California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

Hosted by College of MarinCivic Education and Democratic Literacy play a pivotal role in empowering students to become engaged and informed citizens. Individuals equipped with this knowledge understand political and civic systems, allowing them to navigate these systems effectively and contribute meaningfully to the improvement of their communities.  The goal of this CoP is to enhance the capacity of adult educators and programs to provide instruction that amplifies student perspective and voice, builds civic engagement, and dives deep into participatory approaches to democratic processes for adults including those who are developing literacy and language skills.Blended Model (Face to Face Session 1 of 2)Date: 1/31/2025Time: 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.Location: College of MarinRoom: TBDRegistration Information:This tailored regional CoP is hosted by College of Marin. Participants from neighboring districts or regions may be admitted on a space-available basis. There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees. 

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.

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.

Facilitator: Jodi Crandall, Professor Emerita of Education and former Director of the Ph.D. program in Language, Literacy and Culture at UMBCWhat does teacher effectiveness mean? In this webinar, we will discuss what teacher effectiveness is and its importance in the context of adult education. The Adult Education Teacher Competencies and professional development around these competencies are one way adult education teachers can develop the teacher effectiveness they need to help their students be successful, not as measured by test scores but by the achievement of broader goals. 

Presenter: Mariann Fedele-McLeod is Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR)There is a growing body of evidence that having an effective teacher is the single most important factor in student success. In this session, Mariann Fedele-McLeod from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) discusses the Adult Education Teacher Competencies developed the through the Promoting Teacher Effectiveness in Adult Education project, under a contract with the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). The competencies identify the knowledge and skills expected of any adult education teacher. They also offer a structured approach to determining the knowledge and skills that adult education teachers still need to develop and the professional development activities that will help them to acquire them. 

Author: Anne Mishkind, CALPROThis brief provides an overview of research on effective teaching that can be applied in multiple settings by a broad range of teachers across diverse settings. Adult education in California takes place in environments including school districts, community colleges, community-based organizations, libraries, and correctional facilities, and serves students with skills that range from basic literacy to international professional training. Across contexts, research finds that effective teaching is enriched by:thoughtful attention to student backgrounds,collecting and using student data to inform the implementation of evidence based practices including (1) learner-centered instruction, (2) rich and contextualized content knowledge, (3) use of standards to inform learning objectives, and (4) attention to foundational skills and higher-order thinking, and planning for professional development that targets specific teacher competencies

Authors: Mariann Fedele-McLeod, Anestine Hector-Mason, Steve Hinds, Rob Jenkins, Maricel Santos, Susan Pimentel, Jodi Crandall, American Institutes for Research, 2015This document outlines the core knowledge and skills that adult education teachers need to succeed in their roles. The Adult Education Teacher Competencies help teachers improve their effectiveness and learner outcomes. They also assist instructional leaders, professional developers, and teacher preparation faculty prepare effective professional development activities for teachers. 

Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project, 2008; augmented 2018Based on the Management Competencies and Sample Indicators for Improvement of Adult Education Programs (CALPRO, 2025), this self-assessment helps administrators to identify priority areas for targeted professional development, based on their assessment of relevance and current personal capacity across a variety of criteria. In 2018, the self-assessment was augmented with an addendum introduced to identify additional knowledge and skills that program administrators need to possess in order to be effective in today's adult education landscape in California. For each competency and performance indicator, the addendum also suggests professional development resources to assist in building an annual, individualized development plan. Note: This fillable form can be downloaded, saved, and printed (using Adobe Reader or a similar application).

Authors: Renee Sherman, Dionne Dobbins, John Tibbetts, Judith Crocker, and Michael Dlott, American Institutes for Research, March 2002This publication introduces an assessment instrument to help programs implement the management competencies. What follows is a detailed description of the Management Competencies Assessment Instrument (MCAI), including an overview of the various types of evidence that will help verify of the existence of the competencies. To see and use the updated Management Competencies Self-Assessment (2018) visit the following webpage:https://calpro-online.org/resource/management-competencies-self-assessment

Course Description:This course takes place entirely online and runs for four consecutive weeks. Weekly participation is required, though participants may, during a given week, log in whenever they wish. A kick-off Webinar will take place in the first week; the date and time will be announced and posted. This course is intended to (1)build teachers’ capacity to identify the skills and knowledge required for excellent teaching as presented in the Adult Education Teacher Competencies, (2) evaluate in which areas participants are strong and in which areas professional development could support improvement, and (3) plan for increasing effectiveness of instruction. Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a certificate of participation (14 hours); they are also eligible to apply to CSUS for 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) if they wish.Goals:By the end of the course participants will be able to: • Explain the background and rationale for Adult Education Teacher Competencies • Recognize performance indicators in practice • Create a sample illustration related to a specific program area • Identify the competencies from domains 1 and 3 in practice • Relate selected competencies to classroom practice • Create an initial professional development goalRegistration Information:There is no registration fee to participate; CALPRO professional development opportunities are available to all California Adult Education Program (CAEP) agencies and employees.Contact Information:Please contact calpro@air.org with any questions.