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LeTourneau Executive Center

5118 N. 56th Street, Suite 130, Tampa, FL 33610

Telephone: (813) 849-5595 ............. Fax: (813) 849-5597

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AN I CAN LITERACY TUTOR
Is a Volunteer That Will Make A Difference Today!

DID YOU KNOW?

In Hillsborough County one out of four adults age 16 and over functions at "Literacy Level One"— the lowest!

Most of these at adults can not read well enough to perform basic life skills like: •Fill out a job application, •Read a food label, •Fill out a voting ballot or, •Read a story to their child.

I CAN was created to provide these adults with a compassionate, supportive learning environment to meet their special education needs. The success of our literacy program and our ability to increase literacy among these adults depends greatly on having committed and effective volunteer tutors.

Volunteer Training Provided
(Self Directed, Video Based)

I CAN offers a free, multi-media tutor training program that provides tutors with a structured, time effective approach to receiving a basic understanding of adult learning and literacy.

The Teach An Adult To Read Program includes 7 Videos (30 minutes each) and a training workbook to enable tutors to receive individual, self paced instruction at their own convenience. The video lessions are: •Understanding the Personal Side of Literacy •Beginning With Books •Using Your Student’s Life and Language •Using Sounds and Sense •Reading for Living •Learning Disabilities •Math.

Won’t you join us?

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A Community Call to Action!

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During the 2003-2004 school year, 65% of 9th graders and 64% of 10th graders in Hillsborough County Schools scored below level 3 on the FCAT Reading Test.

—Florida Department of Education, Education Information and Accountability Services, 2004

Over 1400 students dropped out of Hillsborough County Schools during the 2003-2004 school year.

—Florida Department of Education, Education Information and Accountability Services, 2004.

Those statistics serve to sound an alarm within our community about this silent crisis among our youth. It is silent because majority of the people in the community are unaware that a growing number of high school-age youth in Hillsborough County are unable to read, write, and compute at a level of proficiency that allows them to function successfully in school, the workplace and in society. They are also unaware that it is imperative for people from all segments of our community to join forces with our public schools to break the cycle of functional illiteracy and school failure because we all pay the price for their side effects; crime, substance abuse, unemployment, dependency, and poverty, just to name a few.

I CAN Community Education Coalition http://www.icanadultliteracy.org/Volunteer.html (formerly I CAN Adult Literacy Outreach, Inc.) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), community-based organization established in 2002 in Tampa. Florida to respond to the urgent functional illiteracy crisis in Hillsborough County. The Coalition is a diverse group of concerned citizens with expertise in education, business, law, accounting and social service committed to improving their community by providing high-quality, innovative education and trainingprograms.

Since September 2003, the organization’s Intensive Literacy and Workforce Development Program has been empowering under-educated and under-skilled adults age 16 and older with the skills to accomplish their educational goals through nontraditional, individualized instruction in reading, basic education, Pre-GED, workforce development and life skills training programs. The education program, through a partnership with Hillsborough County Schools Adult Education Department, is an official non-school site for under-aged GED students. Our 2004 graduates included a 17 year-old dropout student who received his GED diploma, and a 20 year-old Brandon High School certificate of completion graduate who received a high school diploma after passing the High School Competency Test following completion of her individualized reading program at I CAN.

The intensive learning center opened on September 8, 2003, International Literacy Day. It is located in the LeTourneau Executive Center located at 5118 N. 56th Street in northeast Tampa, Florida 33610. It has a computer / audio-visual lab and separate rooms for reading literacy, basic education/Pre-GED, and workforce / life skills training. All of the services are free to the public. The executive director (Michelle Tate-Martin) manages the center with volunteer support from tutors, board members, community advisors, and college students. Visit the website, www.icanadultliteracy.org to find out more information.

The center schedule includes a morning session (9 am - 1:30 pm, Mon. - Fri.) and an evening session (6 pm - 8:30 pm, Tues. and Thurs.) When adults enroll in the program, they receive an orientation, diagnostic testing, and an individualized education plan. Trained volunteer tutors provide one-on-one tutoring in reading literacy using a developmental life-skills-based learning program. The basic education and Pre-GED programs allow learners to work at their own pace and education level. Learners receive teacher-directed group instruction in workforce development and life skills. The curricula and assessment tests are correlated to state standardized tests, GED test, and Florida adult education performance standards.

Certificates are provided upon successful completion of each learning program. Following successful completion of the education program, learners receive transition assistance to take the GED test, enroll in higher education or vocational training, enter the workforce or advance to a better job.

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I CAN ADULT LITERACY OUTREACH, Inc.

OFFERS ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING, SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING, TEACHER-DIRECTED GROUP LEARNING, AND COMPUTER-ASSISTED LEARNING

•Intensive, Developmental Reading Program for adults and older youth reading below 5th grade level. •Individualized Learning Programs in Basic Education and Pre-GED. •Teacher-directed Workforce Development & Life Skills Training. •Individualized Education Plans for Reading Literacy, Basic Education, Pre-GED and Workforce Development. •Learning programs and tests correlated to Florida standardized tests (TABE, FCAT, CASAS, HSCT); Florida Adult Education and Workplace Competencies; and the GED test. •Computer Literacy Programs •Standardized Testing (Test of Adult Basic Education -- TABE). •Trained Volunteer Tutors. •Trained Workforce and Life Skills Facilitators. •Learning Disabilities Screening & Diagnostic Referral. •GED Test Referral. •College and Vocational Training Referral. •Job Placement Referral.

THIS PAGE UPDATED 12/07/2005
©2005 JACK D. SINGER and I CAN Adult Literacy Outreach, In