Features of the LBS Program

The LBS Program has 3 key features that have far-reaching implications for delivery agencies. The LBS Program is said to be learner-centred, goal-directed and outcomes-based.

Learner-centred: The Ministry clearly states that all literacy services – delivery and development – are linked to the learner. This means that the program takes its direction from the learner. It validates who the learner is, what the learner wants and needs to learn, and what the learner brings to the learning situation. Each learner is expected to have his/her own training plan, to have input into it and be able to describe the skills s/he is developing. See Appendix D to see how the training plan process works at one college and for a sample training plan.

Goal-Directed: The Ministry recognizes that learners who have clear, achievable goals have a better chance of succeeding in the LBS Program. The Ministry identified three main goal paths – employment, further education/training and independence. Delivery agencies are expected to help individual learners set realistic short-term goals and link the development of their skills to their goals. Short-term goals are described as what learners can reasonably be expected to achieve within the time the y are prepared to commit to the program. They are recorded on the training plan to help learners understand the steps that are required to achieve them.

Outcomes-based: The Ministry introduced a new language (learning outcomes) and approach (outcome-based learning) to Ontario’s literacy programs. Learning outcomes are broad statements of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that learners demonstrate at five levels of proficiency. Learning outcomes enable agencies to document learners’ progress within and across five LBS levels. They support goal-directed learning and emphasize successful demonstration of skills in the performance of real- life activities – in the workplace, the community, or the home.

These features are part of and have evolved through the LBS Program Reform Process. In 1998, MTCU initiated an extensive multi- year program reform through the Recognition of Adult Learning Strategy (RALS). It consists of four phases:

1. Learning Outcomes
2. Common Assessment
3. Articulation
4. Accreditation