This document contains a final report and a handbook from a project to develop a comprehensive text on Pennsylvania government structure and taxes written on a lower (fourth- to eighth-grade) reading level for adult basic education students. The report describes how available government publications were researched, and a five-unit handbook that…

An informal workplace literacy self-test was developed to enable employees to assess their math and reading skills and decide whether to enroll in appropriate literacy programs. The math section of the test consisted of 15 questions; the reading section consisted of 10 questions. The test was quick, confidential, self-administered, and…

According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), at least 154 programs administered by 14 federal departments/agencies provide approximately $25 billion in annual employment training assistance. The GAO reviewed 62 of those programs in December 1993, and a U.S. Senate committee requested basic information about 88 of the programs in June 1994.…

This set of learning modules was developed during a project to deliver workplace literacy instruction to individuals employed in the more than 50 businesses related to the activities of the Port of Baltimore. It is intended to help employees of port businesses improve their spelling and vocabulary. The first module is a preassessment designed to…

A study examined the reading problems of adults in Newfoundland (Canada) with low reading ability. It explored the genesis of these problems through a retrospective analysis of their lives as school children; and determined the relationship between literacy development and personal background factors, school factors, physiological factors, and…

Noting that, generally, low-literate adults in Labrador and Newfoundland (Canada) are being helped only through the altruistic efforts of literate volunteers, this paper argues that adult literacy must be professionalized and become an integral part of the education system. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the definitions of literacy,…

While many factors contribute to success and/or failure in ABE (Adult Basic Education) and ASE (Adult Secondary Education) activities, ABE and ASE writers will succeed or fail in direct correlation to what is happening to their self-esteem in the context of writing instruction. The first guideline for teaching writing to adults is telling the…

This brief report summarizes the legal requirements of nondiscrimination imposed by the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and the Americans with Disabilities Act as of July 26, 1992, especially in the area of testing. The report emphasizes that literacy tests must be nondiscriminatory and related to the job for which they are given. The following…

This report reviews legislative and administrative policies surrounding adult basic education, the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program (JOBS) of the Family Support Act, and the Job Training and Partnership Act (JTPA). Recommendations are made for the development of an effective continuum of literacy services. Section A is a historical…

The Literacy Learning through Technology project sought to explore how professionals in adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) in Victoria, Australia, developed their expertise with online technology and incorporated it into their programs. Data were gathered from surveys and follow-up interviews with 10 participants and visits to 9 sites that…

This document contains three workplace education curriculum frameworks that provide the underlying rationale and competencies for workplace education classes in communication, English as a second language (ESL), and literacy. The frameworks contain basic information about the content of the course, the competencies the students need to master,…

Information is presented in recognition of the United Nations General Assembly proclamation of 1990 as International Literacy Year (ILY). It is shown that, in 1985, there were an estimated 889 million adult illiterates in the world (more than 25% of the adult population), and more than 100 million children of primary school age in developing…

The Ohio At-Risk Linkage Team Project focused on strengthening state and local linkages of programs and services offered to at-risk persons. The state linkage team provided leadership for local-level interagency linkage development. In April 1990 and October 1991, two workshops trained 29 local linkage teams. The resulting action plans specified…

The Bronx Educational Services (BES) was funded by the National Institute for Literacy to conduct activities to meet the following three objectives: (1) to develop and implement an evaluation to assess whether BES students improve their reading skills to a statistically significant degree as measured by the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE);…

Three conceptual issues form the basis for coping with technical problems of gathering data on literacy: (1) the definition of literacy; (2) choice of criteria that can be used in properly assessing and measuring literacy; and (3) conflict between the importance and necessity of literacy assessment and the difficulty of fulfilling the prerequisite…