ED 355 838 FL 800 627 TITLE Project EXCEL. Final ... · TITLE Project EXCEL. Final Performance Report, March 1, 1991-October 31, 1992. INSTITUTION Career Resources Development Center,

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 355 838 FL 800 627

TITLE Project EXCEL. Final Performance Report, March 1,1991-October 31, 1992.

INSTITUTION Career Resources Development Center, Inc., SanFrancisco, CA.

SPONS AGENCY Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED),Washington, DC. National Workplace LiteracyProgram.

PUB DATE 31 Oct 91CONTRACT V198A10293NOTE 87p.; For related documents, see FL 800 626-631.PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Basic Skills; Communications; Cultural Pluralism;

Curriculum; Employee Attitudes; Employer Attitudes;Employer Employee Relationship; *English (SecondLanguage); Fashion Industry; Food Service; *JobPerformance; Language Skills; *Limited EnglishSpeaking; *Literacy Education; Productivity; ProgramEvaluation; Questionnaires; *Small Businesses; WorkEnvironment

IDENTIFIERS California (San Francisco); Mail Room Occupations;*Project EXCEL CA; *Workplace Literacy

ABSTRACTProject EXCEL is a workplace literacy project

involving four small business enterprises in San Francisco. Over a19-month period,, the project focused on literacy and basic skillstraining for 271 limited-English-proficient (LEP) workers. Alltraining was conducted at the work sites, and a variety of supportservices were provided, including individual education plans, childcare, educational counseling, and social service referrals. The smallbusinesses involved included the following: a communications and massmailing firm; a wholesale bakery; a Mexican food productmanufacturer; and an outerwear design and contract manufacturer. Themost outstanding accomplishments of Project EXCEL were: improvedopportunities for worker advancement; increased use of English on thejob; improved worker productivity; improved worker- manager relationsand greater sensitivity by management to communication issues inmulticultural workplaces; workers' increased interest and abilityrelated to pursuing further literacy education; development of aviable workplace literacy model for LEP workers; development anddissemination of a modular curriculum for LEP workers in the apparel,communications, and food service industries; and the San Franciscobusiness community's continued interest in and support for workplaceliteracy. The greater part of the document consists of fiveappendixes. They are: a rationale for using non-standard methods forstudent assessment; objectives of curriculum modules; samplecontext-based assessment test; examples of media coverage of theproject; and evaluation tools. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse onLiteracy Education) (LB)

Final Performance Report

Award Number V198A10293

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS

MA ERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

\CNCI."\-0Ne.)

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

ti)(his document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it

0 Minor changes have been mad* to improvereproduction quality

Points of view or opinions stated in this clocu-ment do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy

Career Resources Development Center655 Geary Street

San Francisco, California 94102(415) 775-8880

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Project EXCEL Staff and Volunteers

Mabel Teng, Project DirectorPennie Lau, Curriculum CoordinatorChris Shaw, Curriculum CoordinatorStephanie Levin-Gervasi, Instructor

Lisa Anne Lee, InstructorOscar Ramirez, Instructor

Andrew Westveer, InstructorSharon Tu, Program Coordinator

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction 1

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Accomplishment of Stated Objectives 3Recruitment, Enrollment, and Successful CompletionProject EXCEL as a Springboard for Further EducationCommitment of PartnersContinuing Workplace Literacy for SmallBusinesses

Service DeliveryEmployer WorksitesSchedule of Service DeliveryCalendar of Service Delivery

6

om Project EXCEL Participant Profile 8Project EXCEL: LEP Worker-Participants Profile

.4- Program Outcomes 9Workplace Outcomes: job Retention & AdvancementEducational Outcomes: Gains in Literacy SkillsCompetency Outcomes: Language Usage on the Job

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Y14 Dissemination ActivitiesPublished CurriculaPublic Relations and Professional Participation

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Appendix A: Rationale for using non-standard methodsfor student assessment

Appendix B: Objectives of Curriculum ModulesAppendix C: Sample Context-Based AssessmentTestAppendix D: Media Coverage of Project EXCELAppendix E: Evaluation Tools

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Final Performance Report Project EXCEL

INTRODUCTION

Career Resources Development Center (CRDC) of San Francisco operated ProjectEXCEL, an innovative workplace literacy partnership, with four enterprises in the SanFrancisco Bay Area: Momentum, a sports apparel manufacturer, Ace Mailing, acommunications and mass mailing firm, Just Desserts, a wholesale bakery company,and Casa Sanchez, a Mexican restaurant and food product manufacturer. 'Over a 19month period, the partnership provided workplace literacy training to 271 limitedEnglish proficient (LEP) workers employed by the four small businesses. All trainingwas conducted at the work sites, and an extensive range of support services (includingindividual education plans, child care, educational counseling, and social servicereferrals) were provided to aid in the removal of barriers frequently encountered byworking adults in upgrading their skills. Project EXCEL also consulted with workplacesupervisors to enable them to better understand their multicultural workforce.

Project EXCEL was staffed by Ms. Mabel Teng, Project Director; Chris Shaw andPennie Lau, curriculum coordinators; Oscar Ramirez, Stephanie Levin-Gervasi, LisaLee, and Drew Westveer, instructors; and Sharon Tu, Project Coordinator. The projectwas also supported by Dr. Chuff Lim. Tsang, Executive Director of CRDC, and theaccounting and administrative staff of CRDC.

Project EXCEL implemented a carefully sequenced, modular curriculum designoffering the broadest possible variety of instructional, options. The project maintainedan instructional model that addressed clearly-articulated, workplace-generatedlearning outcomes.

The project involved three phases, as outlined in the following chart:

1 Startup and Literacy Audit(3/15/91 - 5/31/91)

Intensive job-specific literacy audits wereconductedCurriculum was developedStaff development activities wereimplemented.

2 Instructional Delivery(5/31/91 - 10/29/92)

3 Evaluation and Dissemination(9/1/92 - 10/31/92)

Educational modules were delivered at thefour worksitesParticipants were counseled on an ongoingbasisCurriculum was revisedDissemination activities were lanned.

Final evaluation activities were conductedDissemination if project products andprocesses were accomplished.

Final Performance Report, Project EXCEL S Page 1

The objectives specifically outlined in the project prop Dsal were:

1: The project will recruit, assess, and enroll a minimum of 300 LEP workers asproject participants from the workforces of the four employer partners.

2: A minimum of 240 participants will successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction(2 "modules").

3: 100% of the participants who successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction willretain employment or be promoted.

4: 100% of the participants who successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction willshow gains of at least 50% as measured by the pre-post assessment instrument tobe developed through the project's literacy task analysis process.

5: 100% of the participants who successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction willshow gains in supervisors' evaluations of their communication and literacy skills.

6: The project will successfully deliver a 2-level, modular curriculum at fouremployer worksites, 4 days per week, 1 hour per day, for a period of 54 weeks.

7: All four employer partners will actively participate in and support project activitiesthroughout the life of the project.

8: Ongoing workplace literacy activities will be institutionalized and continued in atleast 2 of the 4 employer partners' workplaces after the conclusion of federally-supported project activities. .

The most outstanding accomplishments of Project EXCEL were:Improved opportunities for worker advancement at the four participatingbusinesses.Increased usage of English on the job as a result of workers' confidence intheir English language ability.Improved worker productivity.Improved worker-manager relations and sensitivity on the part ofmanagement to issues of communication in multicultural workplaces.Increased interest and ability on the part of adult learners in. pursuing furtherliteracy education.Development of a viable workplace literacy model for LEP workers, whichcan be replicated on a national basis.Development and dissemination of a modular curriculum for LEP workers inthe apparel, communications, and food service industries.The San Francisco business community's continued interest in and supportfor workplace literacy.

Final Performance Report, Project EXCEL Page 2

ACCOMPLISHMENT OF STATED OBJECTIVES

Recruitment, Enrollment, and Successful Completion

Two of Project EXCEL's proposed objectives pertained to its student participation:

Objective 1: The project will recruit, assess, and enroll a minimum of 300 LEP workers asproject participants from the workforces of the four employer partners.

Objective 2: A minimum of 240 participants will successfully complete 12 weeks ofinstruction (2 "modules").

Following is a chart of the number of participants were recruited, enrolled, andwho successfully completed two modules of instruction.

Number of Students

Recruited Enrolled Completed2 Modules

Dropped Left theCompany

Ace Mailing 74 73 72 1 0Casa Sanchez 39 38 31 1 0Just Desserts 64 60 53 5 0Momentum 100 100 100 6 20Totals: 277 271 256 13 16*Students were tnnvorarilu laid off

Because Project EXCEL focused on small businesses, the rate of employee layoffsand turnover was high. Most of the employees worked only on a contract basis andonly reported to the business sites on days when there was work. This created twoproblems for retention. Some students could not attend every class session becausetheir work schedules were sporadic, and thus could not successfully keep up tocomplete a module. Other students could not complete modules because they werelaid off seasonally. Project EXCEL did not anticipate these seasonal layoffs during therecruitment process.

However, the efforts made to overcome these obstacles worked to achieve an80% retention rate. To ensure that all students would have an equal chance atattending all class sessions, instructors called the business sites ahead of time to makesure that all participants had been asked to work on class days. Classes wererescheduled on days when a significant number of workers could not attend. Wheninstructors knew that there would be a temporary lay-off, classes were delayed orinterrupted until all workers returned to work. While this extended modules beyondthe targeted end dates, the results were that business schedules were accommodatedand workers were given every opportunity to participate in classes.


Project Springboard for Further Education

Another goal of the project was that the training provided by Project EXCELwould be a basis for further education outside of the workplace. Many students wereunable to enter the community college system because their English level was too lowfor the entry-level classes available. With accessible training at the workplace, workerswere better prepared for long-term education strategies. Two participants, afterstarting the training provided by Project EXCEL, decided to pursue further ESLinstruction and began attending evening classes at a local community college.

Commitment of Partners

Objective 7: All four employer partners will actively participate in and support projectactivities throughout the life of the project.

Start-Up and Task Analysis:

Managers and supervisors made company documents available to EXCELcurriculum developers. They explained workplace processes to EXCEL staff andproduced specific topics and objectives for curriculum. Approximately 120 hours wascontributed by employers to collaborate on Task Analysis for curriculum, equivalent toan in-kind contribution of $15,302.25.

Recruitment and Retention:

The staff at Project EXCEL found that working with direct supervisors was thebest way to ensure that class schedules did not interfere with employee workloads.Supervisors at each site were involved in recruiting work ars for each module andmaking sure that students were able to attend class.

Promotion and continuation of workplace literacy activities:

Gwen Kaplan, President of Ace Mailing, Inc. and President of the San FranciscoSmall Business Advisory Committee, attended a professional workplace literacyworkshops in a personal effort to publicize the issues of adult workplace literacy andon-site.language training programs. At a half-day seminar sponsored by the AmericanSociety for Training and Development (ASTD), Ms. Kaplan and Project EXCELinstructor Drew Westveer led a breakout discussion group and presented a case studyof Project EXCEL and Ace Mailing.

In addition to attending workplace literacy conferences, Project EXCEL'sbusiness partners continue to promote Project EXCEL's demonstration program tomembers of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber ofCommerce, the local Small Business Advisory Council, and other professional groups.

Final Performance Report Protect EXCEL Page 4

Business partners have also been active in promoting the program to the media,resulting in a broader base of business support for workplace literacy in San Francisco.A more detailed discussion of partner involvement in dissemination activities is givenin the section on Dissemination Activities.

Continuing Workplace Literacy Education for Small Businesses in San Francisco

Objective 8: Ongoing workplace literacy activities will be institutionalized and continued inat least 2 of the 4 employer partners' workplaces after the conclusion of federally-supported project activities.

At the conclusion of the project, all business partners agreed that on-sitelanguage programs were a good idea and an asset to small business, but that it wouldnot be feasible to continue the programs without outside funding assistance. For smallbusinesses with limited staff and resources, the return on the investment needed toimplement a workplace literacy program for a few workers is too small to justify suchan monetary investment, especially when coupled with the kind of intensive in-kindcommitments of worker release time and managerial consultant time.

Barbara Radcliffe, the Director of Human Resources at Just Desserts, attendedthe close-out conference as a business representative. As a result of the discussions atthe conference, Ms. Radcliffe will continue to work with Project EXCEL to come upwith creative ways to continue providing workplace literacy to workers at JustDesserts. One option being pursued is the model of forming a consortium of smallbusinesses who can pool their resources to provide training for employees from variousbusinesses in the same industry. Ms. Radcliffe is also participating as a business.representative in a focus group on the University of California Extension Program'sproposed workplace literacy certification program for the ESL and Human ResourceDirector credential programs.

Final Performance Report, Project EXCEL. Page 5

SERVICE DELIVERY

Objective 6: The project will successfully deliver a 2-level, modular curriculum at fouremployer worksites, 4 days per week, 1 hour per day, for a period of 54 weeks.

Employer Worksites

The plan of operations of Project EXCEL was based on the partnership of fourwork sites. The project's designated partners included Momentum, a sports apparelmanufacturer, and Ace Mailing, a communications and mass mailing firm. Twoadditional partners originally slated to participate in the program withdrew theirparticipation. Project EXCEL then added two work sites to take their place: CasaSanchez, a family-owned manufacturer and wholesaler of tortilla chips, salsa, and otherMexican food items, and Just Desserts, a successful wholesale bakery and retailcompany. Service delivery commenced at these partners once they were approved bythe Department of Education.

Schedule of service delivery

Project EXCEL proposed to deliver six modules of instruction per site. Eachmodule would last 6 weeks. Two levels of instruction were to be offered at each site: aBasic Workplace Literacy sequence of 3 modules followed by an IntermediateWorkplace Literacy sequence of three modules. The Instructional Delivery Phase wasto last a total of 54 weeks.

The project was able to successfully deliver a complete program of modules ateach participating site despite the unanticipated extent to which workload impeded theworkers' ability to participate. Since production schedules fluctuated, workers at thesmall businesses were often contracted for hourly work or piecework . When there wasno work because employees were not called in. When there was a production deadlineor a surplus of work, employers could not afford to give employees release time. As aresult, classes were often canceled. To overcome these obstacles to studentparticipation, modules were extended to compensate for missed class time. Breaksbetween modules were either eliminated or extended. As a result, students were givenevery opportunity to receive comprehensive training with schedules whichaccommodated their workloads.

Calendar of Service Delivery

On the following page is a summary of the modules, dates of instruction, and hours ofinstruction provided at each of the participating work sites.


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Project EXCEL Calendar of Service Delivery

I COMPANY ' MODULE DATES

Ace Mailing I 1: Ace Basics 06/04/91 -07/11/9107/16/91. - 08/29/91 56

33

2: Stuff it Seal it, Sort it, and 10/17/91 - 12/13/91 5 2Send it (2-track) 02/27/92 - 04/10/92 6 23: Getting the Job Done 09/03/91 - 12/18/91 10 3

4: May I Help You? 02/24/92-04/08/92 6 3

5: Post Office Forms/Review 04/20/92 - 08/19/92 6 3

6: Pronunciation at Ace Mailing 04/23/92 - 08/14/92 6 -2

Casa 1: Basics of Customer Service 10/07/91 - 11 /13/91 6 2

Sanchez 2: Solving Problems on the Job 11 /18/91 - 12/23/91 6 2

3: Whars a Good Worker? 01/06/92 - 02/12/92 6 2

4: Greater Relations, Greater 02/17/92 - 03/25/92 6 2

Productivity5: Overcoming Obstacles at 03/30/92- 05/6/92 6 2

Work

Just Desserts 1: Bakery Vocabulary and 07/15/91 -08/28/91 7 2

Instructions2: Bakery Know-How 09/04/91 -10/09/91 5 2

3: Safe and Sweet: Safety Rules,Order Forms and Bake Sheets

03/23/92 - 05/06/92 7 2

4: A Spoonful of Sugar: 05/27/92- 07/15/92 6 3

Ingredients and Measurements (2 sections taught) 6 3

5: Ingredients and Processes 07/31/92 - 09/09/92 6 2

6: Work Evaluations 07/28/92-09/04/92 6 2

_Momentum 1: A Fashionable Be lamin: 08/12/91 - 09/20/91 6 5

2: A Stitch of Common Sense 09/30/91 - 11/18/91 6 5

3: Can You Help Me withFractions?

11 /18/91- 01 /16/92 8 5

4: Doing My Job 01/27/92-02/27/92 5 4

5: Piecing it all together 03/23/92- 05/28/92 7 4

6: Review 08/17/92 - 10/29/92 11 2

Final Performance Report, Project EXCELii Page 7

PROJECT EXCEL PARTICIPANT PROFILE

Project EXCEL: LEP Worker-Participants Profile

ACE CASA JUST MOMEN-MAILING SANCIIEZ DESSEECIS TUM

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PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Workplace Outcomes: Tob Retention and Advancement

Objective 3: 100% of the participants who successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction willretain employment or be promoted.

All participants who successfully completed two modules of training haveretained employment Three participants were promoted within their companies. Oneparticipant found employment at a higher skill level job at another company. One.participant made a lateral transfer within his company.

Educational Outcomes: Gains in LiteracLalcills.

Project EXCEL hoped measure gains in the students' literacy skills as a result ofthe curricula and instruction presented by the project By making the curricula specificto the workplace the project could then test students on their ability to communicate byusing those workplace functions which we determined to be most significant In thisway instructors hoped to measure those linguistic gains which were most helpful to thelearners' work performance. The objective stated in the proposal was as follows.

Objective 4: 100% of the participants who successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction willshow gains of at least 50% as measured by the pre-post assessment instrument tobe developed through the project's literacy task analysis process.

Because of the factors previously mentioned as barriers to student retention(erratic work schedules, seasonal lay-offs, fluctuating work loads), it was difficult toconsi. :ently implement pre- and post-tests. For instance, students often missed thesessions in which pre-tests were administered, and it was difficult to schedule extratimes for students to make up the tests. At the end of classes students were intimidatedby assessment tests and sometimes skipped class sessions which involved pencil andpaper tests.

Considering these and other similar observations, instructors found that gains inlinguistic and communication skills were better measured through non-traditional (i.e.,non-pencil-and-paper) means, such as observing the adult learner's ability to performtasks and follow oral and written instructions. (A detailed rationale for ProjectEXCEL's more comprehensive approach to assessment can be found in Appendix A.)

The conclusion of the various methods of assessing learner improvement wasthat adult learners who participated in EXCEL's program successfully accomplished theobjectives of each module. These goals specifically addressed issues of understandingwritten and verbal instructions, performing complex tasks on the job, and being able tocommunicate and report problems. (Refer to Appendix B for module objectives.)

Final Performance Report Project EXCEL5

Page 9

Case Study: Just Desserts

Project EXCEL's program at Just Desserts is the most complete example of thevarious assessment measures used by the project's instructors and curriculumdevelopers. Student progress was assessed with standardized tests, customized pencil-and-paper tests, functional tests, and teacher observation.

Use of Standardized Tests

While Project EXCEL did not implement standardized testing to measure gainsin literacy, the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) and BasicEnglish Skills Test (BEST) were administered to project participants at Just Desserts forthe purposes of determining the workers' overall language skill levels. The results ofthese tests were used to develop a curriculum and plan of instruction best suited to thecommunication needs of the workers. In June 1991, the CASAS and BEST tests wereadministered to the 17 employees of the Just Desserts bakery who signed up for classes.Prior to the tests, the 17 employees were divided into two groups of different ESLlevels based on interviews and managers /supervisors' evaluation. CASAS listening(L51) and reading (R31) tests were given to the basic ESL level group, while BEST wasgiven to the advanced ESL group. Following are the results of those tests:

CASAS L51 L52 R31 R32Student 1 196 206 199 invalid*Student 2 185 202 177 199Student 3 189 202 188 192Student 4 186 201 186 202Student 5 195 196 188 186Student 6 196 206 199 invalid*Student 7 189 192 196 192

*Score fell off the valid range on the high side.

BEST B Listening, communicationand fluency

C Listening, communicationand fluency

Total Reading/Writing Total Reading/Writing40/26Student 8 66 37/28 71

Student 9 44 28/19 71 31 /26Student 10 76 41 /25 79 46/28Student 11 50 38/23 72 44/25


Use of content-based testing instruments

Project instructors developed their own testing instruments to assess workers'linguistic gains. Following the standardized tests was a pre-test given on the first dayof class. This test was developed by instructors based on the content of the curriculumto be taught, and functioned as both a pre-test and post-test. (Please refer to AppendixC for a sample of the test developed.)

The pre- and post-tests of Modules 1 and 2 at Just Desserts were given to theCASAS test group who attended the first two modules of class. The content was basedon the curriculum taught in those modules, and the tests required listening, reading,writing, and critical thinking skills. Each question was given one to five scores basedon the difficulty and required skills, the total score being 100. The purpose of the testwas to measure the students' achievement of work-specific language skills taught inclass. Following is a chart of the test results for those students who also took thestandard CASAS tests:

Pre-test Post-testStudent 1 72 93Student 2 12 88Student 3 59 80Student 4 63 83Student 5 52 85Student 6 77 83Student 7 45 68

Instructors' observations

The following observations apply for Just Desserts but are representative of thekinds of progress observed across sites. All of these accomplishments demonstratedstudents' mastery of curriculum objectives.

Instructors at Just Desserts observed that after a few modules of instruction,students spoke English to each other more frequently in class. They were more willingto engage in complete interactions in English in order to clarify, question, and instruct.Students who began their training with no idea of how to take a test were able, at theend of their training, to understand written questions and respond appropriately eitherby performing the requested task, offering suitable verbal responses, or providingwritten answers.


Instructors also spent time observing their students at work and noted that thenumber of interactions conducted in English increased as students gained confidence intheir language ability.- Instructors also observed that while they began asintermediaries between students and their supervisors, as the classes progressedstudents depended less on instructors and took more initiative to clarify issues directlywith their supervisors.

Competency Outcomes: Gains in Language Usage on the Job

Objective 5: 100% of the participants who successfully complete 12 weeks of instruction willshow gains in supervisors' evaluations of their communication and literacy skills.

By the end of the program supervisors at all four business agreed that there wasa noticeable improvement in the level of English communication of their workers. Onsurveys admirdstered to supervisors at each workplace, 100% of respondents said thatworkers language skills had improved a great deal.

At Ace Mailing, one supervisor related an incident where an employee hadreported a mistake in a job order. The manager believed that Project EXCEL's trainingdirectly contributed to the worker's awareness of her work, enabling her to read the joborder and-ask questions to clarify instructions when in doubt. According to themanager, the error would have cost the company thousands of dollars and it wouldhave taken a long time to regain the client company's confidence. The employee savedmoney and face for Ace Mailing. Moreover, she inspired the management to considerestablishing a "worker of the month" system as an incentive to all of its employees.

At Momentum, the CEO reported that his workers were greeting him in Englishand that they were more willing to volunteer information directly to him instead ofgoing through a bilingual floor supervisor. He valued this improvement in employee-supervisor relations, citing the benefits of increased worker input, decreased mistakeson the job, and increased independence of workers.

Just Desserts is in the midst of expanding its operations and its market.Successful expansion requires a workforce that is able to work efficiently and tocommunicate and understand the value of its product. For most workers at JustDesserts, the only barrier to increased responsibility and contribution to the companywas a lack of ability to communicate in English. According to managers and linesupervisors at Just Desserts, the training provided by Project EXCEL has helpedupgraded the language levels of its workforce, enabling the company to promoteworkers from within and to better utilize its highly skilled workers. For example, twostudents who were dishwashers at the outset of training were promoted to theadvanced positions of baking and frosting as a result of their mastery of bakeryterminology, safety rules, language functions (such as confirming and clarifying giveninstructions) and reading and writing functions (such as writing short notes or memos).


At Casa Sanchez, the owner was consistently impressed with the curriculumwritten for the classes: The curriculum included discussions of key marketing issuessuch as negotiating for better shelf space and handling difficult customer requests. Theworkers became increasingly aware of the key role of language in their interactionswith customers in the restaurant or clients on their delivery routes. The owner hasoften shared the class curriculum with business associates and has recommended theworkplace literacy program to other businesses.

Final Performance Report Project EXCEL1 Page 13

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES

Published Curricula

Curriculum has been printed for a total of 23 modules covering four worksites.Copies of curricula have been distributed to supervisors, managers and personneldirectors at each worlcsite. Following is a list of the modules printed:

ACE MAILING, INC.Module 1, "Ace Basics"Module 2, "Stuff it, Seal it, Sort it, and Send it"Module 3, "Getting the Job Done"Module 4, "May I Help You?"Module 5, "Forms Made Easy'Module 6, "Special Delivery: Pronunciation at Work"

JUST DESSERTS, INC.Module 1, "Bakery Vocabulary and Instructions"Module 2, "Bakery Know-How"Module 3, "Safe and Sweet Safety Rules, Order Forms and Bake Sheets"Module 4, "Ingredients and Processes"Module 5, "Work Evaluations"Module 6, "Understanding Meeting Minutes"

CASA SANCHEZ, INC.Module 1, "Basics of Customer Service"Module 2, "Solving Problems on the Job"Module 3, "What's a Good Worker?"Module 4, "Greater Relations, Greater Productivity"Module 5, "Overcoming Obstacles at Work"Module 6, "Program Review"

MOMENTUM, INC.Module 1, "A Fashionable Beginning"Module 2, "A Stitch of Common Sense"Module 3, "Can you help me with fractions?"Module 4, "Doing My Job"Module 5, "Piecing it all together"


Public Relations and Professional Participation

Project EXCEL's Project Director, instructors, curriculum developers, programcoordinator, and business partners have made numerous presentations to educationaland commercial associations. At all of these presentations curricula was distributed toparticipants.

Project Director Mabel Teng has made presentations on workplace literacy to theChinese Merchants Association, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the SanFrancisco Small Business Advisory Committee. As a result of these presentations, thebusiness community of San Francisco was more aware of the need for workplaceliteracy education for the city's labor force. The project has received calls frombusinesses and organizations who have adopted the idea of workplace literacy andwho are discussing ways to support and promote the model put forth by ProjectEXCEL Ms. Teng also introduced Project EXCEL's model to the San FranciscoCommunity College as part of the Flex Day Workshops in August of 1991.

The project's curriculum developers Pennie Lau and Chris Shaw have presentedpapers and case studies at Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)and California Association of Bilingual Educators (CABE) conferences, contributingnew ideas and valuable data to the field of workplace literacy. These presentationsinclude the California TESOL Conference in April, 1991; the National TESOLConvention in March, 1992; and the CABE Conference in March, 1992.

Pennie Lau and instructor Oscar Ramirez also presented a case study on theProject EXCEL model to a forum on On-Site Language Instruction in a MulticulturalWorkplace in September, 1992. This presentation was well received by the businessesand workplace literacy providers in attendance, and resulted in local media coverage ofProject EXCEL. As mentioned before, instructor Drew Westveer presented a case studywith EXCEL business partner Gwen Kaplan at an ASTD Conference in October, 1992.

Each instructor has spent an extensive amount of time visiting classes or hostingstudents of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) programs. Project EXCELinstructors have developed an effective presentation about the innovative workplaceliteracy methods used here and have reached over 200 students and teachers who areinterested in careers in workplace literacy. Project EXCEL staff is often called upon toshare their expertise with classes at San Francisco State University, San Jose StateUniversity, and the University of California.

Project EXCEL staff has also made use of the growing network of workplaceliteracy providers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Among the forums and conferencesattended by EXCEL staff are: Cultural Diversity in the Workforce forum sponsored byGolden Gate University; an Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN)Regional Workshop on the topics of workplace literacy and ESL; a Literacy Forumsponsored by the Mission Community College Center of San Francisco; a Northern


J

California TESOL Conference; the Rocky Mountain Regional TESOL VII Conference;the Adult Literacy Instructors' Training Institute (ALIT); monthly Santa Clara CountyWorkplace Literacy Support Group Meetings sponsored by OTAN; and a workshop onTeaching ESL in Multi-Level Classrooms sponsored by the Santa Clara Adult EducationCabrillo Center.

Recognized by local businesses and universities as a leader in the field ofworkplace literacy, Project EXCEL is making its experience and knowledge available-toother businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. Capitalizing on the networkingaccomplished at the above-mentioned business and educational conferences, ProjectEXCEL has collaborated with the Center for Working Life to sponsor a workplaceliteracy support group for the San Francisco area. As project staff participated in aworkplace literacy support group in San Jose it became clear that such a support groupwas needed for. San Francisco. When the Center for Working Life received a grant toset up such a support group, CRDC was asked to be a co-sponsor because of ProjectEXCEL's established reputation as experts and innovators in the field of workplaceliteracy.

Project EXCEL has also received regular and extensive media coverage of itsprograms. The articles assembled in Appendix D include coverage by tradepublications and educational journals as well as coverage by the San FranciscoChronicle. The following articles can be found in the appendix:

Educational JournalsHenze, Rosemary and Katz, Anne. "What is the Relationship Between WorkplaceLiteracy and Content-Based Instruction?", The CATESOL Journal, April 1992, pp. 93-96.

Business and Trade PublicationsErickson, Pam. "The New Immigrants: how to tap their skills", Modern Baking,March, 1992, pp. 52-o6.Small Business Advisory Commission. "Small Businesses Send School toEmployees", SBAC News, Fall 1991."Ace Mailer", San Francisco Business, May 1991, p. 17.

San Francisco ChronicleSullivan, Kathleen. "Taking pains with workers' English", San Francisco Examiner,Tuesday, September 29,1992, Business Section.Sullivan, Kathleen. "English On the Job", San Francisco Examiner, Sunday,November 15,1992, Business Section, pp. E1-E7.


EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

An external evaluator, Dr. David Hemphill, was involved in monitoring theproject during the time the service was being provided. Dr. Hemphill was veryfamiliar with the proposed goals of the project and developed appropriate assessmenttools to address these objectives.

In addition to Dr. Hemphill's extensive interviews with Project EXCELins a actors and staff, surveys were administered to workers, supervisors, and companycontacts to measure the impact of the training on employee performance and workplacecommunication Surveys measured the communication skills and amount of Englishusage at the workplace as perceived by workers and their supervisors. The procedurefor administering surveys was as follows:

1. Worker Productivity Self-Assessment surveys administered to each worker at thestart of their involvement with the project. Supervisors filled out a correspondingSupervisbr's Assessment of Worker Productivity for each worker at the start of theworker's involvement with the project.

2. At the end of a worker's participation in the project, the same productivityassessment forms were administered to workers and supervisors to measure thechanges in attitudes or perceptions about a worker's productivity as a possibleresult of training.

3. At the end of the training at each site, an Overall Program Survey was given to themain contact at each site (usually the company president or human resourcesdirector).

4. Also at the end of training, instructors interviewed classes as a group (using theWorker Group Interview Form) and interviewed supervisors individually (usingthe Supervisor Interview Form) to gain insight to their impressions of theprogram's impact on workplace dynamics.

Samples of these evaluation forms and interview tools can be found in Appendix E.

CHANGES IN KEY PERSONNEL

There are no changes in key personnel. However, in June 1992 the project hiredanother Instructor (0.5 FTE) and a Program Coordinator (1.0 FTE). This was inaccordance with approved usage of budgeted salaries.

Final Performance Report, Project EXCEL4.Y

Page 17

Appendix A

Rationale for using non-standard methodsfor student assessment

I

APPENDIX A

USING NON-STANDARD METHODS TO ASSESS STUDENT PROGRESSPennie Lau, Curriculum Coordinator, Project EXCEL

1. Standardized tests invalidate a workplace specificcurriculum.

A workplace specific curriculum is designed to cover veryspecific and discrete work related competencies. It is notdesigned to directly enhance and improve a worker's globalcompetence in general work skills and communication.

2. A standardized pencil and paper test lacks content validity.

A standardized test does not actually involve the testee in asample of behavior that is being measured. If we want to test ourworkers' ability to handle difficult guest requests, a penand paper test would not actually engage the testee in asample of behavior that we are trying to test. An activitywhich engages the testee in an actual conversation with aguest (or hypothetical guest) with a difficult request wouldhave more validity.

3. A general standardized test lacks face validity.

A test has face validity when it appears to the testee tomeasure what it is designed to measure. Face validity isvery important from the learner's perspective. A learnerneeds to be convinced that the test is indeed testing what itclaims to test. A general standardized test of Englishgrammar does not have face validity for a group of workerswho have just gone through a curriculum on bakingcompetencies.

4. A standardized test lacks construct validity.

A test has construct validity if and when the results of thetest meet or validate the objectives of the set curriculum.Standardized tests may not tap into the theoretical constructof the course defined by the curriculum developer. Thedeveloper sets very specific objectives on what thecurriculum should do for the learner, and generalstandardized tests do not measure the extent to which theseobjectives were met.

5. Workers who have been away from the academic setting or whohave not had any formal education may not be familiar with apaper and pencil evaluational format (i.e., fill in thebubble, "all/none of the above", etc.)

Test taking is a skill that many LEP workers' may not have. Acurriculum specific test can lower test taking anxietybecause it can include activities to which the workers havebeen previously exposed. Workers should not be subjected totesting activities and exercises to which they have neverbeen exposed.

6. Results of a standardized test require special knowledge tointerpret.

Managers and supervisors at workplaces (our clients) may nothave tha knowledge to make accurate interpretations of testresult They may find it easier to interpret the results ofa curriculum specific test because they have a stake insetting saute of the curriculum and testing objectives.

7. An evaluation process that includes only a standardizedpencil and paper exam ignores invaluable data that speaksspecific ally to workplace achievement.

Frequent informal and intuitive testing measures performed byProject EXCEL's teachers in the classrooms suggest gains inlearners' competencies which are outside the parameters ofstandardized tests.

8. In a multi-level classroom, students may not fall within therange of proficiency that the standardized test targets.

Multi-level classrooms which include pre- and non-literatestudents are the norm in workplace literacy. Moststandardized tests assume students have basic Englishliteracy (the ability to read and comprehend discoursewritten with the English alphabet), which is not the case formany Project EXCEL participants.

9. A standardized pencil and paper test would not tap into thevery objectives needed to achieve a workplace specificcurriculum.

Curricula writter for a workplace literacy program takes on atask based focus, aiming to improve workers' ability tocomprehend and carry out instructions. These functions arenot tested by standardized tests.

10. It is difficult to prove the reliability of a test;standardized or customized) in a workplace literacy program.

Workplace literacy instructors rarely teach a similar groupof students from an equivalent proficiency level on anidentical topic twice. It is therefore difficult tosubstantiate the reliability of a test over time and acrossseveral groups of students.

Appendix B

Objectives of Curriculum Modules

I.; I I

gigetV1w1PRemmanom AA:ma Ika

Module 1 Ace Basics

Module 2 Stuff it, Seal Sort it, and Send it

Module 3 Getting the Job Done

Module 4 May I Help You?

Module 5 Forms Made Easy

Module 6 Special Delivery: Pronunciation at Work

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

OBJECTIVES OF MODULE 1

Module 1 is designed to familiarize Ace Mailing employees withclassroom instruction and procedures, review the basic componentsof written English and the numeric system, introduce the importanceof casual communication in the workplace, and help workers followand respond to instructions with emphasis on confirming and askingfor clarification when communication breakdowns occur. The aim ofthe activities in this module is to enable workers to feel morecomfortable in a classroom setting, encourage workers to initiateand respond to casual interpersonal exchanges at work, and followinstructions with greater ease and efficiency.

Students will be able to:

1. Read and write English alphabets in upper and lower case forms.

2. Read, write and comprehend numbers.

3. Make personal contact with co-workers and staff: greetings andsmall talk.

4. Ask and respond to personal information questions.

5. Fill out a simple personal information form.

6. Confirm information and ask for clarification.


This module is designed to develop practical job communicationskills to enable an employee to perform responsibly andproductively on the job. The lessons emphasize how to avoidmisunderstandings by learning to listen to instructions, confirmthem, or ask for clarif rations when necessary. They also makethe employee familiar with many of the key aspects ofinstructions-- location, sequence of events, action words etc.Finally, employees learn polite or typical manners of speech formaking requests and confirming/giving instructions.

The material in this module has been designed for students at thelow beginning/intermediate level (ESL 100 level).

The specific objectives of this module are:

1. Asking for locations.

2. Confirming given locations.

3. Taking and giving instructions.

4. Giving sequential instructions.

5. Making polite requests.


This module is designed to help employees develop communicationskills and strategies to improve job performance. The emphasisis on problem solving and reporting problems. Students willdevelop skill in identifying and reporting problems tosupervisors. They will be able to discuss work performance anddevelop solutions to problems. Lastly, they will have a betterunderstanding along with the capability to identify and discusssafety rules and regulations.

The material has been designed for students at the highbeginning/low intermediate level (ESL 100-200 levels).


1. Report typical problems students have at work.

2. Ask co-workers/supervisor for help in solving the problem.

3. Report work completion.

4. Ask for more work.

5. Ask if work is correct.

6. Ask for explanation of incorrect work.

7. Ask about safety rules.

-8. Explain safety instructions.

2J


Module 4 is designed to help Ace Mailing limited English proficient(LEP) employees develop communication skills and strategies toprovide customers with appropriate services. The emphasis in thismodule is on greeting customers and explaining supervisor's ormanager's absences in person as well as on the phone. They willalso develop skills in handling customer requests and in takingphone messages.

Specifically, students will be able to:

1. greet customers properly,

2. offer help to customers,

3. handle customers' requests,

4. explain supervisor's/manager's absences appropriately,

5. take a message in person and on the phone.


Ace Mailing Modul' 6 encompasses post office forms. It isprimarily concerned with the student making the leap from insertingand sorting mail to filling out the three most frequently used bulkbusiness mailing forms. Students will familiarize themselves withthe format and vocabulary shared in all the three forms, usingtheir experience on the job. They will practice, using real formsobtained from the post office, and individually and independentlyfill out different sections of the form. Lastly, they will be ableto correctly calculate postage at a variety of rates.

The material has been designed for students at the intermediatelevel (ESL 300-400 levels).


1. Recognize the format of forms for bulk business mailing.

2. Differentiate different requirements and functions of each form.

3. Fill in information in all sections.

4. Perform accurate postage computation.

5. Fill out appropriate forms for different job orders.

Post office forms covered in the module:

1. PS Form 3602-NStatement of Mailing with Permit ImprintsThird-Class Mail (Nonprofit Rates Only)

2. PS Form 3602-RStatement of Mailing with Permit ImprintsThird-Class Mail (Regular Rates Only)

3. PS Form 3602-PCStatement of Mailing with Meter or Precanceled Postage AffixedBulk Third-Class Mail (Regular or Nonprofit Rates)


All of the modules in this series were designed to help employeesof ACE Mailing 'develop communication skills and strategies toimprove job performance. Effective communication on the jobinvolves not only understanding co-workers and supervisors butbeing understood. This module provides exercises to assess andpractice areas of difficulty in pronunciation. The exercises areset within a contextual framework that is familiar to the studentsand will ideally provide them the opportunity to transfer what theylearn from the classroom to the workplace.

The specific objectives of this module are to:

1. identify sounds and combinations of sounds that aredifficult for students to pronounce.

2. isolate these sounds in a series of Listen and Repeatexercises.

3. introduce words from the workplace that contain thesesounds.

4. provide pronunciation practice in the form of acontextual, workplace-based dialogue.

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Module 4

Module 5

Module 6

Bakery Vocabulary and Instructions

Bakery Know-How

Safe and Sweet: Safety Ruks,Order Forms and Bake Sheets

Ingredients and Processes

Work Evaluations

Understanding Meeting Minutes

BEST COPY AVAILABLE


Module' 1 is designed to familiarize Just Desserts kitchenemployees kith bakery vocabulary and instructions. The lessonsare aimed at developing work maturity and communication skills toenable an employee to perform productively and responsibly. Inaddition, this module introduces the concept of the Americanworking culture by encouraging workers to ask questions when theydon't understand, and to ask for clarifications when they are notcertain.


I. understanding bakery vocabulary and simple instructions,2. confirming given instructions,3. calling to report late or absence,4. making requests for help,5. pointing out (potentAal) problems or mistakes.


Module 1 is designed to familiarize Just Desserts kitchen employeeswith extended bakery vocabulary and expressions includingmeasurements for reading and comprehending recipes as well asspecial order sheets and for understanding complicated oralinstructions. The lessons are aimed at developing communicationand reading skills to enhance performance. In addition, thismodule introduces the concept of "If" and the concept of "more" toenable the employees to perform even more productively andresponsibly.


1. understanding bakery vocabulary and complicatedinstructions ("more"),

2. understanding situations of a conditional nature ("IF"),3. giving feedback on company products,4. understanding company recipes and special orders,5. initiating small talk with colleagues.

The material in this module has been designed for students at thehigh beginning/intermediate level (ESL 200-300).

J


Module 3 is designed to help Just Desserts employees develop agreater awareness and increased knowledge of possible safetyhazards and the safety rules used at their jobs. Furthermore, themodule also provides practice in writing memos and reading andfilling out work order forms. In addition, the module alsostresses identifying problems and making suggestions for avoidingsafety hazards at work, thus emphasizing analytical thinkingskills.

The material has been deiigned for students at the low intermediatelevel of ESL learning (200-300 levels).


1. Raising awareness of the importance of safety it the workplace.

2. The verb to hurt and other "accident verbs"; possessiveadjectives; the irregular past tenses of some "accidentverbs".

3. The importance of asking for permission to operate certainequipment and of reporting accidents.

4. Review of specific safety rules related to the workers' jobsite.

5. Identifying, analyzing, and finding solutions for safetyhazards and accidents at work.

6. Months of the year, days of the week, and the writing of dateson company materials.

7. Reading and/or writing work-related memos, instructions, andorder sheets; understanding company computer printouts andabbreviations used in them.

viii


Module 4 was designed to assist the bakery workers at Just Dessertsachieve greater competence in one general area: achieving agreater knowledge of ingredients used on a regular basis at theirworkplace and the measurements and processes through which theseingredients are put.

This material has been designed for students at the lowintermediate level of ESL learning (i.e., the 200-300 level).


1. A more thorough introduction or review of all the mostcommonly used ingredients at the bakery: fruits, nuts,some vegetables, greases, powders, liquids, spices, etc..

2. To review which desserts require which ingredients.

3. To familiarize the students with some American English idiomsin which the names of these ingredients appear, so as topractice more spoken English.

4. To begin distinguishing fine differences in different types ofingredients that come from the same general group.

5. To introduce the workers to the different processes which theingredients are put to when being used for making desserts(cubing, slicing, sugaring, etc.).

6. To review and practice the most commonly used weights andmeasures involved in the processing of ingredients employed atthe workplace, including the differences and similaritiesbetween systems of measures and weights (decimal vs. pound-based).

7. To work with recipes used at the actual workplace in _

determining the amount of batter needed for certain desserts;the decoding of and computing involved in said recipe forms.


Module 5 was designed to assist Just Desserts workers in onegeneral area: to attain an increased understanding of the employeeevaluation forms that are used by their company to judge theirperformance. The Module also attempts to further acculturate theworkers by reviewing which work values are required in the Americanwork culture and by analyzing how these values that may notnecessarily be shared by the cultures from which the workers come.

This material has been designed for students at the lowintermediate level of ESL learning (i.e., the 200-300 level).


1. To introduce the workers to the vocabulary used in performanceevaluation forms employed at their workplace;

2. To acquaint them with the formatting of said forms and relatedranking symbols and categories.

3. To familiarize the workers with the American work culture andits system of work ethics (values and criteria).

4. To relate the American work ethic to the workers' performanceevaluation forms;

5. To contrast thG above with the workers' native work cultures.


This is the last module for LEP employees at Just Dessertsbakery. The main topic of this curriculum is comprehendingwritten meeting minutes which in themselves recycle all thevocabulary and job-related materials already covered in theprevious modules. Specific reading skills such as readingheaders, bold-faced and italic words, first sentence of eachparagraph, and making a meaningful guess in the context areindividually taught and constantly reinforced in differentreading activities. Moreover, the use of a bilingualdictionary, a English-Spanish Spanish-English one for theLEP group at Just Desserts, is also introduced in order tobetter equip the learner with future self study capabilitiesonce this last module comes to an end.

The material in this module has been designed for studentsat the intermediate level (ESL 300-400).

Specific objectives are as follows.

1. Pre -read meeting minutes.

2. Select, read and understand important sections in meetingminutes.

3. Ask for meaning, definition, or translation.

4. Guess meaning in the context.

5. Use a bilingual dictionary.

vi

'tlaiM. s",.."

"/

Module 1 Basics of Customer Service

Module 2 Solving Problems on the Job

Module 3 What's a Good Worker?

Module 4 Greater Relations, Greater Productivity

Module 5 Overcoming Obstacles at Work

Module 6 Program Review

3EST COPY AVAILABLEd

Objectives of Module 1

Module 1 is designed to help Casa Sanchez employees developcommunication skills and strategies to perform productively andresponsibly on the job. The emphasis in this module is on,providing good customer service when Casa Sanchez drivers meet withstorekeepers at different sales locations. The drivers willdevelop skills in handling customer complaints/requests as well asmaking polite requests themselves.


1. name the products they deliver in English.

2. identify and describe problems associated with the productsthey sell.

3. recognize and comprehend common storekeepers' complaints.

4. respond appropriately to store keepers' complaints.

5. handle store keepers' requests appropriately.

6. make polite requests.

7. recognize and understand the concept of "mark-ups" in pricingproducts.

viii

OBJECTIVES OF MODULE 2,

This module is designed to help LEP employees develop problemsolving skills and strategies to improve job performance. Theemphasis is on problem solving and communicating with customers.Students will develop skills in identifying and reporting problemsto managers, pointing out possible causes of problems, makingsuggestions, and negotiating with customers.

The material has been designed for students at the high beginningto intermediate level (ESL 100-300 levels).


1. Identify common problems on the job and point out possiblecauses of the problems.

2. Recognize different degrees of importance of problems.


4. Make suggestions or provide input for problem solving.

5. Negotiate with store or restaurant personnel appropriately.

6. Understand the importance of providing quality customer service.


Module 3 is designed to help Casa SAnchez employees to develop agreater knowledge of cultural aspects of workers' performance.Specific topics dealt with herein include the importance ofpunctuality, non-verbal communication, ethical behavior at work,and benefits to which employees are entitled in the U.S. as well aswhat American employers expect of their workers.

The material has been designed for students at the high beginningor low intermediate level (ESL 100-200 levels).


1. Personal introductions and small talk about home and work.

2. Use of non-verbal communication such as eye contact andgestures.

3. The cultural importance of time in the U.S.; excuses forlateness and absences; and the significance of punctuality anddeadlines.

4. Attributes that make for a good worker, plus review andexpansion of related adjectives.

5. Cultural differences in work ethics between the U.S. and othercountries; plus reality and myth in the "Protestant WorkEthic".

6. Benefits that U.S. workers are entitled to and expectationsthat most American employers have of their employees.

V

40


Module 4 is designed primarily to help Casa Sanchez employeesdevelop greater facility in writing memos and brief businessletters related to "giving notice" at work. It also stresses thecultural importance of good social relations among workers, theirinterdependence as it affects their productivity, as well as thesignificance of being flexible and versatile at work, and clear inunderstanding complicated job instructions.

The material has been designed for students at the low intermediatelevel of ESL studies (levels 200-300).


1. Clarifying and giving complicated instructions.

2. Cultural and economic importance of flexiblity and versatilityon the job in the U.S..

3. Verbal and written "giving notice" to employers for latenessand absences; writing of brief business letters for same.

4. Parts of the body and common medical conditions as they relateto lateness to and absences from work; review of possessiveadjectives used in conjunction with parts of the body.

5. Asking to speak or consult with management; culturalimportance of choosing the most appropriate moment.

6. Good social relations on the job and their effect on thecompany's productivity; teamwork in American companies; pluseffect of other workers' job conduct on the employees'productivity for good or ill.


This module groups different aspects of working in the foodindustry which may prove to be challenging or personally dangerousto the employees. Some aspects involve work habits, others involveexperiencing the prejudice that comes from stereotypes held by somecustomers, while others involve mistakes commonly made in the foddindustry plus safety hazards and prevention typical in thatindustry.

The material has been designed for students at the high beginningand low intermediate levels (ESL 300-400 levels).


1. Reading and understanding performance evaluation forms.

2...Understanding the managerial mentality that goes into assessingworkers' strengths in the American workplace.

3. Examining the nature of prejudice and stereotypes in general,including race, ethnicity, gender, and age.

4. Practicing ways to manage other people's prejudices so as tocarry on with business in the face of prejudiced clients.

5. Learning to prevent some of the most common mistakes made bydriver-deliverers and food preparers in the industry.

6. Introducing the student to the vocabulary related to parts ofthe body, "accident" verbs, and the reporting of accidents.

7. Learning what are the most common sources of accidents in thefood preparation and delivery industry.

8. Writing reports communicating a work-related accident.

9. Identifying and responding to signs warning against possiblework-related hazards and injuries.

vigo-


Module 6 was designed to help the students review the main pointstaught during the previous five modules. The overall objectiveswere to reinforce what had already been explained and to make surethat students who joined the program after its inception were notleft out of the most .important points of the program. By mostimportant points we mean those that: 1- had the greatestimmediate relevance and utility to the workers in their everydayduties (their "workplace English") and 2- that proved to beuseful for them in everyday life ("general English").

The specific objectives of this module were:

1. The most commonly used vocabulary relaLed to driver-deliverersof Mexican food.

2. Adjectives of expressions used to describe conditions ofproducts.

3. Ways to address customers' complaints and requests.

4. The process of calculating wholesale and retails prices, andthe concept of mark-up.

5. Speculating about or giving reasons for events during the workday (the concepts of "if" and "because", i.e., conditionalityand causality).

6. Question words and the syntactical patterns of questions inEnglish.

7. Commonly used idiomatic expressions related to usage of time;cultural value of time efficiency in the United States.

8. Good worker traits in the service sector.

9. Reporting states of health and work-related accidents andinjuries.

10. Requesting time to speak with management.

11. Vocabulary used in work performance evaluation forms andthe American cultural values reflected in them.

12. Practice in writing work performance evaluation forms and thevalue system that goes behing them.

13. Dealing with prejudice clients and stereotypes they may haveof the worker's racial or ethnic group.

iv

o

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Module 4

Module 5

A Fashionable Beginning

A Stitch of Common Sense

Can you help me with fractions?

Doing My Job

Piecing it all together

BEST COPY AVAILABLE


Module 1 is designed to familiarize Momentum garment workers withclassroom instruction and procedures, review the basic componentsof written English and the numeric system, introduce some basicsewing terminology and the importance of casual day to daycommunication in the workplace. The aims of the activities in thismodule is to enable workers to feel more comfortable in a classroomenvironment, and initiate or interact with co-workers and superiorsin English with greater fluency.


1. read and write the English alphabets in upper and lower caseforms.

2. associate the most basic English sounds with theircorresponding symbols - beginning phonics.

3. read, write, and comprehend ordinal and cardinal numbers.

4. name and ask for common sewing tools politely.

5. ask for repetition during communication breakdowns.

6. initiate and participate in casual small talk with co-workersand superiors.

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Li 0


Module 2 is designed to introduce five new competencies related tothe garment making industry while reviewing and reinforcing basicfunctional language previously taught in Module 1. Workers atMomentum, Inc. will gain competency in recognizing and naming basiccolors, articles of clothing, sizes, seasons of the year and partsof the body. Students will broaden their small talk repertoire bylearning to compliment each other on their appearances and showconcern for each other by asking and responding to questionsconcerning their health.

The students will be able to:

1. read, write, and comprehend names of basic colors and theirabbreviations as they appear on Momentum spec sheets; describecolors they are wearing. New verb: I'm wearing...

2. read, write and comprehend common articles of clothing;name clothing they are wearing. New verbs: put on. takeoff.. I have. I need...

3. make compliments about appearance and clothing; respondappropriately to compliments. New verb: I like...

4. recognize and describe sizes commonly found on clothing labels;describe the fit of clothing they wear. New verb: try on

5. read, write and comprehend the four seasons of the year;catagorize clothing and colors according to seasons. Newlanguage: This/that is for summer.

6. name different parts of the body.

7. show concern for each other's health; describe sources of pain

and discomfort. New verb: My head hurts.

ix


Module 3 is designed to introduce six new competencies relating tothe work and the working culture of Momentum, Inc. while reviewingand reinforcing basic functional language taught in the previoustwo modules. Workers at Momentum, Inc. will gain competency indescribing common physical ailments, expressing sympathy for co-workers with sickness, and calling in sick themselves. Because thecompany receptionist is often away her desk, the workers will learnto help answer the phone. The class will also learn to use themodal expressing ability and possibility "CAN" to describe whatthey can/can not do and request for assistance. Finally, Momentumworkers will understand the meaning of fractions and gain greatercompetence in using rulers, yardsticks and measuring tapes.


1. recognize and express common physical ailments.

2. express sympathy and concern for co-workers with sickness.

3.. call in sick to work.

4. assist in answering the phone and asking callers to call backat a more convenient time.

5. use the modal of ability "CAN" to express things that they canand can not do.

6. use the modal of possibility "CAN" to request for help andguidance.

-7. understand the meaning and representation of fractions.

8. comprehend, read and write fractions as they usually appear intheir sewing specifications.

9. use rulers, yardsticks, and measuring tapes with greater easeand competence.


Module 4 is designed to introduce four new competencies relating tothe work and working environment of Momentum, Inc.. The first unitallows the worker-students to review and apply their knowledge offractions and use of measuring instruments to measure width,length, height, seam allowances and body parts. Several grammarpoints are highlighted in this module to bring about greateraccuracy in spoken English. The workers will achieve functionalcompetency in describing and responding to common questionsregarding their jobs, describing common work procedures, givinginstructions, and asking for and responding to requests for help.Finally, in the last unit, the workers will recognize andcomprehend special notices and important safety signs aroundMomentum, Inc..


1. measure and respond to questions about seam allowances, thewidth,_ and length of garments.

2. measure and respond to questions about body measurements andheight.

3. undekstand and use possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, andtheir) in spoken English correctly.

4. understand and use demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these,and those) in spoken English correctly.

5. recognize names of jobs and job duties at Momentum, Inc..

6. introduce themselves and describe their jobs and job duties topeople.

7. comprehend and respond to common interrogative questions (who,what, when, where, why, which, how) about their jobs.

8. describe common work activities and procedures (verbs) insimple present and present continuous tense forms:

Example: I iron shirts every day.I'm ironing shirts right now.

9. give instructions using the imperative form:Example: Iron the shirts!

9. ask for help and respond to requests for help

10. recognize and understand special notices and safety signsaround the sewing factory and the building.


Module 5 introduces five new competencies related to the work andcommunication at Momentum, Inc. while reviewing and reinforcingmaterials taught in the previous four modules. In this module,workers will identify and name fabrics used at Momentum by sight.They will also learn to recognize the written form of fabric nameswhich will inevitably help them in reading the company inventorysheet and clothing labels. Following a unit on reading asimplified company inventory sheet, the workers will learn toidentify and name fabric designs used at Momentum and express theiropinions on whether designs and colors match well together or not.The longest unit in the module is dedicated to naming basic partsof a garment which will eventually lead to naming parts of atypical Momentum ski jacket. Finally, the last unit touches ondescribing common sewing problems and suggesting solutions to thedescribed problems.

The students will specifically be able to:

1. recognize and name fabric types used at Momentum.

2: express their opinions on whether the fabric type is easy ordifficult to sew.

3. identify the written form of fabric names and learn to readand comprehend a simplified company fabric inventory sheet.

4. read and pick out specified information from clothing labels.

5. interpret the percentages that usually appear on fabric contentlabels.

6. understand the necessity of company inventory sheets andfill out parts of an inventory grid.

7. identify and name fabric designs used at Momentum and expresstheir opinions on whether certain designs and colors matchwell or not.

4.dentify and name parts of a garment and a typical Momentum skijacket.

9. describe common sewing problems and suggest solutions to remedythe problems.

Appendix C

Sample Context-Based Assessment Test

A. LISTENING

A-1 Listen to theFOR EXAMPLE:

JUST DESSERTS CURRICULUM

PRE-TEST(MODULE 1 & MODULE 2)

teacher and circle the correct answer.(you hear) "1 Cup."(you circle) a. 1 P. (E) 1"C. c. 1 T.

c) 9 #

c) 22 #

c) 1 t

1. a) 9 oz. b) 1.9 oz.

2. a) 2# b) 1/2 #

3. a) 1/2 t b) 1 1/2 t

A-2 Listen to each dialoguethe sentence you hear.EXAMPLE 1: (you hear)

(you circle)

1. a)

EXAMPLE 2: (you hear)(you circle)

b)

2. a) b)

3. a)b)c)

4. a)b)c)

5. a)b)c)

PutPullPush

and circle the picture, the word, or

"Bring me a bucket." "All rig16."b)

"Open theca) Open.

)

c) Push.

Run the cookie machine for Jose.Come to the cookie machine.Start the cookie machine.

It is next to the door.They are near the door.It is behind the door.

Ott

oven door please."

c)

A.-3 Listen to the dialogue between Terry and Maria, then readthe following statements.

Check "YES" if the statement is true, "NO" if not.

1. Terry talks to Maria.

2. Maria gives Terry a hand.

3. Maria should bake the cakes for 20 minutes.

4. Terry is right.

B. MATCHING

YES NO

Look at box No. 1. It is a Just Dessert label. The wordhas been written under the picture.

Look at each picture and write the correct word under thepicture. Choose from the words on the left side.

1. 8" cheese cake ring

2. strapped pan

3. loaf

4. sponge

5. spatula

6. label

7. oven rack

8. bread rack

9. frosting wheel

label

label

C. READING

C-1 Read the paragraphs, then circle the correct answer for eachfollowing questions.

1. Jose begins work at 1:30 p.m. Mario-begins work at 1:00 p.m.Julio begins work at 11:00 a.m.

1) What time does Mario begin work?

a-. 1:30 p.m. b. 1:00 p.m c. 11:00 a.m.

2) Who comes to work first?

a. Jose b. Mario c. Julio

2. The recipe cwlls for 1 1/2C. of sugar. You add 2C. of sugar.You put sugar.

Which statement is correct?

a) You put not enough sugar.b) You put too much'sugar.c) You put too little.sugar.

C-2 Circle the correct answer to each question.

1. If the batter has too much water it is,

a) thick b) underwhipped c) runny

2. If you have a headache at work, you will

a) go to sleep b) take an aspirin c) tell Terry

3._ If you spill something on the floor, you will

a) leave it b) clean it up c) say nothing

4. T means,

a) teaspoon b) Tablespoon c) cup

5. # means

a) inches b) pounds c) quarts

6. "Scale down" means.

a) Ok b) make smaller

7. On the pie crust machine you should use,

a) 2 hands

c) make bigger

. b) 1 hand c) no hands

C-3 Read the following dialogues between A and B, then fill inthe appropriate instructions from the box.

Did you say 5 sheets of chocolate cookies?I'm sorry, I don't understand.What did you say?Ten 8" cheese cake rings?

FOR EXAMPLE:

A: Excuse me, Jose.. Take ten 8" cheese cake rings to Luis.B: Ten 8" cheese cake rings?A: Right.

1. A: Jose, bring me a strapped pan please.

B:

A: Bring me a strapped pan.

B: OK.

2. A: Jose, please make 5 sheets of chocolate cookies.

B:

_ A: Right.

3. A: Bring me a ring and put it on the table.

B:

A: Go get a ring for me.

B: OK.

A: And put the ring on the table.

B: No problem.

5 'I

C-4 The following is a Special Order. Look at this order sheetand answer the following questions.

Prep bake frost sp kit morn L D pkg

Item: Cherry pies Amount: 15

pkg

1. Who works on this order?

2. What is the item?

3. How many pies will you make?

D. WRITING

Think of requests you have madepast. Write 3 requests. Start

or you have been given in thewith the given words as follows.

FOR EXAMPLE: Can you pull the rack to the table ?

1.` Would you

2. Could

3. Excuse me,


This module is designed to help LEP employees develop problemsolving skills and strategies to improve job performance. Theemphasis is on problem solving and communicating with customers.Students will develop, skills in identifying and reporting problemsto managers, pointing out possible causes of problems, makingsuggestions, and negotiating with customers.

The material has been designed for students at the high beginningto intermediate level (ESL 100-300 levels).


1. Identify common problems on the job and point out possiblecauses of the problems.

2. Recognize different degrees of importance of problems.


4. Make-suggestions or provide input for problem solving.

5. Negotiate with store or restaurant personnel appropriately.

6. Understand the importance of providing quality customer service.

d

Objectives of Module 1

Module 1 is d6signed to help Casa Sanchez employees developcommunication skills and strategies to perform productively andresponsibly on the job. The emphasis in this module is onproviding good customer service when Casa Sanchez drivers meet withstorekeepers at different sales locations. The drivers willdevelop skills in handling customer complaints/requests as well-asmaking polite requests themselves.


1. name the products they deliver in English.

2. identify and describe problems associated with the productsthey sell.

3. recognize and comprehend common storekeepers' complaints.

4. respond appropriately to store keepers' complaints.

5. handle store keepers' requests appropriately.

6. make polite requests.

7. recognize and understand the concept of "mark-ups" in pricingproducts.

viii

Appendix D

Media Coverage of Project EXCEL

Educational JournalsHenze, Rosemary and Katz, Anne. "What is theRelationship Between Workplace Literacy and Content-Based Instruction?", The CATESOL Journal, April 1992,pp. 93-96.

Business and Trade PublicationsErickson, Pam. "The New Immigrants: how to tap theirskills", Modern Baking, March, 1992, pp. 52-56.Small Business Advisory Commission. "SmallBusinesses Send School to Employees", SBAC News, Fall1991."Ace Mailer", San Francisco Business, May 1991, p. 17.

San Francisco ChronicleSullivan, Kathleen. "Taking pains with workers'English", San Francisco Examiner, Tuesday, September 29,1992, Business Section.Sullivan, Kathleen. "English On the Job", San FranciscoExaminer, Sunday, November 15,1992, Business Section,pp. E1-E7.

.

57. S

ynth

esiz

ing

idea

s dr

awn

from

man

y so

urce

s58

. Dra

win

g m

ain

idea

s fr

om r

eadi

ngs

59. D

raw

ing

mai

n id

eas

and

deta

ilsfr

om r

eadi

ngs

60. R

eadi

ng c

ritic

ally

and

arg

uing

with

auth

or's

idea

s61

. Thi

nkin

g cr

itica

lly a

nd a

rgui

ngw

ithin

stru

ctor

's id

eas

62. G

ivin

g or

al p

rese

ntat

ions

63. P

artic

ipat

ing

in w

hole

-cla

ss d

iscu

ssio

ns

64. P

artic

ipat

ing

in s

mal

l-gr

oup

disc

ussi

ons

Oth

er (

spec

ify)

Low 1 1 1

Deg

ree

of I

mpo

rtao

re

Hig

h 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 465

.O

ther

ify)

66.

(spe

c

3

Not

e. F

ront

a s

urve

y re

port

ed in

AW

NSi

ngan

d M

eetin

g E

SL L

earn

er N

eeds

Acr

oss

the

Dis

cipl

ines

, by

Kat

e K

inse

lla, M

arch

. 199

0. P

aper

pres

ente

d at

the

mee

ting

ofT

each

ers

of E

nglis

h to

Spe

aker

s of

Oth

er L

angu

ages

,San

Fra

ncis

co, C

A. A

dapt

ed

by p

erm

issi

on.

92A

PRII

. I49

2T

he C

AT

ESO

L J

ourn

al

4B

EST

CO

PY A

VA

ILA

RF

CA

TE

SOL

EX

CH

AN

GE

Wha

t is

the

Rel

atio

nshi

p B

etw

een

Wor

kpla

ce L

itera

cy a

nd C

onte

nt-B

ased

Inst

ruct

ion?

RO

SE

MA

RY

HE

NZ

E A

ND

AN

NE

KA

TZ

AR

C A

wn

iate

%, I

nc.,

Oak

land

. C1

Wor

kpla

ce li

tei a

( v

has

been

def

ined

as

..m

ore

than

juA

t kno

win

g ho

wl(

) re

ad. I

t's a

lso

mor

e th

an h

avin

gth

e na

rrow

ski

lls T

ot a

spe

cific

job.

Whe

nw

e us

e th

e te

rm "

liter

ary"

we

incl

ude

the

full

arra

y of

bas

ic s

kills

that

ena

ble

an in

divi

dual

to -

use

prin

ted

and

writ

ten

info

rmat

ion

In /U

nctio

n in

soc

iety

. to

achi

eve

one'

s go

als,

and

to d

evel

op o

ne's

kno

wle

dge

and

pate

n-tia

L" (

Nat

iona

l Ass

essm

ent o

f Edu

catio

nal P

rogr

ess,

198

5, c

ited

in S

arm

ient

o &

Kay

, 199

0.p.

3)

In th

is g

ener

al d

efin

ition

, the

aut

hors

con

ceiv

e of

wor

kpla

ce li

ter-

acy

as a

ben

efit

to b

oth

nativ

e sp

eake

rs a

nd n

onna

tive

spea

kers

of

Eng

lish.

in th

is s

hort

art

icle

. we

focu

s on

wor

kpla

ce li

tera

cyas

' it

appl

ies

to th

e E

SL p

opul

atio

n. T

he v

igne

ttes

that

fol

low

giv

e th

efl

avor

of

two

mid

i situ

atio

ns

The

700

115

cont

ains

long

tabl

es p

lace

d en

d to

end

. Lar

ge ti

nted

win

dow

s lo

ok d

own

over

Mar

ket S

tree

t whe

retin

y pe

de.s

lria

nsan

d ca

n sp

eed

on th

eir

way

.A

t 10

min

utes

&lim

eth

e ho

ur, a

Jew

stu

dent

s ha

ve a

lread

y ar

rived

for

clas

s, d

ress

ed fo

r th

e w

ork

day

that

will

beg

in a

t the

end

of t

heir

two-

hour

blo

ck a

l Eng

lish

for

the

wor

kpla

ce. T

he s

tude

nts

com

e fr

om a

myr

iad

of !e

rn{n

enre

back

grou

nds

and

repr

esen

t a v

arie

ty o

f dep

artm

ents

and

em

ploy

-m

ent p

ositi

ons

with

in th

is la

rge

bank

; the

one

thin

g th

ey s

hare

isa

com

mon

nee

d to

impr

ove

thei

r E

nglis

h la

ngua

ge s

kills

13y

doin

g so

, em

ploy

ees

belie

ve th

ey w

ill im

prov

e th

eir

curr

ent j

obpe

rfor

man

ce a

nd in

crea

se th

eir

oppo

rtun

ities

for

adva

ncem

ent.

Dur

ing

the

clas

s, th

ey w

ill fo

cus

on in

crea

sing

thei

r pr

ofic

ienc

yus

ing

cont

ent d

raw

n fr

om th

e w

orkp

lace

env

ironm

entth

e co

m-

pany

new

spap

er,

inte

ract

ions

am

ong

empl

oyee

s an

d be

twee

n em

-pl

oyee

s an

d m

anag

ers.

tele

phon

e pr

otoc

ols,

com

pute

r m

ail.

Les.

The

CA

TE

SOL

Jou

rnal

A P

RI!

199

293

3

sons

are

bas

ed o

n th

ese

real

-lif

e us

es o

f la

ngua

ge. T

he tw

o in

stru

c-to

rs a

re in

depe

nden

t con

trac

tors

hire

d by

the

bank

to p

rovi

de 1

0

wee

k-lo

ng b

lock

s of

inst

ruct

ion.

In a

noth

er p

art o

f th

e ci

ty, a

sm

all

but g

row

ing

bake

ry k

now

nfo

r its

ric

h de

sser

tsm

ade

with

fre

sh in

gred

ient

s em

ploy

s a

prod

uc-

tion

wor

kfor

ce th

at is

. His

pani

c, V

ietn

ames

e,In

done

sian

, and

Chi

nese

. Whi

le m

ost o

f th

e tim

e em

ploy

ees

are

invo

lved

in a

c-

tions

wei

ghin

g, m

ixin

g, b

akin

g.de

cora

tingt

hey

also

nee

d to

be a

ble

to u

se E

nglis

h la

ngua

ge.c

kills

. The

y ne

ed, a

mon

g ot

her

thin

gs, t

o un

ders

tand

inst

ruct

ions

, acq

uire

the

abili

ty to

read

a

wor

k or

der,

and

fol

low

saf

ety

inst

ruct

ions

and

mai

nten

ance

wor

k

proc

edur

es. I

nw

orks

ite-b

ased

cla

sses

des

igne

d on

the

basi

s of

a

"lite

racy

aud

it,"

wor

kers

dev

elop

Eng

lish

lang

uage

pro

fici

ency

in a

reas

dir

ectly

rel

ated

to th

ene

eds

of th

eir

jobs

. Cla

sses

are

offe

red

in s

ix-w

eek

segm

ents

, pro

vide

dby

Proj

ect E

XC

EL

, aw

ork-

plac

e lit

erac

y pr

ogra

m f

unde

d by

the

U.S

. Dep

artm

ent o

f E

duca

-

tion

as a

trai

ning

pro

gram

off

ered

by

the

Car

en R

esou

rces

De-

velo

pmen

t Cen

ter.

Tho

ugh

a gr

eat d

eal o

fva

riat

ion

exis

ts a

mon

g w

orkp

lace

lite

racy

prog

ram

s,th

ese

two

serv

e to

illu

stra

te s

ome

of th

e po

ints

whi

ch w

em

ake

alxn

n th

e re

latio

nshi

p be

twee

n w

orkp

lace

liter

acy

and

cont

ent-

base

d ap

proa

ches

. In

orde

r to

cla

rify

this

rel

atio

nshi

p, w

e co

mpa

reth

e tw

o ap

proa

ches

in te

rms

of s

ever

al k

ey d

imen

sion

s: a

udie

nce,

loca

tion,

pur

pose

, con

tent

,and

teac

hers

.

Dim

ensi

ons

Who

Is

It F

or?

Wor

kpla

ce li

tera

cy p

rogr

ams

such

as

the

EX

CE

L p

ro-

gram

are

des

igne

dfo

r ad

ults

who

are

wor

king

. As

we

men

tione

d,

the

part

icip

ants

may

be

nativ

e sp

eake

rsof

Eng

lish

or th

ey m

ay b

ein

var

ious

sta

ges

of a

cqui

ring

Eng

lish

as a

seco

nd la

ngua

ge. C

onte

nt-

base

d E

SL in

stru

ctio

n, o

n th

eot

her

hand

, can

be

desi

gned

for

any

age

grou

pal

l the

way

fro

m e

lem

enta

rysc

hool

chi

ldre

n th

roug

h co

l-le

ge s

tude

nts.

The

par

ticip

ants

are

by d

efin

ition

acq

uiri

ngE

nglis

has

a s

econ

d la

ngua

ge.

How

ever

, the

dif

fere

nces

inth

e tw

o au

dien

ces

go b

eyon

d ag

ean

d

nativ

e la

ngua

ge. T

houg

h ra

rely

artic

ulat

ed, t

here

is a

n es

sent

ial

clas

s

diff

eren

ce in

that

wor

kpla

ce li

tera

cy p

rogr

ams

are

mos

t oft

en g

eare

dfo

r w

orke

rs s

uch

as th

ose

inth

e de

sser

t com

pany

exa

mpl

e,w

hile

cont

ent-

base

d in

stru

ctio

n is

typi

cally

des

igne

dfo

r st

uden

ts p

ursu

ing

an a

cade

mic

pro

gram

.W

hen

and

if th

ese

stud

ents

eve

ntua

lly jo

inth

e w

orkf

orce

, the

y w

ill p

roba

bly

not

be w

orki

ng a

t the

low

est l

evel

s

of th

e pr

oduc

tion

forc

e. I

nth

is s

ense

, the

dis

tinct

ion

betw

eeen

the

two

type

s of

pro

gram

sre

flec

ts th

e vo

catio

nal/a

cade

mic

spl

itw

hich

runs

thro

ugh

so m

uch

of o

ur e

duca

tiona

l sys

tem

. (T

his

is n

ot li

mite

d

to th

e U

.S. M

any

if n

ot m

ost

othe

r co

untr

ies

mak

e a

sim

ilar

or

stro

nger

sep

arat

ion.

)

91A

PR11

199

2 a

The

CA

TFS

OL

Jou

rnal

Whe

re D

oes

It T

ake

Plac

e? W

orkp

lace

lite

racy

prog

ram

s m

ay ta

ke p

lace

at a

wor

ksite

or

at a

site

nea

r th

e w

orkp

lace

. Con

tent

-bas

ed E

SLpr

ogra

ms

gene

rally

take

pla

ce in

a s

choo

l or

univ

ersi

ty s

ettin

g.

Wha

t Is

the

Purp

ose

and

Con

tent

? B

oth

type

s of

prog

ram

s m

ake

the

sam

e ba

sic

assu

mpt

iont

hat i

t is

bette

r to

teac

h la

ngua

ge-r

elat

edsk

ills

in c

onte

xt th

an in

isol

atio

n (M

ohan

, 198

(ii)

. Thu

s th

epu

b-po

seof

bot

h is

to in

tegr

ate

lang

uage

dev

elop

men

t with

con

tent

so

that

lang

uage

and

/or

liter

acy

will

be

lear

ned

in a

mor

e m

eani

ngfu

l con

t-:x

t.In

the

case

of

cont

ent-

base

d ap

proa

ches

, the

con

tent

is u

sual

ly m

ath,

scie

nce,

his

tory

, or

othe

r ac

adem

ic d

isci

plin

es. I

n th

e ca

se o

f w

ork-

plac

e lit

erac

y, th

e co

nten

t is

the

know

ledg

e an

d sk

ills

need

ed f

orpa

rtic

ular

jobs

. For

exa

mpl

e, s

ome

of th

e ba

nk 'e

mpl

oyee

s ne

eded

to le

arn

how

to w

rite

mor

e ef

fect

ive

mem

oran

da. O

ther

s ne

eded

toim

prov

e th

eir

skill

s at

dec

odin

g an

d se

ndin

g co

mpu

ter

mai

l. St

illot

hers

, cus

tom

er s

ervi

ce r

epre

sent

ativ

es, n

eede

d to

wor

k on

tele

-ph

one

prot

ocol

s fo

r ha

ndlin

g cu

stom

er c

ompl

aint

s. A

ll of

thes

e em

-pl

oyee

s w

ere

wor

king

on

lang

uage

set

with

in s

peci

fic

wor

kpla

ce c

on-

text

s.

How

Is

the

Con

tent

Det

erm

ined

? In

con

tent

-bas

ed E

SL, a

cade

mic

nee

dsan

d st

ate

fram

ewor

ks d

eter

min

e th

e co

nten

t to

be ta

ught

, tho

ugh

indi

vidu

al te

ache

rs d

o us

ually

hav

e so

me

flex

ibili

ty in

ada

ptin

g th

ese

fram

ewor

ks to

the

prof

icie

ncy

leve

ls a

nd n

eeds

of

indi

vidu

al c

lass

es.

In w

orkp

lace

lite

racy

pro

gram

s, o

n th

e ot

her

hand

, the

det

erm

inat

ion

of c

onte

nt d

epen

ds o

n tw

o m

ajor

var

iabl

es. O

ne o

f th

ese

is th

e lin

guis

-tic

dem

ands

of

the

part

icul

ar w

orkp

lace

. To

dete

rmin

e th

ese

lingu

istic

dem

ands

, an

inst

ruct

or o

r cu

rric

ulum

spe

cial

ist s

tudi

es th

e pa

rtic

ular

job

to f

ind

out w

hat k

inds

of

lang

uage

em

ploy

ees

need

in o

rder

tofu

nctio

n ef

fect

ivel

y in

that

env

iron

men

t. Fo

r ex

ampl

e, in

the

seco

ndjo

b si

tuat

ion

desc

ribe

d ab

ove,

EX

CE

L c

urri

culu

m d

evel

oper

s co

n-du

cted

a li

tera

cy a

udit

to d

eter

min

e w

hat r

eadi

ng, c

ompu

tatio

n, a

ndco

mm

unic

ativ

e sk

ills

wer

e re

quir

ed f

or w

orke

rs to

per

form

job

task

sef

fect

ivel

y. E

XC

EL

sta

ff c

olle

cted

all

prin

ted

mat

eria

ls a

nd o

bser

ved

the

wor

king

env

iron

men

t on

seve

ral o

ccas

ions

. The

y al

so v

ideo

tape

dan

d au

diot

aped

the

wor

king

env

iron

men

t, in

clud

ing

wor

kers

' per

for-

man

ce a

nd c

omm

unic

atio

n. T

hese

dat

a pr

ovid

ed a

n ex

haus

tive

in-

vent

ory

of la

ngua

ge f

unct

ions

in th

e w

orkp

lace

. The

oth

er m

ajor

vari

able

is th

e le

vel o

f pa

rtic

ipan

ts' c

omm

unic

ativ

e sk

ills,

usu

ally

de-

term

ined

thro

ugh

som

e fo

rm o

f ne

eds

asse

ssm

ent a

t the

beg

inni

ngof

the

prog

ram

. The

lite

racy

aud

it, th

en, p

rovi

des

a sp

ecif

ic d

escr

ip-

tion

of th

e co

inm

unic

atai

ve d

eman

ds o

f th

e w

orkp

lace

, whi

le th

ene

eds

asse

ssm

ent l

ooks

at s

tude

nts'

ski

lls in

rel

atio

n to

thos

e w

ork-

plac

e de

man

ds.

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CA

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srua

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PR 1

1 19

9295

101

Who

Tea

ches

ft?

Bot

h co

nten

t-ba

sed

ESL

and

wor

kpla

ce li

tera

cy p

ro-

gram

s us

e si

mila

r te

achi

ngco

nfig

urat

ions

. In

som

e ca

ses,

a la

ngua

gete

ache

r te

ams

with

a c

onte

nt o

r sk

ills

inst

ruct

or in

eith

er th

e sa

me

clas

sroo

m o

r se

para

te o

nes.

In

othe

r ca

ses,

aco

nten

t or

skill

s in

stru

c-to

r w

ho h

as b

een

trai

ned

inla

ngua

ge a

nd li

tera

cy d

evel

opm

ent a

s-su

mes

res

pons

ibili

ty f

orbo

th c

onte

nt a

nd la

ngua

ge. I

n a

thir

d co

n-fi

gura

tion,

a la

ngua

ge te

ache

r w

ho h

as a

back

grou

nd in

a s

kill

orco

nten

t are

a as

sum

es f

ull

resp

onsi

bilit

y. N

o m

atte

r w

hat c

onfi

gura

-tio

n is

use

d, b

oth

type

s of

pro

gram

sre

quir

e so

me

cros

s-fe

rtili

zatio

nof

teac

hers

who

are

ski

lled

in la

ngua

gede

velo

pmen

t and

teac

hers

who

are

ski

lled

in th

e pa

rtic

ular

wor

k or

con

tent

are

a.

Con

clus

ion

ESL

pro

fess

iona

ls n

eed

to c

onsi

der

the

rela

tions

hip

betw

een

con-

tent

-bas

ed E

S1, a

nd w

orkp

lace

lite

racy

bec

ause

the

ESL

wor

kpla

ceis

itse

lf c

hang

ing.

Old

er s

tuen

ts a

re c

omin

gin

to p

rogr

ams,

the

num

-be

rs o

f im

mig

rant

s an

d re

fuge

es a

rein

crea

sing

, and

em

ploy

ers

are

begi

nnin

g in

som

e ca

ses

to ta

ke o

ver

the

resp

onsi

bilit

y fo

r tr

aini

ngth

eir

wor

kers

in la

ngua

ge s

kills

. We

need

to b

e aw

are

that

opp

or-

tuni

ties

exis

t to

wor

k w

ith e

mpl

oyer

s as

ESL

pro

fess

iona

ls a

nd to

cons

ider

the

role

we

as E

SL p

rofe

ssio

nals

wan

t to

play

in w

orkp

lace

liter

acy.

Is

ther

e a

plac

e fo

r us

out

side

of

scho

ols

and

colle

ges?

Thi

sbr

ief

fora

y in

to th

e w

orld

of

wor

kpla

ce li

trac

y su

gges

tsth

at th

ere

is.

3

Ref

eren

ces

Moh

an, N

M tl

9lit

i).L

angu

age

and

tout

er&

Rea

ding

, MA

: Add

ison

Wes

ley

Sart

men

to, A

R ,

& K

ay, A

(19

90).

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ker-

cent

ered

/ear

ning

: A u

nion

gui

de to

wor

kpla

ce li

tera

cy W

ashi

ngto

n,D

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uman

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opm

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itute

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rnal

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CH

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GE

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t Do

VE

SL a

nd C

onte

nt-B

ased

Inst

ruct

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Hav

e in

Com

mon

?K

AT

HLE

EN

WO

NG

Cay

cow

, of S

an F

raru

Vof

am

ia!

Eng

lish

as a

sec

ond

lang

uage

(V

ESL

) ha

s, in

gen

eral

,be

en d

efin

ed a

s E

nglis

h la

ngua

ge in

stru

ctio

nth

at c

once

ntra

tes

on th

e lin

guis

tic a

nd c

ultu

ral c

ompe

tenc

ies

requ

isite

for

em

ploy

men

t.If

we

assu

me

the

defi

nitio

n of

con

tent

-bas

edin

stru

ctio

n to

be

"the

inte

grat

ion

of p

artic

ular

con

tent

with

lang

uage

-tea

chin

g aim

s" (

Bru

t-to

n. S

now

. S. W

esch

e, 1

989,

p. 2

), th

en th

e co

nnec

tion

betw

een

the

two

shou

ld b

e ob

viou

s. I

n fa

ct. V

ES1

. ser

ves

as a

n ex

celle

nt e

xam

ple

of c

onte

nt-b

ased

inst

ruct

ion.

Bas

ical

ly, t

here

are

thre

e ty

pes

of V

F.SI

. ins

truc

tion:

(a)

gene

ral

VE

SL. (

h) o

ccup

atio

nal-

clus

ter

VE

SL, a

ndc)

occ

upat

ion-

spec

ific

VE

SL.

Gen

oa!

VE

SI, r

efer

s to

lang

uage

inst

ruct

ion

rela

ted

to f

indi

ng a

job,

mai

ntai

ning

a jo

b, a

nd a

dvan

cing

on, t

he c

aree

r la

dder

Kno

wn

also

as

prev

ocat

iona

l ESL

, it i

s co

nten

t-ba

sed

lang

uage

lust

' uct

ion

in s

o fa

r as

it f

ocus

es o

n te

achi

ng E

nglis

hin

the

cont

ext o

f em

ploy

-m

ent.

Gen

eral

VE

S1, c

ours

es n

orm

ally

intr

oduc

e la

ngua

geco

rn-

mu

nica

tive

skill

s, g

ram

mat

ical

str

uctu

res,

voc

abul

arya

nd c

ultu

ral

info

rmat

ion,

all

rela

ting

to th

e w

orld

of

wor

k. F

or th

e m

ost p

art,

stud

ents

enr

ollin

g in

gen

eral

VE

R..

have

an a

rray

of

occu

patio

nal

inte

rest

s T

he u

nify

ing

elem

ent i

s th

at a

ll of

the

stud

ents

see

k ge

nera

lw

ork-

rela

ted

lang

uage

and

con

tent

. A ty

pica

lcl

ass

cove

rs s

uch

topi

csas

rea

ding

and

inte

rpre

ting

wan

t ads

, fill

ing

out j

ob a

pplic

atio

ns,

answ

erin

g qu

estio

ns f

or jo

b in

terv

iew

s, a

nd r

eadi

ngan

d in

terp

retin

gtr

ansp

orta

tion

and

sche

dule

info

rmat

ion.

Oth

er to

pics

mig

ht in

clud

eun

ders

tand

ing

and

givi

ng d

irec

tions

, cla

rify

ing

info

rmat

ion.

mak

ing

ex(

uses

, and

apo

logi

zing

.D

evel

opin

g cu

ltura

l com

pete

ncy

ina

gene

ral V

ESI

. cor

n se

is a

sim

port

ant a

s de

velo

ping

ling

uist

icco

mpe

tenc

y. I

nstr

ucto

rs m

ust p

ro-

vide

stu

dent

s w

ith p

ertin

ent

info

rmat

ion

rega

rdin

g th

e w

orkp

lace

cultu

re a

s an

inte

gral

com

pone

nt o

f,in

stru

ctio

n. T

he p

ossi

ble

area

sco

vere

d in

teac

hing

cul

tura

l com

pete

ncy

incl

ude

unde

rsta

ndin

g w

ork

sche

dule

s tim

e sh

eets

,pa

yche

cks

and

dedu

ctio

ns, b

enef

its, e

mpl

oyee

form

s, s

afet

yru

les,

and

uni

ons.

Thi

s cu

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l inf

orm

atio

n is

tang

ht

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CO

PY

AV

AIL

AB

LET

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V

I :

itclir,VOLUME 6 NUMBER 3 A Donohue/Meehan Publication MARCH

IN-STORE RETAIL FOODSERVICE DISTRIBUTOR

IN-STORE BAKING P&L IDEAS _ COVER STORY

Getting a gripon profitsRevamped merchandising, signatureproducts and strong management arepushing Big V in-stores ahead.

The New Immigrants:42 tap their skills 52

Operators tell how they've bridged cul-tural differences to create united, pro-ductive workplaces.

MERCHANDISING0>o>Om:r .vm0

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1.BAKERY

?f, DELIKITCHEN

(ENCLOSED)

HOT FOOD

Maximize yourselling space 84Too often, display space is used ineffi-ciently. These ideas could help yougain more sates per square foot.

4 MODERN MMHG MARCH, 1992

:

Bay. Area getsJust DessertsThat monicker no longer applies tohighly successful San Francisco intunit retailer.

BAKERY /DELI IDEAS REGIONAL FAVORITI

Grow into yoursandwich service 92There's more to adding a sandwichservice than just slapping meat andcheese between slices of bread.

OrREGIONAL BAKERY FAVORITES..

How breadbasketbakers do itSpecialty breads, white buns/rollsstrongly in the east north centralgion. Bakers there tell their tactics.

69 BEST COPY AVAILABLE

is

The Mew 1 igrants:

how to tap their skillsOperators tell how they've bridged cultural

differences to create united productive workplaces.

By Pam Erickson,contributing editor

He's an employer's dream.Young, strong, hardworkingand eager to please, he doesn't

mind putting a little extra effort into ajob, just to make sure it's done right.He's punctual, dedicated, and willingto learn. There's just one problem: Hecan't understand a word you're saying.

Bakery operators across the countryface this scenario often, and its fre-quency is sure to increase as the immi-grant population grows. This year theUnited States government will issue700,000 visas to immigrant workers,up from 500,000 in 1991; current pre-dictions see a work force that is 12%Black, 11% Hispanic and 80/o Asian-American by the year 2000.

What's the best way to maximize thepotential of these capable newcomers?The answer is the word that has sty-mied employers for ages. It is theprocess that is often difficult betweenpersons speaking the same language;toss in a few vernacular and culturaldifferences and the process can become darn near impossible. This keyis Communication.

"Clear, precise communication is soimportant, particularly in a bakery set-ting," says Barbara Radcliff, co-foun-der of Just Desserts in San Francisco."There are so many things going on at

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Communication between Just Desserts' Spanish-speaking employs,and American coworkers has improved veal& since the compost)enrolled in a governmentftmded literacy program.

c) BEST COPY AVAILABLE

once, so many jobs that are inter-twined. Employers need to come upwith ways to make sure everyone un-derstands what is happening, whetherthe employees speak Spanish, Chi-nese or any other language."

Some companies take a decidedlyinformal approach to the interculturalcommunication process. A vice presi-dent at a New York-area specialtybread wholesale bakery says his pro-duction workers hail from such far-flung regions as Central America, Haitiand Poland, yet little has been dor-2 tocreate a uniform means of infor 'nationexchange.

"Usually when someone is hired,there is another person on the line thatspeaks the same language," the execu-tive says. "The established employeethen acts as translator for the newworker. We haven't found a need to setup any sort of company-sponsored lan-guage program; everyone seems to haveworked out their own means of convey-ing their message. Sometimes it takes awhile, but things work out in the end.-

When basic is enough

At Minyard Food Stores in Coppell,Texas, bakery director GeorgeTimms says his managers use a vari-ety of methods when communicatingwith employees, many of whom arenot native to the United States. "A lotof the people we hire have at least abasic grasp of Englishenough tounderstand basic instructions,"Timms says, "but English (profi-ciency] is not required. Sonic manag-ers are bilingual. while others useanother employee to translate. Inother cases, particularly in produc-tion areas, motions and gestures getthe point across."

Other bakery operations have optedto eliminate language barriers early inthe hiring process. "The English lan-guage is the common denominatoramong all our employees," says

M MOO1RS4 SAICMG mARCH, 1992

Just Desserts employeescommitted to `excellenceLike the Berlin Wall, the languagebarrier between English and Span-ish speaking employees at Just Des-serts is tumbling down, thanks to anew program administered throughthe U.S. Department of Education.

Called Project EXCEL, the pro-gram enhances participants' Eng-lish language skills. But unlikeother English-as-a-second-lan-guage classes, the project is work-site specific; curricula aredesigned individually, to ensurethe needs of each participatingcompany are accurately met.

"We contacted Just Desserts lastyear," says Mabel Teng, project di-rector at the Career Resources De-velopment Center, the agencywhich implements Project EXCELin the Bay Area. "They are a grow-ing business, and they employmany Latino and Asian workers.Our program is helping their workforce become more sophisticated,so they can be better prepared tomeet the increasing demands oftheir jobs."

Teng says Project EXCEL per-sonnet visited Just Desserts manytimes when designing the com-pany's curriculum, thus creating a.

Awe

program that addresses many:::communication needs. The first:::,module of training, conducted lastsummer, covered basic bakery vacabulary and conversation;second module promoted a morecomplete understanding of bakery-iterms. The third module, currently';underway, addresses the workingculture of Just Desserts, focusing -on topics considered important tomanagement, such as "how to be-::a better worker," Teng says. -:.-

Each module lasts six weeks, andconsists of two 1 1/2-hour dasiesl:per week, fora total of 18 hours ofinstruction per module. Modulesaverage 17 participants each.

Teng says Just Desserts contrib-'utes a conference room plus relieftime for participating workers;other costs of adminiitering the';program are underwritten by gov;;..eminent funds. She estimates the'value of such instruction at $150`17'per classroom hour.

Bakery operators interested in .tparticipating in Project EXCEL oe,similar programs can contact Tensat the CRDC, 655 Geary St., Sane..Francisco, Calif. 94102; telephoni.(415) 775-8880. -i-to;

Marjorie Shaffer, bakery specialist withPetrini's supermarkets in San Rafael,Calif., an operation where many work-ers have immigrated from India, CentralAmerica and Vietnam. "By requiring thateveryone speaks English up front, youcan avoid miscommunication problemsfurther down the line."

Then there are those companieswhere cross-cu1wraI communicationhas simply become a way of life. At11 Fomaio, San Francisco, productionmanager Jan Schat says a large per-centage of his work force is CentralAmerican; hence, many managersspeak both Spanish and English.Company policy also requires writ-ten communication to be bilingual."By meeting our employees' lan-guage needs, we help ensure they'llmeet our needs for quality work."

Another Bay Area baking operationhas taken its bilingual program onestep further by participating in a pilot

language program administeredthrough the U.S. Department of Edu-cation. Several Hispanic employeesat Just Desserts have begun partici-pating in Project EXCEL, a programaimed at improving literacy and ba-sic skills training for people with lim-ited English proficiency (seeaccompany;ng sidebar).

Program a 'great help"

Just Desserts' Radcli Ff says her com-pany began working with the programlast year. "We've had several employ-ees complete the first two modules,and (recently began) a third," she says,noting that instruction was halted fromOctober to January to accommodateincreased production needs. "The pro-gram has been a great help in improv-ing communication betweenEnglish-speaking managers and His-panic employees."

v i BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Although language is the foremostobstacle to clear communication be-tween employers and recently immi-grated employees, cultural differencescan also stand in the way. An EastCoast retail baker says he once endedup firing a dishwasher, not because theman was a poor worker, but becausehe repeatedly disobeyed the ordersgiven by his manager, a woman. "Incertain cultures, the males call all theshots and some guys, even afterthey've moved to this country, justcan't get away from that way of think-ing," the bakery owner notes.

Barbara Radcliff adds that certain im-migrants, in kee,-..'ng with the teachingsof their native cultures, tend to be morereserved than their American cowork-ers. Questions and opinions sometimesare left unspoken, causing a communi-cation gap. "Some people are hesitant toask questions or communicate their de-sires because they feel it is not their placeto converse freely with their employers,"she says. We like to feel we're a veryopen company; we welcome input fromall employees. But we find ourselvesconstantly reinforcing this belief to ouremployees."

Illegals "not worth the risk"

On the issue of legality, all bakeryoperators interviewed were adamant:Immigrant workers must display ade-quate proof of residency before theycan he considered for a position."Even though [illegal aliens) will workfor practically peanuts, they are notworth the tisk," says a Southern Cali-fornia specialty wholesaler. "We re-quire written proof of legalresidencyno exceptions."

Once documentation has been es-tablished, many immigrants move onto become highly regarded membersof a bakery's work force. Punctuality,a strong work ethic and perseverancewere the favorable traits most oftenmentioned. "Many immigrants we've

Si MOON RAMO MARCH, 1992

At Il Fornaio, San Francisco, a large percentage of the work force isCentral American; hence, many managers speak both Spanish andEnglish and all written communications must be bilingual,

hired have been very stable." saysSchat at II Fornaio. "You hire them.you train them. and they stay withyou for a long time. The Americanwork force tends to be a little moretransient."

Petrini's Shaffer echoes Schat :s re-marks, and adds that newcomers arefrequently less demanding thanAmerican coworkers. "They don'twalk up to you with a list of re-qtiested time off," she says, adding."As long as you respect them- ascapable, qualified human beingsas you should any employeethey'llgive you 100% in return

Bob Wedeking, owner of \Veda-ing's Bakery, Escondido, Calif., sayshe has employed many immigrantsthroughout the years, with the major-ity coming from nearby Mexico. Hesays many have been great employ-ees, but cautions against assuming

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that 'recent immigrant' equals *dedi-cated s ta ff member.

"People are people, whether they'relx)rn in the United States. Mexico orsomewhere else." he says. "Some aregood, some are bad. I had one immi-grant employee who just didn't wantto work; I eventually caught hint steal-ing and fired him. But that doesn'tmean all immigrants are that way."

Wedeking says that the hiring proc-ess should he the point where unde-sirable candidates are eliminated. "Justdo your homework," he notes.

With the immigrant populationever increasing, the face of the bak-ery work force is changing. Lan-guage and cultural harriers mightarise, but none are too steep to over-come. With a little effort on the partof employers and employees, immi-grant workers can become an inte-gral part of the baking team.

2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE

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KEEPING SMALL BUSINESS WORKINGSMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION Copyright 1991 City and County of .San crancisco Fall 1991

SMALLBUSINESSESSEND SCHOOLTO EMPLOYEES

Recently, several small businesseshave begun to participate in ProjectEXCEL, a unique workplace literacypartnership operated by the SanFrancisco Career Resources Develop-ment Center (CRDC). The U.S. De-partment of Education has selectedCRDC, a non-profit educational orga-nization, to implement Project EX-CEL, which focuses upon literacy andbasic skills training for workers withlimited English proficiency.

Four San Francisco businesses areinvolved: Ace Mailing, Casa Sanchez,Just Desserts, and Momentum. Theemphasis is upon workplace commu-nication, so that the needs of theworker and the business are met.

Gwen Kaplan, owner of Ace Mailingand the president of the Small Busi-ness Advisory Commission, had beenlooking for just such a program foreight years. "1 was trying to imple-ment some type of educational pro-gram for workers when Mabel Teng(director of Project EXCEL1 walkedthrough my door to tell me aboutProject EXCEL. The timing couldn'thave been better."

The partnership between Project EX-CEL and small businesses is distinc-tive. The first step is needs assess-ment and task analysis. CRDC staffmembers interview workers and man-agers in each business, then design acurriculum around the specific needsof the company and its workers. Thisallows precise development of indi-viduals and businesses.

"Often, you find everything you arelooking for in an employee, but theymay not speak English well enoughto communicate their ideas or to trainothers," notes Gwen. "This is wherethe emphasis upon workplace lit-eracy is vital."

CRDC devises tilt: curriculum andprovides the teachers. The businessdesignates the site and schedule.Classes usually take three to fivehours each week at a time deter-mined by the business.

The outcome of this cooperative ef-fort is a harmonious blend of mutualbenefits. Project EXCEL enables em-ployees to be more effective workers,increases business productivity, andprovides longer term improvementsin increased job satisfaction and de-creased turnover.

For more information, contact MabelTeng, Executive Director, CRDC. 655Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.(415) 775-8880.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

ENTR.-EPR E N E U R S

ACE MAILERGwen Kaplan, Ace Mailing Excellence in Business Award

Gwen Kaplan welcomes a visitor to Ace Mailingheadquarters on 16th Street. The founder andowner of the direct marketing company is trying towrap things up before taking a vacation. Andwhen you have as many irons in the fire as Kaplan,wrapping up is no easy task.

She has just come from a meeting to plan AceMailing's participation in EXCEL, +74'a program thatprovides academ-ic training in thework place. Herenergy andenthusia mm forthe project aretypical of Kaplan.

"For years I'vebeen whoopingand hollering that .

a small businesscan train peoplein job skills, butwe can't go backand give them ahigh school edu-cation," shedeclares. "Thisprogram is great,because the onlything that willwork is trainingin the workplace."

Over the past 12years, as AceMailing hasgrown into a multimillion-dollar company, Kaplanhas managed to match the needs of her growingbusiness with the needs and resources of the localcommunity. "I guess it's my background," saysKaplan, a self-described "Prop 13 victim," whospent 10 years as a social worker before govern-ment cutbacks ended that career.

When Kaplan launched Ace Mailing in a smallspace in Fort Mason Center, for instance, sherecruited her startup labor from a nearby senior cit-izens' center. Later, the firm moved into largerquarters in the Mission District and Kaplan joinedforces with Arriba Juntor, a job training agency inthe Mission, and the Private Industry Council. Withtheir help, she hired and trained folks like AceMailing's current production manager, who wasunemployed, had no skills and no high schooldiploma when he joined the company six years ago.

Such efforts are classic examples of enlightenedself-interest. "Yes, I believe cur mission on earth isto take care of each other," says Kaplan. "But it's

4

Kaplan: A knack for matching b

Mole by HOIM011

really a two-way street. It's good for Ace Mailing aswell. We have tremendously dedicated, extremelycommitted employees. Turnover can kill a smallcompany, and our turnover is very low."

Originally, Ace targeted an unfilled niche in thedirect mail market for relatively small jobs forfirms that mailed 100,000 pieces or less. Its client

list has since

-

usiness and community needs.

grown to includelocal corporategiants like Bankof America,Chevron andPacific Bell, andpublic-sectorheavy-hitterssuch as BARTand the Univer-sity of California.However,Kaplan is deter-mined to keepher customerbase diversified."We do every-thing from voterpamphlets tomailings of 200hand-addressedenvelopes," shesays. With a mixof large andsmall clients in abroad range ofindustries, Aceinsulates itself

from downturns. Its fortunes aren't tied to those ofone big client or one industry.

As Ace prospered, Kaplan began to tackle smallbusiness issues. "When you can lose your businessbecause of a handful of regulations, then, buddy,you had better get involved in the public sector,"she says. Kaplan is president of the City of SanFrancisco's Small Business Advisory Commission,and is a tireless advocate for small business.

Her agenda for small business is wide ranging,but it's rooted in an Underlying theme. "Small busi-ness is such a vibrant part of the community: shesays." We're like seedlings. We have to be nurtured."

Meanwhile, Kaplan's community involvementcontinues unabated. Awards and citations line thewalls in Ace Mailing's conference room As far asKaplan is concerned, good works simply make goodbusiness sense. "I just won't accept the notion thatbusiness people are had guys."

BEST COPY AVAILABLE 1

ci)B

May 1991 San Francisco Business 17

San Francisco Examiner, Tuesday, September 29, 1992 [Business

Section]

Tak

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nglis

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_NOVEN1fiLlt 11. 1992

FINALlir--. .____... ... .. ......_EDITIONDi., I A. P. / ', t I 't I-- .-.-- -.. - -..----- .--- -

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kr-!: ; 4

EXAMINER/JOIN STOREY

All over The City, hotel employees are polishing

. up their English at work in languageclasses specifically geared to their work-a-day .:

needs. The program, created by the Career Resources. .Development Center, has won kudos, from hotel execur,.-:!

tives, union officials and employees Jipihesechefs;,Y':Chinese maids and Hispanic laundry workers: ( E.1. i

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

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By Kathleen SullivanOf THE EXAMINER UAW

ENNIE LAU nev-er knows for surewhat kind of outfitshe'll need forwork. ..t could be awhite laundry over-

.coat. A blue maid's

dress. Or a steward's brown jump-suit.

Lau wears whatever uniformshe needs to blend in with her stu-dents as she observes them work-ing at San Francisco hotelspressing linens, scrubbing bath-tubs, washing china plates. Or, inthe case of the.Kyo-Ya Restaurant,Lau played a well-dressed custom-er bantering with sushi chefs asthey prepared orders of hamachi,amaebi and negi-toro.

Lau is an English instructor atthe Career Resources Develop-ment Center, a nonprofit Bay Areagroup that is conducting languageclasses in local hotels under a fed-eral workplace literacy -grant. It isone of several programs offered bythe 26-year-old job-training group.

She said observing employees atwork is the best way find out what.4 mmunication skills reading,writing and speaking they useon the job. It's one of the first stepsin creating English classes specifi-cally geared to their work-a-dayneeds.

Lau said the classes she pre-pared for a trio of Kyo-Ya chefswere designed to help them greetcustomers, take orders, work withfellow employees, and to answermyriad questions "What doesflying fishroe taste like? Wheredoes your sea eel come from? Whatkind of maki do you have? Whichpart of Japan are you from? Whodesigned this restaurant?"

Akifusa Tonai, Kyo-ya's assis-tant sous chef, said the classeshelped boost the confidence of thesushi chefs, who have a lot of con-tact with customers, because itgave them the chance to practiceanswering typical questions askedby customers.

CRDC has received $431,000from the U.S. Department of Edu-__

[ See ENGLISH, E-6)

,t 't

1 ". .'57

^4.f A,

Sue Kwan listens to the teacher; workers use new language skills: at work.

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trAwaftaucArt RADEATISushi chefs at the Palace Hotel: Takeo Kiku, left, teacher Pennie Lau, Akifusa Tonal; seated, Masami Ishii..4

Ramirez said the classes encom--pass a wide range of topics. "We'vetaught everything from using frac-tions in a bakery to warding offsexual harassment by hotelguests," he said.

Ramirez, who has taught lan-guages for 13 years, said hotelworkers face the same struggles ascollege students trying to masternew sounds, words and sentencestructures. Some hotel workershave a knack for English; somedon't. Some bravely chatter awayin class, not worried about makingmistakes; others must be coaxed toparticipate, and then pronouncewords perfectly in a quiet voice.

Learning English at work can bea springboard to further study.CRDC's courses are short, lastingeight to 10 weeks, but during thattime some employees discover thatEnglish isn't at hard as theythought it would be. "It only whetstheir appetite for more," said DrewWestveer, who recently finishedteaching a class to laundry workersat the San Francisco Hilton. "Theywant to continue."

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Si

ENGLISH from E-1

English taughtat job sitescation to offer English,classes atsix hotels and the only SanFrancisco nonprofit group that re-ceived funding. The Mayor's Officecontributed another $60,000. Lastyear, the group conducted classesat Ace Mailing; Casa Sanchez, aMexican food manufacturer;Jeanne-Marc, a women's clothingmaker, Momentum, a skiwear de-signer; and Just Desserts bakery.

The classes represent an inno-vative approach to teaching En-glish. The lessons are held at work,immediately before or after a shift.The program focuses on entry-lev-el employees, whose needs are .of-ten overlooked by other languageprograms. CRDC doesn't chargefor the classes, but hotels must payemployees for at least half of thetime they spend in class.

Community colleges offer En-glish classes at local businesses for

._a fee.

Hotel executives said they de-cided to take part in the programfor business and altruistic reasons.

Tom Passantino, director oftraining at the Sheraton PalaceHotel, said its employees with lim-ited English couldn't conununicatewell with guests, supervisors and,in some cases, workers in the samedepartment. In a hotel, where ser-vice is key to a guest's satisfaction,communication is critical. Andeven the simplest gesture re-turning a guest's greeting couldensure that a guest returns.

He said the program requiressacrifices by both management andemployees. Supervisors juggleschedules so that a dozen peoplefrom the same department canleave work early twice a week; em-ployees stay late to attend class.

Passantino said accidentsdropped to zero in the laundry de-partment after the class.

Janet Braun, director of humanresources for the Holiday Inn onUnion Square, said the classes canalso enrich the personal lives of itsstaff in practical and profoundways. "Many of our employees lefttheir native countries for freedomin the United States," Braun said."If they don't speak. English, theydon't have freedom." -

Rafael Espinoza, vice presidentof the Hotel and Restaurant Em-ployees Union, said workers learnvaluable language skills in the clas-ses, and perhaps more importantly,gain a sense of belonging. "Whenmanagement offers English clas-ses, they're showing that they ac-cept the employees for who theyare," he said. "That makes peoplefeel like part of the team."

Immigrants who speak Englishwell also have the opportunity toadvance at work. Those who don'toften get stuck in entry-level posi-tions, and some end up spending 25years in the same job, said MabelTeng, CRDC's executive director,who designed the group's program,known as Project Excel.

Lessons used ImmediatelyExperts, say tailoring English

classes to work gives language les-sons a relevance not always foundin traditional classes. Students inCRDC's classes learn useful wordsand sentences they can use imme-diately every day.

Unlike college students, whose"job" is studying, full-time workersmust carve time out of their busylives for classes. Many hotel work-ers juggle English lessons with longwork hours and family responsibil-ities. Some hold two jobs. Manylive far from work and spend a longtime commuting by bus to theirjobs.

Oscar Ramirez, one of five

BEST COPY AVAILPRI r 62

CRDC instructors, said teachersface challenges, too.

Usually, their students cannotbe separated into beginning, inter-mediate and advanced classes, soall levels must be addressed in asingle class. Attendance may dropsuddenly if hotel business dropsand employees are laid off. Theteachers can't rely on homework toreinforce lessons, or the threat of apoor grade to motivate students.

In a recent class at the HolidayInn, the lesson focused on twokinds of guests those with prob-lems and those with requests.Holding up oversized flashcardswith room numbers and pictures

a torn shower curtain, a pluggedsink, an ironing board, a baby crib

Ramirez asked: "Is this a prob-lem or a request? What's wrong?What does the guest want?"

Roll-playing on the phoneThen Ramirez paired up stu -'

dents in a role play at the front ofthe class room cleaner and su-pervisor so they could practicereporting different situations overthe phone. Speaking a foreign lan-guage on the phone is hard, Rami-rez said, because accents are dis-torted and physical cues facialexpressions and gestures are in-visible.

With a little friendly persuasion,Ramirez convinced several stu-dents to act in the skit. As he cor-rected their pronunciation andphone manners, he delivered asteady stream of encouragementand jokes. "This is almost like aHollywood movie," he cracked,much to the delight of his students.

Poy Ngor Chan, a room cleanerat the Holiday Inn on UnionSquare, said she wants to be able totell supervisors about a stopped-uptoilet or a dirty bedspread, insteadof showing them the problem. Shesaid the classes will help her re-spond to requests from guests, whooften ask for her for directions toChinatown and restaurant recom- .

mendations.

Teaching colloquial expressionsis also important. Ramirez recalledan incident in which a guest told amaid to deliver two more towels onthe double. She delivered four. Andbecause she didn't realize what "onthe double" meant, she took hertime delivering them, greatly up-setting the guest.

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

* * Sunday, November 15, 1992 E7

Laundiylist oflan ageInstructors usework-relatedvocabulary to helphotel employeeslearn EnglishBy Kathleen SullivanOF THE EXAMINER STAFF

EACHERS OSCARRamirez and DrewWestveer had to do alittle homework beforethey could begin teach-

ing English to laundry workers.

Their assignment: To follow abundle of dirty linen bathmats,washcloths, towels, sheets and pil-lowcases from the time it tum-bled down the soiled linen chute onthe 30th floor of the San FranciscoHilton Hotel until it emerged spar-kling clean from the laundry.

Ramirez and Westveer work atthe Career Resources Develop-ment Center, a Bay Area non-prof-it group that was awarded a federalworkplace literacy grant to teachEnglish to hotel workers.

To pursue the dirty laundry,they marched downstairs andwatched workers separate the lineninto roll-away carts. They troopeddown another floor and saw em-ployees pulling chains that dumpedloads of sheets into giant washingmachines. They observed workerspinning damp sheets onto a ma-chine that dried and folded thelinen. They watched other employ-ees counting bundles of sheets andstacking them on carts.

All the while, Ramirez andWestveer were asking questionsand taking notes. They drew updetailed job descriptions, includingcommon nouns, verbs and adjec-tives used to describe the work, thelinen and the laundry machines.They gathered work schedules andother documents. They took pho-tographs. They created diagramsshowing the daily interaction be-tween employees and fellow work-ers, supervisors and guests. Theyrecorded snippets of English dia-logue.

All of the information becamefodder for teaching materials andclassroom instruction. It takes a lotof work to design a class tailored tothe needs of one particulargroup ofworkers, but Ramirez said it'sworth the effort. "The more em-ployees see that what they're doingin class is related to what they doon the job, the better they re-spond," he said.

Appendix E

Evaluation Tools

64

PROJECT EXCELWorker Productivity Self-Assessment Checklist

Name of Worker:Notnbre del Trabajador:

Date / Fecha / g 111

Please read each question and circle the answer to show how you feel.Favor de marcar el numero que mejor refleja su coinpetencia.

Mr5-1010014,00qa., tt 09am .

PoorlyDK-iltnente

11

WellBien

1. I can communicate with my co-workers in English.Puedo comunicarme con mis compatieros en ingles.

qKMA tioRft .

2. I can communicate with my boss in English.Puedo comunicarme con rid jefe en

q1ANAtiP -L4 e4.03. I can read job orders in English.

Puedo leer 6rdenes en ingles.

-01V.K%ski x4 PA oyAtft .

4. I ask questions in English when I don't understand.Hago preguntas en ingIrs cuando no entiendo.

4,1Atio, PlwflAttttl5. I can do different jobs if the boss asks me to in English.

Puedo desempaar varios trabajos si el jefe me los pide en ingles.

A 1ocm6±-460)ttiltro#4-10t4_009Lis .

6. I think that I could move up in the company.Creo que podria avanzar en la compatita.

ifri-011 tat 41-1Pt 41-

7. My reading skills in English are....Mi habilidad para leer en ingles es de. . . .

-040JE/giftvgii-A9-_8. My writing skills in English are.. ..

Mi habilidad pars escribir en ingles es de. . . .

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

_Project EXCELCRDC Workplace Literacy Project

Supervisor's Worker Productivity Assessment Checklist

Name of Worker

Name of Supervisor

Date

INSTRUCTIONS: . Please read each question. Then circle the number of the answer that best describesyour assessment of this worker's productivity.

1. Can communicate with co-workers...

Poorly1 2

2. Can communicate with supervisor...

Poorly1 2

3. Can read the job-related materials.

Poorly1 2

3

3.

3

4

4 .

4

4. Asks questions when doesn't understand. ..

Never1 2 3 4

5. Can do different jobs if asked to. ..

Never1 2 3 4

6. Could move up and do a more challenging job..

Poorly1 2 3 4

7. Reading skills are.. .

Poor1 2 3 4

8. Writing skills are.. .

Poor1 2 3 4

Comments:

Well-5

Well5

'Well5

Always5

Always5

Well5

Good5

Good5

Form SWP

.66

ro'ect EXCELCRDCCLWorklacel.Pro'ect__

Worker Program Evaluation Summary Group Interview Form

Name of Firm

No. of WorkersDate

INSTRUCTIONS TO INTERVIEWER: Please ask each question to the worker class group. Translate asneeded. Responses may be in any language Then take notes on the responses in the space provided.

1. What did you expect when this program started? Was it what you thought?

2. What about the kind of English you learned in the program? Was it what you wanted to learn? Howshould we change it?

3. What did you think of the schedule of the program? Was it at the right times for you? Whatproblems did you have in coming to class?

3. Do you think your language skills have improved? Can everybody give at least one example?

4. Do you think your productivity has improved? Can everybody give at least one example?

5. Has anybody started to study English in another program since starting this program? Where?

5. Can you give 2 or 3 examples of good things that happened because of the program?

6. Pretend that tomorrow you become the teacher for this class. Can you give 2 or 3 ideas for how to makethe class better for the students?

Form WSI

Documents

ED 355 838 FL 800 627 TITLE Project EXCEL. Final ... · TITLE Project EXCEL. Final Performance Report, March 1, 1991-October 31, 1992. INSTITUTION Career Resources Development Center,