Narrative: e. 1.

State Leadership The Minnesota Department of Education will use funds made available under section 222(a)(2) to enhance the quality of programming in the adult education system. Not more than 12.5 percent of the grant funds made available will be used to carry out State leadership activities under section 223. Activities to be supported with federal leadership funds and extended using Minnesota Adult Basic Education Supplemental Services funding (approximately $1.46 million) include: (A) The Minnesota Department of Education will work collaboratively with other core programs and partner agencies to align and coordinate services for program participants. State-level policy and planning bodies provide an opportunity for Minnesota’s ABE system and local programs to partner with workforce development, human services, higher education and other key agencies. Leadership funds will be used to build the capacity of grantees to coordinate and align services. Specific areas of capacity building include intake/orientation, eligibility screening, and referral between partners, and other joint mechanisms developed through agency partnerships. In addition, the development of all components of career pathways will continue to be a priority with a focus on bridge programming and integrated education and training. (B) Minnesota supports a statewide ABE professional development (PD) advisory committee that meets quarterly to identify key present and future PD needs, develop PD plans and resources, identify and implement best practices in PD, and coordinate and align PD activities for an efficient and effective PD system. This advisory committee has approximately 25 members, and includes state ABE staff, PD providers and local ABE instructors and administrators. The Minnesota PD system uses a data-driven planning process to identify PD needs and set priorities for each year. The results of an annual statewide PD needs assessment of local providers, along with evaluation data from previous PD efforts, research regarding best practices, and federal recommendations are used to inform PD priorities and the design and delivery of PD activities. Professional development activities are aligned to the MN ABE PD standards, which emphasize research-based features of effective professional development - longer-term, job-embedded activities with opportunities for collaborative participation and the application of new knowledge and skills. Both statewide and regional opportunities are provided for adult educators to develop and share their knowledge and skills in order to improve the quality of instruction delivered in local programs. These PD activities include professional learning communities, study circles, statewide and regional conferences, online courses, webinars, and others. Evaluation of PD outcomes, especially evidence of teacher change and quality of implementation of new knowledge and skills, is integrated into every initiative to ensure the effectiveness of PD activities. State leadership funds will be used to support professional development activities that focus on a variety of areas of emphasis, including content standards implementation, evidence-based reading instruction (EBRI), adult learning, research-based instructional methodologies, volunteer training and management, effective program management, integrated education and training, bridge programming, transition to postsecondary education, use of technology, distance education, universal design, serving students with disabilities, and volunteer training and recruitment. The MDE-ABE office contracts for ABE professional development services related to research-based literacy, numeracy, English language instruction, content standards, and transitions. These PD activities include STAR training and technical assistance; EBRI study circles, online courses, and resource dissemination; and the implementation of content standards. More information regarding existing training provided may be viewed on the ATLAS (ABE Teaching and Learning Advancement System) homepage: www.atlasabe.org. In addition, the MDE-ABE office contracts to deliver professional development and technical assistance in the arena of serving adults with disabilities and to maintain a disabilities website http://mn.abedisabilities.org. The disabilities website has received considerable national attention and may be the leading model for adult education related disabilities web information in the United States. The disabilities service provider also provides training on using Universal Design for Learning principles and strategies to address the varied needs of adult learners. All disability-related activities are consistent with and contribute to implementation of Minnesota’s Olmstead plan. The MDE-ABE office contracts to provide statewide services in the areas of volunteer tutor training, volunteer management, and client referral services (a web-searchable Literacy Hotline and a phone hotline). The services are described in detail at: www.mnliteracy.org. (C) The Minnesota Department of Education will deliver technical assistance to eligible providers to enhance program effectiveness, increase the ability of providers to meet established performance standards, and fulfill obligations associated with being a one-stop partner. Specific areas of focus will include: (1) Increasing the capacity of instructors and programs to provide quality instruction in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, English language acquisition, and distance education via implementation of professional development activities and associated technical assistance such as: - STAR training and Evidence-Based Reading Instruction study circles; - EBRI and writing online courses; - Annual Language and Literacy Institute; - Low-literacy Adult ESL Study Circles; - Minnesota Numeracy Initiative (MNI) cohort training; - Annual Math Institute; - Distance learning professional development cohorts (DL 101 and DL 102); - MN distance learning website; - Distance Learning Basics online course; - Online resource libraries in the areas of EBRI, STAR, writing, adult ESL, numeracy, writing, content standards, transitions, content standards, and project-based learning (2) Enabling providers to establish, build upon, or maintain effective relationships with other core providers via training on referral systems, data sharing/reporting, integrating education with occupational training, and transition strategies for post-secondary enrollment or employment. (3) Using technology to improve program effectiveness through training and technical assistance focused on preparing instructors and program administrators to identify and utilize technology to enhance instruction, programming, and distance education. MDE-ABE contracts to provide professional development in the area of technology through activities such as face-to-face and online training. More information about current technology training can be found at: https://mnliteracy.org/techservices. MDE-ABE contracts to provide online training in a variety of areas, including educational technology, digital literacy instruction, and distance learning. A list of current courses available can be found at: http://online.themlc.org/. Training and technical assistance around distance education and digital literacy is also offered through a contracted provider. More information about current training and resources can be found at: http://www.mnabe-distancelearning.org/ In addition, other training and technical assistance focuses on the effective use of the statewide data system to maintain accurate student data and continuously improve programming. This support is offered in a variety of formats and venues. (D) The Minnesota Department of Education will provide grantee oversight to include data monitoring, site visits and a program improvement process for low performing grantees. The following strategies will be implemented: - Data Reviews - The statewide MIS will be configured to facilitate ongoing review in the areas of assessment, attendance and compliance. - Monitoring Visits - The Minnesota Department of Education will establish a monitoring system focusing on programs identified via data review. Visits will focus primarily on compliance related issues, but may be incorporated in the more extensive program review, and will result in development and monitored implementation of a local corrective action plan, called the program improvement process. (For more information on monitoring visits, please see the response to (f) below.) - Program Improvement Process - Local providers that do not meet state and federal program performance targets and grant expectations will be subject to a program improvement process. Over the course of one year, a provider in program improvement will: 1. Host site visits from staff from the Minnesota Department of Education; 2. Participate in special workshops focusing on analyzing and improving local program results; 3. Develop a program improvement plan that will highlight key local challenges, ensure program compliance with state and federal policy, and identify strategies and timelines to improve program performance; and 4. Receive additional technical assistance from Minnesota Department of Education and other adult education specialists, as needed. The program improvement process will last at least one program year. At the end of the program year, the provider will complete the process as long as the provider’s annual grant performance reports meet state and federal targets and grant expectations. Local providers that continue to not meet state and federal targets and grant expectations will be subject to participate in program improvement again. Providers that do not meet state and federal targets and grant expectations 3 consecutive years, may be subject to a special review by the Minnesota Department of Education to determine if the provider should continue to receive AEFLA funding. The MDE-ABE office and professional development providers will employ a variety of methods to ensure that information about proven or promising practices and models is disseminated to eligible providers and practitioners working in the ABE system. These will include activities such as: - local program site visits, as described in f.5 below; - a weekly electronic professional development newsletter with information about training opportunities, high-quality resources, and promising practices for instruction and programming; - sessions at state and regional conferences showcasing promising practices and models; - webinars showcasing promising practices and models; and - job-embedded professional development activities, including professional learning communities, study circles and peer observations.