Narrative: e. 1.

State Leadership will focus on effective grant management practices, data-driven decision making and promoting effective instructional practices and retention practices of both instructors and learners. AEI will designate State Leadership funds to effectively and efficiently provide support and service to the field. In accordance with section 223 of WIOA, funds for State Leadership will continue to support local programs in their integration of services with core partners, development of career pathways, and ultimately, to benefit all Coloradans and targeted populations. 

Alignment

AEFLA applications are reviewed by Local Workforce Development Board staff during grant competitions for alignment with Local Workforce Development Area plans. LWDB staff provide input on each application’s alignment to the plan including comments on how to better improve alignment and support the goals of the plan. The AEI Office coordinates with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to cross train staff in Title II and Title IV programs on accessibility through a programmatic accessibility course and accessible design training series and AEI plans to continue the partnership to deliver annual trainings and courses. The AEI office engages with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and the Colorado Department of Higher Education annually to implement and update data sharing agreements which provide for tracking of co-enrollment as well as the receipt of match data for employment, wage, post-secondary entrance, and credential attainment outcomes. The AEI Office assigns one Adult Education Program Coordinator to run point on workforce partnerships with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment which houses the other core partner programs. This staff member attends regular meetings with staff from the CDLE on professional learning across core partners and supports AEFLA grantees in their participation in local MOUs and IFAs with workforce boards, attending LWDB meetings, and building and strengthening referral processes with local WIOA partners. The director of Student Pathways Unit and State Director of Adult Education at CDE attends state Workforce Development Board meetings with the Colorado Workforce Development Council. 

High Quality Professional Development

The professional learning project provides monthly training targeted for both instructional and administrative staff at the local level covering various topics. Topics are determined based on data from local professional learning plans, state and grantee performance data, customer satisfaction survey data, training evaluation survey results from prior years, and the statewide professional learning survey results. Instructional topics typically cover reading activities such as phonemic awareness, phonemes, phonics, fluency, comprehension, inference, decoding, and building vocabulary; math instructional best practices; NRS Table 4 and 5 outcomes; intake and orientation practices; assessment; IET and contextualized instruction; learner persistence; culturally responsive teaching; program design; and teacher observations and evaluations. A core component of the professional learning project is the Adult Basic Education Authorization (ABEA) and the associated free online courses which are available to support staff in earning the credential. The ABEA is the only credential issued by the CDE Office of Educator Preparation, Licensing and Enforcement for educators who work with adult learners to improve literacy skills, English language proficiency and/or to prepare them to pass a high school equivalency exam. The professional learning project also provides regular trainings via online courses or training series for all staff around the following topics: accessible design and programmatic accessibility; data collection, reporting, and analysis; distance education; assessment; follow up survey; annual data close out; and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Additionally, between 2022 and 2025, AEI has and will be contracting with staff at the Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation (CADRE) at the University of Colorado Boulder to conduct additional adult education literature reviews, multi-year data analyses, and to collect qualitative data through local program site visits, observations, and interviews focusing on professional learning at the local and state levels with the goal of better identifying effective professional learning strategies for grantees in Colorado and how to reduce barriers to participation in professional learning for part-time grantee staff who make up the majority of instructional staff across the state. The results of this project will be used to inform longer-term professional learning planning for Colorado including potential reorganization of the project. 

Technical Assistance

AEI disseminates instructional and programmatic practices through professional learning events (described above), in weekly “AEI Updates” email communications, and via Office Hours webinars. The Office Hours webinars provide training, best practices, and resources from subject matter experts. AEI also hosts periodic in-person and hybrid meetings both regionally and at the state level often in partnership with adult education professional associations and organizations to further support the dissemination of best practices. To address grantee’s role to provide access to employment, education, and training services as a required one-stop partner, the AEI team collaborates with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE), and the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). The AEI Office assigns one Adult Education Program Coordinator to run point on workforce partnerships with the CDLE. This staff member attends regular meetings with staff from the CDLE on professional learning across core partners and supports AEFLA grantees in their participation in local MOUs and IFAs with workforce boards, attending LWDB meetings, and building and strengthening referral processes with local WIOA partners. The director of Student Pathways Unit and State Director of Adult Education at CDE attends state Workforce Development Board meetings with the Colorado Workforce Development Council. To continue increasing access to digital literacy and technology, AEI purchases a license for grantees and WIOA partners as applicable to Northstar Digital Literacy and partners with the CDLE to further provide digital training throughout the state. AEI hosts a regular community of practice around distance education and provides training and one-on-one sessions to facilitate successful digital skill implementation. Additionally, annual statewide, one-on-one, and small group trainings on using the state’s data system for adult education reporting, LACES, are provided to support grantees in developing their own fluency with using the system to support improvements in efficiency.

Monitoring and Evaluation

AEI conducts an annual risk assessment of grantees to determine risk once all performance and fiscal data from the prior year is available. Grantees receive quarterly data performance reports displaying their key NRS data with trends, prior year comparisons, performance target reminders, and key recommendations, and Adult Education Program Coordinators hold either bi-annual or quarterly monitoring calls or reports with all grantees to ensure alignment with AEFLA requirements and to identify best practices and innovative activities in programming. Information collected is provided to grantees in follow-up reports and during webinars hosted by the AEI Office. Desktop and on-site monitoring occurs based on the results of the risk assessment, when requested from grantees, and anytime compliance, assurance or policy violations warrant an on-site visit. The AEI Data Manager and Data Specialist monitor grantee data monthly to identify any concerns about enrollment, post-testing, and measurable skill gains (MSG), equitable access, and exit outcomes. AEI uses a custom virtual grantee dashboard in the statewide data system, LACES. Reports from this dashboard are used to provide technical assistance to grantees to support improved performance and accuracy in data reporting. AEI elevates the importance of data by highlighting specific data topics in webinars or trainings the office hosts and during quarterly Data Talks. AEI disseminates instructional and programmatic practices through professional learning events (described above), in weekly “AEI Updates” email communications, and via Office Hours webinars. The Office Hours webinars provide training, best practices, and resources from subject matter experts. AEI also hosts periodic in-person and hybrid meetings both regionally and at the state level often in partnership with adult education professional associations and organizations to further support the dissemination of best practices.