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The purpose of the English Literacy for Career and Technical Education (ELCATE - formerly Adult VESOL*) is to provide English language instruction for Limited English Proficient (LEP) adults, who have the goal to enter and complete a career/technical education program. The ELCATE course is designed to prepare students for success in career/technical programs and ultimately in the workforce.
The content is compatible with principles of language acquisition for adult learners of English and includes language skills applicable to general workforce development as well as studies specific to vocational/technical programs.
Adult English Literacy for Career and Technical Education's three levels are a non-credit course which is designed to improve students' chances for success in technical programs. Students may enroll in ELCATE prior to or concurrent with enrollment in a technical program.
As instructors prepared to teach ELCATE, you should review current practices relating to successful employability. This review should include job preparation, job search, successful employment, and how to retain a job after employment. All materials, visuals, and activities must have a direct link to workforce development. ELCATE classes require activities related to the workplace such as writing activities, using job descriptions, and oral language units related to job interviews as well as vocabulary exercises based on a specific vocational area.
Students entering the ELCATE course apply for admission to an Adult ESOL program sponsored by a School District, Community College, or other approved agency. Through counseling it is determined that the student has the goal to enter and complete a career/technical education program. The student is administered the CASAS Employability Competency Series (ECS) Reading Assessment Level B to determine eligibility for ELCATE. Students with CASAS scale scores of at least 201 on the ECS test are placed in one of the three levels of ELCATE according to the following table:
| ELCATE A - Beginning | 201-210 |
| ELCATE B - Intermediate | 211-220 |
| ELCATE C - Advanced | 221-235 |
Materials designed for the ELCATE are important components in a successful program.
ELCATE teachers should work closely with vocational instructors to develop occupation-specific vocabulary lists and language activities related to their students' employment goals. Instruction in the ELCATE classroom emphasizes work-related topics. All materials used should support instruction designed to lead to student achievement of performance standards.
It is recommended that competencies be taught with a strong focus on reading strategies, particularly in the context of career path reading materials for each of the technology fields of specialization. The instructor may provide students with a copy of the appropriate standardized syllabus and other pertinent information to inform the student on course content. Since a qualifying Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE) score is required for successful attainment of a Career/Technical Certificate in Florida it is suggested that TABE be administered to ELCATE students so reading instruction may be further focused.
Instructional activities will include a combination of whole class, small group, and individualized instruction. There are also many computer-assisted instruction learning activities that enhance instruction in the ELCATE classroom or lab.
Students complete ELCATE Levels upon successful completion of the competencies in the ELCATE curriculum frameworks and attain Literacy Completion Points (LCPs) through attainment of qualifying CASAS scale scores on alternate ECS Test Forms. Students exit when they have successfully completed the competencies identified in all levels of the ELCATE curriculum frameworks and they have attained qualifying CASAS scale scores on the ECS Test. Students are assessed with the ECS test as follows:
| ELCATE Beginning | Level A | ECS Reading B Forms 13/14/114 | Exit Scale Score = +/-211 |
| ELCATE Intermediate | Level B | ECS Reading C Forms 15/16/116 | Exit Scale Score = +/-221 |
| ELCATE Advanced | Level C | ECS Reading D Forms 17/18 | Exit Scale Score = +/-236 |
Since the goal of the ELCATE student is entrance into a technical program, some Adult ESOL/English Literacy programs might choose to assess students with a basic skills test, such as TABE, to determine the likelihood of student success in a career or technical program. However, effective January, 2005, TABE can no longer be used as a standardized assessment instrument for LEP students to show progress or demonstrate LCP attainment.
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