This paper was prepared to provide background information for use by a committee on adult literacy, composed of superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, teachers, school board members, curriculum specialists, business leaders, individuals from higher education, legislators, and legislative staff. The purpose was to highlight…

A study identified the most effective and low cost programs currently in operation and described in adult literacy literature that would significantly reduce adult illiteracy in California by 1994. Recommendations were made for a statewide plan to replicate those programs in communities throughout the state. A literature review focused on eight…

The report describes a 3-year project to identify and develop appropriate assessment tools for placing adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students into the appropriate proficiency levels according to California's state ESL standards for adult education programs. This involved reviewing 18 commercially available instruments to determine their…

The test development plan described here is an outgrowth of a 3-year California state project to address the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) placement needs of adult education agencies in the state. The test development plan provides specific directions for the development of operational instruments anchored to the state's standards, and…

The report describes activities in the final year of a 3-year project designed to address the placement needs of adult education agencies teaching English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in California. The long-term goal was to identify instruments appropriate for use with the state's model standards for language proficiency. The two primary…

Demographic, social, and economic factors are shaping the future environment and clientele of California's adult education system. Continued population growth means adult education will have to serve larger populations. Direct implications of increasing ethnic and racial pluralism are demands for more flexible delivery systems that accommodate…

This article analyzes how school reforms in the United States during the 1990s supported transformative literacy practices in the context of a Hmong-English third grade classroom. Using methods that allow for an analysis of both macro and micro discourses shaping the literacy practices of English language learners, this 2-year study illustrates…

This report provides a summary and evaluation of a retreat held for the directors and literacy coordinators of the 46 public libraries participating in the California Literacy Campaign (CLC), their supervisors, State Library staff, and members of the California Library Services Board. Following a brief introduction and overview, descriptions of…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in an adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, focuses on building the basic decision skills workers need to choose among potential jobs. The following items are included: overview of the module; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal,…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) courses, addresses career advancement. It is designed to provide a framework for thinking about career advancement in terms of three kinds of trajectories: education-based, vertical, and horizontal; a…

This monograph examines benefits, challenges, and methods of expanding access to adult literacy with online distance education (ODE). The following are among the topics discussed: (1) reasons for considering ODE (new technologies and delivery systems in education; ODE in higher education, business training, and adult basic education; state-level…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) courses, focuses transferring professional skills, degrees, or credentials from one's native country. The basic career planning and job search principles are relevant to learners at all educational…

The Refugee English Language Training (ELT) Task Force, convened by the California State Department of Social Services, collected and reviewed records of refugee ELT programs statewide, conducted site visits and public input meetings, and reviewed literature concerning adult basic education and refugee literacy education. The study and results are…

Respect. Responsibility. Resourcefulness. These three simple words embody the culture and mission of Duncan Polytechnical High School in Fresno, California. The terms are everywhere: They are painted on corridor walls, printed on posters mounted in every room, emblazoned on surfaces in the cafeteria, and easily verbalized by all of the students…

Because their fiscal health depends on having a large base of high-wage taxpayers, states have an economic interest in increasing their citizens' skill levels. In today's global economy, high wages are increasingly tied to the high skills required to function successfully in high performance work organizations. Employer-provided skill upgrading…