Narrative: e. 1.

The Adult Education Section will use no more than 12.5% of State Basic federal funds grant for the following adult education and literacy activities to develop or enhance the adult education system of the state:

(A) The alignment of adult education and literacy activities with other one-stop partners to implement the strategies in the Unified or Combined State Plan as described in section 223(1)(a).

Since Fall 2015, a WIOA Executive Committee comprised of key core partners that include representatives from Titles I and III (Division of Workforce Services), Title II (Adult Education Section), Title IV (Arkansas Rehabilitation Services and Division of Services for the Blind) meet to discuss strategies in getting those with barriers to employment into the workforce and to meet employers needs in the state. In addition, representatives from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Employment and Training programs under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP E&T), Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, and Unemployment Insurance also participate in the WIOA Executive Committee Meetings.

Ensuring that adult education and literacy activities are aligned with core programs and One-Stop Partners are a requirement of the Request for Proposal application process for Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) funds. Local workforce development boards are allowed to review and comment on the RFP application of each eligible adult education applicant. One of the considerations is how the eligible provider demonstrates alignment between proposed activities and services to the one-stop partners. This includes how the applicant plans to align with the LWDB regarding employment, training, education, and supportive services that adult education learners need. In addition, the eligible adult education application must include the applicant’s proposed activities, services, and the regional needs identified in the LWDB proposed local plan, including concurrent enrollment.

At the local level, an adult education provider serves on the local workforce development board as a representative of other adult providers in the region. In addition, adult education providers are located within most comprehensive One-Stop Centers when space is available and provide access to services at affiliate sites. For example, the UA Morrilton Adult Education program has a staff member who is physically present at the One-Stop Center in Conway, Arkansas. The staff member is appropriately trained to provide information to customers about the programs, services, and activities available through adult education. In areas of the state in which staff or space is limited, a direct link such as a telephone is provided in which customers can access services and information in real-time.

Another way in which adult education providers align services is through its integrated education and training programs (IET). IET is a service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement. An IET program must include three components: adult education and literacy activities, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training. In addition, as part of a career pathway, the design of an IET program should support the local and state workforce development board plans as required under WIOA.

Adult education providers work closely with community colleges and other training providers to offer the training component of the IET.  Community colleges serve as the fiduciary agency for 22 of the 37 adult education and literacy providers. Adult education providers rely heavily on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) and other educational entities for the training component as many adult education providers provide the workforce preparation and basic skills component of the IET. In addition, adult learners are connected to programs such as TANF, WIOA, and Arkansas Rehabilitation Services to help pay tuition costs, as Title II funds cannot pay tuition on learners' behalf. This braided funding approach allows programs to maximize the services and allows adults to be co-enrolled in multiple programs.

Adult education also provides National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) testing for Title I and Title III participants. The Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate involves collaboration between Adult Education, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, and Arkansas Workforce Centers.  Adult education programs provide basic skills improvement through regular adult education services when test takers fail the CRC twice. In addition, some providers serve as proctors and test administrators of the National Career Readiness Certificate. In recent years, this initiative has begun offering the Platinum CRC, which requires higher skill levels to earn, creating a greater need for Adult Education services. In summary, the Adult Education Section has worked in close collaboration with its partners to ensure success in implementation of the State Plan and thereby, meeting the needs of Arkansans.

(B) Establishment or operation of a high-quality professional development program as described in section 223(1)(b).

The Adult Education Section contracts a portion of its Leadership Funds for professional development services to the Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative, Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC). With input from the state, the AALRC is responsible for facilitating professional development training to adult education providers, especially teachers, across the state. One area of trainings that the state has focused on is Career Pathways. Since 2021, over 144 professional development hours were provided in related topics such as Career Pathways, Contextualized Learning, and Integrated Education and Training (IET). The AALRC is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and disseminating materials and information to adult education and literacy programs. The Adult Education Section and AALRC provide information through email, newsletters, and discussion lists and through Zoom webinars.

The AALRC coordinates and presents in-depth professional development training that coincides with the goals and vision of the Adult Education Section and aligns with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Title II AEFLA program. Throughout the year, the AALRC and the Adult Education Section assess the needs of local programs areas through evaluations/surveys, meetings, and general discussions or requests by phone and email and provide any new software, materials, or resources necessary to accommodate program needs for continued progress. 

 The Adult Education Section hosts the Fall and Spring Administrators' Meetings through the AALRC annually. Some of the topics of the Fall meeting focused on programs being student-focused, contextualized learning, training on Integrated Education and Training, customer service training, and a discussion of using data to develop recruitment and retention plans. The Spring meeting highlighted best practices, student and teacher recruitment, motivation, and retention. The meeting also focused on the leadership development of directors and included a SWOT Analysis and components of an effective program self-study. Additionally, the Adult Education Section recognizes providers for achievements such as the highest measurable skill gains, credential attainments, and retention rate of all programs in the state. Programs who showed the greatest improvement in these areas are also acknowledged during this time.

 Recognizing the lasting and profound impact that COVID-19 made on society, the AALRC continues to incorporate training on mental health and wellness, including the importance of self-care. Although the number of in-person training increased this year, the Adult Education Section and the AALRC recognized that virtual or distance learning would continue to be an essential tool for educating students and staff; as such, efforts have continued to find ways to accommodate program needs in the areas of distance learning and technology. The AALRC's plan to offer more online training has included additional self-paced course offerings added to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) online portal for programs. The AALRC also hosts a YouTube Channel that houses recorded training on using specific software applications and other relevant training beneficial to staff. Providing easy access to these workshops allows users to review and refresh their learning at their convenience. Other online professional development forums are maintained through Canvas and LINCS as well.

 Unique goals accomplished this program year through a collaborative effort include:

• Coordinated a team to participate in the Digital Resilience in the American Workforce Training (DRAW) Cohort 1. The team attended training beginning January 2023 and requested a digital literacy self-assessment from all instructors as a part of the process. The information learned was used to develop training presented during the 2023 Teachers’ Summit.
• Coordinated a team to participate in the IET Advanced Basic Bootcamp Training Series, which began in April 2023.
• Coordinated a team to participate in the Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) Training.

Improvements and expansion of the revamped Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE™) program continued. The WAGE™ program emphasizes basic skills, workforce preparation, and industry-recognized certificates to make it a statewide model for Integrated Education and Training (IET). Training was offered on integrating career pathways into the curriculum. The Adult Education Section now provides opportunities for students to earn industry-recognized certificates in any of the 16 career pathways clusters through the WAGE™ program. The Adult Education Section works with local providers to place particular emphasis on developing complete career pathways programs that provide students the opportunity to earn certificates in Workforce Preparation, Hospitality and Tourism, Health Science, Business Management, Education and Training, and Manufacturing to meet the needs identified by regional workforce development boards. The Adult Education Section supports completion of these credentials by offering scholarships to students that cover course and/or material costs.

The AALRC utilizes the online ESC Works system to track the professional development activities of faculty and staff in Arkansas. Participants can manage their transcripts of courses completed through the AALRC and from outside sources (i.e., state and national conferences, LINCS, etc.) in ESC Works.

(C) Provision of technical assistance to funded eligible providers as described in section 223(1)(c).

The Adult Education staff and the AALRC provide intense technical assistance to eligible providers. Some areas in which technical assistance was provided include:

•    Technical training on the agency’s data management system, provided by the Adult Education Section staff.

•    To improve data entry, short webinars were developed and delivered throughout the year to focus on specific areas of need as identified by questions received and issues identified through data reviews.

•    Technical support provided by the AALRC’s Information Technology Specialist related to software and hardware issues and questions.

The Adult Education Section will continue to offer technical assistance to eligible providers. Many program directors and teachers have registered with the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS), which offers a plethora of resources, professional development, and an opportunity to connect with other practitioners. If the AALRC or state staff is unable to offer training or a training has passed, LINCS offers multiple training topics such as Integrated Education and Training, Career Pathways, English as a Second Language, Distance Learning, and content areas such as reading, math, and science. LINCS allow individuals to get up to speed quickly in During administrators’ meetings and through the professional development resource center, AALRC, trainings by experts in the field of English as a Second Language, Learning Disabilities, Math, Literacy, Distance Education, and much more continue to be offered. These offerings have become even more important during times when onsite trainings were limited due to the pandemic.

Mandatory Administrators' Meetings are held semi-annually during which policies and procedures are discussed and information is disseminated. During the administrators’ meetings, providers also share best practices with one another as well as gain additional professional development training from staff or guest speakers. Additionally, state-level partners share pertinent information with local directors to assist with local collaboration. For safety reasons, the most recent meetings were held virtually.

The Adult Education Section staff provides technical training on the state’s data management information system (LACES). The LACES trainings have been customized to fit the type of user utilizing the system. LACES Data Entry covers the basics of entering student information, creating classes, enrolling students in classes, entering assessments, entering attendance hours, and other basic data entry topics. LACES 101 highlights the link between data and program performance and funding, running federal tables, ensuring quality data, basic data searches and reports. LACES for Directors focuses on data dives to analyze student enrollment and performance, program and class level data analysis and creating data driven queries. LACES for Instructors focuses on how instructors, specifically, can use data to track student progress as they implement instructional methods and curriculum.

Training for new local program directors is provided through a one-on-one session within a month of hire, and an annual New Administrators’ Meeting. The purpose of these trainings is to familiarize new program leadership of the responsibilities of their role, and the federal and state laws and policies that guide the services provided and the methods available to programs to meet the needs of participants.

The Adult Education Section provides over ten data management information systems trainings per year regionally, as well as during administrators’ meetings and conferences. Staff also provides webinars and teleconference training to providers. All providers participate in at least two data management information systems trainings per year. Technical support is available for LACES via email or telephone and by request, face-to-face, and weekly LACES office hours are provided via Zoom.

(D) Monitoring and evaluation of the quality and improvement of adult education activities as described in section 223 (1)(d).

Mandatory Administrators' Meetings are held semiannually, during which policies and procedures are discussed, information is disseminated, and providers can gain additional professional development from state staff, guest speakers, and each other.

The Adult Education Section monitors local programs through submitted quarterly reports, annual one-day site visits, and intensive three-day program reviews performed on each program every four years or as determined by their level of risk. One hundred percent (37/37) of providers received an annual site visit in 2023-24, and all programs will receive site visits in the upcoming years. The program review and site visit instruments were updated in 2023 for future years in order to emphasize topics such as collaboration with one-stop partners, student credential completions, and the integration of career pathways, workplace literacy, digital literacy, etc. across the curriculum These updates will allow the Adult Education Section to better evaluate local program’s preparation to meet federal and state goals.  

The Adult Education Section also evaluates each program annually through an E&E (Effective and Efficient) calculation, currently based upon the programs’ progress on the federally negotiated benchmarks in NRS Table 4. Programs not meeting E&E are provided with intense technical assistance to develop and implement a program improvement plan, with follow-up throughout the remainder of the program year. A new calculation for E&E was developed in 2022-23 based on measurable skill gains, second and fourth quarter employment, credential attainment, and second quarter median earnings developed during 2022-23. This new calculation was shared with local program directors and was implemented in 2023-24 and will be used in future years.  

Adult education state staff evaluates providers quarterly through the review of each program’s quarterly report submission. In it, providers review and report progress on average attendance hours, educational functioning level (EFL) gains, number and percentage of students post-tested, changes in major demographics, GED rates, etc. Quarterly reports also allow providers to review operational aspects of the program such as the percentage of funds expended, completion of required professional development, and completed personnel activity reports. Quarterly report reviews and technical assistance calls between state staff and programs evaluate and monitor the success and performance regularly.

The Adult Education Section also performs an annual site visit for each adult education and literacy provider 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, each year 25% of the current 37 adult education and literacy providers receive a program review, which is a three-day intensive program monitoring and technical site visit by a team of program advisors in the state office. Each provider can expect to have a program review every four years provided there are no major risks or violations identified during an annual site visit, which would increase review frequency. Providers are assessed in areas including, but not limited to, Program Management and Reporting, Financials, Technology, and Collaboration. 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. Once each program is reviewed, the Adult Education Section requests a full financial audit review by the state agency's finance department.

The Adult Education Section evaluates each program annually through an E&E (Effective and Efficient) calculation, currently based upon the programs’ progress on the federally negotiated benchmarks in Table 4. Programs that do not meet the determined percentage of the benchmarks are provided additional technical assistance in order to prepare a performance improvement plan. Plan implementation is monitored throughout the year. Upon not meeting the requirements of E&E for three consecutive years, the Adult Education Section makes a recommendation to the Arkansas Workforce Development Board as to whether the program should continue to be funded.

Lastly, mandatory Administrators' Meetings are held twice a year in which policies and procedures are discussed and information is disseminated. During the administrators’ meeting, providers share best practices with one another as well as gain additional professional development training from staff or guest speakers.