by Erin Finn
What happens to students from LCNV's classroom programs once they have graduated? Some go on to get a better job. A few move on to classes at Northern Virginia Community College. Several stay involved with the classes by becoming classroom aides. But the largest group of graduates move on to Fairfax County's Adult Continuing Education (ACE) programs located throughout Northern Virginia. Upon graduating from a Literacy Council program, each LCNV student receives a $50 tuition voucher good towards ACE classes. At this point, the LCNV student typically will have reached the high-intermediate to low-advanced level of English language proficiency, making the transition to ACE's low-advanced to advanced curriculum the perfect fit.
Even with the desire to continue their education, a $50 voucher, and support from their LCNV teachers, some students do not move on to Fairfax County's ACE classes. There are two main reasons for this: limited transportation and fear of the unknown. To help nullify these barriers, LCNV and Fairfax County have entered into a new partnership for this upcoming school year, when, for the first time ever, Fairfax Adult Ed will offer two classes at the high-intermediate and low-advanced levels at the James Lee Community Center, home to two of LCNV's ESOL Learning Centers classes, a conversation class, and its main office. These classes will be held on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
This collocation partnership will strengthen Northern Virginia's adult education continuum of programs. By enabling graduating LCNV students to focus on the next step of their education as opposed to worrying about transportation and attending a new facility, we expect to see a greater number of students taking their education to the next level.
In a letter of support to the Literacy Council, Mary Ray, the Fairfax County Adult ESOL Coordinator, states:
"Linking the services of our two programs provides the community with classes which are appropriate to the students' levels of English as well as providing multiple times and locations for students with a wide variety of needs … By co-locating the programs students can progress seamlessly through the levels, advance their language and job readiness skills and increase their potential for success."
The Literacy Council is thrilled to be partnering with one of the largest Adult Education providers in the state of Virginia.
Visit the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia on these other sites as well:
