According to the most recent data we have, the percentage of incarcerated individuals without a high school diploma is over twice that of those without a credential in the general population.
Education programs are proven to reduce recidivism and break the cycles that lead individuals into corrections, but many barriers, such as student willingness, eligibility requirements, waiting lists, and learning disabilities, don’t always make it easy for incarcerated individuals to attend classes. When students do enroll, what factors make their participation in a program successful?
Michelle Candy of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation looked at how education programs differed between community adult learning centers and correctional facilities in North Dakota and how the state has taken two specific measures to increase student success. While every state correction education system differs, the information from North Dakota provides useful insight for other correctional systems.
STAR literacy program
While a focus on corrections education can often be on high school equivalency, what data show is that individuals without a high school diploma often also have very low literacy skills, reading between an NRS level 1 or 2. In North Dakota, every incarcerated individual who enters the system without a high school credential is automatically entered into adult education classes to prepare them to take the GED test. At the time that Candy was evaluating the education system, half of the students in the GED program fell into that low-literacy category.
To address this, they implemented evidence-based reading instruction (EBRI) through a Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) literacy program. As they learned new methods to assess and instruct students for reading improvement, they noticed they were meeting a need they previously were missing. Since implementing STAR classes, students at the intermediate level have made gains and advanced to become GED ready. They are also effectively adapting the methods and principles to assist their lowest level learners.
Testing accommodations
According to data from the US Department of Justice, approximately 25% of those in correctional facilities have been in special education classes in school, and 15%–26% have been told by a professional that they had a learning disability. That is a much larger proportion than in the general public, 15% of whom have been in a special education class.
The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation decided to re-evaluate how learning disabilities were affecting student success from low-level TABE tests to passing the GED test. They developed a policy for identifying individuals who may have learning disabilities and implemented an official procedure to assess, diagnose, and document these students. As a result, they can grant these individuals a variety of test accommodations, like more time, a reader, and extra breaks, which has led to improved outcomes. Knowing if a student needs accommodations has also helped instructors understand and meet students’ individual needs, improving overall success.
Candy’s full report, “Low Literacy Correctional Students in North Dakota,” can be found in our Adult Literacy Education research journal.