The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center

Tier Two: Two-year matching grants

* "Students served" is defined as permanently matched adult students who have received at least six hours of basic literacy instruction in 2006-2007 in one or more of these areas: one-on-one tutoring, small group classes, family literacy (adult literacy component), pre-GED instruction, computer literacy, jail program, etc.

Click here for the documents:

Creating an Education Wiki

PB Wiki will help you create a Wiki in seconds. This online feature also answers the following questions for educators: How to create a collaborative classroom; Use a calendar in the classroom; Engage students with a chatroom, add plugins; Student safety, Data security, and sample educator wikis.

Click on the link and discover an exciting new way to manage your classroom or communicate with your students.

Spotlight on Two Literacy Blogs

Literacy Source: A Community Learning Center is a blog created for tutors who teach adult literacy students. Find information on Learning Differences, ESL Links, and Literacy Links. The topics include posts on ESL, Lesson Plans, Jail Literacy, Math, New Tutor, Pre-Literate ESL, and more. This site is well worth a tutor's visit!

AlphaPlus Blog provides a slightly different perspective, pointing tutors to links in its posts, and providing topics in a drop down menu.

LD Talk: Learning Disabilities in the Workplace

On January 24, from 11 am - 12 pm ET, join our expert, Paul J. Gerber, Ph.D., noted expert in post-school issues for adults with learning disabilities, particularly in the area of employment, as he answers questions for parents and adults on important topics.

New Report from the Center of Applied Linguistics (CAL)

Effects of Instructional Hours and Intensity of Instruction NRS Level Gain in Listening and Speaking

This digest reports on a descriptive study examining two questions related to adult English language learners' educational level gains in the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS), as measured by the standardized oral proficiency assessment BEST Plus: (1) What is the relationship between instructional hours and educational level gain on BEST Plus? and (2) What is the relationship between intensity of instruction and educational level gain on BEST Plus?

Results showed that across NRS educational functioning levels, the greater the number of instructional hours, the higher the percentage of students who made level gain. There was also a general trend toward greater NRS level gain for students with high levels of instructional intensity than for those with low intensity.

To learn more you can access this report on the CAL web site by clicking here.

GED® On Demand featured in KET's Adult Learning Quarterly

The January 2008 issue of Kentucky Educational Television's (KET) Adult Learning Quarterly features an article on the uses of Video on Demand and streaming technologies in the field of adult education. The article includes comments by the VALRC's Instructional Technology Specialist, Richard Sebastian, and makes extensive mention of Virginia's GED On Demand and streaming video projects.

To download the pdf file of this issue of the ALQ, click on the link below: http://valrc.org/publications/pdf/ALQ_Jan08.pdf

Or you can access the downloads page of KET's Adult Education site: http://www.ketadultlearning.org/htms/downloads.htm

TABE Forms 7 & 8 Discontinued

As of March 31, 2008, you will no longer be able to purchase TABE Forms 7 & 8 products from CTB/McGraw-Hill. Also, the National Reporting System will no longer accept data entered for TABE Forms 7 & 8 after June 30, 2008. As a result of this, the Resource Center will no longer offer training on TABE Forms 7 & 8 after June 2, 2008 and no certificates for TABE Forms 7 & 8 will be issued after June 30, 2008.

New ESL Study on Persistence

NEWS RELEASE (January 7, 2008 - NYC) -- The Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy today released PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES: TRACKING ESL STUDENT PERFORMANCE. It is a longitudinal study of adult ESL services at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), completing a trilogy by CAAL about adult ESL service in community colleges. Its primary aim is to help those who plan and design community college ESL programs assess and develop effective services. But it will also help those who offer adult ESL services in other institutional settings, and policymakers and funding organizations. The authors note that CCSF's ESL program has features in common with many other community college programs, and point to the model's importance because so many ESL professionals across the country consider it to be "exemplary." It is both "a typical case and a best case of adult education ESL in the United States."

Steven Spurling and Sharon Seymour of the City College of San Francisco, and CAAL's Forrest P. Chisman conducted the study. The report contains a wealth of highly detailed research information and analysis. It is groundbreaking in a number of respects. It may well be the most comprehensive, in-depth research ever conducted on any adult ESL program. It is based on College records tracking all students over a seven-year period who first enrolled in CCSF's credit and non-credit ESL programs in 1998, 1999, and 2000. More than 38,000 non-credit and some 6600 credit ESL students make up the "cohort" that was examined. The primary focus is on persistence, learning gains, and transition to credit studies, and on the success in credit courses of non-credit ESL students. Major attention is given to the various features of CCSF's ESL program that affected student outcomes and pathways -- such as terms and hours of attendance, and program design and policy. CCSF's substantial data on "stop-outs" is also presented and analyzed in depth.

As the authors explain, PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES can be used and navigated in many different ways. It is organized to serve the needs of various kinds of readers. For some, the short Executive Summary will suffice. For others, selected chapters will be sufficient. Others will want to read the entire document and may be motivated to conduct additional analyses on their own.

This study was made possible by CAAL discretionary funds; a considerable amount of pro bono CAAL staff time and resources; and staff time, data, and computer resources provided by City College of San Francisco. Forrest Chisman was responsible for overall project direction. Steven Spurling (Institutional Research Officer, Office of Research, Planning, and Grants, CCSF) conducted the data analysis and had primary responsibility for interpretation of that analysis. Sharon Seymour (former Chair, ESL Department, CCSF) was a key researcher in both of CAAL's prior ESL studies; she contributed to the study's design and interpretation of its findings. Her special insights into the College's ESL program helped shape findings about student performances and program features that influenced performance.

The report is available at no charge from the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org) as item ESL5 of the ESL section of the Publications page. It is optimized for printing and can be downloaded either as a single large document (212 pages) or in four smaller units. Bound copies of the publication can be purchased directly from CAAL (contact bheitner@caalusa.org for ordering instructions and price).

[The other two reports in this series are: "PASSING THE TORCH: Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL" and "TORCHLIGHTS IN ESL: Five Community College Profiles." They are available from the CAAL website as items ESL2 and ESL4. Funding for the earlier reports came from the Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, CAAL discretionary funds from The McGraw-Hill Companies, and the Dollar General Corporation.]

GED Connection and eLearn Va Workshop in Winchester

Northern Shenandoah Valley Adult Education
156 Dowell J. Circle
Winchester, VA 22602

Date: January 26, 2008
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Registration Deadline: January 23, 2008

Audience: GED teachers and tutors

GED Connection is a multimedia instructional program that combines workbooks, videos, and online activities. The online management system allows teachers to monitor student progress with online activities, and the Teacher's Guide makes planning a cinch. In this workshop, participants will explore the use of all components in creating GED lessons in classroom and distance learning environments.

Using GED Connection and a number of other programs, eLearn Va delivers GED, pre-GED, and workplace instruction online to Virginia students. Workshop participants will examine the characteristics of a good online learner, structure of the eLearn Va program, content of the online curricula, and strategies for implementing and supporting distance learning at their programs.

To register, complete the online form found on the VALRC training calendar.