Meeting of the Minds Research Abstract
Theme: Systemic Change and Student Success: What Does Research Tell Us?
Title: Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models
by Cynthia Zafft, Silja Kallenbach, and Jessica Spohn, from NCTN at World Education
RESEARCH
QUESTION
Do ABE-to-college transition programs fall into discrete models and, if so, what are the features of those
models?
METHODOLOGY
(sample,
methods, type
of data)
The goal of this qualitative study was to review existing adult transition programs and develop a typology of
ABE-to-college transition programs. Profiles of 23 ABE-to-college programs were developed and analyzed
using existing research on models of adult transition and the authors’ experiences with the 25 programs in the
New England ABE-to-College Transition Project, a project conducted by the New England Literacy Resource
Center at World Education, Inc. Programs chosen had to be: non-profit; part of an ABE or ESOL program;
funded without charging students tuition or fees beyond a nominal amount; and currently in existence.
The authors developed a survey to collect data on: (1) program mission, goals, history; (2) student population
served, transition eligibility criteria and recruitment methods; (3) funding; (4) program design including
student assessment, intake, orientation; instructional form and intensity; (5) program outcomes; (6) retention
strategies; (7) collaborating college(s); and (8) expectations for the program’s future. Programs were located
through a literature review, Web searches, and through a snowball technique.
As the importance of state-level support became apparent, a second, open-ended survey was developed to
collect data on four states with ABE-to-college transition initiatives. Connecticut. Kentucky, Maine, and
Oregon were chosen because they represented the variety of approaches and configuration of resources found
in adult education.
Meeting of the Minds Research Abstract
Title and Presenter: Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models by Cynthia Zafft, NCTN
1
FINDINGS
What are the common barriers to access and persistence in postsecondary education experienced by adult
education students? From the modest research available on this student population and this study, barriers
experienced by ASE graduates include:
 competing demands on time and resources (e.g., students as employees, students as parents; limited
access to and/or use of financial aid);
 gaps in academic preparation (e.g., preparation only through pre-algebra or beginning algebra);
 gaps in skills needed for student success in college (e.g., computer literacy, strategies for reading
complex textbooks);
 lack of available intensive counseling services (academic, personal, and career or vocational
counseling); and
 disconnect between adult and postsecondary education (e.g., different assessments used in ASE and
college; lack of familiarity across systems, etc.).
What models emerged from the program surveys? Five ABE-to-college transition models emerged. While
each model the same overall purpose – to help their students successfully access and succeed in postsecondary
education, the goal is operationalized different strategies, depending on the model. The specific goal and
main features for each model are:
 Advising – to raise students’ awareness of postsecondary education options and admission processes.
Key features of this model include dissemination of information through presentations and workshops
that students may choose to attend and individual advising.
 GED-Plus – to accelerate learning for adult education students interested in postsecondary education.
Key features of this model include some alignment of the GED curriculum to include academic and/or
student success skills and concurrent preparation for the GED and postsecondary education which may
be through dual enrollment.
 ESOL – to reduce the time and expense of additional ESOL/ESL coursework at the start of
postsecondary education. Key features of this model include a focus on the advanced language skills
required for academic settings with little or no math preparation; well-articulated curricula with clear
academic benchmarks for admittance into program; and high program intensity.
 Career Pathways – to get students with limited education into advanced training and college-level
programs in high-wage, high-growth employment sectors. Key features of this model include teaching
and learning of basic education and technical skills that are contextualized around a specific
Meeting of the Minds Research Abstract
Title and Presenter: Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models by Cynthia Zafft, NCTN
2
IMPLICATIONS FOR:
PRACTICE
POLICY
employment sector; multiple levels of instruction; curriculum that is “chunked” into clear
steppingstones that are recognized by employers; and intensive support services tailored to the
expected challenges of the specific pathway (e.g., intensive support in math for high-tech careers).
 College Preparatory (College Prep) – to allow students to successfully transition into college-level courses
or, at the very least, the highest level of developmental education. Key features for this model include
direct academic instruction to fill knowledge and skill gaps; a learning environment that teaches college
success skills by simulating a college environment (e.g., class format, academic schedule);
comprehensive counseling component; and use of student cohorts.
How did states address transition through models? Each state (Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, and Oregon)
began its transition initiative as part of a state economic development agenda to increase the skill of the
current workforce. Three of the states developed pilots around a specific model, with Connecticut choosing
the GED-Plus, Maine choosing the College Prep model and Oregon choosing the Career Pathways model.
Kentucky has supported a variety of models developed at the local level. State adult education leaders
advanced model development by:
 identifying or developing resources to invest in adult transition pilots and/or models;
 developing cross-agency collaborations and partnerships at the state and local levels to increase
familiarity with partners’ agency processes and to maximize resources.
 identifying and disseminating local expertise and promising strategies through professional
development activities; and
 creating systemic mechanisms to address key barriers.
Why consider adult transition models?
Implications for practice: Access, persistence and completion of postsecondary education is difficult for both
transitional students (e.g., those that go on directly from high school) and nontraditional students (e.g., ASE
graduates). According to this study, there are many ways that adult students can traverse the boundary
between adult and postsecondary education. Thinking about the known barriers experienced by adult
education students and how programs and states have addressed these through models provides an
important starting point for those interested in developing a transition component.
Implications for policy: Policy development is a key activity in order to spans the current gap between adult and
postsecondary education. To ensure transition services and supports are available to adult students, adult
Meeting of the Minds Research Abstract
Title and Presenter: Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models by Cynthia Zafft, NCTN
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FURTHER
RESEARCH
IMPORTANCE OF
THIS STUDY
FOR MORE
INFORMATION…
education should consider:
 Setting a system goal of adult education readiness in absolute numbers and levels of readiness,
persistence, and completion;
 Collaborating on developing data collection systems that can track students across the boundary of
adult and postsecondary education.
 Assessing the costs and economic benefits of funding transition programs at levels that support the
attainment of the goal of an educated workforce and citizenry and make state-level funding available.
 Funding and providing sustained, high-quality professional development to ABE and developmental
educators.
 Developing long-term partnerships between adult and postsecondary and workforce development that
result in agreed-upon goals, timelines, and operating principles, as articulated in CAAL’s National
Opportunity System.
Implications for further research: Develop a cost effective research agenda that measures discrete models and
strategies against the access, retention, and completion of a variety of postsecondary credentials pursued by
adults.
Clearly, individual adult education programs have developed both informal and formal means of preparing
interested students for postsecondary education. Considering the barriers experienced by ASE students, the
high attrition rate for ASE graduates, and the multiple pressures on adults to be successful at the very start of
postsecondary education, a systematic approach to transition has value. Describing models and their
components gives practitioners and states a framework to consider as they build their own models.
To learn more about adult transition, go to the National College Transition Network Web site at
www.collegetransition.org and our adult student Web site at www.collegeforadults.org. Or contact Cynthia
Zafft, Director, National College Transition Network, World Education, Inc., 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA
02210. (617) 482-9384 and czafft@worlded.org
Meeting of the Minds Research Abstract
Title and Presenter: Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models by Cynthia Zafft, NCTN
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