California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

This research forum webinar introduces the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework as well as the accommodations and modifications that support learning, self-determination, and success for adult learners, including learners with learning disabilities. We will discuss the challenges adult education professionals face while supporting adults with learning disabilities and share strategies and tools that work.

Date: 2/17/2026

Presenter: Marie Doerner

Description: 

This webinar focuses on turning UDL concepts into everyday teaching routines to improve engagement, accessibility, and learner persistence, with examples tailored to adult‑education contexts. Let's explore concrete instructional strategies, lesson design choices, and learner support.

Presenter: Marie Doerner

Course Description:
This self-directed course supports independent professional development; there is no facilitator nor other participants. Sign up now and access the class for 3 months. There is no official start or end date to worry about.

The purpose of this course is to identify how research-based learning strategies can increase engagement and access for all learners. Through this learning module, adult educators are introduced to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, which provide a framework to help educators create learning spaces which work better for all students. Additionally, the course presents straightforward strategies that educators can use to start implementing UDL immediately. The estimated course completion time is 1.5 hours.

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Registration Information:
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information:
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.

What Is A Professional Learning Community (PLC)?
“A professional learning community is educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve” (adapted from DuFour, Learning by Doing). LEARN and DO, DO and LEARN!

A PLC is a teacher-led, collaborative team process committed to helping all students learn by addressing the following critical questions:

1. What do we want students to learn?
2. How will we know if they have learned it?
3. What will we do if they don’t learn it?
4. What will we do if they already know it?

Why Attend The CALPRO Professional Learning Community Institute?
Professional Learning Communities help schools improve and be more accountable by impacting teaching and learning. Join us at the CALPRO PLC Institute to explore the core characteristics and processes on how to effectively implement a professional learning community that focuses on student learning outcomes and creates a system for sustainable school improvement. 

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) naturally aligns very tightly with both WASC accreditation expectations and Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) goals because all three are built around the same core idea: ongoing, data-driven improvement of student learning.

• Need Evidence of Student Work and Collaboration for WASC Accreditation?
  Evidence of student work and collaboration in a PLC shows how programs examine student learning and use it to drive improvement. This includes analyzed student work samples, assessment results, and documentation of team discussions where staff identify gaps and adjust instruction, demonstrating both student achievement and a collaborative, evidence-based approach to continuous improvement.
• Need to Establish a SMART Goal Around Student Learning for Your Continuous Improvement Plan?
  Participation in the PLC Institute helps programs develop SMART goals focused on student learning. These goals provide a clear, data-driven roadmap for continuous improvement, guiding teams to monitor progress, adjust strategies, and improve student outcomes over time.
• Need to Learn How to Use Data to Inform Instruction?
  Participation in the PLC Institute builds participants’ ability to use data to inform instruction and improve student learning. Teams analyze student data to identify needs, guide instructional decisions, and continuously refine practice based on results.

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 support

CALPRO PLC Institute
CALPRO's experienced and knowledgeable staff is excited to offer an intensive, multi-session PLC Institute for teams of program administrators and professional development specialists/lead teachers to learn to improve student learning outcomes by establishing professional learning communities. CALPRO typically accepts up to 8 programs a year for this institute. Each of the selected agencies will send a team of three to include its agency director and two teachers (and/or administrators designated to serve as professional development practitioners) to participate in the initiative.

Who 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. Click here to apply.

For More Information
For more information, contact coordinator Sudie Whalen.

Research Forum Webinar on Fundamentals of Adult Education Instruction 

Facilitator: Sachiko Oates