Overview

Building on popular sessions offered by the College & Career Pathways Institute during the Massachusetts Directors meeting in May, this one-day workshop introduces core elements of contextualized and career-focused adult education programs. Considering the vision and performance outcomes delineated in WIOA, this workshop will prepare you to develop a program redesign plan, incorporate explicit career and college readiness activities, and improve the pathways to postsecondary education and career advancement for your students.

    Audience

    This professional development activity/course is designed for:

  • Program administrators and coordinators interested in designing comprehensive effective career pathway programs for nontraditional adult learners and out-of-school youth; and
  • Instructors and advisors interested in learning more about evidence-based career pathways program design, contextualized instruction, and effective career and college advisement strategies.
Description

As practitioners across the country undertake a redesign of their adult education programs to meet WIOA’s new career and postsecondary pathways vision, many recognize the positive impact of contextualized, sector-specific basic skills instruction aligned with the CCRSAE. Recent research shows the success of contextualized, career-focused basic skills curricul for students who need to earn a high school equivalency diploma or improve English language proficiency to prepare for careers and postsecondary education. Findings from a recent random assignment evaluation of LaGuardia Community College’s Bridge to College and Careers Program, conducted by MDRC[1], suggest that preparing students to earn the high school equivalency diploma with academically rigorous, career-focused content leads to improved classroom retention, higher HSE exam pass rates, and increases in postsecondary transition rates for students who earn the diploma.

Building on these promising findings and the urgent need to raise rigor in adult education in preparation for career and postsecondary advancement, this workshop will introduce educators to contextualized curriculum and program design strategies that develop adult learners’ academic competencies and professional awareness, including in preparation for the high school equivalency exams, career advancement and postsecondary success. Using effective program approaches from LaGuardia’s Bridge to College and Careers and NYBEST Programs as models, this session offers an overview of:

  1. Aspiration building, career assessment and next steps planning in adult education programs;
  2. Effective contextualized curriculum and instructional strategies; integrating workforce preparation with academic preparation;
  3. Using quantitative and qualitative data to improve student retention, completion and success; and
  4. Embedded student support and advisement.

[1] http://www.mdrc.org/project/ged-bridge-health-and-business-program#featured_content

    Learning Objectives

    Upon completion of this professional development activity/course, you will be able to:

  • Identify the core elements of a comprehensive, contextualized and career-focused adult education program;
  • Use data to improve student retention and success;
  • Develop an initial program redesign plan;
  • Incorporate explicit career and college readiness activities at your site
Presenter(s) / Facilitator(s)
Date
11/30/2017 - 9:30 am to 11/30/2017 - 3:30 pm
Location

Quinsigamond Community College, Harrington Learning Center, Room 109A
670 West Boylston Street
Worcester, MA 01606
United States

PD Center
SABES Program Support PD Center - Career Pathways
Topic Area
Career Pathways
Curriculum Development
Education and Career Planning
Education Leadership & Program Management
ELA
ESOL/English Learners
High School Equivalency (HiSET/GED)
MassSTEP (IET / IELCE)
Transitions to College
Close Date