Located in:
- 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 and activities under title II of WIOA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).
a. Aligning of Content Standards
Describe how the eligible agency has aligned its content standards for adult education with State-adopted challenging academic content standards, as adopted under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)).
Current Narrative:
The Vermont AOE has committed to the implementation of college and career readiness standards for all students. This means the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for its K-12 public schools, and the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS). The CCRS is an exact subset of the Common Core State Standards that has been winnowed and validated for applicability to adult learners by expert panels commissioned at the national level. Both documents define three “key advances” or “instructional shifts” each for the broad content areas of English language arts/literacy and mathematics for adults functioning from the most basic level through high school completion. English language arts/literacy standards specify skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and reading foundational skills.
By virtue of the origin of the CCRS in Common Core State Standards, the standards are aligned.
Vermont’s Flexible Pathways Initiative includes Dual Enrollment, Early College, Career and Technical Education, Work-Based Learning, Expanded Learning Opportunities, and the High School Completion Program (HSCP). This statute, “Flexible Pathways to Secondary School Completion,” also requires secondary schools serving publicly-funded students to create Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs) for all students in grades 7-12, and flexible pathways to secondary school completion which can include opportunities for learning that fall outside of a traditional school setting.
The HSCP is a potential component of a flexible pathway for any Vermont student who is at least 16 years old, who has not received a high school diploma, and who may or may not be enrolled in a public or approved independent school. The majority of students (approximately 86% in 2018-2019) who participate in the HSCP are unenrolled from school. Adult Education and Literacy providers are responsible for developing a personalized learning plan with the student and the assigned high school that will meet the graduation requirements of the high school in the student’s district of residence.
Additionally, Vermont’s State Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) aligns with adult education in several ways. Career and College Readiness indicators will be used to measure academic proficiency, as well as graduation rates, English language proficiency, and standards in English language arts and mathematics. Of special note are the career and college ready indicators that will be used as part of ESSA, which are also outcomes tracked under WIOA, including Industry Recognized Credentials.
ESSA requires that States hold schools accountable for the graduation rate using the federal definition of a 4-year cohort calculation. Vermont also measures the percentage of students graduating within a 6-year extended graduation rate. In 2014, the Vermont State Board of Education adopted the Education Quality Standards, which call for a proficiency-based graduation requirement that emphasizes mastery rather than time as the critical factor in determining if a student has met career and college ready expectations. As such, students are encouraged to pursue flexible pathways that enrich their learning and better prepare them for positive post-secondary outcomes. Consistent with this legislation and with adult education, Vermont places greater value on completion of secondary school with mastery of critical skills than completion within a traditional timeframe.