Literacy Corner: Best Practices for Student Transitions Across Programs

Best Practices for Student Transitions Across Programs

By Carrie M. Cannella

Photo by Michael P Sampson on Unsplash

It comes as no surprise that the key for successful student transitioning either between adult literacy programs and adult education programs or AE programs and postsecondary programs is collaboration. But what might this look like?

In “Adult Learner Transitions to Postsecondary Education: Adult School and Community College Collaborations,” authors Beth Hart, Lisa Lefevre, and Blaire Willson Toso discuss California’s regional consortia system that began as state legislation in 2024. The programs serving adult learners in the state formed into 71 regional groups that could then work from a “regional delivery approach” that included detailing existing services, pinpointing unfulfilled needs, and creating regional plans to coordinate, integrate, and deliver services” (WestEd 2023). 

The authors mention that research shows that there is a “growing acknowledgement of the interdependence of [all] systems,” something that anyone who works in adult education and literacy knows: Students need us to work together so that they can travel their learning journeys smoothly. The benefits of this kind of interdependence are many and include: fewer barriers for students, smoother transitions with clearer expectations, higher retention levels, and straightforward pathways for students = goals we all want to achieve.

The following figure shows the best practices in California as cited by the authors: 

How do programs start building collaborative partnerships for clear transition systems? Clearly there must be work in advance on developing solid partnerships, and both systems in question must have the same goal of helping students transition fluidly. Student retention over the long haul matters for every individual as well as each program involved in that student’s growth. 

Along with this is the understanding that programs are not somehow in ‘competition’ with each other. So, it is important to defuse any competitive culture at the start by agreeing on goals and who serves who, when, and where. The other myth to diffuse is that programs are working in silos. This is only true if we let it be true. Whoever or wherever they are in their learning, our students belong.

Then, collaboration starts with these necessities: 

1. Putting in place an agreement for how you will work together.
2. Committing to the space and time for regular meetings to share knowledge, ideas, and resources. Of course, if a literacy program and an adult education program are in a shared space, this is easier; it will just take a little more work if you are in different locations. You might consider, however, the idea of sharing a space for certain program activities, like workshops and open houses.
3. Creating and using a streamlined referral process that works for all involved, including a shared referral form and shared understanding of both the requirement guidelines for when a student is ready to transition and the steps needed to do so. 
4. Sharing student data. FERPA allows for this with student permission, and it is vital for smooth transitioning. How can a student move up easily when they have to keep starting over? LACES allows for duplication of students in literacy and adult education databases. (Higher education programs use different systems, but an advisor can help a student navigate their information and how to share it.)

Once the agreement is reached and time and space are created, partners can work together to find those unmet needs and discuss what transition services might look like in their region. Along with regular meetings and referrals, other identified successful practices in California were shared programs and staff and structured transition programs. 

What might these include? 

1. Having a specific administrator who works with both systems and can advocate for students from dual angles. 
2. Hiring student support staff to provide transition services. Programs could create a new position for a transition advisor/ liaison or student success specialist who can work one-on-one with students. If it is not possible to ‘share’ a staff member between systems/ programs, there might be an individual from each program that works closely with the other advisor as well as with students. Or, a career navigator, outreach coordinator, or other advising position might be extended to work with transitioning students and the program they are transitioning into. The point is that students have a dedicated person from both programs who they feel comfortable with to build a plan, ask questions, help navigate systems, and so on.
3. Having regular visits or presentations between programs and classes so students can both know what is available to them and understand the process early on so they are prepared when the time comes. 
4. Working together to create a transition course or workshop where both programs play a part. The course might include visiting speakers and field trips. Interestingly, in California it was most effective when these classes took place at the referring program with representatives from the other program visiting consistently. 
5. Sharing student support services, including transportation, childcare, basic necessities, and social service referrals to further reduce student barriers to attendance.

Propel and the state’s Adult Education Department can support these kinds of partnerships by helping to create collaborative spaces, offering guidance, and providing examples of shared systems. After all, student transition partnerships are just as important as the other partnerships programs form within their communities to provide services.

Do you already have a strong referral and transition process and partnership? Let us know by commenting below or sending an email through the listservs. Other programs can benefit from your example!