As the largest funder of adult basic education (ABE) in the nation, providing over $600 million through its Basic Grants to States (U.S. Department of Education, 2019), the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) drives ABE policies and practices. In a review of the announcement on Title II, the phrase "transition to" is repeated…

It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

This is a congressional hearing on H.R. 11, a bill to extend several expiring education programs. The focus is on the Adult Education Act, a program that provides grants to states to help provide basic skills to illiterate adults and adults without a high school diploma. The text of H.R. 11 is provided. Testimony includes statements, prepared…

Section I of this document highlights the major changes proposed by the American Vocational Association Board of Directors in its final reauthorization document. The Board's position is that the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act should be reauthorized with modest modifications and increased funding authority; qualified federal staff with…

The competencies of the nation's workers have been improving steadily. However, the improvements have not kept pace with the increased skill demands imposed by technological advancement and the shift toward a service-based economy. Academic and functional literacy problems can only be alleviated by balancing school improvement efforts with…

Basic skills teachers have a legal and moral responsibility to instruct students in reading, writing, and mathematics. The obligations of teachers and principals are extensions of the legal responsibility assumed by the state and local boards of education and practitioners' professional and moral responsibilities. Teachers and principals are…

After providing background on Title 5 regulations that upgraded standards of rigor for degree-applicable credit courses offered by California community colleges, this report presents revisions to course standards regulations for nondegree credit, noncredit, and grade point averaging. An analysis of the revisions is included, indicating that: (1)…

Promotes the use of basic skills testing in the certification of new teachers and the recertification of veteran teachers. Presents the belief that better teaching will result from mandated teacher testing. (MD)

This monograph examines issues in the transition of youth with emotional and/or behavioral disorders to adulthood. It describes transition as a process by which youth with disabilities are systematically equipped with skills necessary for realizing valued postsecondary outcomes. The subject of transition is examined within the historical,…

This parody of Coleridge's poem notes some of the problems involved in accepting federal funds for education. The governmental emphasis on innovational programs is given special treatment. (MKM)

This booklet is concerned with how basic skills work with young people and adults can be maintained and developed in the next few years in light of Great Britain's Education Reform Act. An introduction provides a brief overview of the content of the act. Section 2 highlights the basic skills needs in England and Wales. In Section 3, current basic…

Comments on state legislative intervention in curriculum during the past decade. Discusses attempts to establish minimum competency testing and legislative mandates regarding subjects and minimum instructional time. Addresses back-to-basics and saleable skills issues and reviews a Presidential Advisory Committee report with a discussion of…

These proceedings consist of summaries of the following papers and discussions that were presented at a conference designed to bring leaders from education, business, state and local government, and labor together to discuss Minnesota's need to address the issue of basic skills in the workplace. The volume begins with a foreword by Rosemarie Park…

Some insights into the development of an eleventh grade test of "adult functional competency" are provided. The evolution of the test from its first mention to its translation into a test item pool is traced. An attempt is made to identify some of the instructional, measurement, and legal implications inherent in various decisions which…

Three members of the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association express their positions about minimum competency standards. Kenneth Goodman presents a humanitarian, idealistic view of the controversy and questions the effectiveness of legislative mandates. Roger Farr expresses concern that limitations of testing procedures might…