Community College 101: Support Services for Transitioning Students
Facilitator: Anna Pilloton, Director of Outreach and Community Partnerships at the College of MarinWhat do your students need to know about transferring to a community college, or from non–credit classes to credit? What options do they have in terms of cost? What are the different pathways they should consider for their future? What support services are available to them once they are enrolled, and how should they go about finding what they need? This webinar will take you on a guided tour of the community college resources and services.
Increasing Engagement and Student Persistence Through Distance - and Blended-Learning Models; What the Research Says and Which Practice Work
Authors: Anthony Burik, Mariann Fedele-McLeod, Debalina Ganguli, Martin D. Griffin, Hilary Iserman, Nicole Jordan, Stephanie Kriebel, Yecsenia Lorenzo, Courtney McMahon, Katie Callahan Neginskiy, Penny Pearson, Theresa Petersen, Kristi Reyes, Thoibi N. Rublaitus, Shannon Swain, Lila Young, Carolyn ZachryThis evidence to action brief presents recent research on distance learning in adult education and provides an important contemporaneous account of how California adult education rose to meet the challenge of continuing to serve adult learners during the pandemic. This brief captures a snapshot of the current state of practice and evidence, including identified challenges and corresponding best practices. Additionally, it looks towards the future as adult education continues to address the identified challenges of distance learning in innovative ways, as well as to harness the ample benefits and potential for students.
The California Adult Education Learner Persistence Project
Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development ProjectThis publication presents the outcomes of a multi-year initiative on enhancing adult learner persistence. It addresses three distinct but related efforts on learner persistence: (1) the adult learner persistence Web site developed by the California Department of Education, (2) a field-based research initiative (FBRI) on learner persistence, and (3) site-based study circles on learner persistence. The purpose of each of these efforts was the same: to make available to California adult educators information about current research findings on learner persistence and to invite them to use the findings to design and implement interventions to enhance the persistence of their adult learners.
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.
Motivating Learners and Implementing English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards
Hosted by Turlock Adult SchoolIt takes persistence as well as effective instruction for adult learners to significantly increase their skills to achieve their goals, whether it is in their community, workplace, or in postsecondary education. Adult educators can support learners to persist and efficiently gain relevant skills by implementing standard-based instruction and evidence-based motivation strategies. This tailored community of practice (CoP) provides an overview of the motivation strategies and introduces the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards. The CoP will provide an opportunity for participants to plan classroom activities that incorporate the standards and motivation strategies. Location: Turlock Adult SchoolDate: Tuesday, April 15th, 2025Time: 3:30pm - 6:30pmRegistration Information:This tailored regional CoP is designed for the Turlock Adult School staff and teachers.There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees.
Supporting Immigrant Integration Through Civics Education (Online)
Course Description:Adult education plays a significant role in the lives of immigrants. Often adult education is the first door through which a new immigrant encounters the world of services and supports available to them as they seek to increase their skills to reach their life goals. As described in the white paper by ALLIES on the Immigrant Integration Framework: “Immigrant integration is... a two-way process involving learning and adaptation by both immigrant communities and receiving communities. Broadening an understanding of diverse perspectives and cultural resources ultimately strengthens both the immigrant and receiving communities, and increases the entire community’s capacity to adapt and respond to a changing global environment." This facilitated online course will help educators support immigrants through civics education as understood within the lens of the California Immigrant Integration Initiative and aligned to approved EL Civics metrics. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (15 hours); they are also eligible to apply to CSUS for 1.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they wish.Goal:Participants will be able to locate and adapt Teaching Skills That Matter lesson materials on Civics Education topics in order to support immigrant students at all levels of ESL to become successful members of their communities.Registration Information:There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees.Registered participants will receive final confirmation and details by Friday, October 17, 2025. Waitlisted participants will also receive an update regarding their enrollment status by that date.Contact Information:Please contact calpro@air.org with any questions.
Research Forum: Strategies for Effective Instruction: Fundamentals of Adult Education
Research Forum Webinar on Fundamentals of Adult Education Instruction
Facilitator: Sachiko Oates
Planning for Student Success: Barrier Busters and Support Strengtheners
This worksheet is designed to support students in Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs, but it is also suitable for use with all adult education learners during orientation. It helps students identify potential obstacles to educational success and document both personal support systems and wraparound services available through the program or its partners.
CALPRO Research Forum: Formative Assessment for Data-Informed Differentiated Instruction
This one-hour webinar explores how formative assessment can enhance teaching and learning to support adult learners' persistence and goal achievement. The webinar will address common misconceptions about formative assessment, such as the belief that it’s too time-consuming or only useful for teachers. Through examining real-life examples, participants will learn strategies for collecting and analyzing learner data to inform differentiated instruction. The session will include practical examples, tools for implementation, and opportunities for reflection and discussion.
Presenter: DeAnne Berryhill
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.