adult education

They Write Letters

/ The Old Crank

GED Testing Service LetterThe GED Testing Service released a letter yesterday in response to a recent, widely circulated Associated Press story about the changes coming to the GED exam in 2014. I’ve written a lot about the controversy over the new exam—you can search the archives if you are interested.

The letter asks the adult education community to be “more courageous” when making decisions about the new test, “because that is what it will take to ensure [adult learners] are prepared for the future.”

It goes on to say that the alternative exams from McGraw Hill and ETS now competing with the GED in the high school equivalency testing market fail to measure college and career readiness, and that the revamped GED will be the only test “truly capable of measuring depth of knowledge and the skills that employers and colleges now expect.” Choosing one of the competing assessments “will just leave your adult learners behind.”

Other highlights:

  • “We believe adults are capable of acquiring the skills necessary to compete, including demonstrating basic technology skills and college and career readiness in 2014 and beyond.”
  • “It’s important that we have substantive conversations about all the issues and changes that we need to make, instead of settling for a cheaper, less effective test. It’s past time that the media and policymakers acknowledge the role that your staff and adult educators play in economic development in your jurisdiction and that you need resources to do the job right.”

So there you have it: those state officials who have chosen one of the alternative assessments are gutless cheapskates who don’t think their learners can actually acquire  the skills to compete. Let the substantive discussion begin!

Outline of Senate Immigration Reform Bill

/ The Old Crank

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has posted a 17-page outline of the Senate Immigration reform bill, which apparently will be called the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.”

The outline does not provide much clarification regarding the English language requirement discussed in the principles statement released by the “Gang of Eight” Senators last January. In that document, they listed learning English and civics as one of the requirements that undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S. would need to meet in order to earn the opportunity to apply for lawful permanent residency. The section in the bill outline on “Legalization and Legal Immigration” reaffirms this requirement (see second to last paragraph below) without providing any additional details:

Legalization and Legal Immigration

I. Adjustment of Status to Registered Provisional Immigrant Status

  • Individuals in unlawful status may apply to adjust their status to the legal status of Registered Provisional Immigrant Status.
  • Eligibility Criteria:
    • Residence in the United States prior to December 31, 2011 and maintenance of 
continuous physical presence since then.
    • Paid a $500 penalty fee (except for DREAM Act eligible students), and assessed taxes, per adult applicant in addition to all applicable fees required to pay for the cost of processing the application.
    • Ineligible if:
      • Convicted of an aggravated felony;
      • Convicted of a felony;
      • Convicted of 3 or more misdemeanors;
      • Convicted of an offense under foreign law;
      • Unlawfully Voted; and
      • Inadmissible for Criminal, National Security, Public Health, or other morality grounds.
  • Spouses and children of people in RPI status can be petitioned for as derivatives of the principal applicant (but must be in the United States at the time).
  • Immigrants in RPI status can work for any employer and travel outside of the United States
  • Individuals outside of the United States who were previously here before December 31, 2011 and were deported for non-criminal reasons can apply to re-enter the United States in RPI status if they are the spouse, of or parent of a child who is, United States citizen or lawful permanent resident; or are a childhood arrival who is eligible for the DREAM Act.
  • The Application period will be for 1 year with the possibility of extension by the Secretary for an additional 1 year.
  • Individuals with removal orders will be permitted to apply as will aliens currently in removal proceedings.
  • RPI status shall last for a 6-year term that is renewable if the immigrant does not commit any acts that would render the alien deportable. Another $500 penalty fee is applicable at this time.
  • The Secretary may collect a processing fee from individuals who register for RPI status in an amount that is sufficient to recover all of the costs of implementing the registration program.
  • An individual who has been granted RPI status is not eligible for any Federal means-tested public benefit (as such term is defined in section 403 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1613)).
  • A noncitizen granted registered provisional immigrant status under this section shall be considered lawfully present in the United States for all purposes, while such noncitizen remains in such status, except that the noncitizen
    • is not entitled to the premium assistance tax credit authorized under section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
    • shall be subject to the rules applicable to individuals not lawfully present that are set forth in section 1402(e) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18071).
  • After 10 years, aliens in RPI status may adjust to Lawful Permanent Resident Status through the same Merit Based System everyone else must use to earn a green card (described below) if the following things have occurred:
    • The alien maintained continuous physical presence
    • They paid all taxes owed during the period that they are in status as an RPI
    • They worked in the United States regularly;
    • And demonstrated knowledge of Civics and English (my emphasis)
    • All people currently waiting for family and employment green cards as of the date of enactment have had their priority date become current.
    • A $1,000 penalty fee is rendered
  • People in DREAM Act Status and the Agricultural Program can get their green cards in 5 years and DREAM Act kids will be eligible for citizenship immediately after they get their green cards.

Source: American Immigration lawyers Association

Why Virginia Settling on the GED is Probably Good News for the Region

/ The Old Crank / 1 Comment

The Washington Post reported Friday that Virginia will continue to use the GED as their high school equivalency test. The Old Dominion joins Maryland and the District of Columbia in sticking with the GED (at least for now), and it seems to me this is good news for those seeking to attain a high-school equivalency credential in the DC/VA/MD region, where the population tends to move around, especially between Washington and the surrounding counties. Those preparing for the GED in the District, for example, won’t have to start over again with a different test if they move their residency to one of the surrounding counties—a fairly common occurrence. (Same goes for GED instructors.)

I still think that ultimately the GED backlash (at least threes states—Montana, New Hampshire, and New York, have already announced that they’re going with alternative exams, and more will likely follow) might have something of a silver lining if it encourages states to take a fresh look at how to better serve adults who are seeking to attain a high school credential. The GED was never actually the only way to this in most states anyway, just by far the most popular way. But as useful as it has been to have a de facto standard with the GED, there really ought to be multiple pathways to a high school credential, with options that accommodate the many different needs and circumstances of those seeking one. And those options ought to include opportunities to simultaneously attain industry credentials, trade skills, and/or enrollment in postsecondary education. (This is why I think the GED Testing Service’s efforts to continue to dominate the market  will ultimately fail—I think they’ve just pushed along a re-thinking process at the state level that was probably going to happen anyway.)

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Scrambling for Dollars

/ The Old Crank

Somewhat unusual state funding scheme, I think, for adult literacy in New Mexico, assuming this story was reported accurately. I think what is going on here is that the state has decided it wants state adult literacy funds that are not part of their 25%  match under Title II of WIA to be reserved for programs not receiving Title II funding.

It’s very challenging, I think, for coalitions to serve as conduits for state funding and still serve as a broad-based coalition for the field. Even when it works well, the dynamic between coalition members and the leaders of the coalition is different when coalition members rely on the coalition for funding. And of course, program directors that don’t get your funding won’t be happy, and when funding gets tight, disputes like this seem sort of inevitable.

I’m be interested in hearing about other coalition organizations that serve as state funding intermediaries.