Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education FY2017

Name of Grant Program: Community Adult Learning Center Fund Code: 340/345

PART III – WIOA INFORMATION and QUESTIONS

Implementing the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act under WIOA: Massachusetts has moved forward to a vision for excellence in service to adults who can benefit from improving their literacy and English proficiency skills. Realizing the vision requires acting upon eight WIOA principles.[1]

I. Leaders develop a vision for how adult education aligns with core programs and one-stop partners. Massachusetts developed a Combined State Plan that incorporates core partners and includes a unified vision and goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce. ABE is a key component in the plan, including the development of career pathways to provide access to high-demand, regionally significant employment and training services. Strong partnerships among ABE programs, workforce partners, and community partners will be needed to successfully serve students.

II. Adult education content standards are aligned with the state’s K-12 standards.

MassachusettsABE programs are required to have a unified curriculum aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education(CCRSAE) to guide Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) instruction, and to the Massachusetts ABE Curriculum Framework for English for Speakers of Other Languages(ESOL)and the CCRSAE standards where the standards are applicable and supportive of English language learners' next steps. The standardstake into account the academic requirements for credit bearing courses in postsecondary institutions, thereby facilitating students’ next steps to further education and training. Teachers are trained and supported to implement standards-based curriculum and instruction.

III. Educational leaders commit to improving teaching and learning in every adult education program. Adult educators receive support in learning and applying practices based on the most rigorous or scientifically valid research available. Professional development (PD) promotes an understanding of adults as learners and focuses on the teaching of reading, writing, mathematics, and English language acquisition. PD is available for teachers of all experience levels and effective teachers are recognized and used to train and mentor novice teachers.

IV. Technology is leveraged to improve teaching and learning. Recognizing that many jobs require digital literacy, programs encourage and support the integration of digital literacy skills into adult education and literacy activities. Further, recognizing the work and family demands of adult students, high-quality distance education offerings are expanded. Educators enrich teaching and learning in traditional classrooms, distance education, and hybrid learning environments with high-quality open education resources. Programs ensure that staff assists all learners in maximizing access to technology and the Internet.

V. Adult educators create stronger linkages with employers in partnership with core programs. Massachusetts encourages and supports ongoing engagement with employers and workforce development partners in the design, delivery, and evaluation of career pathways programs, integrated education and training, and workforce preparation activities responsive to regional and local labor market demands. These activities reflect the skill needs of high-demand jobs within the regional or local economy. Employers work in partnership with core programs and eligible providers to deliver adult education and literacy activities. Employers not only serve in advisory capacities but also provide externships (teacher learning experiences) and commit to hiring program graduates.

VI. Models and promising practices are identified and disseminated. Massachusetts supports and promotes evidence-based instruction to help youth and adults with low literacy skills participate more fully in society and successfully transition to further education and training. Teaching and learning methods include, but are not limited to, instruction incorporating the essential components of reading instruction and instruction that addresses the needs of adult learners, including those with disabilities. ACLS provides technical assistance (TA) to programs through development and dissemination of high-quality, evidence-based PD, assessments, and instructional training; use of technology to improve systemefficiencies and performance, including advancements in digital literacy skills; and the monitoring and evaluation of programs and activities.

VII. Programs and activities are evaluated to ensure continuous improvement and expand the available evidence base. Ongoing evaluations of the core programs are conducted using the most rigorous analytical and statistical methods feasible to promote efficiency and effectiveness of the workforce development system. Results are used to achieve a high-performing system that reflects optimal outcomes for participants. Evaluations fully engage partner programs; leverage federal, state, and local resources; and include customer feedback. Evaluations are transparent, and results are accessible to the public.

VIII. Accountability of the workforce development system is increased. The performance indicators established in WIOA are used to assess the effectiveness of the workforce system. Integrated data systems promote the availability of high-quality data on participant outcomes and support research and evaluation activities. Data about specific subpopulations, such as individuals with barriers to employment, are disaggregated to determine the extent to which the workforce development system is effectively providing opportunity to vulnerable populations.

These WIOA principles are the foundation of the ABE system. They must inform our work in FY17 and beyond.

Please respond to the following items.

  1. Curriculum
  1. Describe your plan for developing and using curriculum and instruction aligned to the Massachusetts ABE Curriculum Framework for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)and/or the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Educationbased on SABES feedback on the scope and sequence level your program submitted in August 2015.
  1. Integrate Math into higher level ESOL classes
  1. Describe how the program addressed the math needs of ESOL students in 700 level (SPLs 6 and 7) classes in FY 16.
  2. Describe how the program will address the math needs of ESOL students in 700 level (SPLs 6 and 7) classes in FY 17.
  1. Administer pre- and post- assessments to ASE level students using both the MAPT for Math and the MAPT for Reading
  1. Describe how the program uses assessment data from these tests to inform program improvements.
  1. Integrate Digital Literacy- WIOA references the Museum and Library Services Act of 2010, which defines digital literacy as “the skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information.”
  1. Describe how the program integrated digital literacy to prepare students for college and careers in FY 16.
  2. Describe how the program will expand the integration of digital literacy to prepare students for college and careers in FY 17.
  1. EFL Completion

From the FY 14 and FY 15 Table 4 in Cognos, identify Education Functioning Levels (EFL) that need improvement and describe your plans to improve curriculum and instruction to increase EFL completion rates for your program in FY 17.

  1. Out of School Youth

Strengthening services to out of school youth (ages 16– 24) is a key WIOA priority. Describe how you will plan to serve or expand services to this population either through direct service or by collaboration with Title I Youth Programs or other WIOA partners in FY 17.

  1. Collaborate with Workforce Partners

On a quarterly basis, the workforce partner in each of the 16 regions convenes the region’s Adult Career Pathways Working Group which consists of the region’s ABE Adult Career Pathways providers, career centers, and other workforce partners. The purpose of the Adult Career Pathways Working Group is to monitor enrollment, program performance, and career development for graduates. All ABE providers are encouraged to strengthen workforce collaborations using theexisting structure established by the Adult Career Pathways Working Groups. See the groups by region at this link:

Additionally, programs are asked to develop regional career pathways and prepare for meeting integrated education and training, integrated English literacy and civics education, and other WIOA requirements.

  1. Describe plans to strengthen collaborations with regional workforce partners to jointly identify opportunities for employment, education, training and support services students need to succeed in the labor market. Note that WIOA includes the same opportunities for English language learners, adults with low levels of literacy, and/or individuals facing substantial cultural barriers as other populations currently being served.
  2. Describe how the program will build on past community planning efforts to establish or build collaborations with local workforce partners, such as core partners, local workforce boards, One-Stop Career Centers, employment and training programs, local employers, and other regional workforce entities as required by WIOA. Your response should address these specific questions:

-How will you engage with core partners in your region with a focus on creating more career pathways for adult students?

-How will you begin discussing who will be “shared customers” among core partners and how to identify them?

Note:

Programs mustengage in a continuous improvement planning process. This process includes identifying goals, objectives, and major activities that align with WIOA. Programs must keep the continuous improvement plan updated for FY 17 as these may be requested at any time during the program year by ACLS staff.

[1] The WIOA principles in this RFP are adapted from the WIOA principles in OCTAE/DAEL Program Memorandum 15-4.