California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

Description: Generative AI is changing how educators plan, write, and communicate—and it can make your work easier and more effective. Whether you’re drafting SMART goals for your Continuous Improvement Plan or developing a strategic plan for your program, AI can provide powerful support when used thoughtfully.In this practical, demonstration-based webinar, you’ll learn:•    How to create prompts that generate clear, relevant, and useful results•    What to do when AI output doesn’t meet your needs—and how to refine it•    How to assess AI-generated text for accuracy, appropriateness, and tone•    Why human expertise and context remain essential in every AI-assisted taskYou’ll also hear from fellow adult education professionals who are already using AI to lighten their writing workload—discover what’s working for them, what to avoid, and how AI can free up more time for what matters most: supporting learners.Walk away with ready-to-use strategies and examples you can apply right away to make your planning, reporting, and writing tasks more efficient and impactful.Presenter: Steven Casperite, Principal, Placer School for AdultsTo register for this webinar: https://caadultedtraining.org/OTAN/383?Type=10

Description: Generative AI is changing how educators plan, write, and communicate—and it can make your work easier and more effective. Whether you’re drafting SMART goals for your Continuous Improvement Plan or developing a strategic plan for your program, AI can provide powerful support when used thoughtfully.In this practical, demonstration-based webinar, you’ll learn:•    How to create prompts that generate clear, relevant, and useful results•    What to do when AI output doesn’t meet your needs—and how to refine it•    How to assess AI-generated text for accuracy, appropriateness, and tone•    Why human expertise and context remain essential in every AI-assisted taskYou’ll also hear from fellow adult education professionals who are already using AI to lighten their writing workload—discover what’s working for them, what to avoid, and how AI can free up more time for what matters most: supporting learners.Walk away with ready-to-use strategies and examples you can apply right away to make your planning, reporting, and writing tasks more efficient and impactful.Presenter: Steven Casperite, Principal, Placer School for AdultsDate: March 27, 2026

Description: This practical webinar to explore strategies for budgeting when the path ahead is anything but certain. We’ll talk through real‑world decision‑making approaches, ways to stay flexible without losing your footing, and how to plan with confidence even when the numbers are still in flux. If you want tools that help you stay calm, strategic, and maybe even a little inspired during budget season—this session is for you.Presenter: Steve Curiel

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. 

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. 

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.

Hosted by Sequoia Adult SchoolWhat makes an effective adult education teacher? How do you adapt instruction based on formative and summative assessment data? What instructional techniques are effective with adult learners? How do you communicate high expectations and motivate your students so they can meet their goals? What do you think you could do to continue developing your content area knowledge and teaching skills? Join us to explore these questions. This session aims to provide an overview of the Adult Education Teacher Competencies and build participants' capacity to identify the skills and knowledge required for effective teaching and discover professional development opportunities and resources. 

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. Two live webinars will be scheduled during the course; dates and times 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. Registered participants will receive final confirmation and details by Friday, October 24, 2025. Waitlisted participants will also receive an update regarding their enrollment status by that date.