ABE provided participants with basic education services. For participants who were reading below a ninth-grade level at program entry, the services focused on elevating their reading skills. If a participant was already at or achieved a ninth-grade reading level during the program, they attended adult secondary education classes focused on preparation for GED exams. Participants also took literacy and cognitive life skills classes. A participant could enroll in one or more ABE classes, which varied in duration.

Program participants were sorted into services based on education and college readiness at enrollment. Adults with a high school diploma or GED whose Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) reflected a 9th-to-12th-grade score equivalency received case management and college readiness training in preparation for subsequent enrollment in occupational training. If participants with a high-school-level TABE score were not enrolled in school and did not have a high school diploma or GED, they received accelerated GED preparation and occupational training simultaneously.

The program’s curriculum focused on real-world applications of the English language, such as talking about the weather or making phone calls. Participants in the intervention condition attended classes for 6 hours per week over a 15-week semester, in either the fall or spring. Classes were offered in morning and evening sessions at a local middle school or community center. The program served immigrants in Framingham, MA, who were learning English as a second language.