Narrative: e. 1.

Adult Education collaborates with all core and required partner agencies under WIOA, as well as other agency partners to provide programs and services to eligible participants. Adult Education is co-located with the American Job Center (AJC) in eight locations statewide. Data sharing continues as an Adult Education staff member enters services in the Mid Atlantic Career Consortium (MACC) system to capture and report business services related to strategic planning, economic development, accessing untapped labor pools, training services, incumbent worker training services, rapid response/business downsizing assistance, and planning a layoff response. 

Adult Education partners in the No Wrong Door initiative developed by the Governor’s Office providing citizens of WV with online access to services where all partners receive referrals from one source. To streamline services for adults, Adult Education provides assessment services for AJC clients seeking access to training. WorkForce WV operates two regional call centers for which Adult Education provides critical customer service and employability skills training for new employees.  

To expand and enhance career pathway development with business and industry, Adult Education participated in an Advanced Integrated and Education Training (IET) design camp hosted by the US Department of Education to provide new training opportunities and resources to assist professional development providers and local staff in program development for career pathways leading to employment.

Adult Education continues to develop career services as requested by business and industry to fill voids in in-demand occupations.  Two examples of those include: WV School Service Personnel testing in assisting potential applicants with successfully completing the competency exams and Direct Support Professional training for aids who assist citizens being cared for in-home.

Instructors are required to maintain professional development hours for continuation of employment.  Many professional development opportunities are offered for instructors and administrators throughout the year.  Trainings emphasize areas such as programmatic changes, assessment, data management, monitoring, National Reporting System (NRS), career pathways, Integrated Education and Training Programs (IETPs), certifications, distance education, instructional strategies, and other professional development initiatives.  The West Virginia Adult Education Association, Inc. hosts an annual fall conference to provide instructors the opportunity to obtain required professional development hours.  The conference also includes partner agencies as well as numerous vendors.

Ready, Read, Write, West Virginia an initiative created by the West Virginia Department of Education to increase literacy proficiency for all students and provides training opportunity for instructors.  It is rooted in the science of reading and based on the belief that all students can learn to read proficiently with effective reading instruction. 

Three Adult Education staff members are certified to deliver Ruby Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty training to assist instructors in understanding poverty and how to assist students.

The West Virginia Department of Education offers Adult Education professional practitioners the opportunity to participate in a Career and Technical Education Teacher Preparation Program. This collaborative effort with Marshall University allows adult education instructors hired through an alternative teaching path the opportunity to obtain a Professional Teaching Certification (K12 credential) to earn a Career Technical Education (CTE) Certificate with an Adult Education Endorsement. This certificate is equivalent to a Professional Teaching Certification and provides a pathway to a permanent certification. Additionally, Adult Education offers other opportunities for instructors to earn non-degree graduate credits for specific professional development.

The state is divided into six regions with an Adult Education Coordinator for each region.  Coordinators are responsible for oversight of programs within their regions to provide technical assistance for intensity and duration of instruction, data management, and assessment and program implementation.  In addition, monthly reviews and quarterly meetings are held to ensure compliance to monitor program performance.  All Adult Education staff are available to provide technical assistance to programs as needed or upon request. 

Adult Education has provided programs with various technology tools to support class instruction.  The tools are designed to assist instructors with the skillset to increase measurable skill gain attainment and improve core indicators.  Learning management system and technology vendors attend and present sessions to instructors at the conference to provide skillful utilization by instructors to assist students.  Adult Education implemented a technology loan program for students without technology devices so they can study outside of the classroom.  WV still struggles with internet accessibility in various parts of the state.

Adult Education programs are regularly monitored to confirm compliance of National Reporting System standards.  All programs are evaluated annually, and each is monitored on a recurring schedule. LACES, the Adult Education data management system effectively provides a higher level of accountability through improved data analysis at both the state and local levels.   

Data Quality Audits are completed by the accountability team with the support of regional coordinators that represent the six individual segments of the state. The audits monitor the accuracy of data entered in LACES, while ensuring all required documents are complete.   The monitoring process aids in identifying areas of improvement in local programs with the goal of preventing inconsistencies with data.  An Annual Performance Profile Report is compiled to determine how individual programs achieved Federal Core Measures and Indicators. The Annual Performance Profile Report ranks individual classes to award programs of the year at the Annual Awards Celebration as well as pinpoint programs not meeting state standards and identifying classes subject to technical assistance and/or monitoring. 

Adult Education uses the following criteria to monitor classes and provide technical assistance: 

1. All programs are monitored statewide by the desktop monitoring report, which summarizes multiple reports from LACES.  Regional adult education coordinators and state staff review desktop monitoring reports monthly and provide technical assistance to programs with low program performance. 

2. Programs failing to meet at least 60% of the core measures for two consecutive years were prioritized for technical assistance. In addition to the steps in (1) above, these programs were scheduled for a future on-site monitoring visit. 

3. Requests from program grantees or administrators, correctional institutions undergoing re-accreditation, or regional coordinators identify programs in need of support. 

4. On-site monitoring reports include findings, recommendations, and commendations.  Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) identify the finding, required actions, evidence of completion, responsible parties, and goal dates for addressing findings.  After programs address all findings, evidence is submitted for review, and the Office of Adult Education issues a CAP closure letter.