Maine Adult Education has a strong collaboration with correctional institutions and has increased both educational programming and instructor professional development opportunities within the past two years. Examples of this partnership include recent efforts between local adult education programs and department of corrections facilities to enhance coordination and delivery of educational and career pathway programming. As a result of this integrated Career Planning process, adult education programs providing services to Maine county jails have educational programs that are aligned, are using the same assessment tools, and are entering data in the State’s adult education longitudinal data system, MaineSTARS. Adult Education services are available in state prisons, county correctional institutions, local jails, youth facilities and reentry centers. AEFLA funds are used to provide educational programming to eligible learners in the following areas: adult basic education, literacy, English language acquisition, adult secondary school completion and high school equivalency preparation, college transition, integrated education and training, and workforce preparation. Individuals expected to be released within five years receive priority of service. As of June 30, 2015 there were 998 individuals registered in MaineSTARS who were identified as being a student in a correctional facility. To better serve incarcerated individuals, Maine Adult Education is committed to making the partnership with corrections even stronger by focusing efforts on: o Increasing support and attention to reentry activities. Priority will be given to those who are likely to leave the correctional institution within five years of participation in the program. Of those currently incarcerated in local and county jails, 100 percent are scheduled to leave the facility within five years. For those in DOC facilities, 90 percent were sentenced to five years or less. When all sentences to DOC are averaged, the average length of incarceration is 18 months. o Increasing capacity to serve low level learners. DOC has recently undertaken the goal of administering the CASAS appraisal in math and reading as part of the intake process for all prisoners entering the system. Currently 76 percent of prisoners tested were below the CASAS score of 236 in math and below 236 in reading. There is a need for more intensive service and supports to enable these learners to advance to Adult Secondary Education (ASE low). o Enhancing access to College and Career Readiness educational opportunities and workforce preparation activities. o Expanding access to support services that enable these individuals to transition to full, productive members of our communities. Prisoners in Prerelease are served in five facilities that offer educational programming that offer them the opportunity to earn a high school credential. In 2014, 400 incarcerated individuals earned their high school equivalency credential. Depending on the facility, there are also a variety of vocational programs. Building on the successful integration of educational services, attention will now be given to increasing advising and career pathways services. As part of those career pathways services, WorkReady, a standards–based employment skills program leading to a state recognized credential is presently offered in the Maine State Prison, Maine Correctional Center, Bolduc Correctional Facility, and the Southern Maine Reentry Center as well as six county jails. To reduce recidivism, the goals of the adult education and DOC partnership includes a continued emphasis on an integrated and aligned approach to program services and skills training opportunities to ease the stress of transitioning back into the community, and to create a gentle handoff approach. Maine Adult Education is committed to increasing the integrated, professional development opportunities available to all workforce development partners, including corrections. At the same time, the Department of Corrections made the commitment to have its educational programs meet all the performance standards of an approved adult education program. Efforts to intensify the integration of professional development between adult education and corrections included a daylong Maine Corrections Education Forum. The forum brought together Corrections and Adult Education personnel and resulted in the establishment of several integrated workgroups charged with the mission of improving the coordination of intake, assessment, and reentry efforts between the agencies. For the first time in memory, DOC also organized an Education Steering Committee to bring state staff together for planning and training. Corrections personnel are invited to, and attend adult education professional development programs offered by the state office. Topics have included training in College and Career Readiness Standards, Maine College Transitions, high school equivalency preparation, and MaineSTARS. The Department of Corrections has also contracted with local adult education programs to provide assessment services in two of its “unfenced” prerelease centers, with plans in place to contract for those services at the remaining centers. Corrections educational personnel also attend, and present at the Maine Adult Education Association Annual Conference. To further establish successful alignment with adult education the Maine Department of Corrections Education Steering Committee also chose to use the Career Pathways Plan format and process as a strategic planning tool as they restructure educational programs for the State’s correctional facilities. Additional Information:
AEFLA funds have been made available to corrections in two ways: through the same RFP process used for all eligible providers and as part of the funding allocated to local providers who provider services at correctional facilities. In the upcoming FY17 competition, there will be a separate application process for use by solely correctional providers. In addition, in the standard RFP, special consideration will be given to eligible applicants that indicate serving incarcerated individuals who will be released within five years of participation as a priority area. As part of the application process, correctional facilities will make clear the academic instructional areas they will focus on and how services will be delivered.
As described in the preceding paragraphs, the Office of Adult Education and Family Literacy works very collaboratively with the correctional education providers. There is cross training and professional development for instructors working with incarcerated individuals. Academic and career advising is offered, student learning plans are developed and employability skills are available in addition to academic instruction. Corrections data is entered into the statewide adult education data management system. The partners work together to increase the number of secondary credentials earned and to facilitate transition to postsecondary educational opportunities and employment.
Revision. In the upcoming FY17 competition there will be one RFP for adult education services. Any eligible provider of demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult literacy instruction and services to incarcerated and other institutionalized individuals is eligible to compete for AEFLA funds.
