Province moving forward with ABE Level 1 delivery model

Education Minister Judy Foote says that the Department of Education is committed to ensuring that a high-quality Basic Literacy / Adult Basic Education (ABE) Level 1 program is developed for this province. The department commissioned an independent evaluation of basic literacy and ABE Level 1 programs in Newfoundland and Labrador, which was conducted during the 2000-2001 school year. Early this year an ABE Level 1 Working Group was established to consider conclusions and recommendations of the resulting report by Goss Gilroy, Inc., particularly the model proposed for ABE Level 1 program delivery and other suggested enhancements. The working group, which has representation from the Strategic Social Planning Unit, the Department of Education, the Literacy Development Council and various stakeholders, is developing a new provincial ABE Level 1 program delivery model and a plan for its implementation.

"Members of the ABE Level 1 Working Group share my commitment to ensuring that a high-quality Basic Literacy / ABE Level 1 Program is developed to meet the specific needs of this province, and I commend them for their work to date," said Minister Foote. "They are building on the strengths of the proposed model and the recommendations that came out of the Basic Literacy / ABE Level 1 Report, as well as identifying paths forward to implement the new program."

The Report of the Evaluation of Basic Literacy / ABE Level 1 Programs is available on-line at /edu/literacy/report.htm. Its five main conclusions indicate the need for: appropriate and sustained funding, program standards, coordination and networking, improved accessibility, and better tracking of results.

The working group has recommended that the new program model should first be introduced on a smaller scale, as a two-year pilot, and monitored by an advisory committee established by the Department of Education. The pilot is scheduled to begin in September 2003, thus allowing for detailed preparation throughout 2002-2003.

"Introducing the new ABE Level 1 program as a pilot makes good fiscal and managerial sense," stated Minister Foote. "It allows time to identify any potential problems and to make enhancements to the new model before it is implemented on a provincial scale, at which point revisions would be far more costly."

The minister also emphasized that funding would continue to be provided to current adult Basic Literacy and ABE Level 1 programs during the preparation and piloting period.

"It is important that we continue to support existing adult Basic Literacy / ABE Level 1 Programs and their clients," said Minister Foote. "Until the new model is fully implemented, there will be transitional funding for programs that have been receiving operational funding from the Literacy Development Council and have demonstrated their success through appropriate measurement and tracking."

Early in 2003, groups interested in participating in the pilot will be invited to offer expressions of interest. Six sites will be chosen for the pilot, which will commence in 2003. Over the next 12 months, a coordinator will work closely with the advisory committee and the Literacy Branch on activities such as site selection, in preparation for implementation of the new program delivery model.

Media contact: Deirdre Robinson Greene, Communications (709) 729-0048.

2002 09 19                                      12:20 p.m.