How do I get into ABE classes?

If you’re currently incarcerated:

    In a federal prison: Soon after you enter prison, your unit team and education department staff should give you an assessment test and recommend classes for you. You should then have access to ABE classes. (In federal facilities, ABE is part of a broader program called Adult Continuing Education or ACE). If your assessment shows that you’re not fluent in English, you must be enrolled in ESL, and if you don’t have a high school degree, you must be enrolled in classes designed to lead to a GED or high school diploma.[2759] If you’re not enrolled in these classes for some reason, but you want to be, ask your education advisor about getting placed into these classes.[2760]
    In a California state prison: To enroll in any education program, you must have a TABE score on file. (To learn how to sign up for TABE, see PG. 853.) Once you’ve done the TABE assessment, you should be able to attend ABE classes that are right for your level.[2761] For example, if you’re not fluent in English, you must be enrolled in ESL, and if you’re reading below a 6th grade level, you must be enrolled in basic literacy classes.[2762] You may also be able to get extra tutoring support through the Voluntary Education Program (VEP).[2763] If you’re not enrolled in these programs, but you want to be, ask your correctional counselor or education department staff.
    In a California county jail: Although educational programs vary by county, if your facility offers educational programming, Adult Basic Education will most likely be part of it.[2764]

If you’re formerly incarcerated:

GED vs. High school diploma

A GED is a high school proficiency test, which may allow you to earn a high school equivalency certificate in a more expedited manner or at your own pace. The test requires you to pass 4 parts in different subjects matters at your own pace. However, An adult high school diploma requires more coursework prior to obtaining your diploma. An Adult High School Diploma requires certain coursework to be completed at your own pace. After all the coursework is completed, you will be required to pass an exit exam called California High School Exit Examination. It is important to note that if you have already completed many high school courses required for a diploma program and have only a few left to take, a high school diploma program may be a faster route than a GED.

    Visit any public library or community bookstore to find free or low-cost ABE study materials, including books for the classroom and self-study books that you can work through on your own.
    Contact any public library, adult school, or community college to ask about ABE classes near you.[2765]
    You can also search the Internet for adult education programs near you:
    America’s Literacy Directory: www.literacydirectory.org
    National Literacy Directory: www.nationalliteracydirectory.org/
    California Adult Schools: www.californiaadultschools.org/cas/
    California Adult Education Provider Directory: www.otan.us/caaeproviders/
    California Community College Finder at www.californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/maps/map.asp
    ESL Directory: http://www.esldirectory.com/esl-program-search/usa/california
    California Council for Adult Education: http://www.ccaestate.org/
  1. 2759

    ESL students must reach an 8th grade level in listening and reading comprehension; pre-GED students must log 240 class hours of Adult Literacy or earn a GED, whichever comes first. See U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5350.24 English-as-a-Second-Language Program (July 24, 1997); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5350.28 Literacy Program (GED Standard) (Feb. 1, 2003); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5300.21, Education Training & Leisure Time Program Standards (Feb. 18, 2012); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, A Directory of Bureau of Prisons’ National Programs (May 21, 2014) at 1-3; see also 18 U.S.C. § 3624. ↑

  2. 2760

    U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5350.24 English-as-a-Second-Language Program (July 24, 1997); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5350.28 Literacy Program (GED Standard) (Dec. 1, 2003); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement 5300.21, Education, Training, and Leisure Time Program Standards (Feb. 18, 2002); U.S. Dep’t Justice Fed. Bureau of Prisons, A Directory of Bureau of Prisons’ National Programs (May 21, 2014) at 1-3. ↑

  3. 2761

    Cal. Dep’t Corr. & Rehab., Operations Manual, 101010.3.4–101010.3.5, (2015); Frequently Asked Questions, Cal. Dep’t of Corr. & Rehab. Div. of Rehabilitative Programs, www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/faqs.html#tabe. ↑

  4. 2762

    Cal. Dep’t Corr. & Rehab., Operations Manual, 101010.1–101010.5.3 (2015). ↑

  5. 2763

    Cal. Dep’t of Corr. & Rehab. Div. of Rehabilitative Programs, Voluntary Education Program, www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/voluntary-education-program.html; see also Cal. Dep’t Corr. & Rehab., Operations Manual, 101010.3.4–101010.3.5 (2015). ↑

  6. 2764

    Cal. Veh. Code § 1900 et seq; Adult Education Program Overview, Cal. Dep’t of Educ., www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/po/. ↑

  7. 2765

    See U.S. Dep’t of Educ. Office of Vocational & Adult Educ., Take Charge of Your Future: Get the Education and Training You Need ( 2012); Cal. Veh. Code § 52501- 52503; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 5 § 10560; Cal. Dep’t of Educ., Adult Education Program Overview, www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/po/. ↑