Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) STATISTICAL INFORMATION Year 2010 2011 ADULT EDUCATION SKILLS AND LEARNING BRANCH NOVA SCOTIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR AND ADVANCED EDUCATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents... 2 Introduction... 3 NSSAL Service Delivery Partners... 4 NSSAL Enrolment Data 2010-2011... 5 NSSAL Adult Learner Survey Findings for 2010-2011... 6 GED Testing... 11 GED Test-taker Survey Findings for 2010... 11 Appendix A - NSSAL Service Delivery Partners 2010-2011... 15 Appendix B - 2010-2011 NSSAL Adult Learner Survey... 17 Appendix C - 2010 GED SURVEY... 20 2 P age
INTRODUCTION The Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) was formed in 2001 to coordinate adult learning programs across the province, ranging from basic literacy to high school completion. NSSAL is administered through the Adult Education Division, Skills and Learning Branch of the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. NSSAL provides program funding, curriculum development, program guidelines, student resources, recognition for prior learning (RPL) and practitioner support and training research to organizations that deliver programs directly to adults. NSSAL has the following goals: Coordinate a continuum of tuition-free adult learning programs that meet the learning needs of adults from basic literacy to high school graduation. Improve accessibility to adult learning program within the province and ensure that the learning achieved is recognized and transferable among programs and provinces. Ensure that quality standards for adult learning program delivery are met and that these programs reflect exemplary adult learning practices. Provide a high school credential to adults that is recognized by employers, colleges and universities. Support African-Canadian, Aboriginal, Acadian, and learners with special needs. Provide professional development and resources for those who deliver adult learning programs. Contribute to the development of a skilled, competitive workforce, healthy communities, and a vibrant economy. 3 P age
NSSAL SERVICE DELIVERY PARTNERS NSSAL s goals are carried out through partnering with community learning organizations, the Nova Scotia Community College, Université Sainte-Anne, regional school boards and Correspondence Studies through Nova Scotia s Department of Education. Through NSSAL, forty-two service providers delivered over 150 programs across the province in 2010-2011. See Appendix A for a complete list of service delivery partners. Community Learning Organizations (CLOs) There are 30 community learning organizations and four First Nation s organizations across the province that offer a wide variety of learning opportunities, including one-to-one volunteer tutoring and classes at Levels I, II and sometimes Level III of the Adult Learning (ALP) program. Through Labour Market Agreement funds, some community learning organizations provide employability skills training in conjunction with their ALP programs. Several organizations are dedicated to serving specific populations including African-Canadian, Aboriginal, and the deaf. Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) NSCC offers ALP Level III and IV classes at 13 campuses across the province. Through Labour Market Agreement funds, the college offers an enhanced communications curriculum for ESL students. In addition, an Africentric ALP program through the African Canadian Transition Program is provided at the Akerley campus. Adult High Schools The adult high schools are located at 17 sites across Nova Scotia and are operated by regional school boards. These schools offer high school credits that can be used to meet the requirements of the Nova Scotia High School Graduation Diploma for Adults (NSHSGDA) credits and General Education Development (GED) preparation courses. Équipe d alphabétisation Nouvelle-Écosse and Université Sainte-Anne The programme de formation générale des adultes (FGA) provides opportunities for adult learners to engage in a continuum of programs, ranging from basic literacy to high school completion. Équipe d alphabétisation Nouvelle-Écosse offers FGA Level II programs at seven locations. Université Sainte-Anne provides FGA Level II, III and IV at 5 campuses. 4 P age
NSSAL ENROLMENT DATA 2010-2011 In 2010-2011, there were 4457 adult learners enrolled in NSSAL programs. The breakdown in terms of which NSSAL delivery partner adult learners took their program in are as follows: Adult High School... 552 Community Learning Organization... 1902 NSCC... 1887 Équipe d alphabétisation Nouvelle-Écosse... 89 Université Sainte-Anne... 27 Transfer of High School Credits Learners can have high school credits gained in other educational institutions credited toward the requirements for the NSHSGDA. When requested, the Adult Education Division assesses credits that have been completed elsewhere to determine if they meet established criteria for NSHSGDA credits. The Division awarded 1543 transfer credits in 2010. 5 P age
NSSAL ADULT LEARNER SURVEY FINDINGS FOR 2010-2011 NSSAL service delivery partners are required to have learners complete a survey that allows the Adult Education Division to provide a quantitative description of the adult learner populations that the programs serve. The purpose of this report is to provide student demographic and statistical information to inform planning and development of NSSAL programming. The data is based on selfdisclosed information from survey respondents. 1 Of those who completed the survey, some chose to skip questions on the survey. NSSAL Survey Highlights In 2010-2011, the Adult Education Division received data from over 3300 learner surveys. Some of the highlights are as follows: Over 46 per cent of NSSAL learners were under the age of 30. Close to 41 per cent said that obtaining a high school diploma was their primary reason for attending a NSSAL program. Fourteen per cent cited preparing for the GED and 13 per cent said that improving their literacy skills was their main reason for attending a program. Almost 10 per cent saw personal development as their principal motivation. Almost 8 per cent of NSSAL learners wanted to increase their second-language skills. Almost 45 per cent of NSSAL learners found programs through a friend or family member. This compared to 38 per cent who were referred by professionals to the program. Eleven per cent learned about the program through advertisements, and 5 per cent through the NSSAL website. Over 46 per cent of NSSAL learners reported that they had been out of the public school system for 10 years or less. Over 50 per cent of NSSAL learners said they had completed grade 10 or higher in the public school system. The main source of income for NSSAL learners was the Department of Community Services. This was the case for 34 per cent of NSSAL learners. This compared with 24 per cent of learners who reported either part or full time work as their primary source of income and 16 per cent who cited Employment Nova Scotia s (ENS) Skill Development Program. 1 Numbers have been rounded so percentages might not add up to exactly 100 per cent. 6 P age
ADULT LEARNER SURVEY 2010-2011 RESPONSES Where are you taking the program? RESPONSE % of response Adult High School (grade 11 and 12 level courses) 439 13.1% Community Learning Organization (Level I, II, III programs) 1616 48.3% NSCC (Level III, IV programs) 1189 35.5% French Programs (Level I, II, III, IV programs) 101 3.0% Grand Total 3345 100% What type of adult learning program are you in (CLO)? RESPONSE % Classroom program 1277 74.6% Tutor program 434 25.4% How old are you? (check one) RESPONSE % 19 years old 197 6.0% 20 years old 182 5.5% 21 years old 212 6.4% 22-24 years old 446 13.5% 25-29 years old 470 14.2% 30-39 years old 633 19.1% 40-49 years old 642 19.4% 50-59 years old 324 9.8% 60-64 years old 66 2.0% 65 years or older 113 3.4% Response Total 3285 What is your gender? (check one) RESPONSE % Female 1960 59.0% Male 1360 41.0% Response Total 3320 Why adult learning program? (check all that apply) RESPONSE % Enter college or university 715 21.4% Improve reading/writing/math/computer skills 555 16.6% Obtain a better job 425 12.7% Obtain a high school diploma 1366 40.8% Personal development 429 12.8% To enter the workforce 322 9.6% To prepare for GED (equivalent to high school diploma) 606 18.1% Other 32 1.0% 7 P age
Continuation of Adult Learner Survey Responses What skills do you want to improve? (check all that apply) RESPONSE % Computer skills 1181 35.3% Math skills 2284 68.3% Reading skills 1705 51.0% Science skills 1284 38.4% Second-language skills 248 7.4% Writing skills 1960 58.6% Other 69 2.1% What is your first language? (check one) RESPONSE % English 3039 92.7% French 95 2.9% American Sign Language 10 0.3% Mi'kmaq 44 1.3% Other 91 2.8% Response Total 3279 Do you belong to any of the following groups? (check one) RESPONSE % Acadian 169 5.2% African-Canadian 223 6.8% First Nations 173 5.3% Hearing impaired/deaf 43 1.3% No 2624 80.1% Other 42 1.3% How did you find out about the program? (check all the apply) RESPONSE % Advertisement 356 10.6% Employment / Career Counsellor 519 15.5% Family / Friend 1474 44.1% Referred by adult high school, NSCC, Community Learning Organization 246 7.4% Referred by Department of Community Services 425 12.7% School Guidance Counsellor 80 2.4% Website - Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) 175 5.2% Other 11 0.3% Response Total 3286 8 P age
Continuation of Adult Learner Survey Responses How long have you been out of public school before beginning this program? (check one) RESPONSE % Less than 2 years 249 7.6% 2 to 5 years 727 22.1% 6 to 10 years 547 16.6% 11 to 20 years 628 19.1% More than 20 years 1059 32.2% Not sure 80 2.4% Response Total 3290 What was the last grade you completed in public school? (check one) RESPONSE % Primary to grade 5 85 2.6% Grade 6 78 2.4% Grade 7 190 5.8% Grade 8 310 9.4% Grade 9 717 21.8% Grade 10 709 21.6% Grade 11 695 21.2% Grade 12 18 0.5% Completed grade 12 264 8.0% No school 5 0.2% Not sure 169 5.1% Other 10 0.3% Did not respond 34 1.0% Response Total 3284 What are your main sources of income while attending this program? (check one) RESPONSE % Band - First Nation 74 2.4% Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) 56 1.8% Department of Community Services (income assistance) 1066 33.9% Disability Pension 124 3.9% Employed FULL-time (more than 30 hrs/wk) 374 11.9% Employed PART-time (less than 30 hrs/wk) 393 12.5% Employment Nova Scotia (Skills Development) 506 16.1% Self-employed 38 1.2% Seniors' Pension 81 2.6% Spousal / Child Support 101 3.2% Workers' Compensation 16 0.5% None - receiving no income 312 9.9% Response Total 3141 9 P age
Continuation of Adult Learner Survey Responses Have you been diagnosed with any of the following disabilities? (check all that apply) RESPONSE % Attention Deficit (ADD / ADHD) 234 7.0% Hearing impaired / Deaf 70 2.1% Learning disability 432 12.9% Mental health (i.e. anxiety, depression, bipolar) 424 12.7% Physical disability 187 5.6% Visually impaired 49 1.5% No, I do not have a disability 2055 61.4% Other 44 1.3% 10 P age
GED TESTING The Adult Education Division administers the GED tests in Nova Scotia. Offered in Nova Scotia since 1968, the GED is an international high school equivalency testing program for adults. It consists of a series of five tests in the areas of social studies, science, mathematics, and language skills (reading and writing). GED Testing Service in the United States produces annual statistical reports profiling GED testtakers and test outcomes in North America. After 2001, Nova Scotia s privacy laws did not allow the Division to share personal information about test-takers with GED Testing Service. As a result, Nova Scotia developed its own GED test-taker survey in order to collect demographic and statistical information. GED Test Pass Rates in Nova Scotia The GED Testing Service reported the following test outcomes for Nova Scotia in 2010. Number of test-takers:... 990 Per cent who passed:... 58.4 This compares to the 2009 pass rate of 50.4 per cent. GED TEST-TAKER SURVEY FINDINGS FOR 2010 GED test-takers in Nova Scotia were asked to complete a voluntary survey prior to writing the GED tests. The statistical data presented below is based on self-disclosed information from survey respondents. 2 One thousand and fifty four test-takers elected to fill out the survey. 3 Of those who completed the survey, some did not answer all of the survey questions. GED Survey Highlights Thirty-five per cent of GED test-takers said that improving their labour market prospects was the primary reason they wanted to obtain a GED. This compared to 34 per cent who wanted a GED certificate to enter post-secondary education and 30 per cent who cited personal development as their main reason. Fifty-seven per cent of GED test-takers reported that they prepared to write the test primarily by using the GED preparation book or studied on their own. Only 18 per cent said that they prepared mostly by taking a preparation course. The number of GED test takers who completed grade 9 or less has increased slightly since 2009. 2 The percentages may not add up to exactly 100 per cent because of rounding. 3 This number includes those who wrote the GED more than once in 2010. 11 P age
GED TEST-TAKER SURVEY FINDINGS YEAR 2010 Gender RESPONSE % Male 578 55% Female 468 45% First language RESPONSE % English 1015 98% French 11 1% Other 15 1% Age RESPONSE % 19 years old 83 8% 20-24 years old 293 28% 25-29 years old 156 15% 30-34 years old 101 10% 35-39 years old 99 10% 40-49 years old 197 19% 50-59 years old 98 9% 60+ years old 13 1% Last year completed in school RESPONSE % Grade 8 or less 99 9% Grade 9 191 18% Grade 10 320 30% Grade 11 254 24% Grade 12 (partial completion) 140 13% Degree or diploma completion 7 1% Some community college 22 2% Some university 2 0% Did not answer 19 2% # of years out of school RESPONSE % 1 year ago 49 5% 2 years ago 87 8% 3 to 5 years ago 224 21% 6 to 10 years ago 190 18% 11 to 20 years ago 199 19% 21+ years ago 290 28% Did not answer 15 1% 12 P age
Continuation of GED Test-taker findings Distance travelled RESPONSE % 1-10 km 353 33% 11-25 km 272 26% 26-50 km 190 18% 51-100 km 104 10% More than 100 km 88 8% Did not answer 47 4% Amount of preparation time RESPONSE % 0 hours 21 2% 1-10 hours 224 21% 11-50 hours 374 35% 51-100 hours 243 23% More than 100 hours 157 15% Did not answer 35 3% Reasons for writing the GED RESPONSE % Enter community/private career college 376 34% Personal satisfaction/achievement 328 30% Obtain better job 301 27% Re-enter workforce 87 8% Other 9 1% Learned about the GED RESPONSE % Family/Friend 468 44% Adult Education Program 175 17% Employment/Career Counsellor 120 11% Teacher 66 6% Website 54 5% Employer 42 4% School Guidance Counsellor 38 4% Did not answer 91 9% How test-takers prepared RESPONSE % GED preparation book 568 39% Adult learning program 261 18% Studied on my own 258 18% Took a course prior to test 171 12% Tutor 89 6% Online practice tests 77 5% Workplace program 30 2% Enrolled in other GED program 0 0% 13 P age
Appendix A Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) Service Delivery Partners 2010-2011 14 P age
NSSAL SERVICE DELIVERY PARTNERS 2010-2011 COMMUNITY LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS Cape Breton Region Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County Community Learning Association North of Smokey Metro Region Bedford Sackville Learning Network Metroworks (Cunard Learning Centre) Dartmouth Learning Network Solutions Learning Centre (Dartmouth Work Activity Society) Eastern Shore Musquodoboit Valley Literacy Network Halifax Community Learning Network Western HRM Community Learning Network Northern Region Colchester Adult Learning Association Cumberland Adult Network for Upgrading Pictou County Continuous Learning Association East Hants Adult Learning Association Southwestern Region Lunenburg County Adult Learning Network Queens County Learning Network Shelburne County Learning Network Yarmouth County Learning Network Strait Region Antigonish County Adult Learning Association Guysborough County Adult Learning Association Inverness County Literacy Council Richmond County Literacy Network Port Hawkesbury Literacy Council Valley Region Digby Area Learning Association Hants Learning Network Association Valley Community Learning Association Other Communities Acadian: Équipe d alphabétisation Nouvelle-Écosse African-Canadian: Black Educators Association, Preston Area Learning Skills Society Deaf: Deaf Literacy Nova Scotia Association Aboriginal: Mi kmaq Native Friendship Centre, Literacy Network Unama ki (Eskasoni), We koqma q First Nation, Bear River First Nation, Chapel Island First Nation PARTICIPATING REGIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS Annapolis Valley Regional School Board Kings County Adult High School (New Minas) Windsor Adult High School Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board Glace Bay Adult Education Centre Sydney Adult Education Centre New Waterford Adult Education Centre Northside Adult Education Centre (Sydney Mines) Chignecto-Central Regional School Board Chignecto-Central Adult High School Locations: Truro, New Glasgow, Amherst, Elmsdale Halifax Regional School Board Flexible Learning and Education Centres (FLECs) Locations: Bedford, St. Patrick s Alexander and Citadel High School (Halifax), Forsyth Centre (Dartmouth) South Shore Regional School Board South Shore Innovative Learning Centre Locations: Bridgewater and Lunenburg Tri-County Regional School Board Digby Adult High School Yarmouth Adult High School COLLEGES/CAMPUSES Nova Scotia Community College Campus Locations (ALP programming delivered) Akerley, Annapolis Valley, Burridge, Cumberland, Kingstec, Institute of Technology, Lunenburg, Marconi, Pictou, Shelburne, Strait Area, Truro, Waterfront Université Sainte Anne Campus Locations (FGA programming delivered) Pointe-de-l Église, Halifax, Petit-de-Grat, St-Joseph-du- Moine,Tusket 15 P age
Appendix B NSSAL Adult Learner Survey 16 P age
2010-2011 NSSAL ADULT LEARNER SURVEY All learners enrolled in the Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) programs must complete this survey. All questions require a response. Personal information collected in this survey will be kept confidential and only used in summary form in keeping with privacy legislation. Responses will be compiled by the Adult Education Division of the Department of Labour and Workforce Development. The information collected will be used to improve programs and services for all adult learners. 1. Please provide your name or student ID#: 2. What month did you start the program? (check one) o September o October o November o December o January o February o March o April o May o June o July o August 3. Determining which delivery partner they are attending (check one): At which Community Learning Organization are you attending? At which Adult High School are you attending? At which Nova Scotia Community College are you attending? At which Université Sainte-Anne are you attending? 4. What program level are you in? (check one) o Adult Learning Program LEVEL I o Adult Learning Program LEVEL II o Adult Learning Program LEVEL III o Adult Learning Program LEVEL IV Or for Adult High School o Grade 10 o Grade 11 o Grade 12 5. What style of learning? (check one) o Classroom style o Tutor style 6. Which best describes your age? (check one) o under 19 years old o 19 years old o 20 years old o 21 years old o 22 24 years old o 25 29 years old o 30 39 years old o 40 49 years old o 50 59 years old o 60 64 years old o 65 years or older 7. What is your gender? (check one) o Female o Male 8. Which one best describes why you are taking the adult learning program? (check one) o Enter college or university o Improve reading/writing/math/computer skills o Obtain a better job o Obtain a high school diploma o Personal development o To enter the workforce o To prepare for GED (equivalent to high school diploma) Other, please specify If you are enrolled in another adult learning program, please specify the name of the school / organization: 17 P age
9. Which best describes what SKILLS you want to improve? (check all that apply) o Computer skills o Math skills o Reading skills o Science skills o Second language skills o Writing skills Other, please specify 10. What is your first language? (language first spoken at home) o American Sign Language o English o French o Mi'kmaq Other, please specify 11. Do you belong to any of the following groups? o Acadian o African-Canadian o First Nations o Hearing impaired / Deaf o No, I do not belong to any of these groups Other, please specify 12. What best describes how you found out about this program? (check all that apply) o Advertisement o Employment / Career counsellor o Family / Friend o Referred by Adult High School, NSCC, Community Learning Organization o Referred by Department of Community Services o School guidance counselor o Website - Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) Other, please specify 13. How long have you been out of PUBLIC SCHOOL before beginning this program? (check one) o Less than 2 years o 2 to 5 years o 6 to 10 years o 11 to 20 years o more than 20 years o Not sure 14. What was the last GRADE you COMPLETED in public school? (check one) o Primary to Grade 5 o Grade 6 o Grade 7 o Grade 8 o Grade 9 o Grade 10 o Grade 11 o Grade 12 o completed Grade 12 (high school diploma) o Not sure Other, please specify 15. What are your main sources of income while attending this program? (check one) o Band - First Nation o Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) o Department of Community Services (income assistance) o Disability Pension o Employed FULL-time (more than 30 hrs/wk) o Employed PART-time (less than 30 hrs/wk) o Employment Nova Scotia (Skills Development) o Self-employed o Seniors' Pension o Spousal / Child Support o Workers' compensation o None - receiving no income Other, please specify 16. Have you been diagnosed (received a doctor's letter/report) with any of the following disabilities? (check all that apply) o Attention Deficit (ADD / ADHD) o Hearing impaired / Deaf o Learning disability o Mental health (i.e. anxiety, depression, bipolar) o Physical disability o Visually impaired o No, I do not have a disability Other, please specify 18 P age
Appendix C GED Test-taker Survey 19 P age
2010 GED SURVEY The information you provide in this survey will assist the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Department of Labour and Workforce Development in planning programs for adult learners. All information collected by the Department is confidential and will not be disclosed. Your participation in this survey is voluntary and will not impact your test results. Please check below if you do not want to participate. I will not participate in the survey. Test Date Testing Location 1. What is your first language? (Choose one that applies) O English O French O Other: 2. Gender O Female O Male 3. Age O 19 years old O 20-24 years old O 25-29 years old O 30-34 years old O 35-39 years old O 40-49 years old O 50-59 years old O 60+ years old 6. What are your reasons for writing the GED tests? (Choose one that applies) O Enter Community/Private Career College O Obtain a better job O Re-enter workforce O Personal satisfaction /achievement O Other: 7. How did you first learn about the GED tests? (Choose one that applies)) O Employer O Family/Friend O School guidance counsellor O Teacher O Website O Adult Education Program O Employment/Career Counsellor O Other: 4. State the last year you attended public school. (Choose one that applies) O 1 year ago O 2 years ago O 3 to 5 years ago O 6 to 10 years ago O 11 to 20 years ago O 21+ years ago 5. Last grade of education attended. (Choose one that applies) O Grade 8 or less O Grade 9 O Grade 10 O Grade 11 O Grade 12 (partial completion) O Some community college O Some university O Degree or diploma completion 8. How did you prepare for the GED Tests? (Mark all answers that apply) O Used GED preparation book O Studied on my own O Tutor O Adult Learning Program O Workplace Program O Enrolled in other GED preparation program O Used online practice test 9. How many hours did you spend preparing for the GED Tests? (Choose one that applies) O 0 hours O 1-10 hours O 11-50 hours O 51-100 hours O more than 100 hours 20 P age
10. How far did you travel to the GED testing location? (Choose one that applies) O 1 10 km O 11 25 km O 26 50 km O 51 100 km O more than 100 km Do you have any additional comments to share 21 P age