Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 2.djvu/187

 " t >•>•:'"- f-^J^f^- PUBLIC LAW 105-220—AUG. 7, 1998 112 STAT. 1071 activities are related to family literacy services. In providing family literacy services under this subtitle, an eligible provider shall attempt to coordinate with programs and services that are not assisted under this subtitle prior to using funds for adult education and literacy activities under this subtitle for activities other than adult education activities. (e) CONSIDERATIONS.— In awarding grants or contracts under this section, the eligible agency shall consider— (1) the degree to which the eligible provider will establish measurable goals for participant outcomes; (2) the past effectiveness of an eligible provider in improving the literacy skills of adults and families, and, after the 1-year period beginning with the adoption of an eligible agency's performance measures under section 212, the success of an eligible provider receiving funding under this subtitle in meeting or exceeding such performance measures, especially with respect to those adults with the lowest levels of literacy; (3) the commitment of the eligible provider to serve individuals in the community who are most in need of literacy services, including individuals who are low-income or have minimal literacy skills; (4) whether or not the program— (A) is of sufficient intensity and duration for participants to achieve substantial learning gains; and (B) uses instructional practices, such as phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension that research has proven to be effective in teaching individuals to read; (5) whether the activities are built on a strong foundation of research and effective educational practice; (6) whether the activities effectively employ advances in technology, as appropriate, including the use of computers; (7) whether the activities provide learning in real life contexts to ensure that an individual has the skills needed to compete in the workplace and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship; (8) whether the activities are staffed by well-trained instructors, counselors, and administrators; (9) whether the activities coordinate with other available resources in the community, such as by establishing strong links with elementary schools and secondary schools, postsecondary educational institutions, one-stop centers, job training programs, and social service agencies; (10) whether the activities offer flexible schedules and support services (such as child care and transportation) that are necessary to enable individuals, including individuals with disabilities or other special needs, to attend and complete programs; (11) whether the activities maintain a high-quality information management system that has the capacity to report participant outcomes and to monitor program performance against the eligible agency performance measures; and (12) whether the local communities have a demonstrated need for additional English literacy programs.

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