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Adult Basic Education
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- The Delivery System
- Monitoring
- Professional Development
- Performance Reports
- New Readers of Iowa
- Iowa Department of Education Adult Literacy Contacts
General Information
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.
Monitoring
2010 Adult Literacy Monitoring Guidelines 2010 Monitoring Instrument Final
Local Program Monitoring Procedures Overview Peer Support Visits 2010 Adult Literacy Desktop Monitoring Schedule 2010 Site Visit Schedule Report from Visiting Coordinator Host
Professional Development
PY 2010 Adult Literacy Professional Development Calendar
Performance Reports & Information
Adult Literacy Executive Summary for 2007
This comprehensive document replaces the previously published Benchmark Report, Benchmark Report Executive Summary,
Annual Performance Report for Program Year 2007
Iowa's Adult Literacy Needs Assessment/Performance Based Funding Formulas
Annual Performance Report for Program Year 2006
Additional Years
Meeting Minutes State Coordinators Telenet Minutes 9-9-09 State Coordinators Telenet Minutes 11-12-09
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 State Plan Extension for Program Year 2009 - 10 Iowa Adult Literacy Local Program Plan Extension Guidelines for PY 2008
Iowa's Adult Literacy Program State Plan Extension for Program year 2008
Staff Development
Iowa Adult Literacy Staff Development Guidelines for 2009
Iowa Adult Literacy Monitoring Overview Iowa Adult Literacy Staff Development Guidelines for 2008 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.
2010 New Readers Conference Registration
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
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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
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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
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Amy Vybiral, Federal 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
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Locate the Nearest Adult Literacy Program
For additional information on Iowa's Adult Literacy Program, go to: