I'm Barbara Oakland, director of Adult Basic Education, GED, and ESL programs at Northeast Iowa Community College in Dubuque, IA.  In Iowa we have an excellent program based on the CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Skills Assessment System) method of assessment and measurable gain.  At incremental steps 
we award level certificates which document a student's progress through four levels of achievement.  These are very significant markers of a student's progress and also give us firm documentation of our success as a program.  You can access more information by visiting the CASAS website.  
Specific information about our Iowa project is available on our state website, www.readiowa.org
Hope this is helpful.   Barb Oakland


Another point I've raised (at a workshop the Bill facilitated) and

> elsewhere is that the GED itself is problematic as the sole 'marker'

> of success for ABE learners.  In other words, it seems that there's

> the GED and nothing else to signal that an adult learner has

> accomplished something.

> 

> For many adults, the GED is a far-away goal, and there aren't 

> acknowledged steps along the way to indicate progress.  For basic

> level learners, there's a lot to accomplish, but little way of

> recognizing those accomplishments.  I realize that this is separate

> from the economic indicators being discussed, but I wish that as a

> field we could find other ways to talk about progress and benchmarks

> because: a) it would help learners set and achieve incremental and

> continuous goals; (and might help strengthen persistence); b) it would

> help employers and the general public understand that there are a

> number of things that adults *can* do even without the GED; c) would

> help potential learners and those making referrals understand that an

> ABE learner isn't necessarily looking for a GED class (yet), but for a

> program that helps him/her address basic skills.

> 

> As well, we haven't even touched on the EDP or the Work Readiness

> Credentials.

> 

> A woman I've been working with in prison for six years recently passed

> her GED.  She still has two years to serve.  Occasionally, there are

> community college courses she's able to take (from inside the prison),

> but I can't "count" my work with her for NRS purposes, without asking

> her to take a TABE test (which isn't something I'm willing to do).

> 

> I'm curious to know more about Daphne's question -

> > I'm very interested in the "why"-- is the stigma of prison

> > outweighingthe usually positive (albeit small) effects of the GED?

> 

> - especially as my student and I contemplate her employment prospects

> upon release.

> 

> There are many. many issues to untangle here.

> 

> Janet Isserlis

> 

> 

> > From: Barbara Garner <b.garner4 at verizon.net>

> 

> > 

> > Good point, Bill, I agree. The GED is a beginning, not an end point.

> > 

> > What is happening with post-secondary programs, pre- and/or

> > post-release, these days? Are they seeing a lot of success? Barb

> > Garner

> > 

> > 

> > =====================

> > From: William R Muth/FS/VCU <wrmuth at vcu.edu>

> > Date: 2006/11/28 Tue PM 11:43:12 CST

> > To: b.garner4 at verizon.net,

> > "The Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy Discussion List"

> > <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> > Subject: Re: [PovertyRaceWomen 74] Re: economic impact of earning a

> > GED while in prison

> > 

> > 

> > As I understand John Tyler's study,the signalling effect of the GED

> > tends to benefit those who are least educatedand minority. These

> > achievers enjoy higher wage earnings (although stillprobably at

> > poverty-level) for three years after release from prison. Isthat

> > such a negative finding? Should we expect the GED to be the

> > "magicbullet" that solves the myriad of issues facing individuals

> > returningto society: addictions, homelessness/renegotiating

> > relationships with family,dangerous associations from the past,

> > etc.?  For me the take awaypoints from John's study are: (a)

> > emphasizing quality foundational literacylearning prior to GED

> > credentialing programs, and (b) then providing adequatepostsecondary

> > programs (e.g., AA degrees in vocational/technology) to enablenewly

> > released people to find meaningful, entry-level skilledwork. The GED

> > is not the problem. It's just not a panacea either. -Bill     

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > Barbara Garner <b.garner4 at verizon.net>

> > Sent by: povertyracewomen-bounces at nifl.gov

> > 11/28/2006 04:56 PMPlease respond to

> > b.garner4 at verizon.net; Please respond to

> > "The Poverty, Race,        Women and LiteracyDiscussion List"

> > <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> > ToDaphne Greenberg

> > <ALCDGG at langate.gsu.edu>,PovertyRaceWomen at nifl.govccSubject[PovertyR

> > aceWomen 74] Re: economic impactof earning a GED while        in  

> >     prison

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > 

> > I remember this article well, because the findingsare so

> > disheartening for educators. An extensive query about the

> > methodologywas conducted, but it couldn't be faulted.

> > 

> > I'm very interested in the "why"-- is the stigma of prison

> > outweighingthe usually positive (albeit small) effects of the GED?

> > 

> > Do minorities show a slight earnings gain because they start with

> > suchlow earnings? Does anyone have any insights ? Barb Garner

> > Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: Daphne Greenberg

> > <ALCDGG at langate.gsu.edu> Date: 2006/11/28 Tue PM 01:55:10 CST To:

> > PovertyRaceWomen at nifl.gov Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 72] economic

> > impact of earning a GED while in               prison

> > 

> > On the Focus on Basics list, Julie McKinney, the list moderator

> > postedanother article which may be of interest to some of you: What

> > are the Economic Effects of Earning a GED in Prison?

> > http://www.ncsall.net/?id=822 In case you don't feel like reading

> > the whole article, the aspect thatI think is of interest to this

> > listserv is that the study looked at thedifferences of the economic

> > impact of earning a GED while in prison, betweenwhite and nonwhite

> > ex-offenders: ³Among racial and ethnic minority offenders* primarily

> > African Americans with a smaller number of Hispanics * we foundabout

> > a 20 percent increase in the earnings among GED holders relativeto

> > non-GED holders in the first post-release year. This effect

> > declinedin the second year and by the third year it fell away to

> > basically zero,²explains Tyler. ³We found that, for white offenders,

> > there was no differencein the post-release earnings or employment

> > for individuals who got a GEDversus those who did not.²

> > 

> > Any thoughts/reactions?

> > Daphne

> > 

> > 

> >

> 

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Barb Oakland
Adult Basic Education Program Manager
Northeast Iowa Community College
700 Main Street, Dubuque IA 52001
888-642-2338/563-557-8271  Ext 104

NICC: Student driven, community focused.