[AAACE-NLA] immigrants with a high school diploma

Tue Jul 13 10:14:15 EDT 2004

This discussion leads to another issue.  In NJ, CA and other port-of-entry 
states a high proportion of students in basic literacy (not ESL) are 
immigrants.  In NJ it's about 70%.  Based on observation, these students 
have difficulty with things native born students do not.  Vocabulary is an 
issue, for example, and reading becomes frustrating when learners have to 
continuously look up words in the dictionary.  Pronunciation is also an 
issue, especially, when doing phonics.  There may be other issues that are 
difficult to identify purely through observation.  The interesting thing is 
that I have not seen reference to this in the adult literacy literature nor 
have I am aware of any techniques to help this population. I think its a 
very big thing that seems not to have shown up on anyone's radar screen.

At 09:26 AM 7/12/2004 -0700, you wrote:
>Hal, if I understand you right, this means that many of the immigrants
>from English speaking countries may have completed highschool and
>beyond, but may have learned English "imperfectly". My guess is that the
>"low literacy skills" you mention show up particularly in their writing
>(and they may have difficulties reading texts that use sophisticated
>structures and vocabulary.
>
>Or do you mean by "low literacy skills" skills equivalent to NAAL levels
>1?
>
>Cheers
>
>Heide Wrigley
>
>Heide Spruck Wrigley
>LiteracyWork
>San Mateo; Vancouver, B.C.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
>[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Hal Beder
>Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 5:50 AM
>To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
>Subject: RE: [AAACE-NLA] immigrants with a high school diploma
>
>Based on our research in New Jersey, it is not uncommon to find
>immigrants
>who had relatively advanced educations in English-speaking African
>countries and India who have very low literacy levels.
>
>
>
>
>At 12:11 PM 7/7/2004 -0400, you wrote:
> >Heide, et al,
> >
> >Not only are immigrants and refugees who possess a high school diploma
>(but
> >who lack the level of English communication skills needed to function
> >effectively in society, at work, etc.) eligible for services under WIA
>Title
> >II (the federal Adult Education and Family Literacy Act), but so are
>native
> >born English speaking citizens who possess a high school diploma but
>who
> >lack the level of basic academic skills (reading, writing, math)
>expected of
> >a high school graduate.
> >
> >take care,
> >bob bickerton, MA director of adult ed
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Heide Wrigley [mailto:hwrigley at aiweb.com]
> >Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 9:56 AM
> >To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> >Subject: [AAACE-NLA] immigrants with a high school diploma
> >
> >
> >Hi, John -
> >
> >Thanks for alerting us to the fact that the RTI report says that
> >immigrants and refugees who have a high school diploma and don't speak
> >English well are not part of the adult education target population.
> >
> >This may, once again, be the result of a failure of analysts to
> >distinguish between people who received a high school diploma in the
> >U.S. (who may not be in the target group) and immigrants and refugees
> >who report having a high school diploma from ANOTHER country and don't
> >speak English well and who are definitely part of the target
>population.
> >
> >
> >I do hope the report will be revised (or notes added) to address this
> >issue
> >
> >Cheers
> >
> >Heide Wrigley
> >
> >
> >Heide Spruck Wrigley
> >LiteracyWork Associates
> >San Mateo, CA and Vancouver, B.C.
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
> >[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of John
> >Comings
> >Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 10:45 AM
> >To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> >Subject: [AAACE-NLA] NLA: DAEL/OVAE document
> >
> >I just received an April 2004 document, "Profiles of the Adult
>Education
> >
> >Target Population, Information from the 2000 Census" prepared by RTI
> >International for DAEL/OVAE.  It defines the adult education target
> >population as "individuals ages 16 years and over, who have not
>attained
> >a
> >high school diploma or equivalent and are not currently enrolled in
> >school." This comes out to be 51 million adults or 23% of the total 16+
> >age
> >group. However, this definition does not include the 9.5 million
> >immigrants
> >who have a high school diploma but do not speak English well. This
>group
> >is
> >identified in the report as "not technically members of the target
> >population, but they have a need for and demand services of adult
> >education
> >programs..." but not put into the total.  No mention is made of adults
> >who
> >speak English and have a high school diploma but whose reading and math
> >skills fall below NALS Level 3, some of whom also participate in our
> >services.  This group, of course, would not show up in the Census.
> >
> >The document provides a lot of useful information about the 51 million
> >who
> >do not have a high school diploma, but it doesn't seem to cover the
> >adult
> >education target population. I think the correct title should be:
> >profiles
> >of AN adult education target population.
> >
> >The definition of our potential student population has been an issue of
> >discussion among NCSALL researchers. We feel anyone who needs our
> >services
> >and shows up at the door should be served, but we also acknowledge that
> >few
> >adults over the age of 60 (or even 50) choose to participate.  Though
>we
> >do
> >have students who are 16 to 18, those students should be served by the
> >K-12
> >school system that has much more money and other resources than we do.
> >Most
> >adults who speak English well (either because they are immigrants who
> >have
> >developed strong English skills or because they were born in this
> >country
> >and learned English as a child) and have a high school diploma but have
> >low
> >literacy and math skills do not show up at our programs.  Adding a new
> >type
> >of service to our programs might allow us to serve more in this
> >population,
> >but we should probably first make sure we are serving all of those in
> >our
> >core population well.
> >
> >I think that core population of people we serve (90% of those who come
> >to
> >our programs) are adults 18-50 years of age who need to learn English
> >and/or acquire a high school credential.  Does this sound right to
> >others?
> >
> >John Comings
> >National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
> >Harvard Graduate School of Education
> >7 Appian Way
> >Cambridge MA 02138
> >(617) 496-0516
> >john_comings at harvard.edu
> >http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu
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>Rutgers University
>Graduate School of Education
>10 seminary Pl.
>New Brunswick, NJ 08901
>732-932-7496 ext. 8213
>
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Rutgers University
Graduate School of Education
10 seminary Pl.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-932-7496 ext. 8213 