It is no secret that many adult learners who enter GED® preparatory programs across the country experienced hardship and difficulty in K-12 schools. Often, many of these same students had to battle with learning disabilities such as ADD/ADHD, making school and learning an even more challenging task. Learning and concentration difficulties are…

Developmental education assessment and placement policies guide how students may demonstrate college readiness and are placed into college-level courses. States and postsecondary systems use a variety of measures to determine a student's college readiness. Often, policies require that students submit scores from a national, standardized test. Some…

In 1979, when the author began as an academic instructor at the Central Coast Adult School, located inside the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, California, he saw his teaching role in the traditional sense of imparting knowledge through the school's curriculum. Over time, however, his viewpoint changed as he came to recognize that the…

Adult Basic Education (ABE) and the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) programs serve those students who, for whatever reason, have left the educational system without attaining a regular high school diploma. Because of the manner in which they may have left the school system, many have negative emotions and personal agency beliefs hindering their…

Concept maps (Cmaps) are still underutilized in adult literacy programs and classes. The teaching and learning approaches that have been used historically in adult literacy programs to address the learning needs of these students have not kept pace with the literacy skill demands that have sprung from the increased pace of technological…

In 2006, this author decided to make multiple intelligences (MI)-inspired "activity menus" a regular part of her ESOL/Civics classes. She first tried this technique in a single class session to review what students had learned about industrialization, and it was a huge success. Since 2006, the author has introduced MI-inspired activity…

Intended to help ABE (Adult Basic Education) teachers learn to design effective learning activities, this handbook provides activity suggestions, informative materials, and sample forms and materials. Section 1, Adults as Learners, discusses the adult learner's unique characteristics and includes an article on teaching strategies and learning…

Participatory classroom instruction, including project-based learning, is a teaching approach that can motivate students to learn, build the academic competencies needed to pass the General Educational Development (GED) Test, and instill the strong self-concept and interpersonal skills needed to succeed. Project-based learning actively engages…

The growing number of youth enrolling in adult literacy education is a little-documented trend across the nation that is having a major impact on programs in some areas but appears to be unnoticed by educational policymakers and researchers. A central question is whether youth enrollments provide an opportunity for adult literacy education to…

A project was conducted at the Adult Learning Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, to help clients who had recently failed (and almost passed) the General Educational Development (GED) examination to reapply themselves to specific curriculum materials, correct deficiencies, and retake the GED test. Intense guidance was provided to each student in the…

This technical assistance paper is designed to provide local adult education administrators and teachers in Florida with information to help them more effectively implement General Educational Development (GED) programs, which are designed to help students pass the Official GED Test and become successful employees in the world of work. The paper…

This workbook, one of six professional development manuals prepared by experienced General Educational Development (GED) instructors, is designed to assist the instructor setting up and operating a GED classroom. A pretest and posttest appear first. Each of the units begins with a list of objectives and then provides instructional material. Unit 1…

Designed for adult basic education staff members, this book provides general information about adult basic education and about teaching in an adult basic education setting. The first section is introductory; in the second, material is provided dealing with the administrator's role. The third section offers suggestions to teachers regarding their…

This training packet, consisting of a workshop guide, two instructional guides, and assorted pamphlets and brochures, is intended for use by volunteer tutors who are themselves learning how to work with adults enrolled in an adult literacy program. The following topics are covered in the training workshop guide: the objectives and workings of…

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is…