full proficiency in

English.

We designed an

intensive model that

compresses the time •Adults stay in ESL classes

120 hours on average

•The conventional model

requires proficiency in

English before individuals

are eligible for training

compresses the time

toward a certificate by

offering ESL for Specific

Purposes for various

career path

WHOM DO WE SERVE? WHOM DO WE SERVE?

Educational profile of

students targeted for First students targeted for First

Level Transition

(On-Ramp Students)

Targeted Profiles• No high school diploma or GED in Mexico or

the US

• High Beginning/Low intermediate level of oral English oral English

• 6th grade reading in English

• 6th grade reading in Spanish

• Clear career goal

• Able to make a commitment to an intensive course and with intent of going to college

ON THE BORDER ON THE BORDER

Students ability to

understand English tends

to be far greater than their to be far greater than their

ability to express

themselves in English

What We Know and What We Did

What we know Therefore

Oral English fluency

constitute a major

barrier to academic and

The initial intensive English for Special Purposes (ESP) courseemphasizes the

barrier to academic and

work success for

students who speak a

language other than

English at home

emphasizes the development of oral communication skills (listening comprehension, peer to peer academic talk, discussions and presentations)

TRANSITION REQUIRES

Academically challenging Academically challenging

learning tasks

Lesson flow to develop academic literacy

Activate

Background

Knowledge

Present

Information

(Listening –

Speaking)

Present

Information

(Reading –

Writing)

Discussion

Comprehension

Check

Break

Animated

Highlight

Lesson Focus

and Model the

Task

Small Group

Work

Highlight How

English Works

Quick Check and

ReviewGuided Practice

ACADEMIC TALK BETWEEN ACADEMIC TALK BETWEEN

STUDENTS …STUDENTS …

.. in the form of Question Asking and

Question Answering focused on

academic content builds language, academic content builds language,

literacy, and comprehension skills.

The strategy is particularly effective

when tied to a set of learning

strategies known as “reciprocal

teaching”.

Question asking/question answering

ON THE BORDER ON THE BORDER

Life, work, and service

interactions are mediated

through dual language use through dual language use

– English and Spanish

What We Know and What We Did

What we know Therefore

Health care workers

who provide services in

ethnic communities are

We implemented a course focused on Spanish for Professional Purposes

ethnic communities are

more effective if they

are fully proficient not

only in English but in

the language of the

community

Professional Purposes so students could learn career specific terminology and become familiar with concept in a language they can understand

THE WIB RECOGNIZES THAT

English literacy is not the

only literacy that counts

and biliterate adults have and biliterate adults have

greater opportunities

LEARNING IN TWO LANGUAGES…LEARNING IN TWO LANGUAGES…

… helps adults develop the

academic language needed

for professional for professional

interactions with a wide

range of clients and other

professionals

What We Know and What We Did

What we know Therefore

Concept knowledge

acquired in the native

language transfers to

We integrated the

English and Spanish

curricula to create language transfers to

the second language

curricula to create

deeper and stronger

connections in the

brain

CONVENTIONAL ESL PROGRAMSCONVENTIONAL ESL PROGRAMS

Tend to underestimate

what low educated

students are capable of students are capable of

and eager to learn

What We Know and What Was Needed

What we know Therefore

As a field, we often

have low expectations

of low literate students

We needed to create a

cognitively challenging

curriculum that of low literate students curriculum that

emphasizes explicit

teaching and task

based instruction,

coupled with

collaborative learning

and student projects

What We Know and What Was Needed

What we know Therefore

Students with limited

education may not have

the school-based

We needed to integrate

key aspects of learning

how to learn and the school-based

academic skills that

allow them to succeed

how to learn and

introduce strategies

useful in analyzing and

interpreting data and

other forms of

information

AND THEN THERE IS

All that other stuff that All that other stuff that

happens in learners’ lives

What About What About

Technology

What We Know and What We Did

What we know Therefore

Most students are

eager to become

computer literate

Every Friday classes are taught in the computer lab – students have e-mail accounts, receive

computer literate

Yet engagement with

technology-based

learning is often

constraint by teacher

interests .

mail accounts, receive assignments via e-mail and engage in computer based skill building activities while the teacher tutors a small group

Fridays are test and technology

days.

�Written test

containing week’s

content

� While Ss take

test Instructor test Instructor

emails them the

worksheet for the

day (e-accounts

created from the

beginning)

� Ss click on the

link and work

individually

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/fracturesandsprains/htm/_no_50_no_0.htm

So What Does it So What Does it

Look Like

ABE/ESL to Credential

(On-Ramp)

Comprehensive and integrated education,

services and training model

Outreach and Intake

Contextual GED

Certificate B &

College Prep

Certificate Training

A

ProfessionalSpanish

English forSpecific

Purposes

Supportive Services and Counseling

AA

LUZELMALUZELMA

THE PICTURES TELL THE THE PICTURES TELL THE

STORY

THE MOTTO THE MOTTO

High Expectations and

High Support