Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, English Language Acquisition Technical Standards

Purpose Statement

All students in the Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English Language Acquisition Programs are expected to meet certain technical standards which are essential for successful completion of all phases of the program, and which reflect industry requirements and standards. To verify the student’s ability to perform these essential functions, students may be required to demonstrate the technical standards below.

Meeting these technical standards does not guarantee employment in this field upon graduation. The ability to meet the program’s technical standards does not guarantee a student’s eligibility for any certification exams or successful completion of the program.

 

Technical Standard Definition of Standards Examples
Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving Skills Ability to develop and apply memory, comprehension, analysis, and evaluation skills.
  • Process information from multiple sources and viewpoints.
  • Collect, analyze, and interpret abstract and concrete data.
  • Recall previously learned concepts and apply them to other topics.
  • Analyze and apply feedback from instructors to make changes and improvements.
Interpersonal Skills

Ability to interact safely with diverse instructors, staff, and other students, whether face-to-face or through electronic means.
  • Exhibit ethical behavior and exercise good judgment in keeping with A-B Tech’s Code of Student Conduct and Code of Classroom Conduct as published in the Student Handbook.
  • Ask questions and/or seek assistance. Appropriately advocate for own needs.
  • Follow simple instructions from faculty and staff.
Communication Skills Abilities are sufficient for interaction with others in verbal, nonverbal, or written form.
  • Participate in collaborative conversations in small and larger groups.
  • Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to seek help, gather additional information, or clarify something that is not understood.
  • Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. Produce complete sentences appropriate to the task and situation.
  • Comprehend instructions in order to independently complete standardized multiple-choice assessments and level-appropriate learning activities.
  • Develop and apply knowledge of the basic written English language.
Coping Skills Abilities are sufficient for adapting to stress, adjusting to new situations, and adopting new mindsets and strategies for learning.
  • Seek support and/or follow reporting procedures as needed for injuries, illness, Title IX concerns, etc. as outlined in the Student Handbook.
  • Solve personal and interpersonal problems.
  • Be flexible enough to try multiple ways to learn new things.
  • Cope with your own emotions.
  • Cope with strong emotions in others.
Mobility/Motor Skills

Physical abilities sufficient to function in a classroom or online setting while following the Colleges’ Code of Student Conduct and Code of Classroom Conduct so “that the learning environment is not compromised.”
  • Perform physical activities to present knowledge and ideas (e.g. speak audibly and/or use a device/pen/marker/pointer, raise a hand, give thumbs up, etc. to indicate a response to a question).
  • Tolerate wearing personal protective equipment including but not limited to face masks, as may be required in the classroom environment.
  • Participate in class in the room environment with appropriate physical and verbal restraint.
Auditory Skills

Auditory abilities are sufficient for classroom or online needs.
  • Distinguish and respond to sounds at a close range including but not limited to an instructor, other students in a classroom, and audio recordings.
Visual Skills Visual ability is sufficient for comprehending instructors’ gestures, printed materials, images, or videos projected on a screen.
  • Tolerate working indoors in artificial light and the glare of a computer screen.
  • Discern text from left to right and top to bottom for reading in English.
  • Identify similarities and differences in visual images.
Tactile Skills Tactile ability is sufficient for written communication and handling of equipment.
  • Use writing utensils, keyboards, and computer controls.
  • Use manipulatives and calculators.
Environmental

Ability to tolerate environmental stressors.
  • Tolerate indoor classroom environments with fluorescent lights and variable temperatures.
  • Work in classrooms that may be crowded, with up to 35 people in the space, and may not always allow for 6’ distancing between each student.
Emotional/Behavioral Possess sufficient emotional stability and self-regulation skills to assume personal responsibility and accountability for following the Code of Student Conduct and Code of Classroom Conduct as outlined in the Student Handbook.
  • Engage in the learning process.
  • Receive and respond to constructive feedback.
  • Demonstrate honesty and integrity.
  • Adapt to, or deal with the unexpected.
  • Focus attention on the task.
  • Meet reasonable, predetermined deadlines.

 

In the case of an otherwise qualified individual with a documented disability, appropriate and reasonable accommodations will be made unless doing so would fundamentally alter the essential training elements, cause undue hardship, or produce a direct threat to the safety of the student.

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is invested in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Support Services is part of Student Services and is located in the K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center. For detailed information or to request accommodations visit Support Services. An appointment is recommended prior to enrollment in order to discuss any special concerns.