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  • 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 under title II, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).
    • b. Local Activities

      Describe how the State will, using the considerations specified in section 231(e) of WIOA, fund each eligible provider to establish or operate programs that provide any of the following adult education and literacy activities identified in section 203 of WIOA, including programs that provide such activities concurrently. The Unified or Combined State Plan must include at a minimum the scope, content, and organization of these local activities.

b. Adult Education and Literacy Activities (section 203 of WIOA)

  • Adult education;
  • Literacy;
  • Workplace adult education and literacy activities;
  • Family literacy activities;
  • English language acquisition activities;
  • Integrated English literacy and civics education;
  • Workforce preparation activities; or
  • Integrated education and training that— Page 219
    1. Provides adult education and literacy activities, concurrently and contextually with both, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster, and
    2. Is for the purpose of educational and career advancement.

Current Narrative:

However, Indiana DWD has chosen to emphasis and encourage expansion of Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Workplace Adult Education and Literacy activities.

Integrated Education and Training and Workplace Adult Education and Literacy Activities

For program year 2017-18 DWD Indiana Adult Education held an open grant competition. Ninety percent of total funding was allocated by economic growth regions using a formula that took into account historic regional enrollments, as well as American Community Survey data on the number of individuals without a high school diploma in each region. Eligible applicants were able to apply for this funding to implement any or all of the eight WIOA eligible activities. The remaining ten percent of funding was allocated by region based on the statewide percentage of job openings in the region that required a high school credential and post-secondary training or credential. Use of these funds was limited to implementation of Integrated Education and Training (IET) classes that aligned with the local plan to meet the needs of area employers.

Once awarded funding, eligible providers are required to submit applications for each proposed IET class. Each application is screened to assure all elements of the IET are met, that the curriculum meets the requirements for the proposed certification and that the career path leads to employment in demand in the local area.

IET examples include:

  • Certified Nursing Assistant training offered concurrently and contextually with HSE and workforce preparation. The class is co taught by an adult education instructor and a registered nurse.

  • Microsoft Office Word training offered concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation and adult education and literacy activities. The class is taught entirely by adult education instructors.

  • Entry level manufacturing training offered concurrently and contextually with HSE and workforce preparation activities in a local jail program. The goal of the class is for students to receive OSHA 10 certification and two of four MSSC certifications as well as their HSE this class is taught by adult education instructors and college personnel.

For the program year 2018-19 grant continuation, seventy five percent of available funding will be allocated based on eligible provider performance. These funds can be used for any of the eight WIOA eligible activities. The remaining twenty five percent of available funds must be used for Workplace Adult Education and Literacy activities and Integrated Education and Training activities.

Workplace examples include:

  • START Hospitality training offered with English Language Acquisition curriculum at a local hotel for their employees. A local English Language instructor teaches all components of the class.

  • HSE preparation offered for part time janitorial and dietary employees of a local medical device manufacturer. The class is taught at a community college by local adult education staff. Upon attainment of their HSE these employees are promoted to full time manufacturing positions

  • PARA-PRO training offered with English Language Acquisition curriculum. The class is taught on site and in partnership with the providers’ school system. Upon completion students are eligible for placement as an instructional aides within the host school system.

DWD Indiana Adult Education will continue the IET class approval process for program year 2018-19, adding a similar process for Workplace Adult Education and Literacy classes.

Additional Adult Education Services

Adult education and literacy services target native speakers of American English who function below a high school equivalency in one or more basic academic skills, who demonstrate a need for remediation to test into credit-bearing college level coursework, or who lack the employability skills needed to transition into work. Other adults eligible for these services include non-native speakers of American English who have successfully acquired a level of proficiency in English, either through federally-funded English literacy programs or other ways, to be able to function adequately in adult education and literacy classes with native speakers.

Adult Education grant applicants are required to describe in their funding proposals the activities that are planned to support the Family Literacy Activities purpose of the act and meet the needs of undereducated parents in their area. Specifically, applicants will be asked to discuss (1) outreach efforts for attracting parents with low literacy skills to the program; (2) program design accommodations particularly focused on the needs of parents (i.e., child care, class times and locations, curriculum content, and materials); and (3) linkages established with schools and community partners to facilitate the integration of services for families.

Indiana’s English language acquisition programs are designed for non-native speakers of American English whose communicative competence in the language is nonexistent or significantly limited. Furthermore, these programs are to target adults who intend to remain in the United States. English will be the primary medium of instruction, even when all students in a class speak a common language. The goal is not to produce students with perfect pronunciation or fluent English grammar, but rather to produce students whose ability to communicate in English (which includes reading, listening, comprehension and speaking) is proficient enough to function adequately in other educational settings, on the job, in the family, and/or in society.

In order to prepare the English Language Learner population for unsubsidized employment in in-demand industries and integrate them into the workforce system, DWD has implemented Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) services. During the Program year 2017-18 grant competition eligible providers competed for funding to provide IELCE services. These classes must provide all the components of an IET as well as English language acquisition and civics components. Similar to the IET approval process, eligible providers of IELCE must submit for approval the scope of work for each IELCE class.

IELCE Example:

  • START Hospitality training offered with English Language Acquisition curriculum at a local hotel for their employees. A local English Language instructor teaches all components of the class.

Through the already established technical assistance and monitoring processes, the providers of IELCE will be supported in their efforts to increase coordination with local One Stop Centers to support English Language Learners in their transition into postsecondary education/training and/or employment.

The English language acquisition component of integrated English literacy and civics education activities is required to align to the College and Career Readiness content standards. In their application for funds, eligible providers are required to describe the curriculum and instructional materials to be used for the civics component of integrated English literacy (which includes reading, listening, comprehension and speaking) and civics education, which must, at a minimum, include instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation. DWD also requires that the civics educational component include basic instruction in U.S. history and workforce preparation activities.

All adult education, activities are required to be based upon the DWD adopted College and Career Readiness standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics. Eligible local providers are required to describe, in their application for funds, their use of these standards. Local providers are required to address professional development and ongoing assistance for all instructors; development and acquisition of curriculum and instructional materials aligned to the standards; and monitoring and ongoing technical assistance.

In Program Year 2017-2018 DWD Adult Education fully implemented the Indiana Career Explore (ICE) tool into adult education programming. All adult education students are required to complete ICE within the first twelve hours of enrollment in order to emphasis student transition to post-secondary training and employment.