English Literacy Programs

The English Literacy Program (ELP), which provides English as a Second Language classes has grown steadily for several years. During FY2002, the ELP program reached an all time high of 36,070 students over the previous enrollment of 30,957.

The demand for English language skills continues to expand in Georgia, particularly in the state’s urban areas and several rural agricultural regions.

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 the calendar year 2001, the GED test was administered to 41,858 examinees; 24,646 examinees were awarded GED diplomas, more than 9,054 examinees took the exam to qualify for further education, 8,466 took the exam for employment purposes, and the remainder took the exam for personal reasons.

We are eighth in the nation with our number of GED graduates for calendar year 2001 – 24,646.

GED Credentials Issued by AGE Group in 2001

	Age	Number	Percent
A	16-19	9,142	37%
B	20-24	7,726	31%
C	25-29	2,657	11%
D	30-34	1,743	7%
E	35-39	1,186	5%
F	40-49	1,455	6%
G	50-59	602	2%
H	60 & above	135	1%

 

English Literacy/Civics Education Program
The English Literacy/Civics Education Program enables limited English proficient adult learners to access information and resources in the United States. Students are encouraged to become active participants in their communities and empowered to navigate government, education, workplace, banking healthcare, and other American institutions. This integrated program teaches and refines English language skills. In FY2002 the Office of Adult Literacy continued with the ten existing EL/Civics programs and established fifteen additional local programs for a total of 25 English Literacy/Civics Education service deliverers throughout the state of Georgia. The program served 3,000 students and aided many of these learners to pursue U.S. citizenship.

Adult Literacy/TANF Program
The Department of Technical and Adult Education, Office of Adult Literacy and the Department of Human Resources, Division of Family and Children Services entered into a collaborative agreement in 1999 to provide adult literacy services to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients without high school diplomas. The intensive literacy training and education help adults in the TANF program acquire the necessary basic skills to become self-sufficient citizens, to compete in and to experience success in the workplace.

Since the partnership began, a total of 14,144 participants have received quality instruction throughout the state. Of these, 1,737 TANF recipients earned their GED diploma as of June 30, 2002.

EAGLE Awards Program
Celebrating nine years of success, the Exceptional Adult Georgia in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Awards Program recognizes outstanding students enrolled in adult literacy classes. Local teachers in public, private, and volunteer agencies nominate students in each of seven categories of competition. These students compete at county, 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 and serve as motivators to family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors who are in need of literacy services. Members meet semi-annually to plan community and statewide literacy activities.

2002 AMBASSADORS FOR LITERACY
Back (L-R) Nickolay Josiah Taylor, Carol Schultz, Martha Manzo, Michael David Powell
Front (L-R) Yvrose Gaston, Annie Thomas, Hillary Dilworth

Certified Literate Community Program
The Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP) rallies community support to promote literacy. Fifty communities have achieved Participant status, and four communities have received Certified Literate Community status. Approximately 25 other communities are in various stages of organizing. CLCP is a business-education-government partnership resulting in improved literacy levels of children, families and workers in entire communities. It addresses the twin problems of adult literacy funding and the need to recruit more adult students to participate in literacy programs.

Road signs featuring the “Reading – Key to the Future” logo identify a community as a Participating Certified Literate Community. New CLCP’s receive two signs when they reach Participant status.

Workplace Learning Program
The Workplace Learning Program in Georgia has continued to reach new heights in educational achievement as evidenced by more than 3,500 employees enrolled in over 100 Workplace Learning programs in FY 2002. Over the years, the programs have expanded the scope of services beyond beginning Adult Basic Education to include English literacy classes and instruction for the General Educational Development (GED) diploma.

Workplace Learning programs have impacted the lives of thousands of Georgians, and as of FY 2002 there have been over 700 businesses and organizations recognized for their commitment to educating employees in the workplace.

There are many workplace success stories and incentives for establishing a Workplace Learning Program. This includes the Georgia Tax Credit for Adult Basic Skills Education that provides tax credit to businesses offering basic skills education for employees to enhance reading, writing, or mathematical skills up to and including the twelfth grade.

Health Literacy Pilot Program
The Technical College System of Georgia, Office of Adult Literacy (OAL) has implemented health literacy classes in seven pilot sites within the OAL Service Delivery Areas. The geographical areas are in and around the following cities: Atlanta, Clarkesville, Columbus, Doraville, Dublin, Savannah, and Thomasville.

Health Literacy involves more than just the ability to read and understand the words and procedures associated with health care. It involves comprehension, communication and action. Therefore, OAL has developed "To Your Health", a curriculum that incorporates instruction on information gathering, asking appropriate and informed questions and decision-making competency. The curriculum was presented to the health literacy pilot program teachers in October, 2001 during an orientation training session. A total of 522 students have completed 133,624 hours of health literacy training.

 
Annual Adult Literacy Celebration
“Adult Literacy in Georgia: We’re Still Climbing!” was the theme of the annual celebration, as more than 1500 participated in one of the largest statewide staff development programs in the country. Convened by Russ Spencer, anchor and reporter of WAGA-Television’s FOX5 News, the celebration featured keynote presentations by Dr. Barbara Christmas, Executive Vice President of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Georgia’s Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, the Honorable Dubose Porter, Georgia House of Representatives and Chairman of the Higher Education Committee, and Georgia’s Literacy Ambassadors.

Thirty focus seminars formed the nucleus of the three-day event, including adult basic education, English Literacy, the new GED 2002 test battery, workplace learning, national resources, community and collaborative partnerships supporting adult literacy.

Companies and organizations sponsoring workplace education programs received special honors for 10-year and 5-year commitments to excellence in workplace education, and newly organized programs were acknowledged with Workplace Learning Pioneer Awards. A plaque was presented to the 2001 Workplace Education Student of the Year, as several award winners conducted seminars sharing their strategies and success stories.

Member of the State Board of Technical and Adult Education, Rhubarb Jones, national award winning radio personality, hosted a day-long celebration “Georgia’s GED Programs Work!” Highlights of the day included an awards luncheon honoring seven GED graduates for their achievements and exemplary performance, and a western-themed Rally with skits about the importance of the GED diploma presented by Georgia’s “adult literacy thespians.”

Staff Development
Staff development for adult literacy practitioners and supporters continues to be an important part of adult literacy’s growth. In Georgia, a variety of methodologies are utilized in training, such as one-on-one, small group tutoring sessions, statewide conferences, computer laboratories, and technical assistance meetings. The Staff and Volunteer Enhancement (SAVE) Center in Warner Robins is a major venue and valuable resource for training, meetings, and staff development activities at the state, consortium, and local levels. The key staff development programs in FY 2002 were conducted for:

Local Program Managers
In FY 2002 Adult Literacy Directors held quarterly management training sessions to enhance their skills in administering local adult literacy programs. Among the training subjects were strategic planning, Georgia’s Performance Indicators, the National Reporting System (NRS), the rising economic benefits of workplace education programs, and how managerial personality styles act, interact, and react with staff and others.

VOITZ Volunteers
The Office of Adult Literacy recognizes volunteers to be one of the most valuable educational resources within our society. During FY 2002, the VOLITZ Volunteer program provided staff development and training to more than 100 volunteers. The activities addressed volunteer recruitment, resources, selection, placement, management and volunteer recognition. In addition, VOLITZ volunteers received hands-on training from the author/editor of Tips at your Fingertips: Teaching Strategies for Adult Literacy Tutors. This enabled volunteers to increase their knowledge and skills in assisting learners in one-on-one and classroom settings.

Support Staff
The Adult Literacy Support Staff team members were afforded great opportunities to enhance their professional skills in FY 2002. Staff development was conducted in a relaxed environment, which enabled the team to share new concepts and ideas openly, to discuss leadership roles in adult literacy, and to develop constructive strategies for daily workplace operations. “Effective Team Building”, was the theme for the 2002 Administrative Professionals Week. The two-day intensive training session held during that week focused on administrative skills and combined fun-filled team building exercises.

Instructional Staff
Full-time teachers attend quarterly professional development sessions for the purpose of exploring effective instructional strategies, field testing new methodologies, using technology in the classroom, and exploring vast tools available through worldwide Internet resources. The topics often address local and state staff development needs, providing a vehicle for colleague sharing of information.

Teachers’ Academy
The Annual Teachers' Academy, an intensive professional development for adult literacy teachers in Georgia, addresses national and state trends in the delivery of adult education services. The 2001 Teachers’ Academy focused on Health Literacy. 159 teachers attended along with practitioners from the fields of HIV/AIDS, Oral Health, Mental Health, Internal Medicine, Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Breast Cancer.

Georgia Council on Adult Literacy
The role of the Georgia Council on Adult Literacy (GCAL) is to advise, assist, and serve as an advocate for the work and operations of the Office of Adult Literacy. The Council is a governor-appointed committee that may sponsor and coordinate specific programs to help meet the mandates set forth under Georgia Statute [20-4-11(4)]:

". . . to assist the State Board of Technical and Adult Education in developing goals, objectives, policies, methods, and standards for the delivery of adult literacy programs."

Terry Lawler - Chair Georgians for Better Transportation Beauty P. Baldwin Buford City Schools (Retired) George L. Bowen III Georgia Textile Manufacturing Association Matt Gignilliat Savannah Electric & Power Company The Honorable Emma R. Gresham Mayor, City of Keysville Charlie Hicks Georgia Association of Educators Carol R. King Harambee Child Development Council (Retired)

Barbara Loar - Vice Chair DeKalb County Public Library System (Retired) Clara B. Roberts Warren County School System (Retired) Dr. Kenneth L. Samuel Victory Baptist Church Betty B. Williford Elberton Adult Literacy Program Alfred S. Yin International Connection Jean DeVard-Kemp Technical College System of Georgia