Adult Basic Education

Adult Basic Education Program (ABE)

Adult Basic Education (ABE) is a provincial program for adult learners and is made up of three levels: Level I refers to basic literacy and roughly equates to K-6; Level II is considered equivalent to grades 7-9; Level III corresponds to grades 10-12 and requires the completion of a minimum of 36 credits in order to graduate.

During 2003 revisions were made to the ABE Level I program including an updated curriculum, new assessment tools, and delivery standards. The revised ABE Level I program was test piloted in nine sites across the province from September 2003 to June 2005. The pilot was developed and guided by an ABE Level I Working Group consisting of representatives from government and the literacy community. An evaluation of the pilot indicated that it was successful and the piloted program was officially adopted by the Department in Summer 2005. A number of non-profit community-based centres have contracted with the Department of Education to offer the ABE Level I program. Level I is also offered through a limited number of College of the North Atlantic sites and some private training institutions.

The Department of Education recognized the need to develop new courses in the Level III ABE program in order to ensure that the program continues to reflect the provincial high school program, which has undergone significant change since the last revisions of the ABE program in 1995. As a result, a new ABE Level III program is being implemented which will better prepare students for entrance into post-secondary institutions as well as the workplace. The new structure of the ABE Level III program has replaced the two streams (Academic and General) found in the old program with four streaming profiles. The profiles are named according to the post-secondary or employment routes which they may open for students—Degree and Technical Profile, Business-Related College Profile, General College Profile, and Job Entry Profile. These profiles will have the advantage of educating students about their post-secondary options and reinforcing the connection between the ABE program and employment/training prospects. The first three profiles have been implemented effective January 1, 2006. The fourth profile, Job Entry, will not be implemented until specific courses related to it have been developed.

Currently, Employment Insurance (EI) clients being served through Human Resources Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) who have identified their need for basic education as part of their return-to-work action plan may receive support for tuition and such things as child care and transportation. Both HRSDC and the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, in partnership with the Department of Education, College of the North Atlantic, and community-based groups support a number of case-managed clients.

For more information on the ABE program, contact the Department of Education. For ABE Level I contact Pamela Dawe, at 729-7668 or e-mail pameladawe@gov.nl.ca; for information on ABE Levels II and III contact Deon Perry at 729-6860 or e-mail deonperry@gov.nl.ca.