Narrative: f.

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Adult Education Section evaluates programs quarterly through a desk audit process and program submitted reports in which measures such as average attendance hours, educational functioning level (EFL) gains, number of students post-tested, etc. are reported and reviewed. The desk audits also allow programs to review operational aspects of the program such as the percentage of funds expended, completion of required professional development, and completed personnel activity reports.

Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Adult Education Section also performs an annual site visit for each adult education and literacy program to ensure that state and federal laws and policies are followed, to review program performance, and to connect with Local Education Agency Administrators. Based upon the findings during the site visit, regional program advisors provide technical assistance to program directors and staff to ensure continuous improvement.

Additionally, approximately every four to five years, a team of program advisors conducts an intensive program review through which Division staff assesses each program in the following areas:

1. Program Management, Policy and Reporting

2. Financials

3. Technology

4. Recruitment and Retention

5. Collaboration

6. Advisory Committees

7.Personnel and Professional Development

8. Instruction

9. Teaching/Classroom Observation

10. Student Intake, Documentation, and Orientation

11. Facilities

12. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

This program review process allows program advisors and the State Disabilities Project Manager to thoroughly assess program operations, observe classroom instruction, and review state and federal laws and policies. Each program review is accompanied by a full financial review by the state finance department.

Once each program is reviewed, the program receives a report which indicates all findings, recommendations, and commendations. The program then develops and submits a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) which details how each finding will be remedied. The program director and program advisor work together to ensure that each finding is corrected, at which time the program and Local Education Agency are notified.

Evaluating Professional Development

In addition to the technical assistance provided through the evaluation processes, The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Adult Education Section provides varied professional development through the efforts of the Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC) and the state office. Through the AALRC, program directors, faculty and staff have access to training in educational technology, student assessments, and assisting students with disabilities along with many other topics. The AALRC uses a state-wide assessment of professional development needs of educators to plan professional development for the field in order to improve instructional and programmatic practices.

The establishment and operation of professional development programs to improve the quality of instruction pursuant to local activities will continue to be a top priority for the state in order to increase the success of student outcomes. Trainings for local adult education/literacy providers will focus on the use of electronic resources for accessing curricula and for sharing locally produced curricula with other providers; incorporating digital and financial literacy in the classroom. In addition, a stronger emphasis will be placed on ensuring that materials and training incorporate research-based approaches and align with current content standards.

In order to promote the continuous improvement of professional development activities and their impact on student learning outcomes, The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Adult Education Section, through the AALRC, will include ongoing and systematic needs assessment and evaluation processes to not only provide information about the impact of professional development, but also to provide data for refining and adjusting professional development activities. This will be done through the following methods:

1. Participant evaluations/surveys will be collected for all professional development activities. These evaluations will reflect the response of participants to the objectives, material, presentation and the trainer providers.

2. Evaluations/surveys will be aggregated and evaluated to determine quality of training and adjustments will be made according to the results. These results will be analyzed for areas in need of improvement and changes will be made accordingly.

3. Classroom observations, student educational gains, focus groups, and self-reporting tools will be used to assess the impact on student learning.

4. Data from the adult education management information system will be utilized to support evidence of effectiveness of the professional development trainings..

The AALRC will use Guskey’s model for the Five Critical Levels of Professional Development Evaluation to assess the quality of its professional development programs. The main evaluation levels include Participants’ Reactions, Participants Learning, Organization support and change, Participants’ use of new knowledge or skills, and Student Learning Outcomes. The data from the evaluations will be used to analyze the effectiveness of the professional development program and the impact on student learning outcomes.