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| 727 |
Students Enrolled |
| 452 |
Families Served |
| 250 |
GED Awarded |
| 150 |
Volunteers Trained / placed |
| $360 |
Cost per student |
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< Back | Home > Programs > Programs and Services
Low literacy skills occur in all segments of our population. All ages, races and ethnic backgrounds are vulnerable. Low basic skills compound the complexities of daily life and are most certainly an underlying factor in much of the crime, violence and substance abuse in our society.
Many formerly, able, productive workers are now finding themselves unable to meet the demands of the increasingly high-tech job market because of low basic skills. Corporations and businesses are feeling the effects of low basic skills among their current and prospective employees through lower productivity, absenteeism, unrealized potential and unfilled positions.
In order to meet the literacy needs of Summit County residents, Project Learn created a number of specialized programs and services, including one-to-one tutoring, computer-assisted instruction and classes in basic reading, writing, math, Pre-GED, GED, English for Speakers of Other Languages, computer literacy, workplace literacy and family literacy.
Literacy
You may not realize it, but a family member, neighbor or co-worker may not know how to read. It's a problem that affects us all.
Did you know that adults who read at less than a fifth-grade level...
- Make up 18 percent of the population of Summit County.
- Typically cannot fill out a job application, read a medicine bottle, locate an intersection on a street map or read a bank statement.
- Very often live in poverty (43 percent nationally).
- Earned a median income of $240 per week compared to $681 for those reading at the highest level.
- Worked an average of 19 weeks a year, compared to 44 weeks for those reading at the highest level.
Information on this page is taken from the 1992 and 2002 National Adult Literacy Surveys. To read the complete report from the most recent survey, please click here.”
An adult at Literacy Level One (the lowest level of proficiency) can usually:
- Sign his or her name
- Identify a country in a short article
- Locate one piece of information in a sports article
- Locate the expiration date on a driver's license
- Total a bank deposit entry
He or she cannot usually:
- Locate an eligibility form on a table of employee benefits
- Locate an intersection on a street map
- Locate two pieces of information in a sports article
- Identify and enter background information on a social security card application
- Calculate the total costs of a purchase on an order form.
Literacy in Summit County
Eighteen percent of adults living in Ohio struggle with completing bank deposit slips or reading bus schedules. Though they are not illiterate, they are not able to perform simple tasks. The National Institute for Literacy recently released statistics that for the first time provide literacy figures for nearly every city, county and congressional district in the United States. The State of Literacy in America: Estimates at the local, state and national levels shows that 40-44 million adults nationwide who are struggling with literacy problems are falling further behind. Get the Report (pdf format).
Efforts to Promote Literacy
The Federal government provided $361 million dollars for adult education and family literacy programs in 1996. This funding enables millions of families to participate in basic education programs that help people help themselves.
Federal adult education funds leverage an additional $800 million each year in state funds for literacy and millions of dollars in private funding.
For more information and statistics on adult literacy, visit the National Institute for Literacy.
GEDMany Project Learn students are ready to begin studying for the GED test. We help them further develop their reading, writing and math skills in preparation for taking the GED. Individuals who participate in this class must have at least a 4.0 reading level for Pre-GED and 9.0 level for GED and have a goal for getting their GED. Pre-GED class teaches students the skills necessary to pass the test. GED class applies the skills in test situations and applications.
GED TestIn conjunction with our GED classes, we offer individuals the opportunity to take the official GED practice test. We administer and score the test and then counsel the student on their options for succeeding on the test. If a person scores high enough, we are able to issue a fee waiver for them to take the test at no charge. We discuss our class and computer-assisted learning options with the student and also refers students to other local programs that might better serve them.
ESOLProject Learn works with adults and families who need help improving their English-speaking skills to be better parents, efficient workers and involved community members. Students work on conversational English while improving their reading, writing and math skills.
Distance LearningFor those students who cannot find time to come to class but want to earn their GED, Project Learn has an alternative.
Students can study for their GED online by accessing curriculum through the Internet that is assigned by a teacher based on the students’ learning strengths. Students should feel comfortable using the Internet and email and must make an appointment for orientation to see if distance learning is the right for them.
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