Executive Summary of Texas Adult Education
Standardized Curriculum Framework

• To become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self sufficiency.
• Who are parents to obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children;
• To assist them in the completion of a secondary school education, or
• Who are unable to speak, read, or write the English language.
  

The content develops basic literacy in all areas of knowledge.

Program Structure: Adult General Education which provides comprehensive instructional programs designed to improve the employability of the state's workforce through adult basic education, adult secondary education, English as a Second Language, citizenship, and adults with disabilities.

Adult General Education involves Literacy Completion Levels (similar to non-credit courses) designed to develop literacy skills necessary for successful employment, citizenship, and/or training beyond secondary education. This program is divided into Literacy Completion Points (LCPs). Progress through levels (LCPs) may be measured by approved standardized tests or by documentation of proficiency in each standard.

Adult Basic Education (ABE) provides completion levels in instruction for mathematics, reading, language, and workforce readiness skills at grade level equivalency 0-8.9.

Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) provides completion levels in noncredit English language instruction designed for acquisition of communication skills and cultural competencies which enhance ability to read, write, speak and listen in English.

Adult Secondary Education (ASE) provides completion levels in instruction to prepare the student to take the General Education Development (GED) test.

Adult with Disability For educational purposes, an individual who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment, and who requires modifications to the educational program, adaptive equipment, assistive technology, or specialized instructional methods and services (proposed definition).

Citizenship To prepare students for success in Naturalization process required for all who have United States Citizenship test as a goal. The content includes preparation for the citizenship test, by studying U.S. history, government, culture and symbols with specific emphasis on rights responsibilities under the Constitution of the United States of America.

Workforce Literacy The basic skills necessary to perform in entry-level occupations or the skills necessary to adapt to technological advances in the workplace.

It is the teacher's job to decide and inform the student of the criteria for demonstrating proficiency in a benchmark. Though a student need not master 100% of the benchmarks to demonstrate proficiency in a standard a student must demonstrate proficiency in 100% of the standards to earn a literacy completion point.

Special Notes: It is not intended that students will progress through the performance standards sequentially. The instructor may present topic-centered lessons which integrate benchmarks from several performance standards, and are encouraged to do so. All activities are developed to be done either individually or in groups.

The computer skills are not required, as access to computer technology at this point in time is not available for every student. The computer sections are optional and will not be necessary to earn Literacy Completion Points (LCPs).

The performance standards and benchmarks have been developed to facilitate documentation of learning gains. Benchmarks or standards may be repeated at multiple levels (LCPS). This is purposeful since:

• proficiency in certain skills is judged to require more time than is available in on level;
• the quality of performance expected on certain standards increases with progression through levels, so that the use of punctuation, for example, at the end of Level C (5.9) should be more proficient than at the end of Level B (3.9), but should occur at both levels; and
• instruction for skills of critical importance must be offered any student needing to learn that skill, even students entering at the intermedicate or functional levels.