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The Literacy Connection:
July 1998
The Literacy Connection: Coordinating Initiatives to Improve Adult Literacy in New Jersey
Report and Recommendations From the Commission on Higher Education September 1998
TASK FORCE ON ADULT LITERACY MEMBERS Richard Fritzky, Co-Chair, Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce Staff Representatives Lansing Davis, New Jersey State Employment & Training Commission Special thanks to Kay Hancock, Commission on Higher Education, and Ann Watkins, State Employment and Training Commission, for editorial assistance.
The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education (CHE) and the State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) established the Task Force on Adult Literacy to recommend ways to improve the literacy delivery system for adults. This report and its recommendations focus on improving coordinated interagency planning and accountability to increase governmental efficiency, and on advancing the employability and self-sufficiency of the three million low-literate adults in New Jersey. This Task Force report asserts that education is highly correlated with success in our society. Education affects individual employability, wages, productivity, the ability to function effectively in the family and community, and, ultimately, the state’s economic well-being. A lack of literacy is directly related to the incidence of incarceration, dependency on public assistance, and a number of other social problems. Low literacy skills rob individuals of their future and undermine the economy of the state. In light of these realities, the findings in this report sound an alarming note: nearly one-half of New Jersey’s adults (based on a 1994 survey of individuals age 16 to 64) function at the lowest levels of literacy as defined by the National Adult Literacy Survey. Furthermore, New Jersey’s literacy statistics present a more complete and disturbing picture:
In summary, low literacy levels are related to crime, unemployment and underemployment, public assistance, and many of the other social problems in which the state invests hundreds of million dollars each year. Developing a solid, well-coordinated literacy delivery system will enhance the chances of adults’ success in the labor market and in society as a whole. A literate population is a precondition for solving many of society’s ills. The Task Force adopted the following definition of literacy from the National Literacy Act of 1991:
More broadly, the Task Force views literacy as "the ability to recognize, interpret, and act on symbolic representations of our world through various forms of language and cultural expression" (Drapper III, cited in Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins, and Kolstad, 1993) and operates under the general belief that "facility in manipulating these symbols, whether through the written word, numbers or images is essential to effective human development" (Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins, and Kolstad, 1993). Although the Task Force focused on the full range of adult literacy programs, it placed particular emphasis on the two lowest of five levels of literacy as defined by the National Adult Literacy Survey. THE CURRENT LITERACY SYSTEM In analyzing the literacy delivery system, the report concludes that the system is disjointed, comprising an array of programs funded through various federal, state, local, and private sources, with little or no central coordination or oversight. For example, seven state agencies (the Departments of Corrections, Education, Human Services, and Labor; the Commission on Higher Education; New Jersey Network; and the State Library) support at least 17 programs that provide adult literacy education at a cost of approximately $36 million. State and local initiatives occur without benefit of a common vision, master plan, coordinated financing, and oversight. State and federal dollars flow through these state programs to local service providers to operate a variety of program models. Many of these programs also receive supplemental funding for literacy activities from nonfederal and state sources. In addition, some programs receive federal funds directly. Adult literacy educators and other practitioners who provide services to low-literate adults do not have sufficient opportunities for training and information sharing. Initiatives in these areas are now tied primarily to traditional modes of delivery. The use of technology to enhance professional development should be explored fully, including standards for the acquisition of computer hardware and software to facilitate training and information sharing and a requirement that funded programs make technology, including television, available to staff. Better coordination and communication between state agencies and local policy makers and providers also will improve professional development. The Task Force acknowledges recent efforts by the Department of Education to restructure the delivery system, foster collaboration among local providers, and provide a continuum of comprehensive programs and services that are coordinated and integrated with other state, federal, and local efforts. It concludes, however, that increased integration and cooperation at state and local levels are needed to achieve greater overall efficiencies. The development of sound literacy skills is at the foundation of the workforce readiness system. State and local planning and oversight efforts must be inclusive, bringing together key stakeholders in this system. Only then will the state realize the benefits of many of its other investments in human capital. The Task Force identified six areas for improvement:
The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education (CHE) and the State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) established the Task Force on Adult Literacy in the fall of 1996. These Commissions charged the Task Force with recommending ways to improve the literacy delivery system for adults. The Task Force focused on increasing governmental efficiency, improving coordination and accountability, and advancing the employability and self-sufficiency of the three million low-literate citizens of New Jersey. Recommendations contained in both CHE’s planning document, Looking to the Millennium: New Jersey’s Plan for Higher Education (1996) and the SETC’s A Unified State Plan for New Jersey’s Workforce Readiness System (1996) call for a literacy task force to review the need for adult literacy services and to examine the full range of literacy programs in the state. This effort to examine and improve the delivery of literacy services is not the first the state has undertaken. More than thirty years ago, the Governor’s Task Force on Adult Literacy Opportunities in New Jersey issued a report to former Governor Richard Hughes that described adult illiteracy in New Jersey as a "problem of massive proportions" (1966). In 1993, the New Jersey Council on Adult Education and Literacy, created by former Governor James Florio, released a report outlining priorities and recommendations in three areas: family literacy, workplace literacy, and adult education and the literacy delivery system. At the federal level, in 1991, Congress established an ambitious goal that "every adult American will be literate and possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship." In 1998, we are far from reaching that goal. Furthermore, the definition of what it means to be literate continues to expand as we undergo the rapid transformation to an information-based society. Work of the Task Force The Task Force, co-chaired by Richard Fritzky, a member of the State Employment and Training Commission and President of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce, and Donald Loff, a member of the Commission on Higher Education and Senior Vice President-Investments at PaineWebber, Inc., included representatives from business and industry; organized labor; adult education; K-12 education; higher education; community-based organizations; the State Departments of Corrections, Education, Human Services, Labor, and Treasury; New Jersey Network; the Commission on Higher Education; and the State Employment and Training Commission. The Task Force placed particular emphasis on Levels 1 and 2 as defined by the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The NALS levels are based on a person’s proficiency in performing literacy tasks on three dimensions: Prose, Document, and Quantitative. The average score for adults with less than a high school diploma falls within the two lowest levels (1 and 2) of the five NALS levels. For adults whose highest level of educational achievement is high school completion, the average score is at the high end of Level 2. (See Appendix A for a more detailed discussion of the literacy levels.) The report of the Task Force on Adult Literacy incorporates the following information: research on successful national and state initiatives; public hearing testimony; Task Force discussions and subcommittee reports; a survey of New Jersey’s college and university literacy programs; the 1993 report and recommendations of the New Jersey Council on Adult Education and Literacy; two studies conducted by Educational Testing Service (ETS) for the National Center for Education Statistics, Adult Literacy in America (Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins, and Kolstad, 1993) and Adult Literacy in New Jersey (Jenkins and Kirsch, 1994); and comments to the Task Force by Irwin Kirsch, Principal Research Scientist at ETS and coauthor of the two aforementioned adult literacy studies. The Task Force developed a detailed action plan, which included creating a number of subcommittees to conduct research and develop findings. In the first phase of the Task Force’s work, four subcommittees developed a contextual summary, inventoried New Jersey’s literacy programs, researched literacy structures and practices in other states, and developed a plan for public input. Each group conducted extensive research to develop its report. For example, as a part of the inventory of New Jersey’s literacy programs, a subcommittee surveyed designated state agencies, the Workforce Investment Boards, and New Jersey’s colleges and universities. The subcommittee examining literacy structures and practices in other states interviewed experts with firsthand knowledge of literacy provision in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The report recommends improvements in the delivery of literacy services to meet the needs of the state and those adults with inadequate skills. Although the Task Force built upon the findings of the 1993 Report, Adult Literacy in New Jersey: Meeting the Challenge of the 21st Century, issued by the New Jersey Council on Adult Education and Literacy, it focused most of its attention on the administration and delivery of literacy programs since that time. The Task Force addressed efficiency, coordination, and accountability to transform the current patchwork of programs with few formal ties into a fully integrated component of the workforce readiness system. The stakes are high. Increasing the employability and self-sufficiency of three million citizens with low literacy skills must be a major priority for New Jersey. In its initial deliberations the Task Force adopted the definition of literacy as "an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and develop one’s knowledge and potential" (National Literacy Act of 1991). The Task Force also views literacy more broadly as "the ability to recognize, interpret, and act on symbolic representations of our world through various forms of language and cultural expression" (Drapper III, cited in Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins, and Kolstad, 1993) and operates under the general belief that "facility in manipulating these symbols, whether through the written word, numbers or images, is essential to effective human development" (Kirsch et al., 1993). Operationally, the Task Force based its measure of literacy on the five literacy levels as defined by the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). These levels reflect varying degrees of proficiency in completing literacy tasks, rather than dichotomizing the population into illiterates and literates. As such, NALS levels are not a measure of illiteracy. Although the Task Force agreed to focus on the full range of literacy programs that currently serves adults, it placed particular emphasis on Levels 1 and 2. GED programs and adult high schools typically serve students in Levels 2-5. New Jersey’s population of adults in need of literacy education is expanding. High school dropouts, immigrants, and high school graduates with low skills swell the numbers. The current system does not have the capacity to meet existing needs, much less projected demands. The state needs a new model, similar to preventive medicine, to address adequately the needs of adults with low levels of literacy. Both improved efficiency within the delivery system and a greater investment to support adult literacy education is essential. The costs of failing to provide adequate literacy services are tremendous—to the individual, economy, and society. The Task Force findings are as follows:
Despite a range of adult education programs in place through various state, federal, and private agencies, low literacy remains a serious problem in New Jersey. Between 2.6 and 3.1 million adult New Jerseyans score at the lowest two of the five literacy levels measured by the National Adult Literacy Survey (Jenkins and Kirsch, 1994). Persons at these levels generally experience difficulty in performing tasks requiring integration or synthesis of information from complex or lengthy texts or in performing complex quantitative tasks. For example, they may find it difficult to write a brief letter explaining an error made on a credit card bill; use a bus schedule to determine the appropriate bus for a given set of conditions; or, using a calculator, determine the difference between the regular and sale price printed in an advertisement. At the low end of the continuum of adult education programs are those providing basic literacy training; at a higher level are programs that prepare adults to receive high school diplomas. The State Board of Education identified new core curriculum content standards for the K-12 level that also apply to students in adult high school programs, but not as yet to Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED), and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. Literacy, Economy, and Society New Jersey is at a critical juncture. It must prepare all citizens for current and future challenges so that they can succeed as family members, citizens, workers, and lifelong learners. Central to this success is the ability to secure employment and maintain employability.
Basic skills have become a necessity for adults to earn a living wage and to participate fully in society. A basic high school diploma or GED should be regarded as a minimum level of achievement to succeed in the modern labor market; it can enable recipients to begin a lifelong learning process. Through the year 2000, the majority of new jobs will require advanced literacy skills and lifelong learning, with high paying jobs necessitating education beyond high school. For those who have been poorly served by the educational system and underrepresented in postsecondary educational programs, the gap between their skills and what is needed for full participation in society is widening. Irwin Kirsch of ETS, among others, warns that unless literacy skills become a priority, low educational achievement will combine with demographic, economic, and social changes to create a more divided society. A highly literate workforce is of paramount importance to employers. Yet, surveys show significant gaps between the skills needed by employers and the skills potential workers have. A national survey of 300 small to larger businesses indicated that only nine percent of employers considered high school graduates able to communicate well verbally or read training manuals. Likewise, only six percent of the employers considered high school graduates able to communicate through writing and only eight percent stated that graduates had basic math skills (Workforce Preparedness, 1997). A continually expanding definition of minimal basic skills increases employers’ expectations of what constitutes literacy. Accelerated social, technological, and economic changes are creating a demand for greater skills. Within the past decade, the amount of available information grew exponentially, requiring more advanced levels of comprehension, problem solving, and critical thinking. In addition, the ability to process information through technology is becoming a prerequisite skill, widening the gap between those who have that skill and those who do not. Central to the work of the Task Force was the premise that literacy is fundamental to citizens’ roles in the workforce, the home, and the community. The State Adult Literacy Survey (Jenkins and Kirsch, 1994) demonstrated that approximately three-quarters of adults who were poor or near poor performed at the lowest two literacy levels as measured by NALS (Chart 1). On average, these individuals have lower median weekly incomes and lower annual household incomes than adults who function at higher levels of literacy. For example, the median weekly earnings for state residents who performed at Level 1 were between $288 and $307 and for Level 2, $343 and $377. In contrast, the median weekly earnings for adults at Level 4 were $620 to $666 and for adults at Level 5, $836. The average annual household income for state residents who score at Level 1 was approximately $25,000. However, the annual household income was roughly $70,000 for those who perform at Level 5. Working adults who scored at the lowest two levels of literacy were more likely to be employed in jobs at lower skill levels, such as laborers and assemblers, and far less likely to have professional or managerial positions. The survey also indicated that adults performing at the two lowest levels were more likely to receive food stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); approximately 80 percent of welfare and food stamp recipients function at these levels. Adults without a high school diploma or GED tend to stay on welfare longer than those with greater educational attainment. Persons scoring at the lowest two NALS levels also were less likely to vote than those who perform at the higher levels of the scale. As Beder notes in Adult Literacy: Issues for Policy and Practice (1991),
Literacy proficiency also tends to be intergenerational. As indicated in Adult Literacy in America (1993) and information from the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), children’s literacy levels correlate strongly with the educational levels of their parents, particularly their mothers. In fact, a significant predictor of a child’s success in school is a caregiver who has completed high school. This intergenerational linkage is especially significant because 43 to 51 percent of New Jersey’s adults are at the lowest two levels of literacy skills. In summary, those who have more education earn higher wages. The median annual household income of adults with one to three years of college is $51,136, almost twice the amount of $28,879 that adults who did not graduate from high school receive. (US Bureau of the Census, November 1996). Summary of Literacy Needs According to the New Jersey Department of Education publications, Vital Education Statistics (1994-95 and 1995-96 editions), New Jersey public schools enrolled 343,438 secondary students (grades 9-12) during the 1994-95 school year, and a reported 12,258 dropped out. During 1995-96, 343,345 secondary students were enrolled and a reported 12,662 dropped out. These numbers include highly mobile and foreign-born students who leave school districts without a transfer of records. The year-to-year cumulative count of those who drop out from the state’s public school system combined with the migration of dropouts from other states into New Jersey adds to the population of low-literate adults. The 1990 Census revealed that more than 39,000 persons between the ages of 16 to 19 years were not enrolled in school and had not earned a diploma. Approximately 25 percent of the state’s residents age 25 or older lack a high school diploma or GED. Coupled with the problem of dropouts is the significant number of students who complete school but lack the skills necessary to continue their education or be successful in the workplace and other adult life roles. Data from New Jersey’s government agencies and state and national reports support the call for deliberate action. According to the Department of Labor, more than 50 percent (approximately 5,000) of participants in the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Title II Programs have skill deficiencies in reading, writing, and computation. Likewise, the National Institute for Literacy (1994) reports that nearly 50 percent of welfare recipients do not have a high school diploma or GED. Adults with low literacy skills are also more likely to be school dropouts, teenage parents, jobless, welfare recipients, or involved in crime. As in other states, the number of adults in New Jersey’s correctional institutions continues to rise. National estimates reported in Literacy Behind Prison Walls (Haigler, Harlow, O’Connor, and Campbell, 1994) and those cited for New Jersey in Standing Corrected: Education and the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders (SETC, 1997) indicate that between 70 and 75 percent of incarcerated adults (more than 17,000) have skills at the lowest two literacy levels, with approximately one-third with disabilities that have hampered their educational progress (Haigler et al., 1994). Similar estimates are offered for incarcerated youth (SETC, 1997). The New Jersey Department of Corrections provides educational services to about 9,700 inmates annually. New Jersey has the fifth largest number (almost 967,000 or 13 percent) of foreign-born residents in the United States (US Bureau of the Census, 1990). The educational background of adult immigrants varies greatly, as does their proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehending English. A significant number of these residents wish to increase their English proficiency. Fifty to 80 percent of adults enrolled in Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services are learning disabled (National Adult Literacy and Learning Disability Center). These adults present unique challenges to practitioners. Many current jobs as well as those now being produced by the economy require literacy levels above Levels 1 and 2 on the NALS scale. Employers complain that many prospective workers lack the literacy and workplace readiness skills necessary for entry-level or advanced positions within their organizations. New Jersey spends millions of dollars each year to support literacy programs designed to improve workers’ skill levels while addressing employers’ needs. For example, the state’s Customized Training Program contributed $2.3 million in 1997 to employer literacy initiatives, and the Department of Labor’s Business Resource Network allocated another $1 million. In 1991, Congress amended the Adult Education Act (P.L. 100-297) with the National Literacy Act (P.L. 102-73) to ensure that all adults would acquire necessary basic skills by the year 2000. The goal was to ensure that "every adult American will be literate and possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship." The Act encouraged the formation of State Advisory Councils on Adult Education and Literacy and directed them to develop comprehensive policy recommendations for improving the delivery of adult education and workplace literacy in the states. The Act also established a National Institute of Literacy, State Resource Centers (for which funding was cut as of federal FY 1996), and Workplace Literacy and Even Start programs. Congress appropriated funds to carry out these projects aimed at achieving the ambitious goal of eliminating illiteracy by the year 2000. Additionally, the Act established the National Institute for Literacy as a national focal point for building public policy, monitoring programs, disseminating information on best practices, and conducting research. The Institute serves as a catalyst for interagency coordination at the federal and state levels. The Institute represents just one of several federally funded centers. Among others are the following:
Additional recent federal initiatives that impact on literacy include the following:
Literacy initiatives abound at the state level. Programs range from those geared toward ameliorating the literacy skill deficiencies of adults with very low skills, e.g., ABE and volunteer programs, to those that address obtaining academic proficiency at the high school level, e.g., adult high school and GED programs. These high school level programs address a higher level skill set and a higher level learner although a significant portion of these individuals function within Level 2 as measured by NALS. Although the Department of Education is the principal agency charged with administering adult education/literacy programs, six other state agencies also are engaged in the provision of these programs. Collecting information on all the literacy initiatives operated by the state was problematic. Programs had different reporting cycles, making it difficult to obtain data for a given time frame across programs. What constituted literacy programs also varied. Many programs do not have literacy development as a primary charge but provide this training as part of their overall activities. It was difficult to discern what resources these programs devoted specifically to literacy. State Employment and Training Commission (SETC) The SETC serves as the state’s "Human Resource Investment Council" with a mission of coordinating New Jersey’s training, employment, and education systems that affect workforce readiness. Established in 1989, this public-private partnership’s core agenda is outlined in A Unified State Plan for New Jersey’s Workforce Readiness System. The plan incorporates four core principles, one of which states that attainment of fundamental levels of literacy is at the heart of the system. The SETC ensures that coordination of the Workforce Readiness System at the state level is mirrored at the local level through Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). Governor Whitman’s Executive Order #36 created WIBs to establish policy and coordinate services for the workforce readiness system. These bodies will determine if the current system meets the demands of both customers and the labor market. The Adult Basic Skills and GED programs are operated under the supervision of the Office of Specialized Populations in the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE). The Department also provides funding for adult high schools, which are regulated by state statute and operated under the authority of the State Board of Education, and Evening Schools for the Foreign Born. In an effort to address fragmentation of services, the department recently initiated a restructured delivery system that encouraged the development of countywide consortia in which adult education providers in a county could submit a joint application for funding. The Department of Education’s Adult Basic Skills Request for Proposals (RFP) for 1997-98 represents the initial phase of restructuring the adult education delivery system. The Department seeks to eliminate fragmentation and strengthen statewide programs so that adults can achieve success. The RFP solicited proposals for a continuum of comprehensive adult education programs that integrate essential instructional components and support services; coordinate activities with other state, federal, and local efforts, such as School-to-Work, Workforce Investment Boards, welfare reform efforts, and the One-Stop Career Center System; foster the use of technology in instruction; and encourage partnerships with business and industry. Using a combination of federal and state funds, the Department of Education awarded 35 grants to individual providers and consortia of providers representing 106 agencies. (For more details on the RFP see Appendix B.) In 1996-97, the year before release of the new RFP, the New Jersey Department of Education funded 87 adult basic education (including English as a Second Language), 28 volunteer literacy, and 47 GED programs with a combination of federal and state dollars. In addition, state aid and local district funding supported 56 adult high schools. Although enrollment figures for 1996-97 were not available, 47,406 adults participated in these programs during 1995-96 and 16,999 persons took the GED test. Of this number, 9,120 people earned credentials. In addition, adult basic skills and English as a Second Language programs and volunteer literacy programs reported serving a total of 31,756 students; GED programs served a total of 6,410 students for a combined total of 38,166. Of this number, 19,539 were reported to be ESL students. The 56 adult high schools identified above enrolled 9,245 students and reported 2,129 graduates. The DOE also supported 52 Evening Schools for the Foreign Born. The infrastructure for professional development includes the DOE’s training site, the Adult Literacy Enhancement Center, which is under the auspices of the Office of Specialized Populations. The DOE is able to offer statewide and regional training initiatives to facilitate professional development and information sharing in adult education. This training site also houses a resource library. Additionally, New Jersey received a $37 million federal grant for the School-to-Work Opportunities Initiative to connect more closely school-based and work-based education. Jointly administered with the Department of Labor, this program connects schools, employers, and other stakeholders to ensure the integration of a strong and forward-looking "School-to-Work" curriculum in all of New Jersey's schools. The New Jersey Department of Labor sponsors literacy-related programs. The Workforce Development Partnership Program began in 1992 with funding through the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. The program offers customized training to companies seeking to improve the skills of their workforce, as well as individual grants to dislocated workers. These grants can fund up to $1,000 for basic literacy training as part of approved individual occupational training. Approximately $2.3 million in customized training funds from this program supported literacy initiatives during the 1997 state fiscal year. The Department’s Business Resource Network offers basic skills education at the workplace, which is closely aligned with the initiatives of the Workforce Development Partnership Program. Jointly funded by the Departments of Labor and Education, the network expended approximately $1 million in fiscal year 1997. The federally funded Job Training and Partnership Act (JTPA), administered by the Department, awards funds to the state’s 17 local Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) to provide training to economically disadvantaged or dislocated workers. A portion of this money (approximately $4.2 million) for program year 1996 supported literacy training for clients. One of the newer developments is One-Stop Career Centers that are designed to change the way workforce readiness services are delivered. In 1995, the state received $4.7 million, the first installment of a three-year federal grant, to implement this system. Through the use of technology, staff training, and policy guidance by local Workforce Investment Boards, performance-driven One-Stop Career Centers integrate services and provide for customer choice and universal access under the concept of "no wrong door." Workforce New Jersey’s Public Information Network (WNJPIN), New Jersey’s labor market home page, is an integral part of these services, enabling workers, students, and those seeking employment and the employer community to access information on the Internet about education, training, and job opportunities. Department of Human Services Of prime importance to the New Jersey Department of Human Services is Work First New Jersey, the state’s response to national welfare legislation. Nearly half of all welfare recipients do not have a high school diploma or GED. Work First New Jersey’s purpose is to break the cycle of welfare dependency by making work the goal for welfare recipients, making work pay by allowing recipients to keep more earnings as they ease off welfare, setting a five-year time limit for receiving welfare benefits, and providing subsidized child care and extended health benefits to recipients to ease their transition into the workforce. Work First New Jersey requires adults to work or prepare for work. Because a significant portion of welfare recipients lack the education skills necessary to compete in the labor market, the Alternative Work Experience Program (AWEP) has been developed as an allowable work learning option. AWEP consists of twenty hours work experience per week on a temporary basis with a public, private nonprofit, or private charitable employer combined with another fifteen hours of literacy, vocational education, and/or substance abuse treatment per week. For FY 1998, approximately $7.3 million is allocated for AWEP through, funds made available by both the Departments of Human Services and Labor. Department of Corrections The Department of Corrections, through its Office of Educational Services, administers a variety of academic, prevocational, and vocational programs in each of its 15 institutions. Literacy is a fundamental component of each program. Through its institutions, the Department provides direct services to its clients. Commission on Higher Education The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education distributes an annual state appropriation for the Education of Language Minority Students. The Commission on Higher Education awarded funding in FY 1998 to five programs at different college and university campuses across the state to enhance services to limited English proficient students. In spring 1997, the Commission on Higher Education conducted a survey of the campuses in the state to identify the scope of literacy programs sponsored at the institutional level. The survey revealed that 24 of the state’s colleges and universities sponsored a total of 48 discrete literacy programs. Seventeen of the 19 community colleges reported having literacy programs on their campuses. Two of the three public research universities and four of the nine state colleges/universities indicated sponsoring literacy programs. In contrast, only two of the 16 private colleges/universities and none of the proprietary schools licensed by the Commission on Higher Education sponsored literacy programs. Two-thirds of the programs were funded at least partly from grant funds. Many of the programs received funding from the following sources: New Jersey Department of Education (primarily through Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language), Job Training Partnership Act, New Jersey Division of Family Development, New Jersey Department of Labor, and individual corporations. New Jersey Network (NJN), in collaboration with the Department of Education, is implementing an adult literacy distance learning initiative, which delivers instruction in Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language (ESL), and GED. Because NJN’s signal reaches 2.8 million television households throughout the state, a large number of students can potentially access this distance learning format. This provides another example of a state-level direct services provider. The State Library, formerly administered through the Department of Education and now under the direction of Thomas Edison State College, receives federal funds that it distributes through competitive grants to local libraries. Although the grants are not designated for adult literacy, the funds may be used for this purpose. Local programs exist in every county of the state. Typically, they receive their funding directly from the federal government, state agencies, local government, private sources, and/or fee for services. WIBs have begun to inventory providers in their counties, but obtaining the information is difficult because state and local coordination does not exist across all programs. Volunteer literacy programs also play a critical role in local literacy initiatives. They are a part of the continuum of adult basic education, serving as an outreach and preparatory arm for public adult basic education and job training programs. These public and private nonprofit community-based organizations provide instructional and support services often to the hardest-to-reach, hardest-to-teach adults and out-of-school youth. Adults enrolled in these programs need individualized literacy instruction in addition to help with self-esteem and life skills before they are ready for a classroom situation. Many also need flexible hours of instruction because of demanding schedules. Volunteer tutors serve not only as instructors but also as role models and mentors. These groups often operate on limited budgets and are supported by New Jersey’s government, businesses, libraries, churches, and other sources. Federal and state funding typically flows to state agencies and then to local programs that provide direct services to students, although there are also examples of direct funding to local providers. In addition, funding can flow from one state agency to another, as in the case of the support the Department of Education provides to the Department of Labor’s Business Resource Network, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Human Services. At the state level, at least two programs directly fund employer-based literacy initiatives. The Department of Corrections and New Jersey Network are two state agencies that provide services directly to clients. In addition, some local programs provide direct services to employers. Using federal and state funds, the Department of Education supports two high school completion initiatives: Adult High Schools and GED programs. Adult Basic Education and English skills for students whose primary language is not English are supported at the state level primarily through the Department of Education’s RFP process and Work First New Jersey. Small federal and state grants also have been available through the Department of Community Affairs, the Commission on Higher Education, and the State Library to support local programs. Federal and state funds, however, are directed at achieving individual program agendas rather than larger state objectives. Overall the Task Force found little evidence of coordination or joint planning among programs and agencies. Currently no forum exists at the state level to foster such coordination. These programs function in isolation, with each program setting its own procedures and standards, despite the Department of Education’s recent efforts in its Adult Basic Skills grant programs. As a consequence, local programs suffer from the same detachment from the system as is seen at the state level. As individual initiatives, state and local programs seem to be effective in meeting their stated goals. There continues, however, to be an absence of coordination among these programs and long-term strategic planning among agencies and other key players. Through the Subcommittee on Research on Other States, the Task Force on Adult Literacy selected and interviewed four national experts on adult literacy programs to determine the key elements that facilitate effective programs and system development in other states. Twelve elements were identified:
These elements were presented to the Task Force and subsequently integrated into the final Task Force recommendations. (See Appendix C for more detailed findings of this research.) In June 1997, the Task Force convened three public hearings in Newark, Gloucester, and Trenton. A total of 28 persons provided testimony that focused on using technology, integrating literacy into the state’s overall workforce readiness agenda, developing cooperative measures between public and private providers, and coordinating services to the user. The commentators discussed the benefits of using technology to facilitate instruction and staff development but noted the need for human interaction. Improved literacy skills were seen as essential for workforce development, and presenters expressed the view that low literacy correlated with unemployment or low-paying jobs. Comments also stressed the need for up-to-date information on the various services available to address clients’ needs. New Jersey’s One-Stop Career Center System was seen as one mechanism for providing current information on programs. Commentators also mentioned the need for improved coordination at the state level and the importance of collaboration between literacy providers and other agencies to better serve the client. The testimony served as a backdrop for the Task Force’s continued deliberations and its report and recommendations (see Appendix D). The Task Force also received a summary of participants’ comments from a workshop on adult education and welfare-to-work held at the 1997 Annual Adult Education Conference conducted by the Department of Education’s Adult Literacy Enhancement Center. The workshop moderator, a national expert on adult education and welfare, provided the summary. The full Task Force, CHE, SETC, and selected external readers reviewed a draft report. This report, therefore, is a product of extensive input and discussion within the Task Force and beyond.
The Task Force identified six areas for improvement: planning and coordination at the state and local levels, responsiveness to customer needs, staff development, the use of technology, program accountability, and advocacy. It proposes that the state address these issues through the creation of a State Council for Adult Literacy Education Services, which will develop a state master plan for adult literacy education. The Task Force, therefore, offers the following recommendations to improve New Jersey’s literacy delivery system. Improve Planning and Coordination Limited resources and a multitude of client needs dictate a more coordinated, effective, and cost-efficient approach to the delivery of service. To achieve this goal, the Task Force recommends that:
Ensure Responsiveness to Customer Needs All literacy-related initiatives at the state and local levels must focus on the clients, that is, the learner, employer, and government, and their needs. To ensure that services are relevant to client needs and goals, the Task Force recommends that:
Literacy skills be taught within a workplace context, where appropriate, and
Optimize the Use of Technology Technology is an important tool in delivering curricula, and becoming proficient in the use of technology is a necessary basic skill. The Task Force therefore recommends that:
The state enlist New Jersey’s communications companies in the effort to
Expand Staff Development Opportunities A comprehensive statewide staff development plan is needed to train all key stakeholders and promote information sharing. The plan should incorporate a variety of training and information-sharing strategies, including those that use technology in support of distance and self-directed learning initiatives. The Task Force recommends that:
Improve Program Accountability Accountability is essential to ensure quality. Strong and meaningful accountability measures must be developed throughout the system to ensure that all programs are judged by the same standards. The Task Force recommends that:
Improve Awareness of the Importance of Literacy Programs Adult literacy is not widely recognized as a priority. The importance of improving the K-12 system overshadows the need for developing an effective adult literacy system. Likewise, the learning needs of the highly literate and skilled workforce are the major focus of the private sector. To improve the public’s awareness of literacy issues, the Task Force recommends that:
Beder, H., Adult Literacy: Issues for Policy and Practice. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company, 1991. The Governor’s Task Force on Adult Literacy Opportunities in New Jersey. A Proposed Plan for Improving and Expanding Adult Literacy Training Opportunities in New Jersey. Trenton: The Governor’s Task Force on Adult Literacy Opportunities in New Jersey, 1966. Haigler, K. O., Harlow, C., and Campbell, A. Literacy Behind Prison Walls: Profiles of the Prison Population from the National Adult Literacy Survey. Prepared by Educational Testing Service for the National Center for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994. Jenkins, L. B., and Kirsch, I. S., Adult Literacy in New Jersey: Results of the State Adult Literacy Survey. New Jersey: Educational Testing Service, 1994. Kirsch, I. S., Jungeblut, A., Jenkins, L., and Kolstad, A. Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Results of the National Survey (065-000-00588-3). Prepared by Educational Testing Service for the National Center for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993. The National Literacy Act of 1991, Public Law (PL) 102-73. The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. Looking to the Millennium: New Jersey’s Plan for Higher Education. Trenton: The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, 1996. New Jersey Council on Adult Education & Literacy. Adult Literacy in New Jersey: Meeting the Challenge of the 21st Century. Trenton: New Jersey Council on Adult Education & Literacy, 1993. New Jersey State Department of Education. Vital Education Statistics 1994-1995. Trenton: New Jersey State Department of Education, 1994-1995 edition. New Jersey State Department of Education. Vital Education Statistics 1995-1996. Trenton: New Jersey State Department of Education, 1995-1996 edition. The State Employment and Training Commission. A Unified State Plan for New Jersey’s Workforce Readiness System. Trenton: State Employment and Training Commission, 1996. The State Employment and Training Commission. Corrections Education Task Force. Standing Corrected: Education and the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders. Trenton: State Employment and Training Commission, 1997. US Bureau of the Census, 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Summary Tape File 3. Prepared by New Jersey State Data Center, New Jersey Department of Labor, September 1992. US Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey: March 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996. Prepared by New Jersey State Data Center, New Jersey Department of Labor, November 1996. Workforce Preparedness. Prepared by Roper Starch Worldwide for Amway and Junior Achievement, 1997. LITERACY LEVELS
The reports, Adult Literacy in New Jersey: Results of the State Adult Literacy Survey and Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Results of the National Survey, both prepared by Educational Testing Service, were the source for the following information on literacy levels. The National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) was developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) to profile the English literacy of adults in this country in their performance across a wide array of tasks that reflect the type of materials and demands they encounter in their lives. The NALS levels reflect the difficulty of the literacy tasks that the test requires persons to perform. NALS measures literacy tasks on three dimensions: Prose, Document, and Quantitative. The results on each dimension can be categorized into one of five levels, based on the literacy tasks performed in the test. At each level, a range of performance is represented, and within each level, tasks vary by difficulty. The NALS levels are not intended to provide a measure of illiteracy. Approximately 1.2 to 1.4 million adults living in the state performed at Level 1 of NALS as indicated in Adult Literacy in New Jersey. The skills at Level 1 vary. Some at this level were not able to perform even common and undemanding literacy tasks while others were able to read relatively short pieces of text to find a single piece of information, to enter personal information onto an application form, or to perform simple arithmetic operations using numbers presented to them. Between 23 to 28 percent of New Jersey adults, or some 1.4 to 1.7 million, performed at the second lowest level of proficiency (Level 2). Twenty-five to 29 percent of adults in the region and 25 to 28 percent of adults nationwide were at this level. Individuals at this level demonstrated skills in more diverse and challenging literacy tasks compared to those at Level 1. For example, at Level 2 individuals were generally able to make low-level inferences based on what they read, locate incorrect information in a document, and give correct responses to tasks involving a single arithmetic operation using numbers that can easily be found in printed material. Approximately 30 to 32 percent of adults statewide, or between 1.8 and 1.9 million perform in Level 3. Tasks in this level tend to require readers to make matches between the task and the information in the text. These matches often require low-level inferences. Other tasks require a reader to integrate information from dense or lengthy text that contains no organizational aids such as headings. At this level, readers are also asked to integrate multiple pieces of information from one or more documents. Two or more numbers are typically needed to solve arithmetic problems at this level. About 16 to 18 percent of the state’s adults or 1 million perform at Level 4. The task at this level require readers to perform multiple-feature matches and to integrate or synthesize information from complex or lengthy passages. More complex inferences are needed at this level. To be successful at this level, readers must perform multiple-feature matches, cycle through documents, and integrate information that require a high degree of inferencing. Readers must also perform two or more sequential operations or a single operation in which the quantities are found in different types of displays, or the operations must be inferred or drawn from prior knowledge. About 2 to 5 percent or around 300,000 adults in the state perform at Level 5. Some tasks in this level require the reader to search for information in dense text and displays with multiple distractors. Others require high-level inferences or use specialized background knowledge. Tasks at this level also require readers to perform multiple operations sequentially. State data based on NALS indicate that the average scores of adults with less than a high school diploma are in the Level 1 or Level 2 range. For those who have earned a high school diploma, the average scores are at the high end of the Level 2 range and for those who have completed a college degree, in the Level 3 range. "On each literacy scale, 17 to 22 percent of the high school graduates in New Jersey performed in the Level 1 range, and another 30 to 36 percent performed in Level 2. Conversely, just 10 to 13 percent of the state’s high school graduates reached the two highest levels on each scale" (Jenkins and Kirsch, 1994). Results from the scale also showed a strong association between literacy and labor market attachment status. Between 37 and 42 percent of New Jersey’s employed population perform at Levels 1 and 2 of the scale, while 59 to 68 percent of the state’s unemployed and adults who were out of the labor force function at the two lowest levels. Employed adults also were more likely to perform at the highest NALS literacy levels. The NALS levels contrast with literacy levels used by the United States Department of Education (USDOE), which can be roughly equated to grade levels and divide the adult literacy population into three levels. Unlike NALS, these levels pertain only to the adult literacy education target population, not all adults, and are used by USDOE for descriptive and reporting purposes. By definition, all levels of the USDOE designation are eligible for adult literacy education, while NALS compares the total adult population’s competencies to perform differing levels of literacy tasks. SUMMARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION The 1997-98 Adult Basic Skills RFP seeks to encourage programs that provide educational opportunities for adults to acquire thethe basic skills necessary for literate functioning, productive employment, and effective citizenship and that enable adults to complete at least a secondary school education. The RFP announced a four-year grant that is expected to increase programs’ capacities to meet the needs of the adult population in an integrated, more effective and efficient manner. Anticipated results of the grant competition are proposals that include accountability measures and measurable outcomes. Agencies eligible to apply included local educational agencies (LEAVES), postsecondary institutions, public agencies, and community-based organizations. The grant funded three categories of applicants: consortia; individual agencies that have the capacity to provide comprehensive services; and small agencies that, because of exceptional circumstances, are unable to enter into a consortia and require an exception to minimum enrollment criteria (two-year grants only). Awards went to the highest scoring eligible agency in each county for each category. Remaining funds were awarded to the highest ranking applicants in the top eight priority counties (Essex, Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Middlesex, Union, Camden, and Ocean) based on census data.
KEY FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH ON OTHER STATES BACKGROUND The Task Force on Adult Literacy formed the Subcommittee on Research on Other States and charged it with identifying models and best practices from other states that could serve as examples worth emulating or modifying to fit the New Jersey context. To accomplish its task, the Subcommittee decided to select and interview a small group of experts who had a national perspective and were able to compare state systems and local programs. It was also important that the experts’ data were current and based on first-hand analysis. The Subcommittee chose not to do a literature review because practice tends to outpace the literature and not provide national comparisons. The Subcommittee selected the following four key experts and interviewed them by telephone using questions from an interview schedule:
RESULTS In analyzing the results, the Task Force focused on how states with advanced literacy systems develop them and what elements make these systems effective. The Task Force identified several critical principles of effective adult literacy systems and program development. Critical Principles
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