1

Volume 8, Issue 2

SUMMER 2008

The Arkansas Adult

Learning Resource

Center provides equal

access to all programs

and activities.

The 87

th

General Assembly will return to the

Capitol in January 2009. Adult Education

and Literacy are an issue we all hope will

gain additional funding in 2009. If you are

wondering just how you can make an impact

during the next session, it’s important to

plan ahead. This article will give you sug-

gestions for your marketing plan.

First, know that both "reach" and “frequency" are key elements of market-

ing. To get your message across, you have to "reach" your target - in

this case, your legislator - to get increased funding for adult education

and literacy. There are a number of ways to reach your legislator, and

you may want to include more than one method of contact when making

your plan. But you can't reach your legislator just once and expect him/

her to remember. Instead, establish a plan on how representatives of

your program will contact your legislator at least SIX times before Janu-

ary 2009. Ideally, one of your representatives will be a student who has

benefited from your program's services.

The most effective strategy is to first call your senators and representa-

tives using the phone number listed on the

www.arkansas.gov

website.

That will be their preferred phone contact number. Go to

www.arkansas.gov/house

and

www.arkansas.gov/senate

to find the

names, addresses, telephone, and email contact information for your dis-

trict’s Representatives and Senators. Phone contacts are BEST.

When you call, ask for a 15-minute appointment. Here’s one example of

this type of request: “Hello, Representative / Senator __________, my

name is ____________and I live in your district. I would like to visit with

you for fifteen minutes to share some information about adult literacy in

Arkansas and introduce you to an adult literacy student. When may I

come to your office or meet you at the local coffee shop."

While at the meeting, share a student story. If you’ve asked a student to

accompany you to the meeting, take about five minutes for him/her to

share his/her story and literacy accomplishments. If a student isn’t avail-

able, develop a one-page biography (with pictures, if possible) about two

or three of your students. It’s also helpful to bring a one-page, bulleted

information sheet about your program to leave with your legislator. They

appreciate getting information this way rather than having to rely on tak-

ing notes.

Be sure you ask your Legislator to support an increase in funding in the

How to Contact Your Legislator for Increased

Adult Education and Literacy Funding

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

2

Adult Learning Network

Governor

Mike Beebe

State Board of

Workforce

Education

and Career

Opportunities

Director,

William L. “Bill"

Walker, Jr.

Division of

Rehabilitation

Services

Robert Trevino

Division of

Adult Education

Jim Smith

Division of Career

& Technical

Education

John Davidson

Communications

Reginald Jackson

Human Resources

& Development

Pam Harris

Finance

Charles Brown

NOTICE:

When a workshop has a waiting

list, participants may not send sub-

stitutes from their center to attend

in their place. Registrations are

held for participants and not for

centers.

If you are unable to attend a work-

shop for which you have regis-

tered, please go online to ESC

Web and cancel your registration.

Participants are often placed on

waiting lists because 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 work-

shop/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

always call the AALRC at 1-800-832-

6242 or 1-501-907-2490.

Workshops:

July 14-16 - ESL Institute

July 22-24 - Summer PD

Inspiration Software - Tuesday, July 22 - 80443

Fun is good! - Tuesday, July 22 - 80460

Writing - Tuesday, July 22 - 80454

PowerPoint - Wednesday, July 23 - 80449

Writing - Wednesday, July 23 - 80455

Fun is good! - Wednesday, July 23 - 80461

Computer Security & Energy Conservation - Thursday, July 24 - 80450

Writing - Thursday, July 24 - 80456

Fun is good! - Thursday, July 24 - 80462

Meetings - held at AALRC unless otherwise noted:

August 5-6 - SE AR Summer Institute September 23-25 LD Comp - 80399

September 9-10 - Admin Meeting Mt. Maga-

zine

September 19 - ALC Board Meeting

September 25-26 - Ad. Ed Adv. Council Lake

Point Ctr. (Russellville)

July 10 - AACAE

July 24-25 - Adult Ed. Advisory

August 22 - Wage

ALC/MAC

3

Adult Learning Network

Arkansas Literary Festival. Update

Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators

Teachers should be paying close attention the Department of Education website. According to

Board minutes from the June 9, 2008 meeting, The Arkansas State Board of Education gave final

approval to Rules Governing the Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators

pursuant to Act 846 of

2007. These can be found at

http://arkansased.org/standards_board/pdf/ethics_060908.pdf

. You

will also be able to find frequently asked questions.

The Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators was created by the Professional Licensure Standards

Board. Educators should read and pay close attention to these rules. The eight (8) Standards of

Professional Conduct contained in the Code of Ethics for Arkansas educators state the following:

An educator…

1. …maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom.

2. …maintains competency regarding skills, knowledge and dispositions concomitant to his/her

organizational position, subject matter and /or pedagogical practice.

3. …honestly fulfills reporting and contractual obligations associated with professional practices.

4. …entrusted with public funds and property honors that trust with honest, responsible steward-

ship.

Nearly 50 authors from across the country attended the fifth annual Arkansas Lit-

erary Festival, April 4-6 in Little Rock's River Market District. Sessions took place

in River Market landmarks including the Main Library and the Cox Creative Cen-

ter, both affiliated with the Central Arkansas Library System; the Historic Arkan-

sas Museum; Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing; Willy D's restaurant; and

the River Market Clark Room.

The Historic Arkansas Museum hosted the children’s activities which included hands-on literacy-

related activities sponsored by the Arkansas Reading Association, live horses presented by the

Black Stallion Literacy Project, and author sessions. Special story time events with live characters

and puppet shows made well-known children's books spring to life and kids and their parents got

to work crossword puzzles.

The literary festival was created by Arkansas Literary Councils, Inc. (ALC) in 2004 as a fundraiser

to help ALC and the other nonprofit adult literacy organizations throughout the state. The Arkan-

sas Literary Festival is the only one of its kind in the country where proceeds support adult literacy

programs. Sponsors included the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Central Arkansas Library Sys-

tem, the Clinton School for Public Service, Hendrix College, the Historic Arkansas Museum, and

the Peabody Little Rock.

As the festival has become established and nationally known in its first five years, the year-round

duties and responsibilities related to the event are growing. In January, the ALC Board of Directors

made the difficult decision to release the festival as of July 1. ALC is pleased to announce that the

Central Arkansas Library System has accepted ALC’s invitation to take over the festival. For more

information on the 2009 festival, please contact Brad Mooy at 501-918-3000.

Continued on page 8

4

Adult Learning Network

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

Learning Disabilities Self-Advocacy Manual

The LD Pride website (

www.ldpride.net

) has published an

online LD Self-Advocacy Manual that may be very helpful for

both adults and children to discover what learning disabilities

are and how to be a good self-advocate. Topics covered in-

clude definition, causes, a worksheet about discrepancy and

underachievement, processing, accommodations, remediation,

legal issues, self-advocacy, and goal-setting. The manual can

be viewed at

http://www.ldpride.net/selfadvocacy.htm

.

When sharing this site with an adult student, it would be helpful to first explain that this manual

was designed for children and young adults with learning disabilities, and the graphics may seem

too juvenile for adult students. However, the clear wording and liberal use of analogies for compli-

cated concepts make the content appropriate for anyone who needs to learn about what it means

to have a learning disability and how to better cope with areas of learning weakness.

Online Multimedia about Learning Disabilities

Want to learn more about LD, but don’t have time to read a bunch of

books. Check out

http://www.ldonline.org/multimedia

for a plethora of mul-

timedia learning opportunities, including videos, webcasts, public service

announcements by Henry Winkler that you can download for free, and au-

dio podcasts by Rick Lavoie. One of the videos is about Dr. Christopher

Lee, who spoke at the AACAE conference in Hot Springs a few years ago.

Another is a short clip about a boy with dyslexia who has written his own

book, My Year with Harry Potter

. All of these multimedia options would be

helpful and inspirational for anyone interested in learning more about learn-

ing disabilities.

WAIS-III Contracts Renewed

The AALRC has renewed its contracts for WAIS-III testing for students who need a learning dis-

abilities evaluation and meet the requirements as specified at

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

referralProcess.aspx

. The student must be working towards a GED diploma; have undergone a

complete learning disabilities screening process or has previous, out-of-date documentation of a

learning disability; be ineligible for a referral to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services for testing; and be

unable to pay for an evaluation without assistance. If your program has a student who meets

these requirements, please contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or 800.569.3539.

There is one form to complete to request funding for the evaluation; it was sent to every program

in 2007, but if you need a copy of the form, Ms. White will send you one.

Continued on page 5

Dr. Christopher Lee

5

Adult Learning Network

AALRC

Advisory

Committee

Dubs Byers,

Chair,

Pine Bluff

Emily Barrier,

Little Rock

Carrie Boden,

Little Rock

Janie Carter,

Crossett

Richard

Hampton,

Texarkana

Tara Harrison,

North Little

Rock

Becky Linsky,

Hot Springs

Billy Upson,

Texarkana

Nancy

Whitmire,

Vice-Chair,

Batesville

Ruth Ann

Williams,

Conway

According to the National Institute for Literacy,

50% - 80% of students in Adult Basic Education

and Literacy programs who read below the 5

th

grade level probably have one or more

learning disabilities, although many

have never been diagnosed. Students

who have the appropriate documenta-

tion of their disability may be eligible

for accommodations on the GED

Tests, such as extra time, private room

for testing, frequent breaks, taking the

test on tape, having a scribe, or using

a calculator or talking calculator.

Other accommodations may be avail-

able upon request, depending on the

specific disability.

For students who will not be able to

pass the GED Tests without accommodations, the referral process may be

one of the most crucial aspects of their adult education. If you are not famil-

iar with the process, please visit the website mentioned above, and contact

Ms. White if you have any questions.

Local Programs Gearing Up for Students with Learning Disabilities

A number of local adult education and literacy programs have recently par-

ticipated in or have scheduled training regarding teaching adults with learn-

ing disabilities – without having to travel! The benefits of these on-site

workshops include more focus on local programs strengths and challenges,

more interaction and discussion regarding local procedures and resources,

and more opportunities to get information tailored to the local program’s

needs. Participating programs include Mid-South Community College Adult

Education; North Arkansas College, Berryville Adult Education; Carroll

County Literacy Council; Crawford County Literacy Council; UAM College

of Technology Adult Education; and ASU Newport Adult Education. One

program, the Literacy Council of Benton County, requested and received

an on-site student consultation to determine appropriate and effective in-

struction and testing strategies for a struggling student.

Training topics may include: learning disabilities awareness issues

(definition, characteristics, observation tools, etc.); screening & diagnosis

information; legal issues; assistive technology; resources and referral infor-

mation; strategies & accommodations for teaching and testing. Local work-

shops available include LD 101 & LD 201, Teaching Adults with Manipula-

tives, De-mystifying AD/HD; and Don’t Panic! To schedule a workshop at

your local program, contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or

800.569.3539.

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

Continued from page 4

6

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

News from the Disabilities Project Manager

You Want It. We’ve Got It. Inspiration Workshop in October

In rapid response to the standing-room-only July 2008 Inspiration work-

shop, the AALRC will once again offer a one-day training in the use and

application of the Inspiration software on Tuesday, October 28, 2008.

Each participant will receive a copy of the software to use in their adult

education or literacy program.

Inspiration gives students the opportunity to create graphic organizers for

planning, organizing, and expanding writing projects, especially essays,

using an innovative approach to expressive language that may circumvent

traditional essay-writing challenges for students with language-based

learning disabilities. Inspiration helps students organize information, de-

velop thinking skills, and demonstrate knowledge. Drag-and-drop actions

and hyperlinks make it easy to gather research and connect to files and

web resources. As students develop their projects, they use AutoArrange

to automatically format their diagrams or switch to an outline view of their

diagram.

You can download a free trial version of the software at

http://

inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm

if you want more information and a

hands-on experience prior to workshop registration. If you have questions

about the training, contact Patti White at

prwhite@madisoncounty.net

or

800.569.3539.

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.

Aztec Program Updates

The Aztec Learning Program has been updated to version 5.2.2. You will notice many new wel-

come changes if you are a long-time user of the program, and if you haven’t tried it yet you

should take this opportunity to do so. The Aztec servers are housed at the AALRC and are free

for our programs to use.

If you are not familiar with the Aztec program, it is a learning program that is accessed online

through Internet Explorer. Go to the Aztec website for highlights of the program:

http://www.aztecsoftware.com/aztec/Products/index.html#als

Some highlights of the new updates are:

Corrections – All customer corrections received by Aztec between 9-1-2007 and 2-1-2008 have been

reviewed and, if approved, implemented.

Individual Education Plan Report (CDL Report) – The Individual Education Plan Report (CDL Re-

port) documents a student’s Individual Educational Plan within a CDL class and charts the student’s

progress in that class. This report can be renamed in the options section of the administration system.

Custom Certificate – The custom certificate option gives an instructor or administrator the ability to

put his or her own phrasing in the certificate. A custom certificate can be printed for any student that is

enrolled in the Aztec System.

Library – The Aztec library may be accessed from any screen in the administration system. It con-

tains a variety of documents including reference materials and correlations. The electronic administra-

tion and instructor guides are also included. The library also has a facility for submitting corrections to

Aztec. You must have an Internet connection and a default e-mail program to submit a correction

through the system. If your computer is not connected to the Internet, you cannot use this facility. ISO

images of the Administrator/Instructor guide CD’s are available for CD creation by the Administrator.

For a complete list of update highlights contact Rob Pollan at

rob@aalrc.org

.

New users should contact Nancy Loftis or Marsha Taylor at the AALRC (1-800-832-6242) to set-up a

free user account and password. You can access the administration site by going to this link

http://

aztec.aalrc.org/aztec

, and you can access the student logon page

http://aztec.aalrc.org

.

Pop-up Error - The most common problem people have when first trying to access Aztec is the site

gets stopped by a pop-up-blocker. Internet Explorer’s pop-up blocker will cause problems, and any

added toolbars like Google or Yahoo will stop it from loading. Fortunately it is easy to fix, go to this

page

http://aztec.aalrc.org/_Aztec/Control/Lite/ie/xp_sp2.asp

for directions (don’t forget the under-

score _ in front of _Aztec).

8

Adult Learning Network

“How to Contact Your Legislator..."

2009 session of the Legislature.

For literacy councils with 501(c)(3) IRS exemption, this request must

be made outside your work hours to avoid conflict with laws related

to lobbying. Your appointment could be during your lunch break,

breakfast, or after work.

Also, ask your legislator to speak at your next graduation, tutor/

student recognition event, annual meeting, or other program event.

LEAVE AFTER FIFTEEN MINUTES. Legislators appreciate your helping them stay on schedule.

Be sure to follow up with a THANK YOU. Send a handwritten note to the legislator thanking him/

her for the meeting. Perhaps the student could also send a thank you letter as well.

Whether or not you schedule a face-to-face meeting, you should put your legislators on your mail-

ing and/or email list. Send him/her your newsletter or a newspaper clipping about your program

with a short, personal, handwritten cover letter.

Another suggestion is to invite your legislator to visit your program to meet some of your tutors,

teachers, students, and volunteers. Ask your teachers and tutors to share their experiences of

teaching someone to read or to improve their English speaking skills.

If you can’t visit your legislator and they can’t visit you, you can always mail a hand-addressed en-

velope with two or three one-page letters of support from teachers or tutors describing their stu-

dents’successes. Likewise, you may want to mail a hand-addressed envelope enclosing an an-

nouncement about an ESL student who has gained US citizenship. In addition, you can mail an

updated information sheet and student story as part of a Christmas card, hand-addressed to your

legislator.

Near the end of 2008, be sure to contact your legislator again to support increased funding in the

upcoming 2009 session. Having once completed your successful “reach and frequency" market-

ing plan, you may then begin to plan how you will sustain your legislative contacts for the years to

follow.

Continued from page 1

Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators

5. …maintains integrity with students, colleagues, parents, patrons and businesses regarding gifts,

gratuities, favors and additional compensation.

6. …keeps in confidence student records, personnel records, standardized test material and other

information covered by confidentiality agreements.

7. …factually and appropriately presents the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and unauthorized / illegal

drug use during the course of professional practice and in accordance with current state law.

8. …abides by local, state and federal laws.

The rules also include examples of standards, repercussions for unethical acts, and teacher-

licensing fees.

Continued from page 3