"Adventures in Assessment" is an annual journal of the system for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES), a comprehensive training and technical assistance initiative for adult literacy educators and programs. SABES accomplishes this goal through staff and program development workshops, consultation, mini-courses, mentoring, peer…

The purpose the Native Language Literacy Screening Device (NLLSD) is to give English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) practitioners a sense of the native language literacy levels of learners coming into their programs. This is worth knowing because when learners have had limited schooling in their first language instructional strategies used…

The question of whether unemployed youths would benefit from different pedagogical techniques when learning numeracy skills was examined in a multifaceted qualitative study. Data were collected from the following activities: case studies in which a kit of everyday materials was used to stimulate discussion about numeracy practices with 30 selected…

The outcomes and impacts of adult literacy education in the United States were examined through a qualitative assessment of the pertinent research conducted since the late 1960s. A comprehensive literature search identified approximately 115 outcomes and impacts studies. Of the 68 studies found to have an outcomes component, the 23 most credible…

Thirteen marginal Philippine communities were examined in an ethnographic study of the meaning of functional literacy and whether literacy invariably promotes development. The 13 sites were purposely selected to provide a broad sampling from three standpoints: (1) major livelihood and form of economic activity (farming, fishing, urban poor,…

This training manual is intended for use as the basis of a training program by a trainer or as a tool for self-directed learning by an independent reader. An introduction (Chapter 1) looks at the user in relation to the training program: who will use the training manual, locating oneself, building on one's relationship with adult literacy learning…

Thirteen focus groups including approximately 70 people were conducted at University College Worcester and the Worcestershire Lifelong Learning Partnership in England to determine the participants' attitudes toward the educational programs provided and the best ways to reach them and encourage them to engage in learning. The majority of those in…

This thematic unit is designed for adult literacy students with at least a third grade reading level. Objectives are tied closely to skills needed for the General Educational Development tests and include computer and workplace skills. Equipped for the Future (EFF) roles and skills are also integrated into the plans. Best practice teaching…

This guide, which is designed to assist individuals responsible for implementing the provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), places the WIA in context and examines its major provisions and the implications of those provisions for educators, trainers, and others involved in the development, funding, and delivery of workforce…

Staff from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Jefferson County, Alabama, Department of Human Resources (DHS) worked together to create a "pipeline to employment" at UAB for welfare recipients by combining on-the-job training with educational opportunities. Welfare recipients referred to UAB by the Jefferson County DHS…

There is a strong and growing argument for higher educational attainment in the United States. The jobs that are expected to support the economy in the coming years will depend on a skilled workforce that is able to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges. However, demographic patterns demonstrate that relying on the traditional K-16 pipeline to…

This special issue of the newsletter "BEOutreach" focuses on the theme of family literacy program design and implementation. Articles address these topics: the influence of language and literacy on relationships within families and between families and schools; innovative approaches to family literacy that emphasize excellence; examples of…

Although Ontario's Ministry of Education currently funds a variety of literacy programs, the province of Ontario (Canada) currently has no overall policy, evaluation process, or agreed-upon definition of adult literacy to guide further development in the field. When developing a comprehensive government policy regarding adult literacy in Ontario,…

This manual was developed as a guide for setting up a workplace education program. Based on the Workplace Education Project (WEP) in Peterborough, Ontario, the manual contains nine chapters that provide details of the WEP and suggestions for implementing the process in other locations. The first chapter provides a rationale for a WEP program, and…

During the past 5 years, groundbreaking studies of adult literacy and literacy education have been conducted that can help policymakers and practitioners shape the next generation of adult literacy work in the United States. Among the topics examined in those studies were the following: relationship between literacy and economic well-being;…