Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Program

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.

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—

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.

Adult Education and Family Literacy Program

Maryland Labor has adopted the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Standards for Adults to align with the State’s K-12 College and Career Readiness Standards. The standards create a stronger connection between adult education, postsecondary education, and the workplace. By bringing awareness to the critical skills and knowledge expected and required for success in colleges, technical training programs, and employment in the 21st century, the standards guide adult education curriculum and instruction.

To ensure continued alignment, MD Labor:

• Conducts needs assessments to determine CCRS integration into adult education programs,
• Gathers data on effective models of statewide implementation,
• Educates local adult education program leadership and instructional staff on the components of CCRS,
• Creates and delivers professional development and disseminate best practices for implementation in local programs, and
• Provides technical assistance to local adult education programs to determine critical shifts in instruction necessary to align with the CCRS and current high school equivalency assessments.

MD Labor’s adult education and literacy activities focus on the adult education purposes described in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), otherwise referred to as Title II of WIOA.

Title II activities assist eligible adult participants in:

• Becoming literate and obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency;
• Supporting their children’s educational development;
• Attaining a secondary school diploma;
• Entering postsecondary education or training.

Maryland conducts a competitive application process to award grants to eligible providers, to operate programs that provide adult education and literacy activities. The State manages and coordinates the application process to ensure that service availability is maintained in every jurisdiction based on level of need. Grantees selected as Title II providers for Local Areas must submit annual non-competitive continuation application documents in order to receive subsequent year funding. The current competitive cycle included an open competition for FY17 and a simplified reapplication process for FY18, FY19, and FY20. An open competition will be held for FY21 AEFLA funds.

Maryland ensures that:

• Adult basic education classes provide instruction for adults with low basic skills and low educational attainment, and help the most vulnerable adults gain access to the services they need;
• Adult secondary education instruction assists students functioning at the adult secondary education level to prepare for a high school diploma through the GED^® or the National External Diploma Program^® and transition to postsecondary education and employment;
• English language acquisition services assist eligible participants to achieve competence in reading, writing, speaking and comprehension of the English language, as well as the math skills needed to attain a high school credential and successfully transition to postsecondary education and employment;
• All educational programming incorporates evidence-based practices, including the essential components of reading instruction, and contextualized educational content and workforce training are integrated to support participants in achieving their educational and employment goals.

Workplace Adult Education and Literacy Activities

Workplace literacy programs, offered by eligible providers in collaboration with employers or employee organizations, provide opportunities for incumbent workers to strengthen their basic skills. Basic skills include reading, writing, numeracy, oral language, and other skills such as problem solving, teamwork, research, and digital literacy. These programs aim to improve the organizational productivity and performance, while advancing the workers' personal and professional development.

Adult education and literacy providers collaborate with their respective Local Boards, AJC, and area employers and employer organizations to determine local area employment needs and to market workplace literacy programs. Adult education programs offer workplace literacy instruction in basic skills, GED^® preparation, English language skills and Integrated English Literacy & Civics Education, to improve the skills and productivity of workers. Approval may be granted for programs to use a portion of instructional funding for workplace literacy instruction and to negotiate payment or in-kind services from a business partner. Workplace education activities are also an allowable activity for WIOA Title I incumbent worker training

Family Literacy Activities

Family literacy activities are designed to take a collaborative two-generation approach to improving economic opportunity for Maryland families, moving them towards economic self-sufficiency. Family literacy activities assist eligible adult parents with one or more children aged birth through 16 to gain educational skills and credentials, attain employment, and become full partners in the education of their children.

English Language Acquisition Activities

Maryland awards grants to eligible providers for the delivery of English Language instruction that assists adult immigrants and other English language learners to improve reading, writing, speaking and understanding English. Curriculum has been expanded to include basic numeracy and mathematics vocabulary, and to provide transitions to Adult Basic Education classes.

Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education

Through the competitive application process, Maryland awards Section 243 funding grants to eligible providers to carry out Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) instruction. Maryland’s adult education population has seen a growth in foreign-born students in recent years and a demand for English language instruction that also addresses employment needs. Grants are available to eligible providers in areas of high immigrant residence to provide specialized curriculum in which English language skills are aligned with Maryland’s ESL Content Standards and taught concurrently with instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation, understanding American systems of government, education, healthcare, etc. and participation in the workforce. Previous experiences with integrated education and training models demonstrated the importance of workforce preparation for immigrant populations. Integrated instruction that provides a cultural emphasis with focus on understanding the American workplace has assisted students in making a smoother transition to employment. IELCE is offered concurrently with occupational training in a high demand industry leading to potential advancement along a career pathway. Adult education funding will be used to provide the EL/Civics and workforce preparation components. Occupational training is funded through a partner.

Workforce Preparation Activities

Maryland directs resources to maximize the rate at which students successfully transition from adult education programs to postsecondary education or training and employment. The State’s implementation of the Integrating Career Awareness (ICA) curriculum and integrated education and training (IET) pilots demonstrated that students need to master preliminary skills in order to succeed in academic and career training. Therefore, the State’s WIOA Title II workforce preparation activities, programs, and services are designed to assist participants in acquiring a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills, including competencies in using resources and information, working with others, and navigating systems. Beyond helping participants prepare for the rigors of a college curriculum and the transition to a work environment, Maryland’s integrated approach equips them to enter and advance along career pathways by earning stackable industry-recognized and academic credentials that will help them maintain and build a competitive skill set. The State provides professional development and technical assistance to Local Areas to ensure that contextualized workforce preparation activities are included and effectively implemented in curriculum offerings.

Integrated Education and Training

Maryland’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (MI-BEST) initiative is based on the renowned Washington State I-BEST model, which integrates adult literacy and occupational skills instruction concurrently with wrap-around supportive services. Early pilot programs demonstrated this model’s effectiveness in increasing student retention, and accelerating progress through training. Maryland utilizes labor market intelligence to align occupational training with in-demand occupations or occupational clusters, positioning participants for educational and career advancement.

• The State’s adult education program will continue to support the MI-BEST instructional model in partnership with organizations that fund occupational training in high-demand industry sectors, supporting participants in taking their first step along a career pathway.
• Maryland’s adult education program leverages connections with the GWDB, the OWD in MD Labor’s DWDAL, Local Boards, AJCs, partner State agencies, philanthropic organizations, and other educational organizations to explore funding options to expand the reach and capacity of the MI- BEST initiative.
• Professional development and ongoing technical assistance is provided to local program administrators, teachers and workforce partners on best practices incorporating the experience of the MI-BEST and Accelerated Connections to Employment (ACE) programs including recruitment, training selection, team teaching, support services, employer participation, outcomes, and data collection.
• In FY 2017, adult education providers began collecting data on the number of enrolled adult education learners who have entered into pre-apprenticeships or full apprenticeships. The number is collected quarterly and shared with the Apprenticeship and Training Office at MD Labor.

Each eligible agency awarding a grant or contract under this section shall not use any funds made available under this title for adult education and literacy activities for the purpose of supporting or providing programs, services, or activities for individuals who are under the age of 16 and are enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law, except that such agency may use such funds for such purpose if such programs, services, or activities are related to family literacy activities. In providing family literacy activities under this title, an eligible provider shall attempt to coordinate with programs and services that are not assisted under this title prior to using funds for adult education and literacy activities under this title for activities other than activities for eligible individuals.

Special Rule

Each eligible agency awarded a grant or contract under this section shall not use any funds made available under this title for adult education and literacy activities for the purpose of supporting or providing programs, services, or activities for individuals who are under the age of 18 and are enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law, except that such agency may use such funds for such purpose if such programs, services, or activities are related to family literacy activities. In providing family literacy activities under this title, an eligible provider shall attempt to coordinate with programs and services that are not assisted under this title prior to using funds for adult education and literacy activities under this title for activities other than activities for eligible individuals.