What would Help you to Help More People Attain GED's?
From LiteracyTentWiki
From: AWilder106@aol.com
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1349] RE: Does the GED really mean more money?
Date: March 30, 2005 10:17:35 AM EST
To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov
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Here's another query: What would help you to help more people attain GED's?
- Maybe--more teachers in your programs?
- More students?
- Credentialed teachers?
- Better teaching materials?
- Higher pay?
I'm kind of taking the position that getting the GED is a reasonable goal to achieve.
Thanks for any of your thoughts. I'm trying to learn from people in the field what would make a difference, since it is you who are doing the teaching. I used to teach, am now on the sidelines, doing some writing for a local foundation, and trying to understand what is really going on.
Andrea Wilder
Cambridge, MA
From: jmencer@famlit.org
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1350] RE: Does the GED really mean more money?
Date: March 30, 2005 10:27:15 AM EST
To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov
This is to follow Andrea's list of ways to help more people attain their GED. Consider the idea of utilizing volunteers as a method for helping more adult learners. We have great support (at no charge) for both program staff willing to go this route and for volunteers on Verizon Literacy Campus, www.literacycampus.org. Enjoy!
Jane Martel Mencer
Project Manager, Verizon Literacy Campus
National Center for Family Literacy
From: shellcraig@ix.netcom.com
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1356] What would help more students achieve their GED?
Date: March 30, 2005 7:32:20 PM EST
To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov
First of all, let me say that I love this list. I always feel like I can speak honestly and receive thoughtful replies. I always end up thinking something different at the end of a thread than I did at the beginning. For this I thank all of you. I really liked the comments about focusing the students past the GED.
As to what would allow more people to receive their GED? I have a few ideas.
1. Put adult school staff on contract (like other teachers) so we can be paid for preparation time. I think this would help all ABE/GED students immensly. If I had more time to prepare, I would definitely be teaching better. This also came up as a continuing theme of adult school teachers at the Meeting of the Minds conference here in California.
2. I think the general public (and especially those who mandate GED class attendance) need to be educated about what the GED actually is and see the practice tests so they know exactly what they are mandating. If I had my way, every probation officer, judge, and social worker in our county would have to take a complete battery of GED examinations. At least then, they would know what the test is. Parts of it are not all that easy. It is often unrealistic for them to mandate that students complete their GED in a certain amount of time if the level they begin at is very low.
3. I would like money for a learning disabilities specialist at our site who would evaluate students who need it and be able to fill out accomodations forms for students who need them. These evaluations cost around $1000 dollars privately and most of my students can't afford this. This is huge, as many who didn't graduate from high school had a reason why-- sometimes it was a learning disability.
4. Coordinate class times with other programs (ie. my night class sometimes empties out during Narcotics Anonymous meetings)and with bus service and childcare schedules.Also coordinate with others agencies like the community college, library literacy program, and vocational training programs so students have a smooth transition between programs.
5. Provide child care not just for preschoolers, but after school care for school age children on site.
6. Provide scholarships to pay fees for taking the test for those who can't afford it. (Social services does pay for their client's books and fees). Or have a sliding scale for fees.
These are just a few of my ideas. Anyone else have any others?
Michele Craig
Woodland Adult School
From: djrosen@comcast.net
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1357] Re: What would help more students achieve their GED?
Date: March 30, 2005 8:25:01 PM EST
To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov
Michele,
I like all your ideas, and I would like to add one more:
Change the expectation of students, funders, and employers that a GED program should be short-term, under a year, and often under 50 hours of instruction. If the only meaningful earnings gains which result from the GED come when students go on to college, if they:
1) enter a GED program at a low basic skills level, then we should expect those students to be enrolled for several years; or
2) enter at a higher skills level they should be expected to be in a program more than a year, and more than 3-4 hours a week. They need an education that will prepare them to succeed in (not just enter) college. This includes algebra, academic reading and writing, good basic science, good study skills, and some other things.
This is a policy issue, as well as a research and practice issue. The U.S. Department of Education has for many years allowed programs to count students as enrolled in federally-funded adult education programs who get at least 12 hours of instruction. This standard is very low, and far from a reasonable expectation of what these two groups of students need. This policy should be examined in light of the research by John Tyler that I mentioned in my earlier message. Then, of course, if the policy were to change, let us say, to allow programs to count students enrolled for a minimum of 100 hours, Congress and state legislatures would need to pay for the increased hours of classes and related services. Now here's where the research rubber hits the road. What if solid research shows what needs to be done, and policy-making is heading the other direction? But that's a topic for another list.
David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net
From: AWilder106@aol.com
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1358] Re: What would help more students achieve their GED?
Date: March 30, 2005 8:44:24 PM EST
To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov
Michele,
I think a good place to look is states' plans for adult education. Communicating the concept of the GED is the responsibility of the state's workforce system. Not to be cynical, but increase its value to employers and you'll see some folks who know what it is and can talk about it!
Thanks, Varshna.
Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson Austin, TX
on 3/30/05 6:32 PM, Michele Anne Craig at shellcraig@ix.netcom.com wrote:
First of all, let me say that I love this list. I always feel like I can speak honestly and receive thoughtful replies. I always end up thinking something different at the end of a thread than I did at the beginning. For this I thank all of you. I really liked the comments about focusing the students past the GED.
As to what would allow more people to receive their GED? I have a few ideas.
1. Put adult school staff on contract (like other teachers) so we can be paid for preparation time. I think this would help all ABE/GED students immensly. If I had more time to prepare, I would definitely be teaching better. This also came up as a continuing theme of adult school teachers at the Meeting of the Minds conference here in California.
2. I think the general public (and especially those who mandate GED class attendance) need to be educated about what the GED actually is and see the practice tests so they know exactly what they are mandating. If I had my way, every probation officer, judge, and social worker in our county would have to take a complete battery of GED examinations. At least then, they would know what the test is. Parts of it are not all that easy. It is often unrealistic for them to mandate that students complete their GED in a certain amount of time if the level they begin at is very low.
3. I would like money for a learning disabilities specialist at our site who would evaluate students who need it and be able to fill out accomodations forms for students who need them. These evaluations cost around $1000 dollars privately and most of my students can't afford this. This is huge, as many who didn't graduate from high school had a reason why-- sometimes it was a learning disability.
4. Coordinate class times with other programs (ie. my night class sometimes empties out during Narcotics Anonymous meetings)and with bus service and childcare schedules.Also coordinate with others agencies like the community college, library literacy program, and vocational training programs so students have a smooth transition between programs.
5. Provide child care not just for preschoolers, but after school care for school age children on site.
6. Provide scholarships to pay fees for taking the test for those who can't afford it. (Social services does pay for their client's books and fees). Or have a sliding scale for fees.
These are just a few of my ideas. Anyone else have any others?
Michele Craig Woodland Adult School
Michele--
I would add a couple of more, too.
1) Include modules, short courses, whatever, in health/AIDS, civics/voting/legislation, and money management. Have any "courses" relate to specific student needs.
2) For the children of whatever age who are in child care, I would check their health--overall, eyes, teeth, get insurance if possible (get insurance for GED students?). A lot of school problems come from bad student health.
Andrea
From: varshna@grandecom.net
Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1360] Re: What would help more students achieve
Date: March 31, 2005 7:17:07 AM EST
To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov
Michele,
I think a good place to look is states' plans for adult education. Communicating the concept of the GED is the responsibility of the state's workforce system. Not to be cynical, but increase its value to employers and you'll see some folks who know what it is and can talk about it!
Thanks, Varshna.
Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson
Austin, TX
