Literacy ▬ Spanning the US :: Chatham VA :: Gulfport MS :: Jacksonville NC

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@PittsylvaniaLib

Library Makes Stride To Counteract Pittsylvania County's 15 Percent Illiteracy Rate
Chatham Star Tribune: 4.07.2021

The Pittsylvania County Public Library is happy to announce the addition of a new collection of Quick Read books to its shelves.

These short, adult focused, books are designed to address a variety of reader needs such as larger print, less complex sentences, English Language Learner accessibility and support for any adults working to improve their reading and literacy skills.

Quick Reads are also ideal for busy adults who may have gotten out of the habit of reading and are looking for something entertaining but easy to pick up. The books include popular authors such as James Patterson and offer a variety of fiction styles.

Pittsylvania County
Literacy Program

The inspiration for adding the collection was to provide support for the Pittsylvania County Literacy Program (PCLP) and other tutoring organizations in the county.

🔽
An estimated 15 percent of adults in Pittsylvania County are classified as illiterate, and an even larger percentage are low-literate or reading below a seventh grade level. Low literacy makes it difficult for adults to find and keep jobs, to interact with public services and to support their children or grandchildren’s education.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

 

Hope Adult Learning

Mississippi Has An Adult Literacy Problem. Here’s What Advocates Are Doing To Curb It.
Mississippi Today: 4.09.2021 by Candace McKenzie

When 64-year-old Carl Plessala first moved to Mississippi seven years ago, he wanted to start a new life.

He stumbled upon a pamphlet that advertised classes at a community college. The idea intrigued him, but there was one problem: He was among the thousands of Mississippi adults who couldn’t read or write.

Plessala grew up in Louisiana, and he didn’t take school seriously. He called himself “a class clown,” which he said was a way to mask his low confidence in reading and writing skills. He entered the workforce and never learned to read or write.

“I thought I didn’t need much education because school was boring and riding tractors was fun until I got older,” he said. “Then, I realized riding tractors was a whole lotta work.”

So after he moved to Mississippi, he enrolled in a program at Hope Adult Learning in Harrison County and was matched with a tutor there. After three years in the program, Plessala’s initial 3rd or 4th grade reading level rose to a 10th grade level.

Today, Plessala says that learning how to read made him “feel like somebody,” and he plans to share his story with churches and other organizations.

There are many similar stories in Mississippi, where 16% of the adult population lacked proficient reading and writing skills in 2003, according to the National Center for Education for Statistics. That year is the last time conclusive data on the state’s literacy rate was collected, though more recent studies and interviews with experts across the state indicate not much has changed.  WATCH 07:58

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

 

@IncOnslow

52 Faces - Dennis Aschbrenner
The Daily News: 4.09.2021 by Kelsey Stiglitz

When Dennis Aschbrenner retired from the Navy in 1989 as a chief hospital corpsman, he knew his civilian career would need to relate to his experience in the medical field. In the search for ways to make himself more marketable to employers, he found the associate’s degree in nursing program at Coastal Carolina Community College. For him, it was the perfect fit. 

He was one of the few male students in the program - one of three - but he obtained his associate’s as a Registered Nurse and found work locally at Onslow Memorial Hospital. After a 22 year civilian career at OMH, Aschbrenner found a new use for his nursing skills - healing with the power of words rather than medicine. 

“As a nurse, nurses are always instructing people, and it made it so I could go over and help with the Onslow Literacy Council,” Aschbrenner said. “Even if someone doesn’t have extensive experience, you have to be able to talk about what you’re teaching people and that’s important.”  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

Adult Books For Adult Literacy Learners ▬ Grass Roots Press ▬ The Star

Adult Books For Adult Literacy Learners

Grass Roots
Press

The Star: 11.19.2010 by Carol Goar

The plot unfolds swiftly and ominously. The writing is deft. Most readers don’t notice that the language and structure are suitable for someone with a Grade 5 education.

But The Stalker is not meant for most readers. The slim paperback, written by best-selling author Gail Anderson-Dargatz, is aimed at adult learners. One out every four working-age Canadians struggles with low literacy.

In the past they had to rely on children’s books. Now they can get a fast-paced, well-written adult story.

The Stalker is one of six “Good Reads” published this fall by Grass Roots Press and ABC Life Literacy Canada.

“For some adult learners, it will be the first novel they’ve ever picked up,” said Margaret Eaton, president of ABC Life Literacy. “It’s the kind of book that makes them want to read more. It helps build their confidence and improve their comprehension and speed.”

For years, literacy advocates have known there was a void in the market for mid-level adult learners. The vocabulary and sentence structure of a typical mystery, thriller or literary classic were too difficult for them. But teen fiction — tales of adolescent angst, vampires, aliens — didn’t interest them. Many got stuck at the Grade 3-to-6 reading level. Everyone recognized the problem, but no one had the money or influence to fix it.

In 2005, two women changed the conversation. Brenda Livingstone, buyer of adult literacy material for the Toronto Public Library, and Pat Campbell, president of Grass Roots Press, an educational publisher, asked a new question: Why could Britain [ Quick  Reads ] produce high-quality books for embryonic readers when Canada couldn’t?

They went to ABC Life Literacy, a non-profit organization that promotes reading. It applied to Human Resources Canada for funding and got a start-up grant of $500,000.

Five years and many meetings, phone calls, focus groups and test runs later, they were ready to go. On Sept. 28, the series was launched.

It consisted of a mystery (The Hangman); a gritty urban novel (In From the Cold); an immigrant story (The Picture of Nobody); a tale of historical fiction (The Shipwreck); a thriller (The Stalker); and a self-help book (Easy Money).

The response came quickly. “I’ve already read four,” said adult learner Jeremy Wright of Toronto within weeks.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

New Quick Reads titles announced for 2015!

New Quick Reads titles announced for 2015!

The books, which are sponsored by Galaxy® for the fifth year running, will be published on 5 February 2015:

•Roddy Doyle – Dead Man Talking

•Jojo Moyes – Paris for One

•Sophie Hannah – Pictures Or It Didn’t Happen

•Fanny Blake – Red for Revenge

•Adèle Geras – Out of the Dark

•James Bowen – Street Cat Bob

Some Quick Reads titles are available in North America

@ Grass Roots Press, Canada

Amazon UK – sellers may ship outside the UK

What are Quick Reads?

1 in 6 adults of working age in the UK find reading difficult and may never pick up a book.  People’s reasons for not reading are varied but are often based in fear. Some people say they find books scary and intimidating, thinking they are ‘not for them’ or that books are difficult or boring.

Quick Reads sets out to challenge these beliefs and to show that books and reading can be for everyone. Each year we commission big name authors to write short books that are specifically designed to be easy to read.  They are the same as mainstream books in every respect but are simply shorter and easier to tackle for adults who are less confident in their reading skills. The books are then sold through major retailers, online booksellers and are loaned from libraries.

Quick Reads is making real, lasting changes to people’s lives.  Since 2006 we have distributed over 4.5 million books, registered 3 million library loans and through the outreach work hundreds of thousands of new readers each year, often in some of the hardest to reach communities, are introduced to the joys and benefits of reading. Quick Reads is a unique collaboration and we are

very grateful for the support of everyone involved.