California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

Critical thinking is an essential skill found in both the College and Career Readiness Standards and the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education. Critical thinking skills are needed in every facet of our lives, and in particular as we are inundated with more information from a variety of dependable and undependable sources. This online workshop series will prepare you to include a variety of critical thinking strategies in your adult education classes. It is presented in three 1.5 hour webinars. Registration information*: Registration for these sessions is now closed. Scheduled session dates and times are as follows: Session 1: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMSession 2: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMSession 3: Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM*Please note: Registering for Session 1 automatically registers you for Session 2 and 3. Certificate of Completion will reflect hours attended.

English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education. Critical thinking skills are needed in every facet of our lives, and in particular as we are inundated with more information from a variety of dependable and undependable sources. This online workshop series will prepare you to include a variety of critical thinking strategies in your adult education classes. It is presented in three 1.5 hour webinars. Registration information*: Registration for these sessions is now closed. Scheduled session dates and times are as follows: Session 1: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMSession 2: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMSession 3: Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM*Please note: Registering for Session 1 automatically registers you for Session 2 and 3. Certificate of Completion will reflect hours attended.

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.

Facilitator: Marjorie Schneider, Los Angeles Unified School DistrictProviding your ABE, ASE and CTE students with daily doses of direct, explicit vocabulary instruction will improve their ability to say what they mean, understand what others say, think logically, and make positive impressions on others. In this webinar, learn research-based instructional strategies to enrich your students’ vocabulary. 

Facilitator: Guillermo Verdin, ABE Instructor, Los Angeles Unified School District Division of Adult and Career EducationWhether you are a new teacher or have been teaching for many years, you may have questions about the most effective teaching strategies for assisting adult learners to become independent readers. This webinar gives you an overview of the four areas of reading instruction, and an in-depth look at a model lesson on summarizing as an aspect of reading comprehension.  

Maria Ramirez, StudentClick here to view a transcript [Word document]

Linda Campbell-Wise, Assistant PrincipalKit Bell, Supervisor of ABE, ESL/CBET, & CitizenshipClick here to view a transcript [Word document]

Guillermo Verdin, TeacherMarjorie Schneider, TeacherClick here to view a transcript [Word document]

Marjorie Schneider, TeacherGuillermo Verdin, TeacherClick here to view a transcript [Word document]