Bringing Reading Instruction to Life Using PIAAC Tools: Supplement to the Introductory Guide (Literacy)
Author: Amy R. TrawickProduced by the American Institutes for Research through a contract with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education, May 2018.This 2018 report supplements the previously published Using the PIACC Literacy Framework to Guide Instruction: An Introduction for Adult Educators and provides literacy instructors ways to implement contextualized reading instruction to a population with varied needs and educational backgrounds. By connecting real-world reading tasks and standards-based instruction, this report provides resources for teachers to consider when planning a contextualized reading curriculum. The supplemental report is based on data originally released by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC) in September 2016 and was produced by the American Institutes for Research through a contract with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education.
Research Forum: Media Literacy for Adult Learners: Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills in the Digital Age
In today's world, media literacy is an essential skill for adults to participate in academic, professional, and community activities. This webinar will explore the importance of media literacy in adult education, providing practical tools and strategies to help learners critically evaluate media sources, understand the impact of media on society, and navigate the digital landscape with confidence. Participants will gain insights into fostering critical thinking and media analysis skills among adult learners, empowering them to become informed and engaged community members.
Application Deadline CALPRO 2026 Training-of-Trainers Institute
CALPRO will conduct the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Institute for the new community of practice (CoP) on Evidence-Based Reading Instruction at the CALPRO office in Sacramento on Monday and Tuesday, June 22-23, 2026. The online Moodle course for this ToT Institute opens on June 1, 2026. The purposes of the ToT Institute are:To develop a group of certified trainers to facilitate presentations of CALPRO professional learning modulesTo build professional development capacity and leadership in California adult education.The training includes asynchronous online work between June 1 and June 26, 2026, in addition to the following in-person sessions: Monday, June 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Location: 2150 River Plaza Drive, Suite 185 Sacramento, CA 95833-4130 WHO SHOULD ATTEND?The ToT is open to applicants from all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funded agencies (see page 2). The ToT is for individuals who will commit to following up on the ToT by facilitating the CoP for CALPRO within a year of the ToT. WHAT ARE EXPECTATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS?Participants will be expected to complete pre-Institute assignments online. Participants are expected to attend the entire ToT Institute – no exceptions – and demonstrate facilitation skills in practice sessions during the ToT. After completing the ToT, participants are expected to be available to facilitate training at CDE- or CALPRO-organized events within a year of the ToT. WHAT IS THE COST?CALPRO will reimburse travel costs for all nominees accepted to attend the Training-of-Trainers Institute. CALPRO will cover in advance the cost of hotel rooms for the night of Sunday, June 21 and Monday, June 22 if travel is 50 miles or greater one-way between the individual’s home and the training location (2150 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento 95833). CALPRO will also provide working session morning refreshments and lunch each training day and will reimburse for dinner costs at the state rate. The only cost to your agency is your time to participate.Please submit this application by no later than 5 PM on Friday, May 8, 2026.Questions? Contact Sachiko Oates at soates@air.org.
CALPRO 2026 Training-of-Trainers Institute
CALPRO will conduct the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Institute for the new community of practice (CoP) on Evidence-Based Reading Instruction at the CALPRO office in Sacramento on Monday and Tuesday, June 22-23, 2026. The online Moodle course for this ToT Institute opens on June 1, 2026. The purposes of the ToT Institute are:To develop a group of certified trainers to facilitate presentations of CALPRO professional learning modulesTo build professional development capacity and leadership in California adult education.The training includes asynchronous online work between June 1 and June 26, 2026, in addition to the following in-person sessions: Monday, June 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Location: 2150 River Plaza Drive, Suite 185 Sacramento, CA 95833-4130 WHO SHOULD ATTEND?The ToT is open to applicants from all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funded agencies (see page 2). The ToT is for individuals who will commit to following up on the ToT by facilitating the CoP for CALPRO within a year of the ToT. WHAT ARE EXPECTATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS?Participants will be expected to complete pre-Institute assignments online. Participants are expected to attend the entire ToT Institute – no exceptions – and demonstrate facilitation skills in practice sessions during the ToT. After completing the ToT, participants are expected to be available to facilitate training at CDE- or CALPRO-organized events within a year of the ToT. WHAT IS THE COST?CALPRO will reimburse travel costs for all nominees accepted to attend the Training-of-Trainers Institute. CALPRO will cover in advance the cost of hotel rooms for the night of Sunday, June 21 and Monday, June 22 if travel is 50 miles or greater one-way between the individual’s home and the training location (2150 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento 95833). CALPRO will also provide working session morning refreshments and lunch each training day and will reimburse for dinner costs at the state rate. The only cost to your agency is your time to participate.Please submit this application by no later than 5 PM on Friday, May 8, 2026.For More Information:Review the ToT Institute Information Document Questions? Contact Sachiko Oates at soates@air.org.
CALPRO Training-of-Trainers Institute
WHAT AND WHERE?
CALPRO annually conducts the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Institute for the new community of practice (CoP) at the CALPRO office in Sacramento. The purposes of the ToT Institute are:
- To develop a group of certified trainers to facilitate presentations of CALPRO professional learning modules
- To build professional development capacity and leadership in California adult education.
WHAT IS CALPRO’S COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE INITIATIVE AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE ToT?
Communities of Practice are formed by groups of professionals who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain (adapted from Wenger, 2002). CALPRO’s Communities of Practice (CoP) Initiative aims to increase the field’s focus on supported implementation of skills, strategies and action plans that participants develop in CALPRO trainings and institutes.
For each CoP training, an online community is established. Participants meet each other and begin learning together online; they continue to build community, knowledge and skills in the face-to-face training sessions; and they have the option of continuing to support each other’s efforts to apply new learning after the conclusion of the face-to-face sessions. CALPRO CoP trainers facilitate the entire process, including online and face-to-face sessions.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The ToT is open to applicants from all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funded agencies (see page 2). The ToT is for individuals who will commit to following up on the ToT by presenting the module for their agency, for their region, or for CALPRO at least once within a year of the ToT.
WHAT ARE EXPECTATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS?
Participants will be expected to complete pre-Institute assignments online. Participants are expected to attend the entire ToT Institute – no exceptions – and demonstrate facilitation skills in practice sessions during the ToT. After completing the ToT, participants are expected to be available to facilitate training at their agency, at other agencies, or at CDE- or CALPRO-organized events within a year of the ToT. Trainers will receive an honorarium for training conducted.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR MY AGENCY?
Your agency will have trained facilitator(s) on your staff who can serve as an in-house content specialist. Your agency will have increased capacity to provide high quality professional learning opportunities.
WHICH AGENCIES ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?
Employees of all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funded agencies are eligible to apply. For more information, contact coordinator Marcela Movit.
Adult Education Credentialing & Fundamentals of Adult Education Instruction
Calling all aspiring adult education teachers, and administrators who are hiring teachers! This informative webinar is designed to guide you through the Adult Education Credentialing process. Discover the new, free credentialing program for statewide teacher candidates offered by Santa Clara Unified School District in collaboration with Evergreen Community College. The session also introduces key instructional strategies from CALPRO's new community of practice topic, "Fundamentals of Adult Education Instruction," as well as the opportunity to be a CALPRO trainer on this topic.
Session date: April 22, 2025
Facilitator: Christine Berdiansky
Application Deadline: CALPRO Professional Learning Community (PLC) Institute
CALPRO is pleased to announce the opening of the application to the 2025-2026 Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Institute. Participating teams and individual members can choose to attend the full-day sessions in November and May either virtually or in person. The Institute will consist of the following training schedule and topics:October 10, 2025 12:30-2:00 This kick-off and orientation webinar will focus on institute expectations and process.October 10, 2025 - November 6, 2025 Teams are expected to complete online assignments.November 6-7, 2025 This two-day session in Sacramento, CA will focus on the framework and the training needed to craft plans and start a PLC process of school improvement focusing on student learning through ongoing professional development embedded in the agency’s school calendar. November 7, 2025 - May 7, 2026 Participating schools are expected to use the intervening time between the November and May sessions to take action on plans to lay the groundwork for PLC implementation for the 2023–24 school year and complete online assignments.January 23, 2026, 12:30-3:30 This webinar will focus on PLC big ideas and essential questions.March 6, 2026 12:30-3:30 This webinar will focus on team assessment collaboration.May 7-8, 2026 This two-day session in Sacramento, CA will focus on continuing training, feedback, evaluation, and problem-solving in support of implementation. Please note that you will meet with your implementation coach once per month during the Institute. The training, coaching, and online activities across the six months of training are approximately 50 hours. Applications must be received by September 30, 2025. To learn more about the Institute, please click on this link. Benefits Of Participating In The PLC Institute:Shift school culture to focus on learning results.Develop PLC processes of inquiry to achieve better results for the students you serve.Establish collaborative teams to identify essential student learning.Work collaboratively to develop common formative assessments for learning.Work collaboratively to analyze evidence of student learning and use that evidence to learn from one another.Embed professional development that fosters the ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research.Eighteen months of PLC implementation coaching supportWho Is Eligible To Apply?Any California Department of Education, Adult Education Office WIA Title II, or California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funded agency may apply. The Agency Director/Principal and a nominated lead teacher or PD staff member will participate as a team in the CALPRO Professional Learning Community Institute. To access the application, please click on this link.For More InformationFor more information, contact coordinator Sudie Whalen.
Research Forum: Strategies for Effective Instruction: Fundamentals of Adult Education
Research Forum Webinar on Fundamentals of Adult Education Instruction
Facilitator: Sachiko Oates
Admin Forum: From Reports to Results: Using Data to Drive Program Growth
Webinar Description: Join us for an engaging one-hour webinar designed to strengthen your use of data in shaping and advancing your Continuous Improvement Plan. You’ll hear professional perspectives from the California Department of Education, CASAS, and the field on how to effectively analyze and apply data for program improvement. Together, we’ll explore specific reports you can generate to guide decision-making and provide hands-on practice in developing clear, actionable SMART goals. Presenters: Carolyn Zachry, Administrator, California Department of Education; Kathleen Porter, Executive Director, Career Technical, Adult and Alternative Education, Poway Unified School District; and Carlos Rodriguez, Information Technology Lead, CASASDate: January 20, 2026, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Admin Forum: From Reports to Results: Using Data to Drive Program Growth
Webinar date: 1/21/2026, 1-2pm
Coordinator: Cherise Moore
Presenters: Dr. Carolyn Zachry, Kathleen Porter, and Carlos Rodriguez
View this one-hour webinar designed to strengthen your use of data in shaping and advancing your Continuous Improvement Plan. You’ll hear professional perspectives from the California Department of Education, CASAS, and the field on how to effectively analyze and apply data for program improvement. Together, we’ll explore specific reports you can generate to guide decision-making and provide hands-on practice in developing clear, actionable SMART goals.