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Adult Basic Education (ABE) includes programs
that provide for adults who lack competence in reading, writing, speaking,
problem-solving, or computation at a level to function in society, on a job or
in a family.
The Workforce Investment Act
The
passage of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) [Public Law 105-220] by
the 105th Congress has ushered in a new era of collaboration,
coordinator, cooperation and accountability.
The overall goal of the Act is to increase the employment, retention,
and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by
participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce
welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the
Nation.
The key principles inculcated
in the Act are:
-
streamlining services
- empowering individuals
- universal access
- increased accountability
- new roles for local boards
- state and local flexibility
- improved
youth programs
The Adult Education & Family Literacy Act (AEFLA)
The
purpose of Title II, The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) of the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998, is to create a partnership among the federal
government, states, and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult
education and literacy services in order to:
-
Assist adults to become
literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and
self-sufficiency
- Assist adults who are
parents obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the
educational development of their children
- Assist
adults in the completion of a secondary school education
The Delivery System
Iowa's community college adult literacy program has always
striven toward program accountability. The following characteristics define the nucleus of Iowa's statewide
accountability system.
A Flexible Framework for systemic Reform. A statewide accountability system is a mechanism for
focusing on the results of investments in literacy and improving return on
those investments. It is a powerful
tool for systemic change - a guide for states just beginning the change
process. It builds capacity in four
specific areas within Iowa's statewide community college based adult basic
education delivery system.
A literacy accountability
system focuses efforts to achieve national and state goals. A statewide literacy system that aims to
enable adults to lead more productive lives must be aligned with larger state
and federal human resource and economic development goals. Developing a statewide accountability system
to measure progress toward these goals requires inter-agency cooperation,
program collaboration, coordination service delivery strategies, and the
integrated effort of all stakeholders in the system.
- It measures progress by measuring results, not process. Federal
and state reporting systems have focused in the past on inputs such as the
number of clients/students enrolled or the number of hours they attended
classes. Such measures ell us little about the real value of the program. A state accountability system guides a state
towards defining what it wants to achieve "real change in people's lives;"
- An accountability system that links literacy to broader state goals puts in place a management
information system that enables agencies to streamline reporting and share
information. A state accountability system provides a mechanism for agreement on common definitions and elements,
and encourages the use of compatible electronic databases to centralize
information for easy access and updating. Centralized information about programs makes possible one-stop program
shopping. Centralized participant files allow students to relocate without losing their records;
- It ensures the continuous improvement of programs towards 100% results. A state literacy accountability system
provides information to program managers about how well their programs work and
to state policymakers about the effectiveness of their policies. States can build on programs and strategies
that work, discontinue those that don't and isolate problems that need
alternative strategies, not additional resources.
Performance Reports
 Adult Literacy Executive Summary for 2007
This comprehensive document replaces the previously published Benchmark
Report, Benchmark Report Executive Summary, Iowa’s Community College Basic Literacy Skills Credential
Report, Iowa GED Statistical Report, GED Annual Performance Report and
Iowa’s Adult
Literacy Program National Reporting System Annual Performance Report (Graphic
Presentation). For ease in printing and sharing sections of this full report,
you may find each section posted separately on the Iowa Department of Education
website http://www.iowa.gov/educate/ and
http://www.readiowa.org
Annual Performance Report for Program Year 2007
Iowa's Adult Literacy Needs Assessment/Performance Based Funding Formulas
Annual Performance Report for Program Year 2006
 Annual Performance Report for Program Year 2005
Additional Years
Benchmark Projections & Reports
Iowa's Adult Literacy Program Benchmark Project Report for Program Year 2008
Iowa's Adult Literacy Program Benchmark Project Report for Program Year 2007
Annual Benchmark Projections for Program Year 2005
Annual Benchmark Report for Program Year 2005
Credential Reports
Credential Report - Program Year 2005 (413.73 KB)
State Plan
Iowa Adult Literacy Local Program Plan Extension Guidelines for PY 2008
Iowa's Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension for Program year 2008
Iowa's Adult Literacy Local Program Plan Extension for PY 2007
Iowa's Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension for Program Year 2007
Staff Development
ABE Staff Development Plan for Program Year 2007
ABE Staff Development Plan for Program Year 2006
New Readers of Iowa
The New Readers of Iowa was formed in 1990 to build the capacity of
individual members to become leaders and spokespersons for adult
literacy issues in their communities. This has been accomplished
through informal networks established at their annual New Readers
Conferences that have become a tradition where New Readers come
together to learn from each other, support each other, and make their
voices heard.
Iowa
Department of Education Adult Literacy Contacts:
Helene Grossman, State Adult Education and Literacy Consultant
Bureau
of Community Colleges & Career and Technical Education
Division
of Community Colleges & Workforce Preparation
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146
Phone: 515.281.3640
Fax: 515.281.6544
helene.grossman@iowa.gov
Phyllis Hinton, State Staff Development Consultant
Bureau
of Community Colleges & Career and Technical Education
Division
of Community Colleges & Workforce Preparation
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146
Phone: 515.281.4723
Fax: 515.281.6544
phyllis.hinton@iowa.gov
Sandy Jones, GED Records Specialist/Secretary
Bureau of Community Colleges
& Career and Technical Education
Division of Community
Colleges & Workforce Preparation
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146
Phone:
515.281.7308
Fax: 515.281.6544
sandy.jones@iowa.gov
Amy Vybiral, Fedeal Data Consultant
Bureau of Community Colleges
& Career and Technical Education
Division of Community
Colleges & Workforce Preparation
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146
Phone:
515.281.5251
Fax: 515.281.6544
amy.vybiral@iowa.gov
For additional information on Iowa's Adult Literacy Program, go to:
The Iowa Literacy Resource Center
Comprehensive
Adult Student Assessment System
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Community Colleges & Workforce Preparation 
