Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Programs
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the following as it pertains to adult education and literacy programs and activities under title II of WIOA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).
a. Aligning of Content Standards
Describe how the eligible agency has aligned its content standards for adult education with State-adopted challenging academic content standards, as adopted under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)).
Current Narrative:
Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) launched “Show-Me Success,” a significant improvement effort to guarantee every student's superior preparation and performance in school and life. Missouri’s goal is that all students will graduate ready for success. Missouri’s K-12 Learning Standards define the knowledge and skills students need in each grade level and course for success in college, other post-secondary training, careers, and citizenship. The Standards ensure that students learn basic and higher-order skills, including problem-solving and critical thinking. These standards are relevant to the real world and reflect the knowledge and skills students need to achieve their goals.
The College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) provide the basis for the MPWS Adult Education Standards and align closely with the K-12 Standards. The Missouri Adult Education Standards intend to provide a framework for programs to develop the curriculum to prepare students to achieve their goals. These goals could include obtaining employment, enrollment in post-secondary options, and developing the language and life skills needed to be a part of the culture of the United States. The MPWS Adult Education Standards offer guidance in academic areas such as applied math, reading comprehension, communication (verbal, written, and listening), critical thinking and problem-solving, technology, and gathering/evaluating information. Additionally, the MPWS cultivates a focus on work readiness skills such as career development and planning, professional behavior, accountability, interpersonal skills, and self-management.
In Missouri, the basis of all adult education, literacy, and English language acquisition activities must be the CCRS. Local providers must incorporate CCRS into their instruction and participate in professional development (PD) related to CCRS. The MPWS carefully reviewed its AEL CCRS professional development requirements and discovered they were ineffective and outdated. Instead of one focused CCRS PD opportunity, AEL used state and local program staff to revise all courses, incorporating the standards into each. In the future, all AEL-sponsored PD opportunities will include applicable portions of CCRS, encouraging instructors to incorporate them into all lessons.