[NLA] Senate Report Language RE: NIFL Advisory Board

[Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council]

Senate Report Language RE: NIFL Advisory BoardChristy and others:

I was very glad to read this language, too.  Perhaps there *is* hope for the NON-adult ed-focused board members.  The secret is going to be whether or not they tap their resources - *talk* to others who are more "in the know" than they are regarding adult education and literacy.  If they *don't* tap the resources available to them, I predict the worst is going to happen eventually.

As *I* have made abundantly clear in the past, one of the issues that *I* have is "proper assessments ... for low literacy adults".  I am encouraged to read that terminology is right *in* there.  It's a critical issue as far as I'm concerned.  I feel required testing with inaccurate tools is an insurmountable roadblock to offering to *all* citizens the right to read.  Our adults deserve something better that will, on a more *real* level, assess "their skills and knowledge.  

But don't get me started.  I will jump on a soapbox again and speak a piece of my mind about timed testing!  Thanks for sharing this important message.

Nancy Hansen, E.D.
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
Sioux Falls, SD
sfliteracy at mcleodusa.net
----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gullion, Christy 
  To: NLA (E-mail) 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 10:03 AM
  Subject: [NLA] Senate Report Language RE: NIFL Advisory Board


  The following report language relating to the NIFL Advisory Board nominees was included in Senate Report 107-216, which accompanies the Senate's FY 2003 funding measure for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and relate agencies (S. 2766): 

  "The Committee recognizes and supports the unique mandate of the National Institute for Literacy to serve as a national resource for adult education and literacy programs. The Committee is aware that the President has nominated 10 new advisory board members to oversee the work of the Institute. The Committee urges this new advisory board to assist the Institute in maintaining its unique focus on adult literacy through its programs, such as the Bridges to Practice initiative that informs and trains adult educators on proper assessments and interventions for low literate adults who have learning disabilities, and the Equipped for the Future initiative that works to improve the quality and results of adult learning programs by focusing instruction and assessment on the skills and knowledge adults need to accomplish their goals as citizens, parents, and workers."

  You can access the entire report at http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Select "Committee Reports" and enter report number "107-216".

  Christy Gullion 
  Associate Director for Federal Policy 
  National Institute for Literacy 
  1775 I Street, NW, Suite 730 
  Washington, DC  20006-2417 
  ph. (202) 233-2033 
  fax (202) 233-2050 

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