Transcript Mary Shelton-Wiese, Executive Director

Mary Shelton-Wiese, Executive Director
810-664-2737
[email protected]
Family Literacy Center
Mission Statement
Building Skills and enriching
lives through literacy in the
Lapeer County area
What is Literacy?
The ability to read, to write, to
perform math computations, to
understand the written word, to
speak in one’s native language or
in the language of one’s adopted
homeland.
David C. Harvey, President and CEO of ProLiteracy Worldwide
Why are literacy skills important?
 Directly impacts an individual’s ability to
support him or herself and family
(employment, training)
 Directly impacts the ability to maintain
good health (access to health care)
 Directly impacts the ability to raise welleducated children who will succeed in
school and in the workplace
U. S. National Adult Literacy Survey
32%
Percentage of Population
35%
27%
30%
25%
21%
17%
20%
15%
10%
3%
5%
0%
1-2
3-5
6-9
10-15
Reading Grade Levels
16+
 Experts recommend that documents for
the general public be written at the 7th
grade level. Documents about health,
medical or safety should be written at the
5th grade level.
 Businesses and government web sites
regularly present information written at
the 12th grade level and up reaching
less than 15% of their intended
audience.
Reference is William H. DuBay, Plain Language Services
Total Population Per County Versus Number of Adults
Age 25+ Without a High School Diploma
7,125
Tuscola
57,878
5,927
Sanilac
44,448
8,750
Lapeer
93,761
5,415
Huron
34,143
0
50,000
100,000
Literacy Facts
 Having a High School Diploma does not
necessarily mean you have good reading
skills.
 In 2007, 53% of the students at the Family
Literacy Center had a 12th grade education
or higher. All read at or below an 8th grade
level.
We are all
gifted,
average
or challenged
depending on the task
at hand.
Low-level literacy ~ WHY?
 Learning Disabilities
 Parents don’t read (no reading materials)
 Family stress or instability, poor nutrition
 Vision or hearing problems
 Childhood illness
 Changing schools frequently
 Reading not a priority (TV, Video games)
 Getting discouraged, told you can’t do it
Student Education Level at Intake
College
GED
12th
11th
10th
9th
8th
0%
3%
3%
17%
10%
17%
24%
24%
10% 20% 30% 40%
2008 Student Accomplishments
 12 students have passed the GED test
 25 students were able to qualify for training
 30 raised their reading level and 21 raised their
math level (according to follow up TABE testing)
Many student avoid follow up testing due to extreme test anxiety
 14 found employment
 12 had other accomplishments (passed college
entrance tests, completed CNA, etc.)
 Many students are still in our program working
toward their goals and building their skills