Plaza Comunitaria: Pre-GED Learning Tailored for Hispanic Students

About This Session

Description

Around 85% of adults entering or applying to ESL/GED programs are Spanish speakers. Around 3/4 of them have not completed beyond third grade education. Many others have never attended school and do not know how to read or write in their own language.

Four out of five youngsters arriving in Texas from Spanish-speaking countries cannot continue their secondary education, due to lacking sufficient English to pass the standardized tests. Unless their ISD knows about Plazas Comunitaria, they send these teens and families to ESL and/or (if they are 17) GED programs instead of to the appropriate middle or high school.

Plaza Comunitarias are free and open to ANY native Spanish speaker; their certifications for elementary, middle, and high school levels are fully recognized in Texas, as well as the rest of the US and other participant countries.

What we'll cover:

Objectives

Informatively raise awareness of Plaza Comunitaria.
Provide contacts and resources about Plaza Comunitaria as a recognized and valid Pre-GED educational alternative, and as part of an effective ABE program in Texas and the US.
Serve as a guide on how to successfully navigate and apply the new Plaza Comunitaria curricular content into a pre-GED program.

Outcomes

Attendees will:

Understand what a Plaza Comunitaria program is and how it provides the Pre-GED preparation normally needed to move adult students (including 17 year-olds) into a GED in Spanish prep program. The curriculum is a natural fit for students with academic background from outside the US.
Have the information and procedure needed to start/improve and/or set up their own Plaza, either independently or as a part of another ongoing program.
Have up-to-date information on Texas’ GED testing and preparation requirements.
Be apprised on the important updates of the program and how to fit into them their ABE programs.

Activities

Interactive activities will engage attendees in discussions throughout the presentation of experiences, information, and resources.

Participants will be provided with information, strategies, and tools for this program.

The activities also will draw on the presenter’s 21 years of uninterrupted experience running a Plaza Comunitaria program in Texas.

In light of the number of ABE programs closing throughout the State and country, the possibility to open and run this type of free program is more timely and relevant than ever. Many of the changes introduced last school year into the program may further facilitate this program’s use.