Types of Adult Education

Particular types of general education that adult Rhode Islanders may need are:

1. Adult Basic Education (ABE) - to get those whose educational level is below 8th grade ready for high school level work
2. Adult Secondary Education (ASE) - academic skills covered in grades 9 through 12
1. High School Equivalency Tests
1. GED (General Education Development) - This test was revised in 2014 and is owned by for-profit Pearson PLC.
2. HiSET (not available in RI)
3. TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) - also not available in RI

2. National External Diploma Program (NEDP) - The Education Exchange in South County offers this program, as does Amos House and some other places in RI. See the ProvGardener NEDP page for details of current program providers and requirements. Students must be 21 years old to be in this program and on have reached a level beyond basic education.

3. Computer Training (the jargon for this is "Digital Literacy") - Broadband RI no longer exists but there is a list of volunteer instructors and some information geared to teachers on the website of the Rhode Island Adult Education Professional Development Center (RIAEPDC). [I should look for how students would learn about using computers - probably classes are listed on local library websites, but couldn't this be more easily available? - July 31, 2019]
   
4. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) aka English as a Second Language (ESL). Many options here, but ProvGardener still has not yet checked these out.
5. Other? In the CALIS RFP (p.36), these other programs may be available to RI adults: family literacy program, workplace program, homeless program, correctional facilities, community corrections programs, other institutional program.

FYI: There is substantial criticism of the new 2014 GED test. I have only glanced at it on January 20, 2015, but here is one critique.

Politico did an extensive investigation of Pearson-Vue US contracts for K-12 testing in almost all states and reported their findings in a February 2015 article, No Profit Left Behind.