“The Reading Link” equips adult learners with the foundational tools that are necessary to begin building pathways that lead them to fulfilling their employment and/or educational goals.
“The Reading Link” Program of Kaskaskia College Adult Education and Literacy (KC-AEL) provides free literacy and pre-HEC tutorial services, by using trained
volunteers, to tutor adult learners in college district #501 that are assessed as functioning below the 9th grade level or performing below the student level
of 7 in English proficiency. Through the coordination and management efforts of the County Coordinators of KC-AEL, “The Reading Link” has been providing
one-to-one and group tutoring services to eligible adult learners since 1985. Services are design to assist adult learners that are at least 17 years of age
and not enrolled in school increase their skills in reading, writing, math, and/or the English language. Tutorial services include the use of indirect and
direct learning strategies, explicit instruction, and evidence-based reading instruction (EBRI). EBRI involves assessing a learner’s reading ability in each
component (alphabetic, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension) of reading and using proven methods of instruction to assist learners in making gains in their
reading skills. All volunteer tutors are required to complete 18 hours of pre-service adult literacy training. All community volunteers are pre-screen and
subject to a background check prior to certification as a volunteer tutor for the program.
Beyond its community services, "The Reading Link" offers literacy services to inmates housed at the Centralia Correctional Center (CCC), which is located
next door to the main campus of the college. The administration of KC-AEL believes that a strong literacy and basic education foundation are necessary for
incarcerated learners to become self-sufficient and decrease their chances of recidivism upon re-entering society. Low-security inmates are selected by the
CCC administration to serve as peer tutors. In accordance to the policy and procedures of “The Reading Link”, the peer-inmate tutors are required to complete
the 18-hours of pre-service training prior to obtaining approval to provide basic literacy, pre-HEC, and/or ESL services to fellow inmates.
The Reading Link is Kaskaskia College's Adult Literacy Program that places volunteer
tutors with adult students who need to learn to read, do basic math, learn
English as a Second Language
, or need to get a