Family Literacy on Your Smartphone via Education Week

Family Literacy on Your Smartphone

Education Week: 7.19.2017 by Matthew Lynch

By Vinod Lobo is the founder and CEO of Learning Upgrade.

For years, we've been talking about how adult English language learners (ELLs) make up a significant part of the estimated 36 million adults in the U.S. who read at a 3rd-grade level or below. Only 10% of adult ELLs are able to take advantage of federally funded programs. So what about the forgotten 90% who are severely underserved? It's time to stop talking about teaching adults English reading and start taking action. 

Recent data shows that adult ELLs engaging in a blended model of in-person and at-home smartphone-based learning improved at an average of 7.8 points on the CASAS scale. (CASAS is an assessment designed to test language proficiency and mastery.) These are significant gains achieved in just 10 weeks. This tells us that the blended approach works. Now, we have to scale it up.

First, the Funding

Up until three years ago, there was virtually no state funding for adult education programs, and federal funding was hard to come by. Adults with a desire to learn English would get on waiting lists for in-person classes, attempt to learn the language on their own, or try to learn it from their children.

In 2015, California launched the Adult Education Block Grant (AEBG), which created 71 consortia around the state that include community colleges, school districts, and other education providers. The goal was to improve coordination and better serve the needs of adult learners within each region. In two years, $500 million of state AEBG funding was divided among the consortia and providers to support adult education programs throughout the state. Since the funding was put in place, there has been increased coordination and accountability for all members of the consortia, which has had a positive impact on California's adult ELL programs. For example, the AEBG requires educational providers to test and report on learners' improvements using assessments such as the CASAS test.

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Low-literate adults often do not have computer or Internet access at home. However, a report from Digital Promise notes that an estimated 75% of students enrolled in adult education programs own smartphones. For many of the adult ELLs, an app is the answer. Today, thousands of adult learners are using Learning Upgrade, a differentiated app-based curriculum featuring songs, videos, and games in 300 English and 600 math lessons. Although users may only have time to engage with the app for a few minutes in a row, those minutes add up. Learners who used to spend 30 minutes per week on a lab computer at an adult school can now spend two to four (or more) hours per week on their phones. Learners complete lessons everywhere including but not limited to - on the bus, at school waiting for children, on work breaks, or at the doctor's office. READ MORE @