We asked a few of our members to provide us with a comment or two about why they are members of the ILA. Here's what they had to say:

Bob Stephenson, The Literacy Coalition of Howard County and ILA President:
I joined ILA for the networking opportunities. In the 18 years I have been at the Literacy Coalition so many great people have mentored me and I love the opportunities to share ideas and experiences. My ILA membership gives me that opportunity and has helped me keep my program viable through good and bad times.

Dan Helms, Board Member:
I believe in the mission of literacy organizations, and in the need for the statewide leadership and coordination of adult literacy activities provided by the ILA.

Pat Griffin, Interlocal Association and ILA Board Member:
I was encouraged to join by Tom Miller who thought it would be good to expand membership to workforce development board staff to add a new perspective.  I now have a better understanding of literacy programs and their significance in preparing people in getting jobs as well as higher educational attainment.  I have met many compassionate instructors and directors, realizing the commonality of our professions.

Laura Priebe, Hoosier Hills Literacy League and ILA member:
Joining a state professional organization makes sense for a lot of reasons! As the sole employee of a small non-profit, I often feel like a one-woman show!  Connecting with my colleagues across the state helps me exchange ideas and keeps my practice fresh. It’s great to compare notes on what works in different areas, and get ideas and encouragement to try new strategies. Besides the practical exchange of ideas, ILA membership reminds me that I am part of a team.

Cynthia (Cindy) Cates, Kosciusko Literacy Services and ILA member:
Kosciusko Literacy Services was a member of the Indiana Literacy Foundation. Before it was dissolved, I attended the conference and was impressed by the training session. KLS joined ILA to share best practices. Since each adult and family literacy agency is managed differently in the 92 counties, ILA remains a clearinghouse to share ideas, problems, and solutions.

Dawn Schmidt, Huntington County Literacy Coalition and ILA member:
ILA membership is valuable to us for all the networking that it can provide. Although we are a small literacy program it is good to be a part of a community of like minds, with shared goals and concerns. It is a good resource group.

Become an ILA Member today!
Our goal is to be THE voice for literacy programs and students in the State of Indiana. We strive to be the place that helps tell the stories, make the connections, offer the assistance that will allow our member organizations to grow and succeed. Your support will allow us to achieve these goals.

Individual/Literacy Organizations: $45

Visit our membership page to sign up or renew!

We asked our board members to provide us with a comment or two about the Literacy Strand at this year's IAACE conference. Here's what they had to say:
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Jennifer Wigginton, Vice-President:
I loved hearing the input from all the participants in my online tutor training workshop. Check it out here.   If you are a member of ILA and want full access, send email to inlitassoc@gmail.com. We of course welcome input on improvement.

​The other great thing I learned about is the http://learntoearntoolkit.org/.  It is a free resource we are implementing! 

Check out https://www.facebook.com/IndianaLiteracyAssociation/ page for a video feed of part of Tom Miller's presentation, Using Music and Pictures to Teach Reading and Writing. It includes some sample pictures within post.  Superb!
If you didn't make it to my session, High Level Learning for Low Level Learners, Here is the handout: https://sites.google.com/litcenter.org/highlevellearning/home.

Mike Landram, Treasurer: 
Dana Nelson’s session on “Grow Your Non-Profit’ with Email & Social Media provided new ideas for our organization in improving the effectiveness of our email content and tying our social media channels together.

* If you would like to hear from Dana and view her presentation slides let us know! We'll connect you with Dana.

Pat Griffin, Board Member:
- The literacy strand was a valuable resource and since a first time offering, if repeating in 2018, it should catch on fire, with higher participation by literacy providers. More sessions on literacy would spark more interest by those attending. Others in attendance learned about literacy programs, including training your tutors online, on literacy day.

- Denise Bissonnette provided a reminder of the importance of the unique skills of each person, and the importance of trying to utilize those in job development, as opposed to trying to fit someone who may not be a "natural fit" into an existing job.


Darcey Mitschelen, Board Member:
As a person new to the world of literacy, I am hungry for information. The "Training Your Tutors Online" offered much needed insight and guidance as did the "Less Talk, More Walk - Creating a Culture of Ethics and Accountability" session. Well, actually, all of the conference sessions were very helpful! But in the end, the most helpful was, and continues to be, the ability to have one-on-one casual conversations with expert practitioners and dedicated educators beyond the sessions. The relationships that were forged are of the deepest of value.

* Please feel free to share your comments with us via email or by posting your feedback in the comments section below.

By Bob Stephenson, ILA President and Executive Director of The Literacy Coalition of Howard County

We serve “The hardest to reach, the hardest to teach with the least amount of resources.” That is how an outside observer described what we do to me. I agreed then and I agree now but things are changing. The Indiana Literacy Association is working hard to give all of us access to more resources, more mentors, and more support.

One way we are providing access to resources is at the IAACE Conference in French Lick. This year there is a day with a literacy strand. Wednesday, April 26th will have three sessions with concurrent workshops devoted to supporting literacy programs. You can register and attend the Wednesday session for just $50.00.

We all know that adult literacy programs require us to be competent in a wide variety of skills from training tutors to using social media. Wednesday’s schedule provides help with these and more. Click here to see a listing of scheduled presentations.  It is not too late to register for Wednesday and you can even show up and pay at the door.

The ILA is also preparing to possibly survey all of the literacy programs in Indiana. Over the years many were shut down and now we are seeing new programs getting started to take their place. If you know of programs, please forward their contact information to us so we can be sure to include them. 

As a Board member with the Indiana Literacy Association, my background is not in providing literacy services, rather, my career is in the administration of workforce development programs.   While participating less than a year now as an ILA Board member, I have become increasingly aware of the connections as well as disconnects regarding coordinating literacy programs with workforce development program offerings.
 
The Workforce development system provides services to the general public in WorkOne locations but often times in many other places within a community, such as Community Based Organizations and Libraries.
 
Staff employed by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and local service providers follow a set of policies and guidelines set by DWD as well as local Workforce Development Boards as they operate their services throughout the State, primarily in WorkOne locations.  There are more similarities than not.
 
In past years, it was a mode of operation for staff in the workforce development arena to make referrals to literacy providers when the customer coming in the door was not able to complete certain basic assessments that were identified as necessary to show work readiness or readiness to participate in any advanced educational training programs.  This barrier of low reading, writing and math skills created an image of someone that was not yet able to meet the needs of the employer community, thus a referral was made to get this necessary ingredient taken care of first, then they were asked to return for further consideration.

It is important in today’s world to know one another and share our resources.  Together we can raise skill levels, provide job readiness and offer training programs as well as get our customers employed.   Lower literacy skills may not keep someone from getting employed after all, and there are many short term career ladder programs people with lower math and reading levels may participate in, funded by the WorkINdiana funding source.   There are some criteria for being able to access this training, and staff in the WorkOne can identify this for you if there is a certain student you have in mind.  Be sure to take the time to look up your local Workforce Development program staff and get to know them.  We have encouraged our staff to do likewise and get to know their literacy providers.
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We can join together to celebrate the success stories of our mutual clientele!  

By Dawn Schmidt, Coordinator, Huntington County Literacy Coalition

At last fall’s Indiana Literacy Association's annual meeting, many of us were interested in tutor training. So I’ll share what we have done at Huntington County Literacy Coalition. Please share your practices and ideas too!

We have around 35 tutors who meet with adults and children for individualized tutoring. Our volunteers are exceptionally caring citizens of Huntington County giving their time to help others learn. They epitomize our literacy’s tag line: “YOU CAN LEARN”.

Each fall, we have new tutor training one night a week, for two weeks. This was a
change from previous years of a four week training. We use the book, “Litstart,
Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors” and have found it a good resource. It is available through New Readers Press. It does not address math or science.

With reducing the initial new tutor training to two weeks, we added a spring and fall continuing education on Saturday (9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.), for all tutors, where we have more time to address their topics and concerns. 2016 was our first go at it and it seemed to work well, so we’ll keep it for 2017….On February 18, 2017 we will have our school corporations’ (Huntington County Schools) psychologist and counselor speak on helping the students who deal with ADD and other attention deficit problems. Last August we had a recently retired teacher (and our board member) teach the basics for reading and also Huntington University’s Assistant Director of the TSOL Institute. Both were very helpful and appreciated by the tutors.

We have evening quarterly tutor meetings too, with the September meeting as our appreciation dinner. I usually use this time to share and instruct about anything that has come across my desk in the past three months that will help them, e.g. a new series of books. I may use something from a recent “Notebook” from the ProLiteracy publication or review a strategy out of the Litstart book. ProLiteracy’s website has tutor training videos too. Last December, we reviewed the resources on our library’s website, (could have made this a definite subject for a Saturday program). After conferences, I pick one or two workshops that I attended and discuss/teach and share any handouts. As an example, I went to Laura Smart’s workshop last year on “Creating Motivating Learning Environment” and we used her handouts. We adapted her classroom ideas to tutoring. The tutors were responsive and grateful for the information. I also showed a video on line multiplication with handouts.

Our quarterly meetings are a time to review and be reminded of general practices such as the monthly tutor report, the initial phone call(s) process with new students, and any situations that may need to be clarified. The two hours go quickly and the tutors are totally engaged. I ask for input for the effectiveness of our meetings (I should make up a 3 things sheet) and always invite them to give me ideas for upcoming meetings.
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One last thing….have great snacks!

Greetings fellow Literacy friends,

We are very pleased to be announcing our 1st Annual Poetry Contest!  Adult Literacy Providers throughout the state are encouraged to help us find the
"2017 INDIANA LITERACY ASSOCIATION’S POET LAUREATE."

The recipient of this award will be honored with:

• Indiana State Library Membership Card
• Press release to local newspaper in award recipient’s area
• Overnight stay at French Lick Springs Resort, French Lick, IN, on Wednesday, 4/26/2017
• Recognized as a special guest during the Indiana Association of Adult and Continuing Education State Conference luncheon, where the award winner will be a featured presenter, and read the winning poem(s)
• A plaque commemorating the honor of being named the ILA’s 2017 Poet Laureate

Eligibility: The Indiana Literacy Association’s Poet Laureate Contest is open to all adults who receive any education services from any of the ILA’s member literacy agencies during the defined contest period.

Contest Dates: Poetry can be submitted from January 27, 2017-March 15, 2017.

Selection: Poems will be judged by current Board Members of the ILA.

Decisions: The ILA Board Members will serve as the panel of judges. All poetry submissions will be reviewed. A winner will be selected during the regular ILA Board Meeting in March 2017. All decisions made by the ILA Board Members will be final.

Fees: There are no entry fees for this contest. The selected winner will be responsible for personal transportation to the IAACE Conference on 4/27/2017. Hotel accommodations for one night (4/26/17) will be provided by the ILA.

Copyrights: The author retains all copyrights to the submitted poem(s). Winning poems will appear on the ILA website, with copyright notice intact. By entering this contest, you consent to the publication of your poem, if it is selected as a winning entry, on the ILA website.

Notification: Winners will be announced by March 31, 2017.

Privacy Policy: The ILA collects personal information for the purpose of notifying the contest winner. All information is kept in confidence and used solely for notification purposes. Only the winner’s name will be made public, through the press release.

Rules: Submitted poems can include any theme and address any topic. Suggestions for themes include, but are not limited to:

A Day I'll Always Remember, Autobiographical/Live Experience, Beauty, Change, Courage​, Faith, Family, Forgiveness, Freedom, Happiness, Imagination, Inspirational Theme, My Hero, Music, Opportunity, Overcoming Adversity, Personal Story, Purpose of Life, Regret, Someone I Love, The United States of America, What Literacy Means to Me

To submit your contest entries, download the pdf form below and submit via email to inlitassoc@gmail.com:

​Greetings and Salutations fellow Literacy friends,

At our last annual meeting, one of the things that you said you wanted from the Indiana Literacy Association was and is communication and sharing of ideas/resources. So, we formed a communications committee and continued the brainstorming on how best we can do that.

Ta-da…you are now reading the blog of the month.  Is that a cheesy name?  Maybe we let you name it, hey; maybe we let you write it! Now, we are talking. We will be reaching out to members if you want to be a published blogger, send us an email. The blog intention is to share what is coming, to share how we do all things and to make exciting announcements!  I interrupt this blog for a couple of exciting announcements…

1. IAACE Conference- Literacy Strand – ILA has partnered with IAACE to offer a half day literacy strand on Wednesday, April 26.  This half day will be available to all ILA members for only $50. The half day will include at least three sessions on topics that you have asked for.  It will also include sessions by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).  Details to register for the conference will be sent by email to all members, check out the details on the conference on the IAACE website.  By the way, the DWD request for proposal will be out this month and your organization is eligible to apply to receive money.  

And just a heads up so that you can start thinking…nominations for the IAACE Adult Learner of the Year will also be accepted from ILA member organizations, details soon.

1. A Poetry Contest for your Adult Learners will be announced this month! So start assigning poetry to your learners. More details soon.

Now, back to the blog, we have some topics planned; grant information (Dollar General is released this month), volunteer tutor training, and professional development opportunities.  The disclaimer is that this blog is meant to be information shared from one member to another about topics you want to share and learn, so you’ll need to comment, follow us on Facebook and Twitter  and let us know your reading and what you want next, otherwise, we won’t know you are reading and we may lose confidence in our Ta-da idea. I know you wouldn’t want a fellow colleague to endure that.  Contact me with questions, Ta Ta for now.
 
Jennifer Wigginton
ILA Vice President
Communications Committee Chair

By ​Cynthia L. Cates, Executive Director, Kosciusko Literacy Services

Long before adults become casualties of illiteracy, they were children who could not read.  The window of opportunity for literacy never fully closes, but learning to read becomes more difficult as one ages.  The literacy and language centers of the brain develop rapidly during the first five years of life.  Though any child may have reading difficulties, children living in low-income homes are more vulnerable to not developing reading skills.

The Indiana Literacy Association estimates that between 800,000 and 1,500,000 adults in Indiana read at basic or below basic levels of comprehension.  These literacy skills are below the necessary level to function effectively in today’s society.  In addition, 10% [349,000] of the working age population, 25 to 64, do not have a high school or equivalency diploma.
 
In recent years, Indiana has improved the graduation rate.  From the 2008-09 to the 2012-13 school year, Indiana has increased the percent of students completing high school on time by 6%.  The rate in the 2012-13 was 81% which ranked Indiana 29th of 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Nebraska and Wisconsin topped the list with 93% of students completing high school on time.

[Indiana spent $11,093 per student in 2013.  The Per-Pupil Educational Expenditures Adjusted for Regional Cost Differences placed Indiana 28th of the 51 reporting entities.  Vermont and Alaska spent the most per student at $19,134 and $18,841 respectively.  Arizona and Utah were the lowest at $7,733 and $7,084.]

In 2015, Indiana ranked the fourth best nationwide in the percent of children (25%) who tested below basic for fourth grade reading levels.  Only Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont (18 %, 21%, 24% respectively) had lower percentages of children not passing the standardized tests.  The national average was 32% of fourth graders failing the standardized tests.  Though Indiana is better than the national average, one-fourth (approximately 22,000 children) of the fourth grade students have not mastered minimal reading skills.  Fourth grade reading levels are a critical turning point because fourth grade students are no longer learning to read, they must read to learn.

Indiana Title I schools in 2015 had 67% of fourth graders score the below proficient reading level.  A proficient student has mastered the reading skills for the grade level.  Schools that did not have Title I funding had 50% of the children score below proficient.  A four-year average places the Title I schools at 73.5% [76.5% nationally] of children not reading at the proficient level and non-Title I Schools at 53.5% [51.8% nationally] of children not reading at the proficient level.  These figures mean that 60% (approximately 53,000) of Indiana’s fourth graders do not read at the proficient level.
 
In 2015, 72% of Indiana children on the Free and Reduced Lunch Program scored below proficient, while 50% of children not eligible for the program scored below proficient.  The four-year averages were 76.8% [81.0% nationally] of the Free and Reduced Lunch Program children and 51.5% [51.0% nationally] of the paid lunch children scoring below proficient.  Additionally, 86% of English Language Learners were below proficient compared to 58% of non-English Language Learners scoring below proficient.

Indiana had 49.1% of the total school enrollment on the Free and Reduced Lunch Program in 2015.  This percentage breaks into 41.3% of the lunches were free and 7.8% were reduced prices.  These percentages represent over a half million children who are vulnerable due to poverty to not reading on grade level.
 
Clearly, poverty plays a role in literacy.  Students from low-income homes are more vulnerable to lacking literacy skills, but only 50% of children not in poverty are reading at the proficient level.  Children who do not develop reading skills during the early years are prone to leaving school without a diploma, which leads to a myriad of social problems including a dependence on welfare, teen pregnancy, higher crime rates, and a perpetuation of the cycle of poverty and illiteracy.
 
The best way to improve adult literacy levels in the future is to improve literacy levels of children beginning before the children enter kindergarten.  To make a lasting improvement in society, the cycle of poverty and illiteracy needs to be broken.  Education is the best defense against poverty, and literacy is the foundation of all education.

[Sources: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/; http://www.stats.indiana.edu/]

Thanks to all of you who attended our annual meeting last Friday and we look forward to meeting and working with all of you who were unable to attend. We had some great discussions, suggestions and are positioned to move forward! 

Below are a few things we would like to mention.

ILA Calendar of Events is now available on our website:
Reply to this email with any upcoming events you would like us to post, or visit our webpage http://www.indianaliteracy.org/calendar-of-events.html and use the contact form to submit them. We will help publicize your events by announcing them on our social media and blog pages.

Map of Indiana Literacy Programs:
We are working on placing a map on our website for anyone searching for literacy programs in our state. We'll send you an announcement once that is available in order to make sure your programs are listed and listed correctly.

Update from Suzanne Walker from the State Library:
The State Library's Inspire Database (inspire.in.gov) now has the First Level of Rosetta Stone available for FREE. We're sure most of you will agree that this is a great resource for your ELL students! 

ILA Annual Meeting Survey:
If you haven't had the opportunity to take our survey it's not too late! We sincerely appreciate your feedback. Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NFJMSZ3

Consider joining the ILA Board of Directors or committees:
Thanks to the many great ideas that were shared during the Annual Meeting, there is a lot for the ILA to do.  In order for this to happen, we need more people to join the Board, or volunteer for a committee.  Now that you have had time to think about it, we hope you will take the next step and join us in improving the Indiana Literacy Association.
 
Also, we would like to have a student representative on the board!  If you have a good nominee, let us know.  They would need to join us on our GoTo Meetings, and for a live meeting, if possible (usually in Indianapolis).

Again, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to literacy in Indiana!

The Board Members of the Indiana Literacy Association would like to invite you to our annual meetingWhen: Friday, September 23rd at 10:00 AM (EST)
Where: Kokomo Chamber of Commerce (Conference Room), 325 N Main St, Kokomo, IN 46901

The meeting will begin with a short business meeting and then a general discussion about what we can do as a state organization to help your program. A light lunch of sandwiches will be provided. If your program doesn't reimburse you for mileage the ILA will do so. We will finish the meeting around 1:30 PM.

Please RSVP to inlitassoc@gmail.com by Friday, September 16th.
 
* Whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting would you please take 2 minutes to answer our quick, 5-question survey? Your feedback means a great deal to us!
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ILA Survey