Narrative: e. 1.

From funds made available under section 223, LCTCS, WorkReady U will provide statewide leadership activities through the following services/activities. 

Aligning Activities with Core Programs and One-Stop Partners
WorkReady U will work with core programs and one-stop partners to facilitate new methods of service delivery, increase secondary credential attainment opportunities, expand instructional content and delivery techniques to include college and career readiness standards, leverage technology to enhance educational opportunities, and transition from career pathway pilot initiatives to Integrated Education and Training (IET) opportunities through Louisiana Career Pathways. 

High-Quality Professional Development Programs
LCTCS, WorkReady U will provide varied professional development opportunities through:

1. Direct WRU professional development opportunities;
2. Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) Conference; and
3. Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Conference; and
4. Louisiana Association for Public, Community, and Adult Education (LAPCAE) Conference.

WorkReady U is committed to providing high-quality professional development opportunities by facilitating training opportunities for local program instructors, administrators, and support staff. Each year’s focus areas will arise from national trends and challenges, state goals, and program/partner needs to better prepare students, staff, partners, and programming for the new landscape in adult education.

Targeted training based upon needs assessments is beneficial to an individual’s professional growth, a program’s improvement, and core partner relationships. WRU prefers a three-pronged approach to PD in which:

• participants are provided with the material beforehand,
• training occurs, and then
• there is follow-up after the training in the form of
  • Communities of Practice, or
  • Training of Trainers.

Participant evaluations are collected for all professional development activities. Participants respond to items regarding:

• the training as a whole
• objectives
• materials
• environment
• presentation
• the immediate application in
  • classrooms
  • programs
  • workforce

State staff review this information to plan for future training and potential technical assistance. The team looks at:

• cost-effectiveness;
• return on investment;
• transferability of skills/knowledge; and
• benefit of students/clients from Professional Development outcomes.

WorkReady U supports both the LCTCS and LAPCAE (Louisiana Association for Public, Community, and Adult Education) annual conferences geared towards adult education in Louisiana.  Professional development opportunities for instructors (full-time, part-time and/or volunteers), supervisors, partners, and employers consist of:

• development and implementation of technology applications, and/or distance education, including supporting the use of instructional technology;
• development and dissemination of curricula, including curricula incorporating the essential components of reading instruction for adult learners;
• development of contextualized curricula and effective models for integrated education, training and career pathways;
• development and implementation of a comprehensive model that assists in the transition from adult education to postsecondary education;
• integration of literacy and English language instruction with occupational skill training, including promoting linkages with employers;
• activities to promote workplace adult education and literacy activities;
• identification of curriculum frameworks and aligning rigorous content standards that specify what adult learners should know and be able to do in the areas of reading and language arts, mathematics, and English language acquisition, taking into consideration the following:
  • College and Career Readiness Standards;
  • The current adult skills and literacy assessments used in the State;
  • The primary indicators of performance described in section 116 of WIOA;
  • Standards and academic requirements for enrollment in nonremedial, for-credit courses in postsecondary educational institutions or institutions of higher education supported by the State; and
  • The content of occupational and industry skill standards widely used by business and industry in the State;
• development and pilot of strategies geared towards improving teacher quality and retention; and
• development and implementation of programs and services to meet the needs of adult learners with learning disabilities or English language learners based on valid research.

Each conference committee collects evaluations from participants to:

• guide the direction and focus of the following year’s event; and
• inform the state staff of underlying needs.

Technical Assistance
WorkReady U will use established techniques for providing technical assistance to local programs. The procedures included: performance target requirements, continued use of a risk assessment model, and continued data review. Program performance negotiations jointly analyzed individual program data and established baseline performance goals for the fiscal year. The risk assessment model will be used to identify programs with low-performance data and guide the State in providing targeted technical assistance. Enhanced database dashboards are used to assist programs in tracking their progress in meeting the benchmarks and standards. Local programs are ranked in the state by benchmarks, pre-post testing, and recruiting to help both WRU and local program staff identify strengths, areas for improvement, technical assistance opportunities, and professional development needs. State Leadership funds will be used to enhance the web-based data collection/management system that is used by all federally funded adult education programs.

Technical assistance activities focus on:

1. aligning adult education and literacy activities with core partners and program services
2. onboarding new instructors, administrators, and support staff on the vision and mission of WorkReady U and the goals of adult education 
3. improving the overall service delivery to students, including –
   1. online instructor courses
   2. teacher observation/evaluation training
   3. teacher-leader cohorts working with national experts to capture research-based best practices for instruction
   4. supervisor training
   5. support staff (including data entry and intake/orientation employees)
4. improving adult education and literacy activities, with regard to—
   1. the development and dissemination of instructional and programmatic practices based on the most rigorous or scientifically valid research available and appropriate, in reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, English language acquisition programs, distance education, and staff training;
   2. strengthening partnership at the local level to provide access to employment, education, and training services; and
   3. effective uses of technology to improve system efficiencies
5. training on the monitoring and evaluation of program quality and adult education and literacy activities
6. certification and recertification on the administration of NRS approved assessments adopted in the WRU Assessment Policy guide
7. training on the WRU Recipient Grant Management Handbook
8. collecting and disseminating best practices both at onsite meetings and virtually via –
   1. online forums/discussion boards
   2. virtual meetings/calls

Monitoring and Evaluation
LCTCS operates a statewide compliance team that conducts an analysis of data and program performance through monthly data submissions and desk reviews. Based upon desk reviews, state staff request local data documentation according to a risk assessment determination. Follow-up onsite visits are conducted when warranted.

WorkReady U’s compliance team uses a risk-assessment model that incorporates six vital modules -- data, recruitment/retention, classroom activities, records/reports, partnerships, and finance -- in an effort to model the USDE/OCTAE instrument and place emphasis on what is valued and consistent with the WRU mission. Onsite program visits include an examination of student files, student attendance records, and program data submitted through the statewide data management system. Monitoring reports are prepared after each onsite monitoring visit. Sites that are non-compliant/had findings receive recommendations for program improvements. Programs are given 30 days to prepare and submit a written plan of action describing the plan of resolution. WRU staff members are assigned to ensure all plans are adhered to and non-compliance addressed in a detailed follow-up process to ensure that a resolution has been determined and put into effect. Monitoring and evaluation outcomes are always tied to technical assistance efforts with local programs.