Assignment 5 – Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Initiative - AEFLA

Marina Ferreira de Melo

UW-Stout 2019
Professor Matthew Simoneau
 According to the U.S. Department of Education - Office of Vocational and Adult Education, the
Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), enacted as Title II of the Workforce Investment
Act (WIA) of 1998, is the main source of federal support for adult basic and literacy education
programs for adults who lack basic skills, a high school diploma, or proficiency in English.
AEFLA funds are distributed by formula to states using Census data on the number of adults (ages 16
and older) in each state who lack a high school diploma and who are not enrolled in school. States
must match 25 percent of the federal contribution with state or local funds, but many states contribute
considerably more.
It is essential to recognize the types of programs funded by AEFLA. These provide the following types
of instruction:

 Adult Basic Education (ABE) is instruction in basic skills for adults functioning at the lower
literacy levels to just below the high school level. This program is also available for incarcerated
student populations in partnership with the DOC (Department of Corrections).

 Adult Secondary Education (ASE) is instruction for adults whose literacy skills are at
approximately the high school level and who are seeking to pass the General Educational
Development (GED) tests or obtain an adult high school credential.

 English Literacy (EL) is instruction for adults who lack proficiency in English and who seek to
improve their literacy and competence in English. English literacy instruction is sometimes
integrated with civics education (EL/Civics).

I was fortunate to interview distinguished Mr Alejandro Nunez, who is currently Wisconsin

Technical College System -WTCS - Education Director of the English Language Learning department.
Nunez promptly provided relevant information concerning the programs that are part of the initiative
with a focus on data linked to Wisconsin.
According to Nunez, Basic Skills deficiencies in Wisconsin are significant and constrain labor
market development. The Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey (ACS), published
an estimated 4,432,794 individuals that fit that profile reside in Wisconsin. Of the 559,675 Wisconsin
residents ages 18 to 24:
- 12% (n=67,174) have an educational attainment level of less than high school diploma;
- 31% (n=174,317) have a high school diploma or its equivalency;
- 47% (n=261,780) have some college or an associate’s degree; and
- 10% (n=56,404) have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Of the 3,873,119 Wisconsin residents 25 years of age and over:

- 3.1% (n=120,970) have less than a 9th grade education;
- 5.8% (n=226,458) have an educational attainment level of 9th to 12th grade and no diploma;
- 32% (n=1,239,523) have a high school diploma or its equivalency;
- 21.1% (n=817,990) have some college, no degree;
- 10.1% (n=390,482) have an associate’s degree;
- 18.4% (n=713,858) have a bachelor’s degree; and
- 9.4% (n=363,838) have a graduate or professional degree.

In total, of the 4,432,794 Wisconsin resident’s ages 18 and over, 414,602 do not have a high school
diploma or its equivalency.

The data above is of extreme relevance when considering the states must also participate in the
funding of AEFLA programs, decision makers must base their future projections on these numbers,
which aligns with what Nunez referred to as Special Focus.
With this in mind, the purpose of the initiative’s funding is to:
1) Assist adults in becoming literate and in obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for
employment and economic self-sufficiency;

2) Assist adults who are parents or family members in obtaining the education and skills that: (A) are
necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children; and (B) lead to
sustainable improvements in the economic opportunities for their family;

3) Assist adults in attaining a secondary school diploma and in the transition to employment,
postsecondary education and training through career pathways;

4) Assist immigrants and other individuals who are English language learners in (A) improving their
(i) reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills in English; and (ii) mathematics skills; and in
(B) acquiring an understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom and the
responsibilities of citizenship;

5) Align with the skills needed of industries within the state and regional economies;
6) Organize education, training and other services to meet the particular needs of students in a manner
that accelerates their educational and career advancement to the extent practicable;

7) Include counseling to support students in achieving their education and career goals. Included is the
development of a Personal Education Plan (PEP) that specifies the student’s educational functioning
level, learning needs, career interests, goals and plans for achieving economic self-sufficiency,
indicates links to other resources and education and/or training towards the next steps on a student’s
career pathway and ensures seamless transitions from program to program (i.e. ABE/ELA to ASE or
ASE to postsecondary education, training, and/or employment); and

8) Provide integrated education and training that includes adult education and literacy activities with
workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational
cluster.
Italics reflect my own view on most relevant aspects.

It is clear that the initiative focuses on major issues that should be resolved in order to incentive
this population to actively engage in workforce training/education, which would lead them to pursue
their vocational aspirations and take part in further education programs.
Nunez utilized a term to define the main objective of the initiative, it is a springboard to achieving
professional and academic goals.
Accountability measures are pretty rigorous, as Nunez mentioned. Annual reports are
mandatory for all programs based on standards provided by the National Reporting System (NRS).
These standards are referred to as Performance Expectations (or targets) and a progression that shows
increase in numbers is expected after each report. Nunez also mentioned there are audits which are
performed every four years to guarantee the funds are being utilized in the best way possible.
The audience served by the initiative is quite diverse and if we examine EL programs the
expected student profile would include immigrants and refugees with varying levels of educational
backgrounds, from individuals looking for literacy to individuals holding undergraduate and graduate
equivalence.
Participating programs establish eligibility criteria. Individuals must comply with the following:

- Is 18 years of age and older;

- Is not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law; and
- Has basic skills deficiencies (including adults with a high school diploma or any other credential who
are determined to have deficiencies by a Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) pre- and/or post-test; an
adult that does not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and has not achieved
an equivalent level of education based on the TABE; or an adult who is an English language learner
(based on TABE CLAS E, the BEST and/or BEST Plus assessment).
All programs funded by AEFLA are cost-free for students, which in my view, is an enourmous
incentive once we consider individuals who are eligible for joining programs are, most of the time,
struggling financially and would probably not have the chance to enroll if fees were charged.
Nunez also mentioned that one of the most effective forms of reaching out to these individuals
is through Job Centers, where a diagnostic assessment takes place, which leads to orientation and
counseling and finally enrollment. Nunez summarized the goals of AEFLA EL programs by proposing
the flow:

AEFLA EL programs – Linguistic Integration - Civic Integration – Economic Integration

Considering the flow above and previously presented argumentation, it is undeniable that
AEFLA programs are, for a great number of individuals, the very first step towards a better life. I
personally believe that the objectives of these programs align perfectly with what CTE has to offer with
its career clusters and pathways. If students manage to accomplish their first educational goals and
realize that they can and should persevere, often against all odds, doing their best to become active
members of the workforce and even join higher education pursuits, our effort as teachers and
instructors is paying off.
Being and ESL teacher, one of my main goals has always been to provide students with the
linguistic skills they need to be productive citizens no matter where in the world they might be, based
on the universally shared idea that languages open doors, both professionally and personally. It is
agreed that English proficiency is, without a doubt, a matter of survival in this country, and
consequently a springboard for further studying.
Reference
https://www.ed.gov/category/subject/vocational-education
https://mywtcs.wtcsystem.edu/grants/adult-education-family-literacy-(aefl)/aefla-documents
https://www.doleta.gov/wioa/
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/wioa/
https://www.nrsweb.org/