Narrative: e. 1.

Required: Alignment of adult education and literacy activities with other core programs and one-stop partners to implement strategies identified in the unified or combined State plan

West Virginia collaborates with other core programs and one-stop partners to implement strategies of the Unified Plan. All funded providers will be required to detail the process that will be used to collaborate with all stakeholders. All providers will describe how they will fulfill one-stop responsibilities in their region. All providers have representation with their Regional Adult Education Coordinator as members of local Workforce Development Boards to participate in ongoing plan development and implementation of WIOA.

Career pathway programs are a "series of connected education and training programs and support services that enable individuals to secure employment within a specific industry or occupational sector, and to advance over time to successively higher levels of education and employment within that sector" as reported by Jenkins and Davis in The Career Pathways How-To Guide published by Workforce Strategy Center in October 2006. Career pathways often include "stackable" credentials and accelerated courses offered at flexible times that support student entry and exit along the pathway.

Bridge programs, one of the first steps in a career pathway for low-skill adults, support the transition from adult education to the next step in an occupational pathway. By connecting adult education programs to CTE and community college occupational programs, bridge programs seek to increase the rates at which low-skill adults move into postsecondary occupational programs, persist in these programs, and obtain postsecondary credentials in industries offering family-sustaining wages and career advancement.

Bridge programs help adult students identify career and education goals and develop the skills, content knowledge, and learning strategies they need to enter and succeed in postsecondary education and employment. They combine basic skill instruction in reading, math, writing, and English language, including preparation for the high school equivalency test, with occupational content, employability skills, and postsecondary success strategies. Some Bridge programs also offer college credit and certificates, which may be the first step toward a college degree. State and local labor market information is used to develop Bridge programs focused on occupations or industry sectors with a high demand for employees. These programs are designed to prepare individuals for productive futures and meet the State's need for well-trained and industry-certified technical workers.

Adult Education is partnering very closely with CTE to create Bridge Programs to the CTE adult programs offered in many of the CTE centers. In addition, Adult Education collaborates closely with the Community College System of West Virginia in establishing a clear pathway for adult students.

Required: Establish or operate high quality professional development programs to improve adult education instruction including:

• incorporating essential components of reading instruction
• instruction related to specific needs of adult learners
• instruction provided by volunteers or other personnel
• dissemination of information about models and promising practices

The goal of a good professional development program is to support and continuously improve adult education programs. West Virginia Adult Education continues to design, implement, and operate a large-scale, statewide professional development system to increase program outcomes.

The professional development team carries out this vision by using state leadership funds to plan, coordinate, and continue implementation of the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) for all eligible providers in the state. The professional development team provides support in the form of in-depth training for the implementation of standards-based instruction both in English language arts and mathematics. State leadership funds are used to hold conferences and trainings to ensure ongoing professional development in standards-based instruction and other West Virginia Adult Education priority areas. Additionally, state leadership funds are used to design, facilitate, and offer access to online courses covering the areas of competency-based reading instruction, writing, numeracy, basic and multilevel ESOL classes, ABE instruction, ASE instruction, and other research-based practices which lead to program improvement.

Required: Provision of technical assistance to local providers receiving funds including –

• Development and dissemination of instructional and programmatic practices based on best available research in reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, English language acquisition, distance education, and staff training
• Role of local providers as one-stop partners
• Assistance in use of technology including staff training and improving efficiencies

State leadership funds are used to develop and maintain the West Virginia Adult Education Teacher Group within Schoology for the purpose of disseminating instructional and programmatic practices to eligible providers. In addition, funds are used to maintain the West Virginia Adult Education website with information for interested parties in need of adult education resources. The West Virginia Adult Education shares resources such as publications; CCRS; distance education software; digital media; and information on career pathways information, program management, assessments,  and special populations. On-site technical assistance is available to all programs.

West Virginia Adult Education has Technology Integration Specialists (TIS) who provide training and support to staff on technology integration. They assist programs in the use of technology to enhance learning, model and explain the use of blended learning to increase student participation in distance education, ensure all instructional staff are proficient in the use of Microsoft Office for productivity and communication, provide guidance for the proctoring of industry recognized credential exams, and support instructional staff with basic technology troubleshooting techniques.

Required: The monitoring and evaluation of the quality of, and the improvement in, adult education and literacy activities and the dissemination of information about models and proven or promising practices within the State.

The West Virginia Adult Education plans to use state leadership funding to support monitoring and evaluation activities. All adult education programs are monitored to ensure compliance with the National Reporting Standards (NRS), as well as state standards. In West Virginia, this is done in two ways, Data Quality Audits (DQA) and On-Site Monitoring (OSM) visits. One hundred percent of programs will be monitored annually through the use of Desktop Monitoring. A minimum of 15% will be monitored annually via on-site visits. All programs will be monitored on a recurring cycle. The programs identified for on-site monitoring are selected using a Class Ranking Report (CRR) that utilizes and applies performance data across a broad range of performance metrics.

The West Virginia Adult Education plans to use state leadership funding to support monitoring and evaluation activities. All adult education programs are monitored to ensure compliance with the National Reporting Standards (NRS), as well as state standards. In West Virginia, this is done in two ways, Data Quality Audits (DQA) and On-Site Monitoring (OSM) visits. One hundred percent of programs will be monitored annually through the use of Desktop Monitoring. A minimum of 15% will be monitored annually via on-site visits. All programs will be monitored on a recurring cycle. The programs identified for on-site monitoring are selected using a Class Ranking Report (CRR) that utilizes and applies performance data across a broad range of performance metrics.

Desk Monitoring findings and results will determine additional course of action, including:

1. For those grantees with no significant findings, no further monitoring will take place in the current year. However, as with all grantees, desk monitoring will occur on an annual basis, regardless of compliance (or non-compliance).
2. For grantees with minor compliance issues based on the desk review, a DQA by the regional coordinator may be conducted via desk and/or on-site.
3. For grantee with multiple compliance issues based on the desk review and DQA, an on-site monitoring visit will occur to address specific non-compliant areas.

DQAs ensure local programs are administering file checks and reviewing program data for the purpose of technical assistance and improved program performance outcomes. A DQA also ensures the accuracy of data input, data integrity, and processes are followed according to NRS and state policy. It allows the program an opportunity to analyze data and check their progress. The second method is On-Site Monitoring visits. Programs which do not meet federal and/or state performance measures or fall in the bottom 20% on the Class Ranking Report are subject to an on-site monitoring visit.

A typical monitoring visit will include the following:

1. Interview the local Administrator/Director, discussing areas of concern, including NRS performance, staffing, budget, and grantee expenditures to date.
2. Discuss Desk Monitoring Report, Data Quality Audit, NRS Tables, Class Summary Reports, and other forms previously submitted.
3. Interview instructional staff
4. Review pertinent student and class files
5. Financial Reports
6. Closing interviews with all staff to review findings, commendations, and recommendations.

Upon receipt of the final report, the Grantee will:

1. Respond in writing to all findings contained within the Final Report
2. Formulate a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) utilizing the approved West Virginia Adult Education template
3. Request technical assistance

Technical assistance will be available for all low-performing programs, but continued failure to meet minimum state performance measures may result in decreased funding or program cancellation. Any local program or regional coordinator may request an on-site visitation for purposes of program improvement or technical assistance.