World Wide Web Resources

Adult ESL Fact Sheets These four concise fact sheets provide an overview of current issues in the field of adult ESL and discuss the trends and best practices. They also suggest pertinent additional resources. The fact sheets are: Assessment with Adult English Language Learners, Family Literacy and Adult English Language Learners, Professional Development and Adult English Language Instruction, and Uses of Technology in Adult ESL Instruction. Available at http://cal-org.wdi.net/caela/factsheets/index.htm or by contacting CAELA at caela@cal.org or 202-362-0700.

Assessment and Accountability in Programs for Adult English Language Learners: What Do We Know? What Do We Have in Place? What Do We Need? National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE). This online compilation summarizes a symposium held on May 16, 2003 on Issues and Challenges in Assessment and Accountability for Adult English Language Learners. This symposium addressed issues of assessment from many perspectives and featured presentations from Cheryl L. Keenan, Director of the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. She described the Department's vision for assessment and accountability. Proceedings are available from http://cal-org.wdi.net/caela/accountability/.

Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks
Bilingual (English/French) site supporting the development of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB), a set of national performance standards for adult ESL instruction. In addition to the contents of the benchmarks themselves, descriptions of the Centre's programs and services, links to related sites, and an overview of the CLB process, the publications section contains numerous ESL and CLB-related materials (many online in full-text). http://www.language.ca

Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics. The Culture Profiles series provide concise, informative introductions to the cultural background of refugee populations. Profiles available online include Muslim Refugees, Somali Bantu, The Afghans, The Iraqis, The Haitians, and The Bosnians. http://www.culturalorientation.net/fact.html

EL Civics "How to" Manual. Bronx Community College English Literacy and Civic Understanding Demonstration Grant (funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Educatio n). http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/ELCivics/index.cfm

Health Literacy Resources for Adult ESL. Health literacy has been gaining increasing attention in the adult literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), and healthcare fields in recent years. To help professionals working with adult English language learners understand and address health literacy issues, the National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) has put together the following resources developed by Kate Singleton of Fairfax, Virginia: Health Literacy and Adult English Language Learners, Annotated Bibliography of Health Literacy Resources & Programs For Adult ESL, and Using Picture Stories for Adult ESL Health Literacy. http://cal-org.wdi.net/caela/healthlit.htm