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Adult Basic Education (ABE)

What is ABE?

Adult Basic Education (ABE) is an umbrella term that refers to a wide range of services, credit, and non-credit programs designed to help adult learners achieve their goals. These goals may include:

increasing education and/or certification levels;
gaining prerequisites for further training or employment;
enhancing life skills, independence and self-sufficiency; or
learning skills in specific areas (such as technological literacy, communication skills, or portfolio development).

		Adult Education Principles Critical to the planning and delivery of the Adult Basic Education Level 3 curricula is the understanding and implementation of adult education principles. Six adult education principles (Imel, 1998) that demonstrate the treatment of our learners as adults include:

		Literacy Benchmarks (Levels 1 & 2) Levels 1 and 2 Literacy Benchmarks reflect the roles adult learners fill in their everyday lives – as family members, community members, and workers. The Benchmarks, therefore, are those general skills, abilities, and attitudes adults need to function in their world. The Circle of Learning is the physical representation of the Benchmarks.

		Adult Basic Education Level Three (Adult 10) Level Three courses (Communications, Social Sciences, Life/Work Studies, Mathematics, and Science) are designed for people who want to build on their knowledge and skills. Learners who complete Level Three successfully go on to further education, training, or employment opportunities.

		Adult Secondary Completion (Adult 12) Level Four includes Adult Secondary Completion and GED^®Testing Program. Under Adult 12 policy, an adult may attain a Grade 12 standing by completing 7 credit classes successfully. Information about the GED^®can be found on the GED^® website.

		ABE Curriculum Redesign The Basic Education Program Review (1999) suggested the need for change in the way Adult Basic Education is delivered in Saskatchewan. Three primary recommendations of the review were to 1) increase Adult Basic Education’s connections to employment; 2) increase the retention and success of Aboriginal learners; and 3) develop curriculum in the Adult Basic Education Level Three (Adult 10) program.

		ABE Contacts A list of contacts for Post-Secondary Delivery Organizations providing Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs and services in Saskatchewan.

		ABE Transcripts Information on how to request transcripts for Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs in Saskatchewan.

		Adult Basic Education - Essential Skills for the Workplace (ABE-ESWP) In 2012-13, our Ministry committed funding for programs to help Adult Basic Education learners with low levels of literacy. ABE-ESWP focuses specifically on Literacy Levels One and Two, and will help First Nations/Métis and the unemployed to gain workplace skills that will allow them to enter the workforce.

		ABE Roundtable 2012 The Adult Basic Education (ABE) Roundtable is an annual meeting for Chief Executive Officers, Senior Academic Officers, Deans, ABE administrators, and Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration staff involved with adult basic education programs.

Credit Programs

Successful completion of credit programs results in a certificate of standing, which is critical for gaining entrance to technical and trade schools, apprenticeship training, or university. The knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained in secondary education are important for those who wish to enter or re-enter the labour force, who need retraining, or who wish to advance in a chosen career.
Credit Programs include:

Non Credit Programs

Non-credit programs are based on the needs of the members of the community and will vary from region to region. Contact one of the following post-secondary delivery organizations for more information on non-credit opportunities.

ABE Policy & Procedures

The ABE Policy and Procedures Manual including the latest forms is available on the ABE Partners website. This is a password protected site, available only to ABE delivery organizations.

For information on obtaining a password, please contact your organization's ABE administrator or call (306) 787-2354.

Related Links

GED® Testing Program

The GED® tests measure the academic skills and knowledge expected of high school graduates. Recognized throughout North America, the GED® testing program has served as a bridge to education and employment. The GED® tests provide a reliable vehicle through which adults can certify that they possess the major and lasting outcomes of a traditional high school education.

Circle of Learning (Benchmarks)

For literacy workers, learners, and friends who have participated in the Circle of Learning Levels 1 and 2, this document is the realization of a five-year investment in developing a tool for quality literacy programming in Saskatchewan.

ABE Level Three (Adult 10) Curriculum Guides

The five required courses at the Adult 10 level are Communications, Social Sciences, Life/Work Studies, Mathematics and Science. Revised curricula are posted in various formats as well as links to online resources and supplemental documents applicable to the various curricula.

Recognizing Prior Learning

Recognizing Prior Learning (RPL) is a broad umbrella concept which values all learning that people have gained in their lives.

SABEA

SABEA (Saskatchewan Adult Basic Education Association) is a province-wide volunteer organization specifically for adult basic education practitioners.

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES)

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) is focused on improving the literacy and essential skills of adult Canadians to get a job, stay in the job market, and contribute to their communities and families. Through extensive research, the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated nine key Essential Skills for the workplace. These skills are used in nearly every job and at different levels of complexity. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change.

The Saskatchewan Action Research Network (SARN)

The Saskatchewan Action Research Network (SARN), formerly called Research-in-Practice, is in its 5th year of operation in Saskatchewan. To date, 88 practitioners have been trained in Action research and 8 mentors have been trained. In 2011-2012, four institutes SIAST (Wascana), SIAST(Woodlands), Southeast Regional College, and Great Plains College held workshops so staff members could participate as teams.

The Action Research Projects throughout the province indicate there are common concerns that the practitioners have. These are retention rates, attendance and lateness. Several of these projects are found on the SARN website.

Saskatchewan Distance Education Courses

The Ministry of Education's Technology Supported Learning (TSL) operated until the end of the 2008-2009 school year when it closed its doors permanently. Saskatchewan school divisions and other providers of distance education assumed responsibility for all distance education courses. A list of available courses and their providers is available at the Saskatchewan Distance Education Courses website.

Frontier College

Frontier College is a national literacy organization with a goal to bring literacy and learning to Canadians everywhere.

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network

The Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) is the national hub for research, information and knowledge exchange, increasing literacies and essential skills across Canada.

Provincial Training Allowance (PTA)