Adult Ed. Programs
Nationally Validated Programs
State Education Department's Adult Education Page
NYSED Adult Education Resource Guides

There are 7 profiles to be viewed in this category

The following Adult Education programs have been designated as Promising Practices.


Learn to Read/Another Page Program
Adult nonreaders with 1st- 8th grade reading levels who are preparing to enter the GED on TV program.
The ProgramLearn to Read/Another Page is a distance-learning program that provides a nontraditional setting for reading instruction to pre-GED students.

Using the phonetics approach, Learn to Read teaches nonreaders with 1st to 3rd grade reading levels the connection between letters and sounds to help the student decode the printed word. Students watch the television lesson, review and practice with the Learn to Read newspaper, work on the supplementary materials provided, and discuss progress with their teletutor each week. There are 30 half hour program lessons developed by Kentucky Educational Television that start with the fundamentals of the alphabet and progress to basic phonic principles, songs, skits, survival reading tips, writing exercises, sight words, and review. Each student must make a 6- hour per week commitment to the program and studies in order to be eligible for enrollment.

Another Page is designed for adult readers who read within the 4th to 8th grade reading levels. The format of this component is similar to that of Learn to Read except that the textbooks and materials are more advanced. There are 15 half hour programs that stress reading skills along with performance and comprehension skills.

  
  
Implementation Requirements The State Education Department must give approval for EPI funding. A partnership with a local PBS station should be formed to air the programming.

Training The 2-day training covers recruitment, all program lessons, prebroadcast tasks and management, record keeping, retention, testing, assessment, and potential funding sources. The cost of the 2-day training is $750 (plus travel expenses and accomodations).

   
  
Materials The phonetics books range from $.99 each to $29.95. The reading books/tapes range from $14.90 for book and tape to $50.00 per set.
   
  
Contact:
Connie Dodd
Coordinator
6084 Powers Road
Orchard Park, NY 14127
(716) 662-4496
Teaching Adults with Learning Disabilities
Adult Educators
The ProgramA staff development videotape package providing adult educators (administrators, teachers, or support personnel) with a description of the characteristics of an adult with learning disabilities, an explication of how these characteristics impact performance, and suggestions for instruction, compensations, modifications, accommodations, and strategies.
  
  
Implementation Requirements Cost of the Package is $120 (plus shipping) and can be ordered from Albany Educational Television, 27 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203 (518) 465- 4741, fax (518) 462-7104. Training SED recommends that the training be facilitated by a qualified individual (e.g., a learning disability specialist) though the package can be used independently.
   
  
Materials Teaching Adults with Learning Disabilities, which includes two videotapes ("Identifying Characteristics" and "Instructional Strategies"), in addition to an instruction manual that supplements videotapes and is a resource guide.
   
  
Contact:
Deborah Kantor
Director of Production
Albany Educational TV
27 Western Avenue
Albany, New York 12203
(518) 465-4741

The following Adult Education Programs have been Validated by the New York State Education Department.

BES Adult Literacy Project
Functionally illiterate adults (reading below the 4.0 reading level)
The Program As a means of improving reading skills, the BES Adult Literacy Project's instructional methods combine a problem-solving approach with a linguistic analysis of words, sounds, and sentences and a highly structured sequence of oral and written skills.
  
  
How does it work? Intensive instruction is provided over a 20-week cycle. All instruction is classroom-based and occurs within community centers and churches.
   
  
Learning Standards: English Language Arts: 1) read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
   
   
Contact:
David Gonzalez
Executive Director
BES Adult Literacy Project
965 Longwood Avenue
Bronx, NY 10459
(718) 991-7310 fax: (718) 378-1071
F.I.S.T. (Functional In-Service Training)*
Out-of-school adults, 16 and up, reading below the 4.0 level
The Program Project FIST is a volunteer-based program aimed at low-level adult readers. It provides one-to-one tutoring poor readers need to benefit from traditional instruction.

After securing the commitment of the local ABE program, a part-time coordinator-aide is hired and a tutor and student recruitment campaign is mounted. The handbook describes how to recruit tutors and functionally illiterate adults, as well as how to establish a volunteer adult literacy component within an ongoing adult education program. Coordinator responsibilities include: tutor and student recruitment, diagnostic and follow-up testing, student-tutor assignments, records management, and materials procurement.

Tutor training is conducted using Functional Literacy for Adults: A Work-text for Tutors. Workshops usually meet weekly for 3 hours over a 6-week period. Reading tests are administered at 4-month intervals. When test results show students have outgrown their need for FIST, they are referred to regular adult education programs. The coordinator is trained initially, and then trains the volunteer tutors.

  
  
Implementation Requirements FIST can be adopted by established ABE programs at cost. Requirements are: project materials, hiring or reassignment of staff to coordinate the project, attendance of preimplementation training, and operation for at least one year. Tutoring is normally conducted off site. Visitors are welcome by appointment. Project staff can attend out-of-state meetings (costs to be negotiated). Implementation and follow-up services are available. Free awareness materials are available.

Training is available at project site or adopter site (costs to be negotiated).

   
  
Materials Program manuals must be purchased (contact project for cost). Educational material typically used in adult basic education is suitable.
   
   
Contact:
Brian Payne, Director
or Pansy Forrester
Project F.I.S.T.
Division of Community Education
Middlesex County College
341A George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(908) 249-7987 or 6209
Project ADAPT*
Learning disabled adults in postsecondary vocational education programs and secondary learning disabled (LD) students (grades 6-12)
The Program The program augments existing LD systems, improving structures by increasing knowledge, skills, awareness, communication, and coordination. Outcomes are produced through two key elements: changing the way teachers teach (Teacher ADAPTation) and the way students learn (Student ADAPTation).

Key teacher adaptation areas are: teaching skills, curricula and materials, and collaboration. Teachers learn alternative organization, management, presentation, practice, and assessment techniques for use in regular classrooms for LD students, as well as assessing curricula and materials for appropriateness.

Student adaptation has two components that focus on the needs of secondary and postsecondary LD students: reteaching and adaptive skill instruction. The goals are to remediate skill deficiencies and equip learners with skills useable in regular classrooms and the work world. The project increases the number of students in the educational mainstream, reduces dropout rates, and improves basic academic skills. Student adaptation is the domain of the resource teacher.

  
  
Implementation Requirements For schools with LD programs, no special staff is needed. Implementation and follow-up services are available (costs to be negotiated). Statistical analysis of evaluation data is provided to districts submitting pre- and posttest scores. The major prerequisite is staff commitment. Adoption costs include travel, lodging, per diem for one trainer, and a training fee (to be negotiated). Free awareness materials are available. Staff is available for awareness sessions (costs to be negotiated).
   
  
Training and Materials A 2-day training for resource room personnel, a team of content area teachers, and support staff (the core group) is required. The returning team works to modify structural and attitudinal barriers.

Minimal equipment and supplemental materials are suggested.

   
   
Contact:
Celia Myers
123 East Broadway
Cushing, OK 74023
(918) 225-1882
Success*
Adults; can also be used with regular and remedial students in grades K-12
The Program The program provides four different phonics plans to increase instructional service time in teaching phonics and sight words. The plans include one-to-one, small-group, large-group, and a complete plan to train and supervise many tutors. It can be managed by teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, or community organizations to provide instruction in 100 phonic skills and 220 sight words. Emphasis is on sounding out words, recognizing sight words, spelling words, comprehension, and reading speed.

"Direct instruction" is used and the program provides step-by-step directions, daily and monthly reviews, demonstrates and models new skills, emphasizes a high rate of student responses and immediate corrections, provides independent student practice, and requires students to be firm and automatic in their use of new skills. A simple, standard lesson plan card is followed to complete the four pages of exercises for each lesson.

Pre- and posttest measures of the success of learning disabled elementary students show 4.2 month's gain for each month of instruction using the one-to-one plan with middle school tutors and 3.4 month's gain for each month of instruction using the small group plan taught by aides.

  
  
Implementation Requirements On-site training is available but not required.

Materials include the Teacher's Guide (for one-to-one, small- and large-group), the Instruction Book (92 lessons), the Progress Book (consumable record of performance), and the Coordinator/Supervisor Book (tutoring program plan).

   
  
Contact:
Ronald Smith
Director of Special Services
North Kitsap School District 400
8998 N.E. West Kingston Road
Kingston, WA 98346
(360) 297-2969
Teaching Activities for Language Knowledge (TALK)*
Some adult education programs; can also be used in grades K-6, bilingual education, migrant education, special education, and gifted education
The Program TALK is designed to improve the vocabulary and language skills of children in lower socioeconomic area schools. A language specialist and participating classroom teachers are trained to use the manual, which includes lessons in listening and grammatical skills, describing and defining, personal and social awareness, choral speaking, story telling, and creative dramatics and puppets. The language specialist conducts 30-minute lessons twice a week and teachers conduct 30-minute follow-up lessons twice a week. At the end of a 6-month period, the teacher should be capable of interfacing TALK with classroom instruction.

Students at all grade levels have shown gains of 30% to 80% on standardized tests for receptive and expressive language. This increases students' abilities to reason, solve problems, apply knowledge, and write and communicate effectively.

  
  
Implementation Requirements Adopting districts provide a speech and language clinician or teacher with a language development or reading background for one hour a week for each classroom using TALK, though a classroom teacher can run the program. Awareness materials and sessions are available. Implementation and follow-up services are available (costs to be negotiated). Statistical analysis of evaluation data for districts submitting pre- posttest scores.
   
  
Training and Materials TALK staff and trainers are available for one-day training sessions conducted at the program site or adopter site (costs to be negotiated). After staff have been trained, they can train others in the district. TALK staff assist in evaluating the program. A TALK Training Manual, $25, is suggested for each school district.

Each language specialist and classroom teacher must have a copy of the TALK manual, $50.

   
   
Contact:
Stephanie Hendee
Director
National Training Network
P.O. Box 8057
Longmont, CO 80501
(303) 651-0833 or (800) 659-5004

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Adult Ed. Programs
Nationally Validated Programs
State Education Department's Adult Education Page
NYSED Adult Education Resource Guides