Part I C. Literacy Terminology

Literacy

The National Literacy Act of 1991 defines literacy as "an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute and solve problems at a level of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals and develop one’s knowledge and potential."

Functional Illiteracy

A person is functionally illiterate when that person can read individual words and understand many of them individually, but has trouble with complete sentences. Such a person cannot understand complex sentence structures and cannot relate the sentences within a paragraph. Functionally illiterate people can read simple signs and price tags, but cannot follow written instructions or calculate change. They believe they can read, but may admit they would like to be better at it.

NIFL : National Institute for Literacy

The NIFL was established by the federal government in 1991 as part of the National Literacy Act. They are tasked with monitoring literacy programs at the state and national levels. They also provide non-monetary support to literacy programs at all levels.

EFF : Equipped for the Future

EFF is the result of the NIFL's mandate to establish accountability for literacy programs. It identifies 16 skills for adult life, each of which defines a standard. These standards are designed to be easy for students to understand and for teachers/tutors to measure.

English Literacy

The U.S. Department of Education explains English Literacy with:

English Literacy programs are designed to help individuals of limited English proficiency achieve competence in the English language. Individuals of limited English proficiency are those who have a limited ability in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language; whose native language is a language other than English; or who live in a family or community where a language other than English is the dominant language.

Primary and Secondary Languages

A primary language is any language someone initially learns as a young child through environmental exposure. A bilingual 8 year old child has two primary languages. Fluency in any language obtained after age 10-12 is learned as a secondary language.

There is a noteworthy myth that learning a secondary language is more difficult than learning a primary language. Actually, it is only native sounding pronunciation that is harder to learn. Aside from pronunciation, secondary languages are actually easier to learn up to the level that the primary language is mastered. It takes us about 9 years to learn our primary language to the 4th grade level. We learn secondary languages considerably faster, but also with considerably less patience. For this reason, it is important for a secondary language learner to be literate in his primary language. A lack of literacy in his primary language severely impedes his ability to acquire literacy in a secondary language.

BEST : Basic English Skills Test

There are two BEST exams: BEST Literacy and BEST Plus. Both tests are published by the Center for Applied Linguistics.

BEST Literacy assesses how well the student can use written communication skills to operate in society. The BEST Literacy exam has instructions for administrators that explain the administration and scoring process.

BEST Plus assesses oral language proficiency. It is administered in a one-on-one session, and the administrator must be certified for the results to be valid.

ELL : English Language Learner

Someone who is learning English when English is not a primary language for the student.

ESL : English as a Second Language

The word 'Second' in this acronym is often misunderstood, which can lead to unnecessary arguing. This is 'second' in the sense of secondary, not a literal count of languages. Disputes over the value of ESL to the student usually revolve around whether a bilingual child will benefit from ESL when she already knows a second language. It is important to explain the actual meaning as soon as the objection is raised.

ESOL : English for Speakers of Other Languages

ESOL is a new name for ESL that should avoid some misunderstandings.

TESOL : Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages is an international association based in the United States. TESOL's mission is to develop and maintain professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide. TESOL is sometimes used to identify people who teach ESL regardless of whether they are members of the association.

The Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks for ESL

The Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks for ESL were developed by the Texas Adult Education Standards Project over the course of 2004-2007. They adopted the content standards of Equipped for the Future and developed their own benchmarks based on them. These standards and benchmarks help literacy providers develop curricula based on uniformly described levels of attainment. For students, benchmarks provide clear goals to strive for and the ability to easily transfer to a new program when life circumstances require relocation.

TISESL : Texas Industry Specific English as a Second Language

TISESL is a set of ESOL curricula focusing on three industry sectors: healthcare, sales & service, and manufacturing. The materials follow the The Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks for ESL.

Fluency

Fluency is a frequently misunderstood word. In Exploring Reading Fluency: A Paradigmatic Overview, Hudson, Mercer, and Lane define reading fluency as "accurate reading at a minimal rate with appropriate prosodic features and deep understanding." Fluency is not a high standard. It just means operating well enough to understand and to be understood.

Adult Literacy

The U.S. Department of Education defines Adult Literacy as:

Ensuring that adults have the literacy skills needed to survive and succeed in the 21st Century requires a comprehensive and preventive approach. First, to serve current needs, adult education programs must be research-based and accountable for results; second, to reduce the future need, accountability and high standards must be brought to schools at every grade level, including high school.

GLE : Grade Level Equivalent

A GLE, or Grade Level Equivalent, is a measure of how well a student has mastered the content of a grade level.

ABE : Adult Basic Education

A program designed to teach primary school (elementary and middle school) level material, specifically at grade level equivalent (GLE) K-8.

ASE : Adult Secondary Education

A program designed to teach secondary school (high school) level material, specifically at grade level equivalent (GLE) 9-12.

NRS : National Reporting Service

The National Reporting Service for Adult Education was designed by the U.S. Department of Education's Division of Adult Education and Literacy for reporting adult learner outcomes. The NRS defines 6 functioning levels for ABE/ASE and 6 functioning levels for ESOL. Each NRS functioning level combines two GLE levels beginning at 0, except the NRS High Intermediate Basic Education level which combines GLE 6-8.

TABE : the Test of Adult Basic Education

The Test of Adult Basic Education has been used in Texas for adult basic education (ABE) and adult secondary education (ASE) level assessment since 1998. It is published by CTB/McGraw Hill. The TABE is given at the beginning of a course to determine what each student needs to work on and at the end to show what the student has accomplished. It may also be given during a course to monitor progress.

The test results are given as grade level equivalents. This GLE score is not the same as the grade level at which the student is currently operating. For example, a GLE 7 score on a 5th grade test shows the student has a 7th grade understanding of 5th grade material, but does not reveal how well the student would understand 7th grade material.

GAIN : General Assessment of Instructional Needs

The General Assessment of Instructional Needs is an alternative to TABE that has been around awhile, and was added to the Texas list of approved assessments in 2009. It is published by Wonderlic and is used similarly to TABE. The results are given as NRS functioning levels and represent the student's actual level of performance.

GED : General Educational Development

Generally refers to the test verifying an education equivalent to graduation from high school. GED is often used as a synonym for ASE when the program is specifically designed to prepare the student for the GED test.

The Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks for ABE/ASE

The Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks for ABE/ASE were developed by the Texas Adult Education Standards Project over the course of 2004-2007. They adopted the content standards of Equipped for the Future and developed their own benchmarks based on them. These standards and benchmarks help literacy providers develop curricula based on uniformly described levels of attainment. For students, benchmarks provide clear goals to strive for and the ability to easily transfer to a new program when life circumstances require relocation.

Family Literacy

The U.S. Department of Education defines Family Literacy as:

Family literacy services as defined under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 means "services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a family, and that integrate all of the following activities: (1) interactive literacy activities between parents and their children; (2) training for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children; (3) parent literacy training that leads to economic self sufficiency; and (4) an age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences." The essence of family literacy is that parents are supported as the first teachers of their children. Programs work with individuals as well as with the family unit combining the four components to create a comprehensive program.

The Even Start Family Literacy Program

According to the Texas Education Agency,

The objectives of the program are to help parents become full partners in their children’s education, help children to reach their full potential as learners, and provide literacy training for their parents by integrating adult education and early childhood education in a unified family-centered program. The program serves poor families with parents who are eligible for adult education and their children below eight years of age.

ILA : Interactive Literacy Activities

According to the Texas State University - San Marcos,

The Interactive Literacy Activities (ILA) component of Even Start is unique. Although most education programs for children acknowledge the value of parental involvement in their children’s acquisition of literacy, few actually bring parents and children together for interactive literacy activities.

PACT : Parent and Child Together

Parent and Child Together is often a component of child care services where an opportunity is created for the parent to interact with the child during the day. Some of the newer literacy programs are integrating the concept into the curriculum by creating activities for the parent and child to complete together.

Information Literacy

The University of Idaho defines information literacy as:

Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques.

Applying the definition from the University of Idaho to the Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks for ABE ASE and ESL Learners reveals that information literacy employs the skills of a Level 3 Low Intermediate Basic Education (GLE 6) and is a component of all further education (GLE 8+).

Workforce Education (Workforce Literacy)

The National Institute for Literacy defines Workforce Education as,

Workforce Education is defined as work-related learning experiences which:

• can include foundation skills, technical knowledge and computer skills;
• serve either employed or unemployed workers;
• are provided either inside or outside the workplace;
• focus on the skills and knowledge workers need to:
  • get and keep good jobs and
  • meet demands for productivity, safety, and advancement

Workplace Education (Workplace Literacy)

Workforce education for current employees in their workplace.