General Educational Development Testing Services
The General Educational Development (GED) Testing Program is sponsored by DTAE in conjunction with the American Council on Education (ACE), a private, nonprofit association of colleges, universities, and education-related organizations. ACE is the regulatory arm between DTAE and 55 testing sites statewide.

The Office of Adult Literacy provides GED Examiner Training Certification workshops, inspects and certifies testing center locations, conducts on-site program monitoring, and provides technical assistance to local testing-center staff members.

During calendar year 1999, the GED test was administered to 33,390 examinees; 19,402 examinees were awarded GED diplomas. More than 13,508 examinees took the exam to qualify for further education; 6,462 took the exam for employment purposes; the remainder took the exam for personal reasons.

GED Participant Status
Calendar Year 1999

Since the program began in March 1999, 5,943 participants have received adult literacy services. As of June 30, 2000, 542 TANF participants have earned the GED diploma.

2000 AMBASSADORS FOR LITERACY
Sitting (left to right): Lydia Burgos, Beatrice Beasley, Kimberly Dawn Brown
Standing (left to right): Lawrence Stallworth, Edward Mejia, Anna Maria
Andrade, Carol Sue Bullard

EAGLE Awards Program
For seven consecutive years, the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Awards program has recognized outstanding students enrolled in adult literacy classes. Local teachers in public, private, and volunteer agencies nominate students in seven categories of literacy. These students compete at local, service delivery area, consortium, and state levels. For one year, the seven state-level winners serve as "Ambassadors for Literacy" in their local communities and throughout the state. Ambassadors are then eligible for membership in the Ambassadors' Circle. Circle members promote lifelong learning, serve as motivators to those in need of literacy services, and plan community and statewide literacy activities.

Certified Literate Community Program
The Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP) promotes literacy in Georgia by involving entire communities. Of the 43 communities that have achieved Participant status, one has attained Certified Literate Community status. In April 2000, Columbus/Muscogee County became the first to achieve the designation Certified Literate Community. Approximately 20 other communities are in various stages of organizing. The CLCP is a business-education-government partnership resulting in improved literacy levels of children, families, and workers in communities. It addresses adult literacy funding and the need to recruit more adult students.

Road signs featuring the "Reading - Key to the Future" logo identify a community as a Participating Certified Literate Community.

Workplace-Learning Program
Numerous organizations and companies help employees improve basic skills (e.g., reading, writing, and language) through workplace program services. To recognize these efforts, the Governor's Awards for Achievement in Workplace Learning were initiated in 1992.

The Gold Award identifies organizations that have implemented workplace learning programs. The Platinum Award recognizes organizations where 85 percent or more of the employees have achieved at least at a minimum of an eighth grade skill level in reading comprehension, language arts, and/or mathematics. Throughout the last eight calendar years, 437 Gold Awards and 179 Platinum Awards have been presented to companies with workplace learning programs.

The Georgia Tax Credit for Adult Basic Education Skills allows businesses to benefit by providing or sponsoring basic skills education to employees.

Staff Development
Georgia's training and staff development program provides adult literacy practitioners and supporters a variety of learning opportunities. Training sessions are offered through teleconferences, mentor and one-on-one settings, computer laboratories, meetings, and videoconferencing. Georgia's Staff and Volunteer Enhancement (SAVE) Center in Warner Robins houses the majority of these training activities.

For Managerial Staff
In FY 00 Adult Literacy Directors sharpened their management skills and were updated on program services. Training topics included requirements of the new National Reporting System (NRS), as well as accommodating learning disabilities, accountability, reporting, and program compliance.

For Instructional Staff and Volunteers
English Literacy Program teachers received quarterly training on basic assessment procedures, instructional activities, and the new NRS requirements. In FY 00 a development program for volunteers, VOLITZ, was launched to expand recruitment, retention, and recognition of volunteers. About half of the Service Delivery Areas sponsored volunteer participants.

1999 Teachers' Academy
The Teachers' Academy, an annual professional development activity for Georgia's adult literacy teachers, addresses trends in adult education. More than 150 teachers attended the fifth Academy in 1999, which focused on a national training program for working with adults with learning disabilities.

For Administrators
Thirty-seven adult literacy directors attended quarterly sessions designed to enhance management skills and increase local program effectiveness. Topics included data gathering and reporting, accommodating students with disabilities, preparing for GED in the new millennium, and establishing meaningful collaborations that support adult literacy.

In addition, training sessions were offered to new and experienced GED Examiners, new Adult Literacy Directors, and other staff members. A number of committee meetings and task force sessions also were held on such subjects as assessment and evaluation, health literacy, and the developing GED automated system, PASSPORT.

For Support Staff
Adult literacy support staff members are provided opportunities to enhance their skills at local and regional staff development activities. In FY 00, three sessions were held recapping goals set from the previous year, while sharing successful administrative strategies used in field operations. The Administrative Professional's Staff Developement session held in April 2000 was the highlight of the year. The session entitled "Attitude That Gives You Altitude" set the stage for the next fiscal year and the leadership role that support staff play in adult literacy operations.