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Volume 6, Issue 1

Spring 2006

The Arkansas Adult

Learning Resource

Center provides equal

access to all programs

and activities.

Third Annual Arkansas Literary Festival Continues

Tradition of Celebrating Literacy, Language, and the

Written Word

www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org

- Please bookmark this web page for

the latest information on the 2006 Arkansas Literary Festival, coming

April 22nd and 23rd in Little Rock's River Market District.

The literary festival was started in 2004 as a fund-

raiser for Arkansas Literacy Councils, Inc. and the

state's local literacy councils. It is the only festival

of its kind in the country where proceeds benefit

non-profit volunteer adult literacy programs.

Authors who attend the festival do not charge for

their appearances. Sponsors make it possible for

author travel and lodging and other festival

expenses to be less – which results in more

proceeds available for adult literacy.

The literary festival is free and open to the public. Authors scheduled to

appear as of March 15 include Dr. John Hope Franklin, Tom Piazza,

Joe Kleine, Emily Auerbach and Suzanne Marrs, "Dr. BBQ" Ray Lampe,

Robert Hicks, Beth Ann Fennelly, Deborah Mathis, Speer Morgan, and

many more. Author sessions begin at 11:00 a.m. Saturday and 1:00

p.m. Sunday, lasting until 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. both days.

There are numerous other events taking place in conjunction with the

festival. At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, the annual "Celebrate Literacy

Month" event will take place at the Arkansas State Capitol honoring

achievers in adult education, volunteer literacy, and K-12 education.

That night, at the Main Library's Darragh Center will be a return

appearance by Allan Stypeck and Mike Cuthbert, public radio’s "Book

Guys," who had so much fun last year they asked to come back!

On Friday, Little Rock celebrities will be reading excerpts of The Great

Gatsby as part of the Arkansas Center for the Book's THE BIG READ

project. At noon Dr. Ray Lampe will demonstrate his extraordinary

knowledge of barbeque in the River Market's East Pavilion. At 6:00

p.m. will be "Chapter and Verse," a festival fundraiser for people to have

a chance to meet authors and buy their books – autographed, of course

– and enjoy great food, drink, and entertainment.

The festival opens on Saturday – check the Web site for the schedule!

At 9:00 a.m. will be a Children's Breakfast hosted by the Clinton Presi-

dential Center. Because it is Earth Day , the breakfast will have an

environmental theme and will feature Melissa Stewart, author of A Place

for Butterflies; Terri Luneau, and Trevor Bennett, author and illlustrator

of Big Woods Bird – An Ivory-bill Story.

Arkansas Adult Learning

Resource Center

3905 Cooperative Way,

Suite D

Little Rock, AR 72209

Phone: 800-832-6242

(501) 907-2490

FAX: (501) 907-2492

http://www.aalrc.org

Continued on page 8

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Adult Learning Network

Tuition Reimbursement

Program

Contact your Program Advisor at the

Adult Education Section or Marsha Taylor

at the AALRC for more information on this

program. Reimbursement is applicable to

courses taken for Adult Education Licen-

sure ONLY! This form is available on the

AALRC website (www.aalrc.org).

Remember: (1) The application form must

be submitted to the AALRC 10 working

days before class begins.

(2) Your class grade and receipt of pay-

ment must be received within 30 days of

class ending.

There is a new requirement: Applicants

must provide documentation that the

class will count for adult education li-

censure.

AALRC Staff

Director

Marsha Taylor

___________________

Secretary

Toccara Pearson

Administrative

Assistant

Wanda Johnson

Professional

Development

Coordinator

Nancy Loftis

Media

Coordinator

Klaus Neu

Information

Technology

Specialist

Rob Pollan

Disabilities

Project

Manager

Patti White

Professional Development News

For a list of courses available in adult education, please contact:

NOTICE:

If you are unable to attend a work-

shop you have registered for, please

contact the AALRC as soon as possi-

ble. Participants are often placed on

waiting lists because workshops fill

up. If you find that you cannot attend

a workshop and you call ahead, this

gives us time to notify wait-listed

participants that they can attend.

When a workshop has a waiting list,

participants may not send substitutes

from their center to attend in their

place. Registrations are held for par-

ticipants and not for centers.

Arkansas State University

Jonesboro

Dr. David Agnew

(870) 972-3943

University of Arkansas

at Fayetteville

Dr. Barbara Hinton

(479) 575-5119 or

(479) 575-4578

University of Arkansas

at Little Rock

Dr. Charlotte Robertson

(501) 569-8933

University of Central Arkansas

Conway

Dr. Sherry Roberts

(501) 450-5431

TRAVEL Reimbursement

It is important to remember the guidelines when making travel plans to attend

meetings/workshops at the AALRC. Programs must follow state travel guidelines

and the policy written below. We have had to disallow many travel requests be-

cause the guidelines are not being followed. The AALRC would appreciate your

cooperation in this matter.

Local programs funded with state or federal adult education funds must adhere to Arkansas Department of

Finance and Administration guidelines when requesting travel reimbursement.

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Adult Learning Network

Online Professional Development

Professional Development Registration Process

The registration process for Professional Development will change starting July 1, 2006. The

AALRC will connect through Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative to the ESC-

Works program that many school districts are already using. The website is

www.escweb.net/ar_esc

.

Each person will be required to create a “Shoebox.” One requirement for creating a shoebox is

having a valid email address. Initial training for this process will take place at the Administra-

tors’ Meeting in May. The local program directors will then train their staff. Additional training

will be scheduled as needed.

With time counting down to June 30, 2006, some teachers still need additional Professional

Development hours in order to get the sixty hours required by the Department of Education.

One easy and effective way for many teachers to get professional development is to use the

internet. Many sites offer free professional development. Listed below are a number of web-

sites that fit into that category. Also included is one that requires a fee. As teachers, most are

used to Professional Development being provided at no charge; however, paying a minimal fee

in order to get the required hours may be worthwhile for some.

FREE:

http://www.congressclass.org/

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/

http://www.vluonline.org/course/index.asp

http://www.floridatechnet.org/pdc.asp

http://www.learner.org/

FEE REQUIRED

http://www.ableacademy.org/

Calendar

All events are at the AALRC unless otherwise noted.

http://tappedin.org/tappedin/

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/

http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/

http://www.maisplace.org/profdev.htm

This link gives many other links to Professional Development.

Professional Development Training

April

4 – Computer Security Technology

5 – PowerPoint

10 – Multi-Sensory Approach to

Phonological Processing (MAPP)

11 – ESL CAELA Participants

11 – Woodcock Johnson Training

12-13 – ESL Basics

20-21 – Literacy Strategies – Session 3

May

9 – Beginning Excel

10 – Intermediate Excel

11-12 – Literacy Strategies – Session 4

Meetings

April

18-19 – Visit from Federal Office (OVAE)

May

4-5 – Administrators’ Meeting –

Mt. Harbor Resort

9 – Disabilities Advisory Committee

16 – AALRC Advisory Committee

18-19 – Adult Education Advisory Council –

Hot Springs

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Adult Learning Network

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

LD Training

Available Online

LD Screening Tool for Spanish-Speaking Students “Reaching for the Stars”

The Learning Disabilities Association of Western New York has completed a

validation study on the Empire State Screening for Spanish-Speaking

Students (ESS). The screening tool is available for free at

http://www.ldaofwny.org/ESS%20form.htm

.

The ESS (Abwender, 2005) is a brief assessment tool designed to help

identify Spanish speaking adults with certain developmental cognitive

disabilities that could be expected to interfere with a person’s ability to, for

example, obtain or hold a job. It consists of a series of questions, mostly

about personal and educational history, that can be asked by anyone who is

fluent in Spanish. Most of the questions can be answered with “yes” or “no.”

The ESS is not, by itself, a full diagnostic test of any disorder, and the results of the test should

never be used by themselves to make a diagnosis. The ESS yields a numerical score; if the

examinee’s score is above a specified cut-off level, then that examinee would likely benefit from

a thorough diagnostic evaluation, usually conducted by a licensed psychologist, to determine the

presence and nature of a cognitive disorder. Again, the ESS itself does not diagnose these

conditions.

The problem with screening Spanish-speaking adult education students in Arkansas is the lack

of diagnosticians who can follow up with a complete diagnostic evaluation for learning disabili-

ties. A worst-case scenario would be that all of the ESOL instructors start using this screen, only

to find out there’s nowhere to go for a diagnosis. So the road from getting a screening tool to

following up with a diagnosis and then requesting/receiving accommodations on the GED may

be a long and winding road, but the ESS is at least a start.

The Ohio ABLE Resource Center has published new video workshops about adults with learning

disabilities at

http://able-ohiou.org/ld_training_vide

. There are two sets of videos; one for

administrators and one for support staff and instructors. Both sets include eight videos that teach

the following subject areas: Definition, Laws, Screening, Goal-Setting, Lesson Planning,

Adaptations & Accommodations, Instruction, ESOL, and Learner Perspective.

Each video takes about 15 minutes to view, and is displayed side-by-side with the PowerPoint

slides used during the presentation. The site also allows users to view the slides without the

video.

If you have not been able to attend one or more of the learning disabilities workshops at the

AALRC, please take advantage of this free training opportunity to learn about effective and

appropriate instruction for adult students who have learning disabilities.

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Adult Learning Network

AALRC

Advisory

Committee

Dubs Byers,

Chair,

Pine Bluff

Emily Barrier,

Little Rock

Harriet Branch,

Monticello

Sharon Ellis,

Secretary,

Fort Smith

Jennifer Hurst,

Pine Bluff

Lloyd Huskey,

Little Rock

Steven Lilly,

Lonoke

Charlotte

Robertson,

Little Rock

Trece Shepherd

Williams,

Helena

Billy Upson,

Texarkana

Nancy

Whitmire,

Vice-Chair,

Batesville

NCSALL’s Reading Instruction Aids and Profiles

That said, the ESS may still have value as a way to gather important

information about the student’s learning needs. Typically, ESOL class-

rooms already incorporate many of the instructional strategies that are

helpful for students with learning disabilities, such as rhyme and

repetition, experiential learning, and the use of manipulatives and role-

play. However, there may be learning needs that are not so easily

addressed, and the ESS may provide important background or process-

ing information that will help the instructor determine some more specific

strategies for that individual student.

For more information, please contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or call 800.569.3539.

The National Institute for Literacy has posted an interactive website for

adult education and literacy practitioners at

http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/

. The website is based on the Adult

Reading Components Study (ARCS) by the National Center for the Study

of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL). Researchers tested 955 adult

participants individually on eleven skills (components) that contribute to

reading ability. A list of scores for each learner became that individual's

reading profile, illustrating his or her strengths and instructional needs.

On this website, 569 Adult Basic Education (ABE) learners from the

ARCS are grouped into 11 profiles. Each profile group shows a

distinctive pattern and/or level of reading component skills.

There are two website tracks:

Match a Profile

On the "Match a Profile" track, you can enter scores for your learner and

be matched to one of the 11 ARCS-based profiles. You will find

suggestions for instruction as well as information about the ARCS

learners in this group that may relate to your learner.

Take the Mini-Course

Although you will find enough information on the "Match A Profile" track

to understand your learner's reading profile, the "Mini-Course" offers an

opportunity to learn more about reading. You will find extensive

information on the major reading components and assessment as well as

sections containing references and downloadable resources.

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Adult Learning Network

Adult Education

Advisory Council

Patricia Bates, Chair

El Dorado

Diane Shores,

Vice-Chair, Helena

Ben Aldama,

Rogers

Jim Allen,

Fayetteville

Diane Cary,

Magnolia

Steve Clayton,

Jonesboro

Pat Collins,

Russellville

Sharon Ellis,

Fort Smith

Denise Hester

Blytheville

Lloyd Huskey,

North Little Rock

Margaret Jarrett,

Monticello

Steven Lilly,

Lonoke

Paulette Martin,

Little Rock

Bobbie Sanders,

Little Rock

Flora Simon,

Dumas

Marsha Taylor,

Little Rock

Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities

You just can’t believe the amount of stuff out

there anymore. You would think the tidal wave

of technology as it applies to people with dis-

abilities is surely cresting, but it may be only the

first slight swell. The AALRC is trying

desperately to keep up with all the latest news

about what’s available to help students with dis-

abilities in adult education and literacy programs – what’s there for free,

what’s there for buying, what’s cheap and works well, what’s cheap and

doesn’t work well – lots to look at in the sea of assistive technology (AT).

This is the first of a series of articles to link programs with AT resources.

Some are available for check-out from the AALRC library for use with

students in programs. Others are available for AALRC demonstration

purposes only to help programs decide what they would like to purchase.

Still others are out there in the market, and we can only hope to give

enough information that it helps programs narrow the choices a bit.

For the kick-off, it seems appropriate to remind programs what’s already

available for check-out at the AALRC library. These have been demon-

strated and promoted in various workshops and conferences over the last

few years. A few programs have taken advantage of this incredible oppor-

tunity for AT on loan to help their students with learning and other disabili-

ties, but there should be more. It must be a lack of communication that

keeps these items stashed away in a closet instead of sitting on someone’s

desk. So, what’s in that closet, anyway.

Well, quite a lot. If you haven’t stopped by the AALRC library to peruse the

possibilities, please do so as soon as possible. For now, there are two

items that might be a big help to more students than you realize.

One is the FM Loop Hearing Aid System. This

is basically a microphone for the speaker and a

headset for the listener. Everything the speaker

says goes directly to the listener’s ears, thereby

cutting out all the distracting background noise,

increasing hearing volume (if needed), and

clarifying the spoken words.

This is not only a great tool for students who

have hearing impairments, but also is extremely

helpful for students who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

(AD/HD). For students with AD/HD, the FM Loop does a great job of help-

ing the student focus on what the teacher is saying, even when you’re

sitting right next to them. Anyone who is AD/HD and has tried this tool

understands completely how much this helps.

Continued on page 8

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Adult Learning Network

Tech

Talk

Note: To link to any web address (URL) in this newsletter, go the AALRC's home page at

http://aalrc.org, look up this newsletter, and then just click on the appropriate link.

Dictionary and Pronunciation Computer Combination

(say that 3 times fast!)

USB Flash Memory

I have found two computer tools that work well together and will

benefit teachers and students alike. The first one is WordWeb

http://wordweb.info/free/

version 4.01. This is a free dictionary

program that installs to your taskbar (it uses only a small amount of

system resources) and is ready to be used when you need it. For

example, if you are reading a column on the Internet and run across

a word that you don’t know, like “succinctly”, you can highlight the

word and then left-click on the red WordWeb ‘W’ in your taskbar

(near the clock in the lower right-hand corner) and it will automati-

cally look it up. When I say it looks it up automatically, I mean that

you don’t have to open a dictionary program and type the word into it and look it up, you only

have to highlight the word and click on the ‘W’. This makes for a quick lookup, and eliminates

the possibility of a typing error. Also, many programs don’t have a built in dictionary function,

so you can lookup spellings that you’re not sure about. This is a great program that you can

install on all your computers, and it does not require an Internet connection.

Now that you know the meaning of the word “succinctly”, how do you pronounce it. That’s

where the AT&T Labs Text-To-Speech (TTS) program comes in. This one is accessed through

the Internet by going to

http://public.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php

. You can copy and

paste the word “succinctly” into the text box and press speak, and it will speak the word aloud

for you (speakers or headphones required). You can even copy and paste whole sentences, or

just type in whatever you want the program to say. There is an option to change the voice to

something different, but I’ve found that the default is as good as any of the rest. This is a great

resource for people that need to hear the words, including ESL students.

They’re called memory sticks, jump drives, thumb drives, or those little

USB memory thingies; but the name that seems to stick is flash mem-

ory. Whatever you call them, they are very handy to have around.

What makes them so neat is that you can insert one into a USB port in your computer, and it

works just like a floppy disk but with much more capacity. A floppy disk can hold 1.4 mega-

bytes, and a1Gig flash memory drive will hold 1000 megabytes, which is 714 times as much

as a floppy. Floppy disks are fairly delicate and fail quite frequently, but the flash drives are

tough and I’ve yet to have one fail. So moving a program or a bunch of files from one com-

puter to the other is a cinch. Windows 2000 and XP will automatically install the drives and

assign it a drive letter like drive “e:”, so you can drag and drop files, or copy and paste just like

it was an a: drive, but significantly faster. They also work great for backup. You can put all

your documents from the My Documents folder and all your email on the flash drive, and then

insert it into another computer and copy those files to it. If your computer fails (and they do),

you have a backup on another computer.

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Adult Learning Network

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 6

The Luther H. Black Memorial Scholarship was set up to recognize an Arkansas

High School Diploma (GED) graduate who demonstrates outstanding leadership,

citizenship, and professional promise. The scholarship was established to honor

Dr. Luther H. Black, the "father of adult education" for his years of dedicated and

committed service to Arkansas Adult Education.

For more information about this scholarship and to download the application form,

please go to

http://www.aalrc.org/resources/ged/lhb.aspx

.

Third Annual Arkansas Literary Festival

Luther H. Black Memorial Scholarship-

GED Graduates Are Encouraged to Apply

Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities

The other item worth mentioning again is not really an item. It’s the

contract the AALRC has with the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic

(RFB&D) organization. This contract allows local adult education and

literacy programs to check out books on tape through the AALRC

library. RFB&D has most of the ABE/GED textbooks you have in your

classrooms already available on audiocassette. The AALRC also has

the 4-track recorders needed to play the tapes, so AT NO COST TO

YOUR PROGRAM, your students with learning disabilities who may

need to take the GED tests on audiocassette can get their instructional

materials on tape, too! Just contact Klaus Neu at

klaus@aalrc.org

and

he can tell you what to do to choose the books you need him to order for you.

Stay tuned for the next newsletter, when there will be more information about the AT that is avail-

able for your students.

Following the breakfast, the entire day will be filled with activities for children and teens along

with the author sessions for "grown-ups." Saturday night will feature "A Novel Affair," a

reception for authors and festival sponsors (tickets must be purchased) and "Pub or Perish –

A Reading on the Hoof," which is open to the public and to anyone who wants to share their

own literary works at Mallard's Bar in the Peabody Hotel.

The weekend ends on Sunday with author sessions and a special presentation promoting the

upcoming Delta Classic 4 Literacy in the East Pavilion of the River Market.

Throughout the festival, there will be a Tutor-Student Recruitment Tent to reinforce awareness

of adult literacy programs throughout the festival. Adult education and literacy council providers

are welcome to volunteer in this booth – or anywhere else! See the "Volunteer" links on the

festival Web page for information on how to participate. We'd love to have you!

Please contact Arkansas Literacy Councils if there are any questions about the festival. In ad-

dition to good weather, there is one other necessary ingredient to make the festival a great

event – Arkansas hospitality! We hope you can join us for this exciting weekend!