Adult Education in Texas
In this section, you will find information and resources especially geared toward Adult Education Literacy programs in Texas.
Adult Education Administrators Manual (Texas LEARNS)
Extension of Texas State Plan for Adult Education and Family Literacy (Texas LEARNS)
State Assessment &
Goal Setting/Attainment Policy for Adult Education, Effective Date – July 1, 2011,
Revised April 1, 2011 [PDF, 
]
Links Beyond Texas LEARNS
Links Beyond Texas LEARNS
Getting a GED® credential has considerable – and
invaluable – impact on recipients’ self-esteem,
but relatively minor impact on income, unless it is used as
a key to entry into further education and training. We need
to know that, students need to know that, and we all need to
act on that knowledge.
-- from an article by Barbara Garner titled "What Impact Does
the GED® Test Have Upon Earnings?", published in SABES/World
Education's quarterly newsletter Bright Ideas, Vol. 6,
No. 4. Spring 1997.
Cognitive
Skills Matter in the Labor Market, Even for School Dropouts -
John H. Tyler, Richard J. Murnane, and John B. Willett (April 2000).
Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning
and Literacy. From the Executive Summary: "While the average
cognitive skill level of school dropouts is quite low, there is
considerable variation among dropouts in cognitive skill levels.
... One could argue that, in an economy in which basic cognitive
skills are increasingly valued, differences in skills would translate
into earnings differences for dropouts just as they do for [non-dropouts]
... On the other hand, the economic trends that have depressed
the average earnings of the less skilled may have relegated most
young dropouts to entry level jobs where skills matter very little.
... This report presents evidence on the labor market payoff to
cognitive skills for school dropouts, and whether the payoff differs
by gender and race/ethnicity."
Economic and Noneconomic Outcomes for GED® Test Credential Recipients,
Song, Wei and Hsu, Yung-chen (March 2008). Washington, DC: General Educational Development Testing Service. -
The GED® Tests are widely used to certify a high school level of academic knowledge and skills. The popularity and profound influence of the GED® Tests have solicited numerous studies on the outcomes of obtaining a GED® credential. Most studies on labor market outcomes for GED® credential recipients have targeted specific groups for comparisons across age, gender, or geographic areas. Depending on the samples used and the research methodologies applied, the studies have yielded mixed results. Furthermore, scholars have noticed a scarcity of research on the noneconomic outcomes of GED® credential recipients, such as their social participation, health, and parenting skills. This study provides evidence through a recently released nationally representative sample of adults, the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), on the economic outcomes as well as the noneconomic outcomes for GED® credential recipients. On the economic outcomes, this study examines labor force participation, work history, weekly wage, and personal income. On the noneconomic outcomes, this study looks into political and social participation, family literacy, and health.
Economic
Benefits of the GED® Test [ Download Microsoft® Word reader to view this document.]
Gail Cope, Mary Ziegler, Donna J.G. Brian (August
2001). Knoxville, TN: Center for Literacy Studies. Prepared for
the Tennessee Department of Human Services, this report concludes
that: 1) For both men and women, there is a direct,
positive relationship between educational attainment and earnings;
2) For both women and men, there is a direct, positive relationship
between educational attainment and employment rates; 3) Educational
attainment makes a bigger difference in earnings and employment
rates at the upper levels of educational attainment, and the difference
is even more pronounced for women than for men; 4) For women, acquisition
of the GED® credential is associated with an initially modest increase
in earnings, but earnings increases grow substantially over time;
and 5) Attainment of the GED® Test (for women) is also associated with
more time working, less job turnover, and additional education
and training.
Economic
Outcomes of High School Completers and Noncompleters 8 Years
Later -
Gregory Kienzl and Grace Kena. Washington, DC: Institute of Education
Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, October 2006.
This Issue Brief uses data from the National Education Longitudinal
Study of 1988 (NELS:88) to compare the economic outcomes of high
school completers at three different points in time with the outcomes
of individuals who did not complete high school. Differences by
sex and the type of credential earned are also examined. The findings
suggest that individuals who completed high school within 6 years
generally had more favorable economic outcomes than their counterparts
who completed high school later or not at all. Conversely, few
differences in economic outcomes were found between high school
diploma and alternative credential holders at both the 4- and 6-year
and later completion points. Differences in economic outcomes,
however, were most prominent between males and females even after
controlling for the timing and type of high school credential earned.
Estimating
the Labor Market Signaling Value of the GED® Test
John H. Tyler, Richard J. Murnane, and John B. Willett (June 2000).
Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning
and Literacy. While many previous studies have examined the economic
impact of the GED® Test on labor market outcomes, the results from these
studies are all based on regression analyses that employ questionable
comparison groups. As a result, all previous studies of the economic
impact of the GED® Test likely suffer from “selectivity bias.” Most
of these past studies have found small or no effects of the GED® Test
on the labor market outcomes of dropouts. Using new and powerful
data and a methodology that relies on interstate variation in GED® Test
passing standards to address selectivity bias issues, we find that
the GED® Test has a large impact on the earnings of young white dropouts
who chose to obtain the credential and whose scores place them
on the margin of passing. Our estimates are robust across several
different “natural experiments” we can employ, as well
as to a series of specification checks. While we find no statistically
discernible effect of the GED® Test on the earnings of young minority
dropouts, this does not rule out a positive impact of the GED® Test on
higher scoring minority dropouts nor a positive impact on the earnings
of minorities via a human capital route.
Evidence
from Florida on the Labor Market Attachment of Male Dropouts
Who Attempt the GED® Test: A NCSALL Research Brief -
John H. Tyler (July 2005). Cambridge, MA: National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. This brief highlights key
findings from a study that examined the labor market attachment
of male dropouts who obtained the GED® Test credential in Florida between
1994 and 1998. Tyler compared these credentialed dropouts to the
men who attempted, but failed, the GED® Test exam during the same period.
Credentialed dropouts had a higher probability of being employed
one year after the exam -- a difference that persisted two years
later. Among individuals who were unemployed in the quarter during
which they took the tests, GED® Test passers found jobs faster. Tyler
also found that passing the tests is linked with more stable work
histories for Anglo-American dropouts.
The
General Educational Development (GED®) Credential: History,
Current Research, and Directions for Policy and Practice
John H. Tyler (2005). Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study
of Adult Learning and Literacy. In this chapter from Volume 5 of NCSALL's
Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, John Tyler reviews the recent
research on the impact of acquiring a General Educational Development
(GED®) credential. He first presents a history of the GED® Test credential
itself, and its growth and evolution since the 1940s. Then, he
describes recent research on the impact of the GED® Test, highlighting
four key findings: 1) the GED® Test may encourage some high school students
to leave school early; 2) the economic payoff of the GED® Test accrues
only to dropouts who leave school with low skills; 3) the economic
payoffs to the GED® Test take time to accrue; 4) and postsecondary education
and training are fruitful but little-used routes to economic success
for GED® Test holders. Tyler concludes the chapter with a set of recommendations
for policy, research, and practice. With respect to policy, he
calls for tighter links between GED® Test programs and postsecondary
and training institutions to encourage more adult learners to continue
their education beyond GED® Test acquisition. In addition, he suggests
the possibility of awarding certificates to learners at levels
below the GED® Test as an incentive to continue their learning en route
to the GED® Test.
Is
the GED® Test Valuable to Those Who Pass It? - This article was
published in the first and only April 2003 issue of Focus
on Policy, a publication of the National Center for Study
of Adult Learning and Literacy that "translated" research
findings into implications for policy.
The
Literacy of U.S. Adults with GED® Test Credentials: 2003 NAAL and 1992
NALS -
Yung-chen Hsu and Carol E. George-Ezzelle (April 2007). Washington,
DC: GED® Test Testing Service, American Council on Education. In this
paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational
Research Association (AERA), Hsu and George-Ezzelle describe a
study in that used data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult
Literacy (NAAL) and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS)
to provide evidence of the academic value of the GED® Test. According
to the study, adults with GED® Tests have literacy scores about equal
to those of adults with high school diplomas who did not go on
to postsecondary education. GED® Test holders displayed significantly
better scores on prose, document, and quantitative literacy tasks
than did adults with less than a high school education, or just
some high school.
Research on the Economic Impact of the GED® Test Diploma Panel Discussion
Tyler, John, et al (October 2006).
Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy and National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.
Video features a panel discussion on the economic benefits that accrue to holders of the General Educational Development (GED®) credential. It is based on a review by John Tyler of eight recent (published and working) research papers on the GED® Test. Several of these papers were authored by John Tyler, Richard Murnane, and John Willett, researchers with NCSALL whose work has influenced what we know about the economic benefits of the GED® Test. Presenters include John Tyler, Sara Fass, and Sue Snider; the moderator is David Rosen. In addition to online availability, TCALL’s Clearinghouse Library has loan copies of the panel discussion on 30-minute DVD.
Research
Synthesis: Educational and Labor Market Performance of GED® Test
Recipients
David Boesel, Nabeel Alsalam, and Thomas M. Smith
(1998). Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
U.S. Department of Education. While many good syntheses of education
research have been produced over the years, many topics have not
yet been covered. In response to this need, the National Library
of Education (NLE)
has undertaken a series of research syntheses on issues of public
concern in education. Based on published literature identified
through traditional bibliographic searches, ERIC, and other Internet
sources, and on unpublished Ph.D. dissertations and research reports
available to NLE, the syntheses are designed to be empirical, even-handed,
and as comprehensive as possible. This study of the performance
of General Educational Development (GED®) Test recipients is the first
synthesis in the series. The result of a great deal of careful
research, it should be especially useful to those concerned with
the education of adults and out-of-school youth. Report is interesting
in that it talks about not only labor market performance of GED® Test
recipients, but also these other functions of the GED® Test:
The GED® Test as a Stimulus to Human Capital Investment; Measuring and
Assessing Cognitive Skills; The GED® Test as a Sorting Procedure; The
GED® Test as Certification; and The GED as Self-Confidence Builder.
So
You Want a GED® Credential? Estimating the Impact of the GED® Test on the Earnings
of Dropouts Who Seek the Credential -
John H. Tyler (May 2001). Cambridge, MA: National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. This paper studies the impact
of a GED® Test on the earnings of high school dropouts. While the earnings
increased over time, the immediate effect was not as obvious. The
difference in earnings by race are also addressed as well as earning
the GED® Test while incarcerated.
Transitioning Adult Learners to College
Beyond
the GED® Test: Making Conscious Choices About the GED® Test and Your Future:
Lesson Plans and Materials for the GED® Test Classroom -
Fass, Sandra and Garner, Barbara (2006 Update).
Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning
and Literacy.
Revised by Eileen Barry in 2006 from the original 2000 guide to
include new data and information on the Internet, this guide for
GED® Test instructors offers lesson plans and helps teachers develop
as professionals. GED® Test instructors are often working with people
who are interested in getting their GED® Test because they hope or believe
it will be the key to their economic futures. This set of classroom
materials is designed to provide GED® Test preparation learners with
practice in graph and chart reading, calculation, analyzing information,
and writing, while they examine the labor market, the role of higher
education, and the economic impact of the GED® Test. The intent is to
prepare learners to make wise decisions about their work lives
as well as being better prepared to pass the GED® Test. It also gives
adult learners an opportunity to practice writing, use graphs,
read charts, and analyze research findings on the economic impact
of the GED® Test.
Examinee and High School Senior Performance on the GED® Tests
George-Ezzelle, Carol E. and Hsu, Yung-chen (2007).
Washington, DC: GED® Testing Service of the American Council on Education.
“The results in this report have shown that candidates who passed the GED® Tests met and, in many test areas, exceeded performance standards exceeding that of the lower 40 percent of graduating high school seniors.” This statement and much additional information can be found in this report.
National
College Transition Network
This Web site was developed as a joint effort by the New
England Literacy Resource Center and the Nellie
Mae Education Foundation to provide an online resource for
Adult Basic Education providers who wish to implement an effective
college transition program in their community.
Transitioning
Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models -
Cynthia Zafft, Silja Kallenbach, and Jessica Spohn (August 2006).
Boston, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and
Literacy. Paper describes five models that the staff at the New
England Literacy Resource Center at World Education, Inc., categorized
through a survey of adult education centers with transition components
from around the United States. This NCSALL Occasional Paper describes
the five models — Advising, GED® Test-Plus, ESOL,
Career Pathways, and College Preparatory — and themes and
recommendations that others contemplating adult transition services
might find helpful. It also chronicles the experiences of four
states (Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, and Oregon) in their efforts
to institutionalize transitions for adults.
Percentage by County of Illiterate Adult Texans - Texas map and list of counties with illiteracy rate percentage in each county
Statewide Data Tables - data on adult learners in Texas
Adult Education Administrators Manual(Texas LEARNS)
Adult Education Indicators of Program Quality *Effective July 1, 2010
Early Childhood & Adult IPQ Scenarios (Beth Thompson, 2010)
Texas Indicators of Program Quality (IPQs) for Adult Education and Literacy Curriculum and Instruction: Are They Evidence-Based? (Updated 2011)
Statewide Professional Development Calendar - Comprehensive list of local, state, and national events and professional development opportunities of interest to literacy practitioners in Texas
Texas
LEARNS Calendar - Events and deadlines of statewide significance
to program administrators
GREAT Center Calendars
Administrators'
Email Discussion List (hosted by TCALL)
Adult Education Administrators Manual (Texas LEARNS)
Charting
A Course: Responding to the Industry-Related Instructional Needs of
the Limited English Proficient (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, 2006)
Effective
Instruction in Adult Basic Education For All Students: Including
Those With Special Learning Needs (Neil Sturomski, 2006)
ESP
Interest Section: Implementing Best Practices in Teaching English in Occupational
Settings (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, February 2007) - - {Text Version}
Extension of Texas State Plan for Adult Education and Family Literacy (Texas LEARNS 2006)
Improving Your Program (Texas LEARNS, September 2009)
TEAMS Training
Tutorial is available on TEA's
website for Management Information Systems page (TEAMS, ACES, TESPIRS, CREDITS).
Look for link to TEAMS Tutorial. To view the 20 minute Flash video,
you must use Internet Explorer. It
won't work on other web browsers. Download Macromedia Flash for Windows.
The
Lexile Framework for Reading, (John Stevenson, July 25, 2007) [PDF:
193KB]
The Value of Texas Adult Basic Education Programs (Texas Learns 2006)
State Assessment &
Goal Setting/Attainment Policy for Adult Education, Effective Date – July 1, 2011,
Revised April 1, 2011 [PDF, ]
State Assessment Policy for Adult Education Effective Date July 1, 2008, Revised October 24, 2008 Pending US DOE Approval [PDF:1.19MB - ]
Links Beyond Texas LEARNS
Community
Partnerships for Adult Learning- C-PAL,
an initiative of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education,
U.S. Department of Education, aims to promote community partnerships
to support and improve adult education. The primary vehicle for
sharing this information is a website featuring an array of useful
resources including key pieces of research, how-to guides,
and links to other relevant materials.
Directory of Adult & Family Literacy Providers - Mailing List Version
Office of Vocational & Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
NRS (National
Reporting System for Adult Education) Web - NRS Web is the
primary Web site for the National Reporting System (NRS) for
Adult Education. This site includes information about the NRS,
recent workshop materials, additional resources, and publications
in the field of adult education. In addition, the NRS Web offers
a question and answer section, and contact information for project
staff, technical working group members, and U.S. Department of
Education staff.
Texas Indicators of Program Quality (IPQs) for Adult Education and Literacy Curriculum and Instruction: Are They Evidence-Based? (San Juanita García, Donna S. Mancuso, Mattyna L. Stephens, Kenneth L. Appelt, Debbie Lechuga, Federico Salas-Isnardi, and Harriet Vardiman Smith, 2010) PDF 968KB -
Verizon Thinkfinity - Sponsored by the National Center
for Family Literacy and ProLiteracy Worldwide and funded by Verizon
Communications, the website
is an Internet tool developed to recruit, orient and train literacy
volunteers. Online courses are available for existing and potential
volunteers, as well as program directors and staff of literacy
programs. Some courses are self-paced, others instructor-led,
and some will be a blend of the two types.
Improving Your Program (September 2009)
State Assessment &
Goal Setting/Attainment Policy for Adult Education, Effective Date – July 1, 2011,
Revised April 1, 2011 [PDF, ]
State Assessment and Goal Setting/Attainment Policy for Adult Education Effective Date – July 1, 2011 (Revised April 1, 2011)
[HTML version]
Adult Education Responds to Workforce Needs - Chronological summary describes activities in response to Rider 82’s mandate that the Texas Education Agency / Texas LEARNS develop demand-driven workplace literacy and basic skills curricula for adult learners.
Charting
A Course: Responding to the Industry-Related Instructional Needs of the
Limited English Proficient (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, 2006)
Charting
a Course: Responding to the Industry-related Adult Basic Education Needs
of the Texas Workforce; Handbook One: Planning and Implementation Tips for
Program Planners and Administrators (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, July
2007)
Handbook One PDF Version (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, July 2007) -
Handbook One Microsoft® Word Version (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, July 2007) [Download Microsoft® Word Reader]
Charting
a Course: Responding to the Industry-related Adult Basic Education Needs
of the Texas Workforce; Handbook Two: Workplace Savy for Workforce-related
Instruction Modules #5 & 6 (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, July 2007)
Handbook Two PDF Version (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, July 2007) -
Handbook Two Microsoft® Word Version (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, July 2007) [Download Microsoft® Word Reader]
ESP
Interest Section: Implementing Best Practices in Teaching English in Occupational
Settings (Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani, February 2007) - - {Text Version}
Resources for Workforce Collaboration and Best Practices
Rider 82 Curriculum 2007 Pilot Report Findings. See complete report in PDF - -
Rider 82 Curriculum 2007 Pilot Report Executive Summary
SHOP TALKS -
This series of informative releases from Texas LEARNS has two purposes:
to address issues, concerns, and questions raised by adult educators, employers,
and local workforce development personnel; and to build awareness and expertise
in meeting the educational needs of Texas’ emerging, incumbent, and
displaced workers.
Texas Industry Specific English as a Second Language Curricula (TISESL)