Literacy: Spanning the US
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Accomplishing the Impossible
Literacy
Alliance Newsletter:
March 2020
When you want different results, you must
change the process. The Literacy Alliance updated its orientation and intake
process to better serve adults who are busy with the responsibilities of life but have a
desire to learn.
TLA’s goal is to prepare interested
adults for the intense one-on-one and group learning we offer adults. A
three-day orientation may seem overwhelming. However, after nine hours of
study, we know when a student comes to that first class, he or she knows what
to expect.
The incoming students watch videos of
current students and graduates, learn more about the agency and take assessments
to help guide the teacher’s lesson plans. =Because of this update, students see
that success is closer than they dared dream and teachers see an increase in
commitment and drive in their students.
Last fall, with much support from staff
and directors, TLA launched a massive restructuring of its student orientation
process. For the program year 2019-2020 TLA produced more than 30 high school equivalency (HSE) graduates within the first six
months, which is a record in TLA’s history!
Staff began to emphasize three goals
throughout the orientation process:
To strengthen our vision with ultimate
teamwork, staff adopted a philosophy of being united in our thought process and
strategies.
To modernize our overall organizational
operation from A to Z on student orientation, TLA upgraded our technology,
increased student responsibilities and improved assessment processing.
To put strategies in place that would
eliminate previous obstacles and lead to direct, immediate results.
Since September 2019 we have stabilized
student retainment and increased academic gains; this has led to a
significantly higher number of HSE graduates. With each orientation, we are
committed to building on this momentum. We courageously aim to finish the
2019-2020 program year with more than 60 HSE graduates. READ
MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 12
Reading Level: difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. Old
(Twelfth graders)
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The Sky Is The Limit
First Literacy Blog: 5.08.2019
When we met Yamileth Lopez, she had
already come a long way, both literally and figuratively. Yamileth was in her
fourth year of college in Venezuela when a family tragedy brought her to the
United States. Despite not knowing English, she worked hard for years running
her late father’s convenience store to support her family. Her dreams of
college and an accounting career were put on hold.
In time, Yamileth again set her sights
on higher education and completed JVS Boston’s Bridges to College program,
where she was introduced to First Literacy. Yamileth applied for and received two
consecutive First Literacy Scholarships, which enabled her to begin her college
career again.
We’ve kept in close contact with
Yamileth since then and watched her determination and progress with awe. She
completed her Associate’s Degree in Accounting from Bunker Hill Community
College in May 2015 and her Bachelor’s in Management from UMass Boston in
December 2018. READ MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 11
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. Old
(Tenth to Eleventh graders)
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New Tutor Conference Workshop:
"ESL Bookclub"
Ethel Campbell "never, ever,
ever" thought about being a teacher.
But now, at age 82, she has been teaching an "ESL Bookclub" in her home for the past 23 years.
Her small group of students, ranging in age from early 30s to early 90s, are
asked to commit to a year. But some,
including one of her eldest students, who at age 92, had made such a connection
with Ethel and her fellow bookclub members, just retired from the group after
participating for the entire time Ethel's class has been running - nearly three
decades! The idea behind Ethel's ESL Bookclub was a simple one: as she
explains, "this is a safe place" to read aloud, practice
pronunciation, ask questions, and to explore issues, as a group, about the
immigrant experience and what it means to be an American.
For example, Ethel's ESL Bookclub -
which is intended for moderate level (3 and up) ESL students - read the book,
"Because of Winn-Dixie," during which the students
explored the topic of loneliness. Being part of a small bookclub, students were
able to think about and discuss how they as immigrants experienced loneliness,
and the challenges they faced meeting new people, and making friends, after
first moving to the United States.
The group also read, "The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," where they took turns reading
aloud and exploring the issues raised in the book - a book about how a literary
society helped a group of people living on the British island of Guernsey
survive Nazi occupation during World War II.
READ MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability formulas:
Grade Level: 13
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. Old
(college level entry)
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