# A Blueprint for

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## 

## Preparing America's Future

The Adult Basic and Literacy Education Act of 2003:

#### **Summary of Major Provisions**

##### U.S. Department of Education

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

Carol A. D'Amico, Assistant Secretary

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### June 2003

####### EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

**The Bush Administration's Vision for Adult Basic and Literacy
Education**

#### Adults will have opportunities to improve their basic and literacy skills in 

#### high-quality research-based programs that will equip them to succeed in the next step of their education and employment. 

####### The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) must be reauthorized before September 30, 2004. The Bush Administration is committed to reforming education in the United States. This blueprint outlines another facet of the Administration's agenda for education reform that began with the enactment of No Child Left Behind. This blueprint serves as an outline for the forthcoming Adult Basic and Literacy Education Act.

Americans need a strong foundation of academic skills in order to
fulfill their roles as workers, parents and citizens, and to face the
challenges of today's high-skilled economy. The U.S. Department of
Education's proposed Adult Basic and Literacy Education Act of 2003
(ABLE) will make high-quality adult basic and literacy education
services available to more adults by: creating accountability for
results; funding what works; expanding options and choices; and reducing
bureaucracy and increasing flexibility.

**Creating accountability for results.** Under the Administration's
proposal, States must establish more effective programs that prioritize
accountability for results by setting challenging expectations for
students, using meaningful assessments, and aligning instruction to meet
those expectations. Clear standards in core academics of reading,
mathematics, language arts and English language acquisition; aligned
student assessments; and appropriate performance measures will drive
program improvement that benefits students. New local accountability
systems will ensure that the most qualified and effective providers
receive Federal funds.

**Funding what works.** An enhanced emphasis on research, as well as
demonstration and development efforts, will build a stronger foundation
of knowledge for the endeavor of adult education. Knowledge about how to
teach adults reading, mathematics, and English effectively, how to
integrate technology, and how to organize programs will lead to stronger
student learning outcomes and more effective use of taxpayer dollars.

**Expanding options and choices for students.** Adults who make the
personal investment in learning deserve a broad array of high-quality
program options that best meet their needs. Under the improved adult
education programs, a broader array of agencies will compete
successfully to provide adult basic education services, including more
community and faith-based organizations. Expanded employer involvement
and use of technology also will create more learning opportunities for
students, as well as create closer connections among educational
programs to help students make smooth transitions to postsecondary
education and training. Enhanced partnerships with the One-Stop delivery
system under title I of WIA will also assist in more effectively
connecting students, providers and employers for purposes of the program
and promoting smooth transitions to employment.

**Reduce bureaucracy and increase flexibility.** The ABLE Act will keep
data collection burdens at a minimum, while still ensuring that the
policymakers have the information they need to ensure accountability and
program integrity. ABLE will create flexibility to facilitate new and
innovative partnerships between adult education providers and other
community agencies to make literacy services more widely available.

**I. SETTING A NEW COURSE FOR ADULT BASIC AND LITERACY EDUCATION\
**

**Adult Literacy for the 21^st^ Century**

Tens of millions of American adults do not have the reading, language,
computational, or English skills they need to be self-sufficient or
continue adapting to the changing demands of the global information
economy that characterize our Nation's present and future. The findings
of the most recent national survey of adult literacy were published in
the early 1990s. That survey found 40 million American adults (ages 16
and older) functioning at the lowest level of literacy, and 90 million
functioning at the two lowest levels. These individuals are not equipped
with the skills they need to work effectively in the high-skill jobs
that increasingly characterize our economy. Millions of working adults,
along with unemployed, dislocated, and discouraged workers need to
upgrade their basic skills to find and keep employment.

The level of academic foundation skills demanded by the workplace and in
society has continued to rise in the past decade. Today's job market
demands that workers adapt as new technology is introduced,
organizations restructure, and employment opportunities quickly appear
and disappear. With the retirement of the baby boomers, projections are
that the United States will have a shortage of perhaps 12 million
qualified workers in the next decade.

Even now, immigrants fill about one half of the jobs created through
labor market expansion. Many are highly qualified, but, on average,
foreign-born full-time workers have significantly lower literacy skills
than native-born full-time workers.

######## The Adult Literacy Challenge

The Federally funded system of adult basic and literacy education serves
approximately 2.7 million adults each year. In addition to assistance
provided under this system, adults have access to literacy instruction
through other Federal, State and local programs provided at libraries,
the workplace, community agencies and other locations.

To adequately address the national basic skills deficit, the Federal,
State and local governments must engage the full range of entities that
hold a stake in raising the adult literacy level. Low-skilled adults
ought to have consistent high-quality service and accountability from
all adult basic and literacy educational programs.

Based on the way adult education has developed in America, the network
of basic education programs in States and local areas is not a cohesive
education system. Programs are run by local school districts, community
colleges, and community organizations and are funded by numerous sources
-- some Federal, but also State, local and private funds.

Further action is needed to improve the quality of service that will be
responsive to the needs of adults. However, daunting challenges exist.

Across the Nation, thousands of teachers and volunteers work hard to
help low-literate adults, and there are remarkable stories of individual
and program achievement. Still, as a whole, there is little consistency
or guarantee of rigor in the content or quality of instructional methods
among the loose network of programs.

Given the data on State performance, it does not appear that publicly
supported programs are adequately meeting students' needs:

-   Only 35 percent of adult education participants complete at least
    one educational level within a reporting year. An educational level
    for the adult education system is measured by standardized test
    results demonstrating that a student achieved learning gains of
    approximately two grade equivalent levels;

-   Only one quarter of adult education participants that enroll in
    adult basic education with the goal of attending college actually
    enroll in postsecondary education after leaving adult basic
    education;

-   Of the adult education students who receive 12 or more hours of
    instruction, 29 percent drop out before they complete an educational
    level.

# Elements of Program Quality 

Adults investing their time in educational programs deserve consistent,
rigorous academic content and effective instruction. To serve adult
students more effectively, the ABLE Act will use resources more
efficiently in order to provide high quality adult basic and literacy
education services by: creating accountability for results; funding what
works; expanding options and choices; and reducing bureaucracy and
increasing flexibility. Through the adult education program's
participation in the One Stop Career Center system, participants will
have enhanced access to a wide array of programs and services.

**Creating accountability for results.** Under the Administration's
proposal, States will establish more effective systems that make
accountability for results a priority by setting challenging
expectations for students, using meaningful assessments, and aligning
instruction to meet those expectations. Clear standards in core
academics of reading, mathematics, language arts and English language
acquisition; aligned student assessments; and appropriate performance
measures will drive program improvement that benefits students. New
local accountability systems will ensure that only the most qualified
and effective providers receive Federal funds.

**Funding what works.** An enhanced emphasis on empirically based
research, as well as demonstration and development efforts, will build a
stronger foundation of knowledge for the endeavor of adult education.
Knowledge about how to teach adults reading, mathematics, or English
effectively, how to integrate technology, and how to organize programs
will lead to stronger student learning and employment outcomes and more
effective use of taxpayer dollars.

**Expanding options and choices for students.** Adults who make the
personal investment in learning deserve a broad array of high-quality
program options that best meet their needs. Under the improved adult
education programs, more agencies, including more community and
faith-based organizations, will compete successfully to provide adult
basic education services. Expanded employer involvement and technology
also will make more options available to students, as well as, create
closer connections among education programs that allow students to make
smooth transitions to further postsecondary education, training and
employment.

**Reduce bureaucracy and increase flexibility.** The ABLE Act will keep
data collection burdens at a minimum. ABLE will create flexibility to
facilitate new and innovative partnerships among adult education
providers and other community agencies to make literacy services more
widely available.

######## 

######## The Bush Administration's Vision for 

######## Adult Basic and Literacy Education

######## 

######## *Adults will have opportunities to improve their basic and literacy* *skills in high-quality research-based programs that will equip them to succeed in the next step of their education and employment.*

######## * *

**II. Adult Basic and Literacy Education Program Overview**

The ABLE Act will build on the framework established by the Adult
Education and Family Literacy Act. The Administration requested \$584.3
million in fiscal year 2004 for adult basic and literacy education
including funds for State, local, and national programs. In addition,
the Administration is proposing to reauthorize the National Institute
for Literacy (NIFL). The Administration requested \$6.7 million for
fiscal year 2004 for NIFL.

After reserving up to 1.55 percent of the appropriation for national
research and leadership activities, the Secretary will distribute funds
annually to the States under a formula similar to the current formula.
Governors will continue to designate a State agency to administer their
State programs.

***Part 1. Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants***

States will use grant funds for:

-   **State leadership activities.** States may use up to 12.5 percent
    of the State allocation for State leadership activities. For fiscal
    years 2004 to 2006, States that need additional funds to develop
    content standards and assessments can reserve up to 15 percent for
    that purpose.

-   **State administration.** Up to 5 percent of the State allocation or
    \$75,000, whichever is greater, may be used by a State for
    administrative expenses.

[]{.mark}

-   **Workplace education programs.** States will use at least 5 percent
    of the State allocation to support work place education programs
    that are carried out in partnership with employers in order to
    promote greater private sector investment in adult basic and
    literacy education.

-   **Local ABLE programs.** States will award competitive grants and
    contracts to local programs to teach low-literate and limited
    English speaking adults rigorous basic academic content in reading
    and language arts, mathematics, and English language acquisition. As
    in current law, States will operate correctional and institutional
    programs (up to 8 percent of the State's allocation).

######## 

######## Strategies for Achieving Improvement

The key strategies that the ABLE Act will pursue are to:

-   Hold local programs and State agencies accountable for student
    achievement;

-   Require State-developed or State-adopted content standards and
    aligned assessments;

-   Focus on what works---promoting local use of research-based
    practice;

-   Provide increased options for basic skills acquisition;

-   Expand appropriate technology options;

-   Promote collaboration and resource-sharing across agencies that
    serve under educated adults; and

-   Coordinate the delivery of services through the One-Stop Career
    Center system.

##### Hold Local Programs Accountable for Student Achievement 

Under the current program, States make multiyear grants to local
education agencies, community-based organizations and community
colleges, but often the grants are allowed to continue without rigorous
oversight of how well students are doing. States need to account
accurately for the outcomes of their grants and to fund the programs
that get results.

-   **Performance goals.** Each State will establish performance goals
    for each local program. Local programs will demonstrate student
    gains in reading, math, language arts and English language
    acquisition, student attainment of credentials, and student
    transition to postsecondary education and employment.

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-   **Annual performance reviews.** Each State will review the
    achievement of its grantees annually against the goals established
    for them. States will award grants for multiyear periods that do not
    exceed three years, so that all grantees must re-compete for funds
    during the 6-year duration of the law.

-   **Rewards and sanctions.** States will be required to allocate grant
    funds annually to high-performing local programs, plan to help
    grantees improve their performance, and terminate grants to
    providers that are not achieving results.

-   **Public reporting.** States will release to the public, through a
    report card system, details regarding how well programs performed
    and how well students fared in local programs throughout the State.
    This performance information will be disseminated through the
    Consumer Report system established under Title I of the Workforce
    Investment Act and made available widely to the public.

***Hold Each State Accountable for Student Achievement***

-   **State performance goals.** States will reach agreement with the
    Department of Education on challenging long-term goals for improving
    student performance. States will submit six-year plans with
    long-term goals for the end of the six-year period for each
    performance indicator. The Secretary will approve only annual State
    performance targets that are sufficiently rigorous to ensure that
    the State will meet its long-term improvement goals. In consultation
    with the States and other appropriate parties, the Department will
    establish long-term national targets for the levels of performance
    for each indicator. In evaluating performance levels proposed by a
    State, the Secretary will take into account the extent to which the
    proposed levels will assist in meeting the national performance
    targets.

-   **State performance measures.** States will continue to report
    student learning gains, GED and high school equivalency completion,
    transition to postsecondary education, and employment outcomes to
    the Department of Education, using common measures developed across
    agencies.

-   **Performance indicators.** Adult education providers will be held
    accountable for the achievement of appropriate participant outcomes,
    including literacy and basic skills improvement, degree attainment,
    and outcomes achieved by participants after exiting the program.

-   

> []{.mark}

-   **Simplified common measures**. To ease the administrative burden on
    States and local providers, and to promote consistency in measuring
    the performance of Federal education and training programs, the
    Administration is undertaking a common measures initiative that will
    establish four measures for programs that serve adults and four
    measures for youth and lifelong learning programs. Because adult
    basic and literacy education students pursue both education and
    employment outcomes, adult education programs\' performance will be
    evaluated using both adult and lifelong learning measures. Measures
    of employment outcomes that are collected for adult basic and
    literacy education students will be consistent with the employment
    outcome information collected by other Federal workforce development
    programs.

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-   **Flexibility for workplace education**. Since workplace education
    services are typically shorter in duration and more directly linked
    to workplace objectives, accountability measures will be refined to
    reflect the specific goals of such services.

-   **Rewards for high performance.** National incentive grants will be
    available to State Adult Basic and Literacy Education agencies that
    exceed challenging performance goals. The Secretary will reserve up
    to 1.75 percent of the annual appropriation for incentive grants.
    States will be required to reinvest the incentive grant funds in the
    State adult basic education system.

-   **Sanctions for low performance**. If States are not meeting
    performance standards, the Secretary will work with them to develop
    corrective action plans. States that fail to improve their
    performance after two years of developing the performance
    improvement plan will be subject to sanctions.

###### Require State-Developed Content Standards and Aligned Assessments

Unlike in elementary and secondary education, few States have systems of
content standards and student assessments for adult basic and literacy
education. Content standards are clear statements of what a student
should know and be able to do at specific points along an educational
pathway. Assessments will be aligned with the standards and will be
designed to provide valid and reliable measures of the degree to which a
student has acquired the identified knowledge and skills.

-   **State content standards.** Each State will be required to develop
    or adapt and implement educational content standards in reading and
    language arts, mathematics, and English language acquisition.
    Standards will guide local programs in creating a clear sequence of
    adult literacy activities leading to high school-level proficiency
    and readiness for college. The Department will hold States
    accountable for developing or adopting their own standards but will
    not develop or impose national standards for adult education.

-   **Aligned assessments**. States will be required to align existing
    or new standardized assessments with State content standards so that
    programs can assess accurately student learning and achievement. The
    results of these assessments will provide the data for reporting
    student learning gains---a core indicator of program performance
    that States must report to the Department of Education.

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-   **Alignment with postsecondary education and employment**. States
    will be required to align content standards and assessments with
    what students need to know to continue to the next level of
    education and employment. They will be expected to take into
    consideration the standards for elementary and secondary education,
    the standards for entry into postsecondary education, and the
    expectations of employers for entry-level workers.

***Focus on What Works -- Promoting Local Use of Research-Based
Practice***

-   **Scientifically based research findings.** Local programs will be
    required to use scientifically based research findings to design
    their instruction and curriculum. States will be required to
    consider the local programs' use of research-based practices when
    reviewing agencies' grant applications and evaluating local program
    performance.

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-   **State capacity to support what works**. State plans will reflect a
    well thought-out approach to supporting local agencies in using
    research to improve instruction. States must ensure that teachers
    are trained in the use of research-validated instructional practices
    in reading, math, and English fluency. States must lead the effort
    to incorporate research-validated findings in instructional practice
    and materials.

> **Improve teacher quality.** State plans will require States to
> provide a description of their standards for instructional staff
> qualifications and how the eligible agency will provide and
> continuously improve instructional staff qualifications through
> professional development and training on scientifically based
> instructional practices.

##### Provide Increased Options for Basic Skills Acquisition 

-   **State capacity-building for new providers.** States will be
    required to strengthen the participation of community- and
    faith-based organizations to expand the availability of basic skills
    educational opportunities. States will be required to offer
    technical assistance to build the capacity of community
    organizations, employers, and non-traditional agencies that can
    provide adult basic and literacy education.

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-   **Workplace education partnerships with employers**. States will
    direct at least 5 percent of their funds to workplace education
    projects that are designed to meet the unique needs of participating
    workers and employers. Requiring the employers to increase their
    financial contribution over time will leverage more resources for
    workplace education. States will assure that workplace education
    activities are designed in cooperation with the State workforce
    investment system so that they are coordinated with other workforce
    development initiatives.

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-   **Allow for-profit provider competition.** For-profit service
    providers will be allowed to compete with other local agencies to
    provide adults with high-quality basic education services in their
    communities.

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-   **Postsecondary transitions.** States will be required to provide
    students who complete adult secondary education or attain a GED the
    opportunity for a smooth transition to postsecondary education
    through the development of articulation agreements with colleges,
    academic counseling activities, and other strategies.

##### Expanding Appropriate Technology Options 

-   **State support of technology.** State leadership activities will
    include promoting the use of technology-facilitated learning and
    distance learning to accelerate student achievement and expand
    access to adult basic and literacy education.

-   **Local use of technology**. Local applications will reflect uses of
    technology that promote student access to instruction, improve
    instruction, and accelerate student learning.

##### 

##### Sharing Resources and Services Across Agencies 

-   **State strategies for coordination and collaboration.** States must
    create a comprehensive approach to meeting the literacy development
    needs they identify in a State needs assessment, including how they
    will coordinate support services with other agencies and how they
    will meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.

-   **One-Stop coordination.** Adult basic education will continue as a
    partner in the One-Stop Career Center system, with representation on
    the State Workforce Investment Board, by participating in the design
    and implementation of the system, by coordinating services with
    other One-Stop Center partners, and by delivering core services
    through the One-Stop system. Under the Administration\'s proposal to
    reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the Governor will
    use a portion of partner program funds to support the costs of
    One-Stop Career Center infrastructure taking into consideration the
    proportionate use of the One-Stop Centers by each partner, the costs
    of administration for purposes not related to One-Stop centers for
    each partner, and other relevant factors. The Governor, in
    consultation with the State board, will determine the amount of the
    contribution, except in States in which the constitution does not
    provide the Governor authority over adult education. In these
    States, the Governor and the adult education authority shall decide
    the amount of the contribution. Funding for infrastructure costs
    shall be provided from funds available for administrative purposes.

-   **Unified State planning.** State ABLE plans can be submitted as
    part of a comprehensive education plan or part of a unified plan
    with plans for workforce development programs.

##### Part 2. National Leadership Activities

The Secretary will be authorized to reserve a portion (1.55 percent) of
the annual appropriation to carry out national activities. The
legislation will authorize national activities that support the
priorities in the Act as follows:

-   **Demonstration of cross-agency planning.** The Secretary will use
    National Leadership funds to support a demonstration of cross-agency
    planning and coordinated adult education services. States that
    volunteer to participate will develop plans to increase adult
    literacy statewide and engage diverse public and private educational
    providers in improving the quality of their classes and services.

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-   **Technical assistance.** National activities will include technical
    assistance to State agencies, eligible providers, and other private
    and public organizations involved in the provision of basic and
    literacy education services for adults, particularly in the areas of
    performance accountability, standards and assessments, technology,
    workplace education, and professional development.

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-   **Evaluation and assessment.** National activities will support an
    independent evaluation and assessment of adult basic education and
    literacy programs, addressing issues such as the effectiveness of
    instructional strategies, learning gains and outcomes achieved by
    participants and the effectiveness of the Federal investment in
    improving student outcomes.

-   **National needs assessment.** National activities funds will
    support the national assessment of adult literacy, including
    estimating the number of adults functioning at different levels of
    literacy proficiency.

-   **Rigorous research.** Finally, funds reserved for national
    activities will support rigorous research that uses accepted
    practices of scientific inquiry to investigate the validity of
    theories and the effectiveness of practices in adult basic and
    literacy education. This research creates scientifically valid
    research findings that can provide the basis for improving
    instruction and learning.

######## *Part 3. The National Institute for Literacy* 

Section 242 of the current Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (WIA
Title II) authorizes the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). The
National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) was created in 1990 to provide
leadership and raise the visibility of adult literacy, and to facilitate
collaboration at the Federal level. NIFL is administered under the terms
of an agreement entered into by the Department of Education, the
Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

NIFL has developed a strong connection with providers of adult literacy
services through dissemination, professional development and technical
assistance. NIFL also has created web-based resources and clearinghouses
and has worked to synthesize reading research. Originally, NIFL was
conceived to focus directly on adult education and literacy. Beginning
with the Reading Excellence Act (REA) of 1998 and a special \$5 million
appropriation under that Act, NIFL's role expanded to include synthesis
and dissemination of evidence-based research on children's reading,
specifically related to the National Reading Panel. NIFL is now part of
the Reading Partnership, a joint effort with the Department of Education
and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
in the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of
Health.

The Administration proposes to reauthorize NIFL, focusing its activities
on synthesis and dissemination of rigorous research on reading for
children, youth and adults and mathematics and English acquisition for
adults.

# Organization Mission

-   **Reading across the lifespan.** NIFL's mission will be clarified to
    focus on synthesizing, reporting and disseminating emerging research
    on reading and language arts across the lifespan for children, youth
    and adults.

-   **Math and English language acquisition for adults.** NIFL will
    carry out these functions, as described above, in relation to
    mathematics and English language acquisition for adults, and will
    ensure proper collaboration with ongoing research relating to
    children and youth by other entities within the Federal government.

-   **Technical assistance and training.** Upon request, NIFL will
    provide limited technical assistance and training in partnership
    with Federal agencies.

# Administrative Issues

-   **Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor.**
    NIFL will be administered under the terms of an interagency
    agreement entered into by the Departments' Secretaries.

-   **Advisory board.** NIFL's Board will be nominated by the President,
    with advice and consent of the Senate, and will advise the Director.

-   **Appointment of director and agency support.** The Secretary of
    Education, after considering recommendations made by the Board, will
    appoint the NIFL director and the Department of Education will
    continue to provide administrative support for the agency.