Building Community: Connecting with Adult Basic Education
by Amber Delliger
Adult Education Instructor: Math Student Success Coach
Metro North Adult Education
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Rebecca is a 32 year old mother of four. She works overnight shifts at a local warehouse, but hopes to someday become a nurse. Without a high school diploma, she knows she isn’t ready for college. However, she wants to show her children that education is important, and she believes a strong education and a high school equivalency diploma will help start her on the right path. Today she took a brave step by enrolling in morning classes at her local adult education center.
Gustavo is a 44 year old engineer who is new to the United States. While highly educated in his home country, Gustavo is struggling to find employment in his previous field due to his English language proficiency. He enrolls in ESL classes at a local adult basic education (ABE) site. He hopes to develop the skills to communicate more effectively in his community and to pass an exam that can re-credential him to continue his engineering career in his new home.
Adult Basic Education (ABE) is a safety net; it catches those in our communities who are no longer eligible for K-12 schooling and are not yet prepared for college or the career or training they seek. ABE serves adult students by teaching skills and knowledge to be successful in career training, job growth, postsecondary opportunities, or simply deeper community involvement.
In recent years, many ABE teachers have been attending MCTM and other Minnesota math events, conferences and professional development sessions. In non-pandemic years, we’ve even had a small but mighty group representing ABE at Math on a Stick at the State Fair! We’ve been slowly embedding ourselves into the statewide math educator community, because like you, we teach mathematics to Minnesotans! We are passionate about ensuring all students are successful. As teacher leaders, mentors, and professional development providers, we are committed to helping all teachers feel supported and empowered. We love learning from you (and with you,) and we know you could learn from us as adult educators, too. The following is a brief introduction to who we are, what we do, who our students are, and ways you can begin to collaborate!
What is ABE?
Think of ABE as a safety net, a place for adult learners when they are in transition to ‘what’s next’ – it may be earning a high school equivalency diploma, preparing for college placement exams, building academic skills for the workplace, improving English language skills, or a combination of these. To help learners develop the skills needed for these next steps, ABE programs have unique collaborations among community partners such as public school districts, WorkForce Centers, community and technical Colleges, businesses, correctional facilities, libraries, nonprofit organizations, and tribal centers. Classes are funded through state and federal funding and are free for all learners.
Who are ABE Students?
To receive ABE services in Minnesota, students must be at least 17 years of age or older and not enrolled in the K-12 system. Students must also either lack a secondary credential or perform below the 12th grade level in any of the basic academic areas including reading, math, or ability to read, write and understand English.
Most adult learners have specific goals to continue their education or advance in their careers, but they lack the formal education to do so. They are often the parents or grandparents of students in K-12 schools; we serve the same families! ABE students are balancing home and work commitments while also attending classes in the morning, evening, or online. By definition, adult basic education students are people in transition. ABE gives the adults in Minnesota families the skills and knowledge to be successful at whatever’s next in their lives!
What Content is Taught in ABE?
The core instructional content of Adult Basic Education is:
- Reading
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Listening
- English as a Second Language/English Language Learning
- GED prep/secondary (high school) credential attainment
In addition to this core content, supplemental content can include:
- Citizenship/civics
- Basic technology skills/digital literacy
- Employability
- Health Literacy
- Study skills
- Critical thinking/learning how to learn
- Personal and group effectiveness
- Financial literacy
Whether taught to children or adults, the math content is the same. ABE teachers focus on a variety of numeracy skills, including more than just content, many levels, often within the same room! What an ABE math classroom looks like varies across the state, from leveled direct instruction classrooms, to small pull-out groups within a larger class setting, to one-to-one instruction in a one-room schoolhouse. While the delivery of instruction varies, high-quality, standards-based instruction can be found in any adult education setting. Minnesota ABE uses the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS), published in 2013, as the basis for its instructional math content. These standards are drawn directly from Common Core.
ABE classes and students vary widely and cross a wide range of levels. An ABE class for students with limited formal education may be working on math typically covered in an elementary school, such as number sense and base 10. In another setting, students working toward their high school credential may be filling in the missing pieces they did not grasp from elementary and middle school while learning high school algebra. An ABE classroom on a college campus may work to fill content gaps across all levels of K-12 while focusing on content needed to be successful on a college placement exam or for a specific career pathway such as math for construction or healthcare.
While in K-12, teachers aim to build a solid numeracy foundation in their students. In ABE, we sometimes describe our approach to numeracy education as renovation. Our students have gaps in their math knowledge for a range of reasons: limited or interrupted schooling, poor early instruction, learning disabilities, math trauma, or other learning barriers. We work to fill gaps in their content knowledge, strengthen their number sense foundation, build their reasoning skills through the Standards for Mathematical Practice, and develop the study skills needed to be successful independent learners in all their subject areas.
Who are ABE Teachers?
ABE teachers work across a wide variety of contexts and come to this work with a range of experience. The vast majority are housed in K-12 districts, often under the umbrella of Community Education. Other ABE teachers work in non-profit organizations, correctional facilities, or in partnership with community colleges. The vast majority of ABE teachers in Minnesota are licensed K-12 educators (many come from K-12 positions!), and many have Master’s degrees and specialized training in teaching adult learners.
We are educators who create and develop lesson plans and track student progress. Our classes are supported by 1,400+ volunteers highly trained in current best practices in content and adult learning. Adult learners are generally quite goal driven and often lack academic confidence. In addition, English may not be their first language. It is our responsibility to assess each student individually and counsel each learner to co-create an achievable roadmap toward their goals. ABE teachers are often well-skilled in universal design strategies to account for the varied needs of the students they serve. Overall, our goal is to see students succeed by obtaining a better life for themselves and their families through education.
How can I learn more?
If you’d like to learn more about adult education in Minnesota, visit the Minnesota Adult Basic Education Information website. Here you can see an overview of the ABE system, read the annual Minnesota State ABE Impact Report, check out FAQs and more!
Interested in learning more about math/numeracy professional development Minnesota ABE? Visit the ATLAS ABE Numeracy website. Here you’ll find information about the College and Career Readiness Standards, content resources, and instructional resources vetted by Minnesota adult educators. On this page you will also find links to previous and upcoming professional development opportunities.
http://atlasabe.org/resources/numeracy
There will also be a couple of sessions at the MCTM Spring Conference led by ABE teachers. While our students are older than other learners in your care, the content and the diverse needs of learners is the same. We encourage you to attend one of our sessions and smile and introduce yourself when you see us in a session! ABE teachers are passionate about our field and math education, so strike up a conversation!
Presenter: Rebecca Strom
‘Mad-Libs’-Inspired Numberless Word Problems: Giving Students Choice
Presenter: Karl Blakely
Math Elitism and ABE – How Math Elitism Influences Learning and How to Help Learners Succeed
How can I help the parents and grandparents of my students connect with ABE services?
If you meet adults, perhaps family members of your K-12 students you believe may benefit from ABE services, please direct them to the Literacy Minnesota Adult Literacy Hotline. This hotline connects adults throughout Minnesota with the ABE program best suited to meet their needs.
Literacy Minnesota Adult Literacy Hotline:
Or call: 800-222-1990 or Text: 612-424-1211