INCREASING READING LEVELS OF ADULT
EDUCATION AND LITERACY STUDENTS
Jared Zamouski
Students enrolled in Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) classes are seeking to improve themselves in
the areas of reading, writing, and/or math. Many of these students are preparing to pass the General
Educational Development (GED) test. According to Lasater and Elliot (2005),
More than 40 million adults, or approximately 21 percent of the adult population of the
United States, possess limited literacy capability – that is, they have not completed a high school
diploma or equivalent. These individuals make up the adult education target population. (p. 1-5)
Many AEL instructors often feel competent to teach math and writing, but are at a loss as to how to assist
students in the area of reading (Bell, Ziegler, & McCallum, 2004). Belzer (2002) writes that “The GED test rests
largely on the ability to read fluently and comprehend texts from a variety of content areas” (p. 105). McShane
(2005) similarly notes that “Reading skill deficits affect performance on nearly every part of the GED test
battery” (p. 8). With reading being crucial in order to pass the test, as well as function in everyday life, AEL
instructors need to have effective reading strategies to aid their students.
AEL instructors need to not only give students the skills to become better readers in order to pass the
GED test, but they also need to encourage students to use those skills to become lifelong readers and learners.
When AEL instructors have the tools necessary to increase reading performance in adult learners, multiple
facets of the students’ lives are going to be greatly enhanced.
Jared Zamouski graduated from Missouri
McShane (2005) confirms this by stating that “Reading opens
State University with a Master of Science
many doors – to employment, training, higher education, and
Degree in Education-Reading. He
lifelong learning” (p. 7). The author goes on to say that adults
currently lives in Joplin, Missouri and
with reading deficiencies face obstacles as they try to earn a
works for Educational Talent Search - a
living wage, support their children’s learning, and participate in
federal TRiO program housed on the
the community in which they live.
campus of Missouri Southern State
University.
Kruidenier, Davidson, and McShane (2007) contend
that the four major