1

Volume 7, Issue 2

SUMMER 2007

The Arkansas Adult

Learning Resource

Center provides equal

access to all programs

and activities.

Arkansas State Student of the Year

Submitted by Kristen Aberc rombie, Director SWADC Learning C enters

The Southwest Arkansas Development Council Learning Centers are

proud to announce that one of their students, Katherine Monk, was re-

cently recognized as the Arkansas State Student of the Year by the Ar-

kansas Bar Association Lawyers for Literacy.

The turning point for Katherine’s education occurred two years ago. She

has always been an active member of her church, and one of her jobs

was to plan the Mothers Day activity for her congregation. Two years

ago, one of the ladies said to her, .Katherine, why don’t you let me do

that. It’s easier for me because I can read.. Katherine was devastated.

As the youngest of four chil-

dren and a mother in poor

health, her life as a child was

not an easy one. The chil-

dren had to run the home

mostly by themselves, and

were eventually sent to De-

troit to live with an aunt, but

things were not much better.

They lived in poverty and

education was not consid-

ered important. Tears always

come to her eyes when she

talks of her childhood.

When Katherine returned to Arkansas, she was determined to work her

way out of poverty. She worked for many years at Myers Bakery until her

health failed. While she was not rich, she had made a comfortable life for

herself and her child through sheer hard work.

She came to the literacy council on a hot day at the end of May following

her humiliating moment at the church. Kriss Abercrombie, the literacy

director, was alone, working to finish the year-end books. All volunteer

tutors were either assigned or off for the summer. So when Katherine

came in asking for a tutor, Kriss told her none was available at that time.

Katherine was not about to take no for an answer. Her determination im-

pressed Kriss so much, she decided she would tutor Katherine herself.

Within months, Katherine moved from level one (0-1) to level three, (2-

2.5) and is now working in the Challenger series, which encompasses

more interesting material at a faster pace. Katherine is now testing at

about the sixth grade level - an amazing accomplishment! In the fall of

2005, one of the returning volunteer tutors, Martha Bostian, took Kathe-

rine as her student. Kriss and Katherine continue

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

Katherine Monk presented her acceptance speech at the State Capitol.

Continued on page 8

2

Adult Learning Network

AALRC Staff

Director

Marsha Taylor

___________________

Administrative

Assistant

Wanda Johnson

Professional

Development

Coordinator

Nancy Loftis

Media

Coordinator

Klaus Neu

Secretary

Toccara Pearson

Information

Technology

Specialist

Rob Pollan

Disabilities

Project

Manager

Patti White

NOTICE:

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.

If you are unable to attend a work-

shop for which you have registered,

please go online to ESC Web and

cancel your registration. Participants

are often placed on waiting lists be-

cause workshops fill up quickly. After

you cancel, ESC Web will send an

email to the first person in line on the

waiting list.

Calendar

All events are at the AALRC unless otherwise noted.

http://www.escweb.net/ar_esc/

Please remember that the AALRC is now

using ESC Web for all workshop/training

registrations. Tips, tricks, and hints may be

found on the AALRC web site at:

http://www.aalrc.org/profdev/ESCWeb.doc

.

If you are still having trouble, you can al-

ways call the AALRC at 1-800-832-6242 or

1-501-907-2490.

July 17-19 - Summer Professional Development

July 23-26 - ESL Institute

July 31-August 2 - Math Institute

August 7-8 - South Arkansas Summer Workshops – Monticello

August 29 - BEST Refresher

September 13 - GED Examiners’ Regional Training – Monticello

September 13-14 - ESL Basics – Session 1

September 19 ESL - Curriculum Guidelines

September 25 - Dr. Jim Koller – Adult Issues and Empowerment Sugges-

tions on Mental Health Issues for the Adult Education Student

September 26 - Dr. Jim Koller – Repeat of the previous day

September 27 - GED Examiners’ Regional Training –Arkadelphia

October 4 - GED Examiners’ Regional Training – Jonesboro

October 9 - GED Examiners’ Regional Training – Russellville

October 11-12 - ESL Basics – Session 2

October 17 - EL Civics Grantees

TRAVEL Reimbursement

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

ings/workshops at the AALRC. Programs must follow state travel guidelines and the policy

written below. We have had to disallow many travel requests because 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.

3

Adult Learning Network

Leadership Excellence Academy

The National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC) and ProLiteracy

America have joined forces to provide the Leadership Excellence Academy for local program di-

rectors to a limited number of states. Arkansas has been chosen to participate beginning in the

fall of 2007. Local program directors have been encouraged to participate.

W

HAT

IS

IT

. The Leadership Excellence Academy is a professional development opportunity that

will allow participants to explore, adapt, and apply actual leadership concepts and skills specific to

their adult education and literacy program. They will have opportunities to formulate and imple-

ment approaches to instructional leadership problems and issues and interact with other program

managers who face similar challenges.

The Academies are built upon a foundation of research, theory, professional wisdom, and

best practices.

Training will occur over time with opportunities for application through a series of interim

activities and learning projects.

Technology-based delivery such as online courses, discussion boards, and web casts will

be combined with face-to-face workshops.

The Academy will also get local program directors started on their way toward national pro-

gram manager certification, if one chooses to continue in that pursuit.

W

HAT

ARE

THE

RESPONSIBILITIES

AS

A

P ARTICIPANT

. Participation in this project will involve approxi-

mately 60 hours of your time (4 hours a month), between September 2007 – December 2008.

GED Mathematics Institute

The Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC) is pleased to announce the GED Mathe-

matics Institute that will take place on July 31- August 2, 2007 at the AALRC. Participants will re-

ceive a total of 18 hours of professional development for attending the institute.

Sharon Moran and Nancy Loftis will present a three-day math institute that is based on the GED

Mathematics Training Institute that was held in Washington, DC last year. The institute was deter-

mined by the findings of the data analysis conducted by GED Testing Service and MPR Associ-

ates, Inc. in 2005 from the 2003-04 GED testing year. The following areas were identified as the

types of test items candidates most often answered incorrectly and most commonly chose incor-

rect distractors:

1. Geometry and Measurement

2. Applying Basic Math Principles to Calculation

3. Graphs and Tables

All registration will be online. Please register at

https://www.escweb.net/ar_esc/

- Session ID:

57844

Continued on page 8

4

Adult Learning Network

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

New Form: Request for AALRC Funding for WAIS-III Evaluation

All adult education and literacy programs received an e-mail from the DWE Adult Education office in

May 2007 regarding a new form that must be submitted to Patti White at the AALRC prior to making

any student referrals for a WAIS-III evaluation that will be reimbursed by the AALRC.

There is a list of contracted locations for these types of referrals at

http://aalrc.org/resources/ld/

referralProcess.aspx

. This website includes a detailed explanation of the process for making this type

of referral. Funding must be pre-approved by the AALRC Disabilities Project Manager before the stu-

dent is referred. Please make sure the psychologist and/or clinic know that invoices for evaluations

should be submitted before May 15 of each year to ensure payment.

Also, the student must take a copy of this completed, approved form to the psychologist or clinic when

they go for the WAIS-III evaluation.

If you have any questions about this form, or need another copy, please contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or call her at 800.569.3539.

LD Annual Report Form

There continues to be some confusion regarding the Learning Disabilities Annual Report Form that all

programs are required to submit by June 1 of each year. Here are some points to remember when

filling out this form:

There are only four numbers to track to complete the form:

1. Number of students referred for learning disabilities diagnosis

2. Number of students with learning disabilities served

3. Number of students approved for GED testing accommodations for learning disabilities

4. Number of students who received instructional accommodations for learning disabilities

#1: The first number is the total number of students your program has referred for a learning disabili-

ties’ diagnosis. It doesn’t matter if you referred them to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, to one of

the clinics under contract with the AALRC, to a private clinic or psychologist at the student’s ex-

pense – all of these are diagnostic referrals.

#2: The second number is how many students your programs served who have documented learning

disabilities. This is not the number from the AERIS report, which tracks the number of students

who self-report a learning disability during the intake process. The documentation does not have

to be current (i.e., completed within the last five years), but there does have to be a history of docu-

mentation.

#3: The third number is just what it says: the number of students approved for GED testing accom-

modations for learning disabilities. But note that this does not include someone who is approved

for accommodations for other types of disabilities – just those who are granted accommodations

for learning disabilities.

#4: The fourth and last number regards only the students who have learning disabilities’ documenta-

tion. Again, this is not the number from the AERIS report. Students who request and receive GED

accommodations should also get the same or similar accommodations during their instructional

process. This number regards accommodations, not interventions. An intervention is a strategy or

technique that can enhance a student’s learning process, such as color coding, card markers, col-

ored overlays, etc. An accommodation changes or augments the environment to enable individu-

als to compete or perform at an equal level. Some examples of instructional accommodations

5

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

include books on tape; scheduled, frequent breaks; magnifying devices; large-

print books; the use of a scribe for practicing/writing essays; private room for

instruction; using a calculator for basic math functions; etc. Furthermore, all

accommodations implemented (in both testing and instruction) must be docu-

mented, including the subsequent success or failure of the accommodations.

If you have any further questions about collecting the data necessary to complete

this form, please contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or call her at

800.569.3539.

Disabilities and Environmental Toxins

The data regarding the effects of environmental toxins on human development con-

tinues to accumulate, and the news is not good. Unlike the sentiment in the adver-

tisement shown in this article – popular in the United States in the 1950’s – re-

searchers are finding that the long-term use of environmental toxins is having dev-

astating effects on infants, children, and adults.

Elise Miller, Executive Director of the Institute for Children’s Environmental Health,

presented some alarming statistics at the Learning Disabilities Association of

America 2007 Conference this past February. Some of those include the following:

.

Since 1980, the rate of childhood asthma has doubled; in fact, the rate has tri-

pled for children under the age of five.

.

Birth defects are now the leading cause of infant death.

.

Childhood leukemia and brain cancer have been in-

creasing since the 1970’s.

.

Currently, one in every six children under the age of 18

has a learning, developmental, or behavioral disorder.

.

Since the 1980’s, the rate of autism has increased by a

factor of 10.

.

Since the 1990’s, severe mental disorders have tripled.

.

In 2005, there were 1.4 million people in the United

States diagnosed with mental retardation.There are four

billion tons of chemicals discharged annually in the United

States.

.

There are 1500 - 2500 new chemicals on the market

each year.

.

Since 1950, there are 80,000 new chemicals approved

by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However,

there is complete neurotoxicity data for only fifteen of the

80,000 new chemicals.

.

Most commercial apple juice has 80 types of pesti-

cides. Babies consume more apple juice than anyone.

The recommended .safe. exposure level for mercury is

1000 times lower than what was .safe. in the 1970’s.

According to an article in Social Work Today, a magazine for social workers,

there’s a growing body of evidence making a connection between how well people

perform in school and life and toxins in their environment.

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

6

Adult Learning Network

Adult Education

Advisory Council

Patricia Bates, Chair

El Dorado

Ben Aldama,

Vice-Chair, 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

Carolyn Moody,

Mountain Home

Bobbie Sanders,

Little Rock

Diane Shores,

Helena

Flora Simon,

Dumas

Marsha Taylor,

Little Rock

Lead poisoning, for example, has been shown to lower IQ and shorten attention

spans. Children with high levels of lead in their body have more trouble concentrat-

ing and following directions and tend not to do as well in school. They are also more

prone to impulsivity and antisocial behavior, including violence. Mercury exposure

can impair children’s memory, attention, and language abilities and interfere with

fine motor and visual spatial skills. A recent study of school districts in Texas

showed significantly higher levels of autism in areas with elevated levels of mercury

in the environment (Chemical Kids — Environmental Toxins and Child Develop-

ment, Dan Orzech, Social Work Today, Vol. 7 No. 2 P. 37).

Pesticides are one of the biggest concerns due to their widespread use and appli-

cations. Dr. Bruce P. Lanphear, Director, Cincinnati Children's Environmental

Health Center, reported on a study of a popular pesticide used to kill cockroaches

(chlorpyrifos). The study looked at the exposure regarding cognitive functions in 3-

year-old children, and showed huge increases in Progressive Developmental Delay

and AD/HD. This pesticide has now been banned in residential settings, but not in

agricultural settings. Probably the most famous pesticide study was conducted in

the valley and foothills of Sonora, Mexico, where the farmers in the valley used pes-

ticides freely on their crops and the farmers in the foothills did not use any pesti-

cides. The children of the farmers in both areas were studied regarding their physi-

cal and mental development. The

study’s results show adverse effects on

motor skills, attention, and learning in

the group with higher exposure to a

mixture of agricultural pesticides

(Guillette et al, EHP, 1998). One test

involved having 5-year-old children

draw a person – a standard test for

child development. To the right is a

sample of how the foothill children’s

drawings demonstrate more advanced

development that the valley children.

There is a plethora of information regarding environmental toxins and disabilities

available online. If you’re interested in learning more, a Google search will probably

yield more than you thought you could find. Also, for those who are feeling proac-

tive at this point, here are some helpful websites to follow-up with:

http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html

LDDI = Learning and Developmental Disabilities

Initiative. They educate state and national learning and developmental disability

groups. They translate emerging science into information and fact sheets to be

used at workshops and on websites. Their goal is to influence policy makers

and scientists. If you sign up on their website, they will send weekly bulletins.

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/

The Collaborative on Health and Environ-

ment (CHE) is a diverse network of over 2700 individual and organizational

Partners in 42 countries and 48 states, working collectively to advance knowl-

edge and effective action to address growing concerns about the links between

human health and environmental factors. If you join CHE, you get two e-mails

a month full of new information.

http://ewg.org/

Environmental Working Group – This site has information about the

Environmental Working Group, a group of scientists, engineers, policy experts,

lawyers and computer programmers who research government data, legal

documents, scientific studies and their own laboratory tests to expose threats to

your health and the environment, and to find solutions.

7

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.

If you are planning on installing Bitdefender Antivirus on your computers at your center, please

use the install link below. This is a direct link to Bitdefender Client Professional Plus and you

won’t have to register to download the program. If you have Bitdefender 8 or Bitdefender 9 in-

stalled, you should uninstall it and install Bitdefender client from the link below. This is not man-

datory, but I’ve found this version to be the best.

When you install Bitdefender, install the .typical installation.. This installs the firewall and all

other parts of the program. If you are installing to a Windows XP or Windows Vista machine it

will already have a firewall installed. The Windows firewall is easier to use and should be the

choice for most everyone except advanced users. See turning off Bitdefender Firewall below:

You should turn off the program

control also. To do this you have

to leave .Firewall is enabled.

checked in the figure to the right

or the firewall settings will be

grayed out below. After turning

Program Control off, go back to

the General tab and turn off the

firewall.

MBitdefender – install from

http://download.bitdefender.com/

windows/desktop/professional/

client/en

Make sure that you have the

.General. side tab selected.

Bitdefender Antivirus

8

Adult Learning Network

Arkansas State Student of the Year

Thanks to all who made the 2008 Arkansas Literary Festival a success! The fourth annual celebration of

"Literacy, Language, and the Written Word," received praise from the authors and sponsors for the hospi-

tality given to them during the weekend. Special thanks to Katie McManners and Sarah Kinser of the ALC

office who worked to coordinate the activities of over 200 volunteers! The event raised $42,000 for the

work of ALC and 46 literacy councils.

Mark your calendars for the 2008 festival, which will be held April 6-8 in the River Market District. Find out

more at

http://www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org

The ALC staff and members of the ALC Board of Directors' Council Member Advisory Committee (MAC)

are looking forward to the 2007 joint conference with adult education this October. There's big news for

next year – ALC received word recently that it will be hosting the 2008 ProLiteracy Worldwide Conference

in Little Rock October 8-11. The joint conference planning committee is already looking at fitting our state

2008 joint conference in with the ProLiteracy activities. We will be looking forward to welcoming adult liter-

acy providers and sponsors from across the world!

Disaster preparedness and fire safety/prevention are a concern to us all and, soon, there may be an oppor-

tunity to involve adult literacy students in a national pilot project that seeks to educate and prepare low-

level readers in case of danger. Arkansas ranks in the top 10 states in the number of fire-related deaths.

ProLiteracy and the Home Safety Council have approached ALC about representing Arkansas as one of

three states chosen for this study. If selected, ALC and the literacy councils would be partnering at the

state and local levels with adult education centers, fire and emergency management officials. A decision

on the states chosen for the study will be made later this summer.

News from Arkansas Literacy Councils, Inc.

their relationship by exchanging journal entries twice a week in addition to her regular lessons.

Katherine is planning to teach people close to her how to read. She has already encouraged one person to

stop and visit the literacy center. She has spoken on the radio and presented at the Kiwanis Club, where

people enjoyed hearing about her husband’s reaction to her writing her first bank check. Also, this is

Katherine’s second year to serve as Spirit Stick Judge for our annual adult spelling bee.

Katherine can now get up in church and read things she has chosen and prepared herself. She has ac-

complished the goal she had originally set for herself. She is the perfect example of what can be accom-

plished when a student wants to read with all their heart and is willing to study both with a tutor and on their

own. At the council, we are rewarded with Katherine’s joy, enthusiasm and gratefulness to us for being

there for her. This is the feeling and gift that no words can express.

When Katherine received her certificate at the state capitol with other students, teachers and adult educa-

tors looking on, she told the crowd they were the ones who helped bring people into the light. Now Kathe-

rine is lighting up lives as well.

Continued from page 1

W

HAT

ARE

THE

PROGRAM

BENEFITS

.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

Engage local staff in customizing one selected self-assessment;

Conduct the self-assessment;

Analyze their local program data reports during the workshop;

Identify a program improvement need based on that analysis;

Respond to Program Improvement Decision Points based on the program activities’ results;

Post results to an electronic portfolio.

Leadership Excellence

Continued from page 3