1 Policy, Partnerships, Professional Development, & Practice ABE and GED Professional Development Presenter: Rochelle Kenyon, Ed.D. Consultant and Trainer 21 st Century Creative Consulting, Inc. Adult Education State Directors National Training Institute Denver, Colorado November 12, :40 – 10:40 A.M. and 10:55 – 11:55 A.M.

 2 Agenda  Welcome and Introductions  Florida’s Commitment - A Collaborative Vision  Bridges to Practice (2000 – 04)  LD State Plan Initiative (2004 – 05)  Practitioners’ Task Force on Adults with LD (2005 – 06)  Web-Based/Online Staff Development Florida TechNet, Dr. Debra Hargrove Florida TechNet, Dr. Debra Hargrove  Resources  Miscellaneous/Wrap-up

 3 State Goal  Bonnie Marmor, Vice Chancellor  Teresa Bestor, State Director of Adult Education  Florida Department of Education Division of Community Colleges & Workforce Education Office of Adult Education  Develop a Collaborative Plan Statewide Coordination “Consistent and High Quality Adult Education Services Relative to Staff Development”

 4 A Collaborative Vision   Assure increased coordination of services and eliminate possible duplication of effort   Assure maximum utilization of resources   Time   Money   People   Assure consistent and meaningful accountability measures Objectives

 5 Delivery System RTCs Adult Ed Literacy Governor’s Family Literacy Centers 5 Practitioner’s Taskforce (PTF) Florida Literacy Coalition 5 Regional Literacy Centers ACEConference PTFSymposium Adult & Community Educators of FL ACE

 6 Regional Training Councils (RTC)   Developed to provide staff development based on regional needs.   As geographic regions vary in size and population density, so do their training needs.   The regional concept was selected as a strategy to allow equal access for all agencies involved in adult education.   Assessments done annually to determine practitioner needs.   The Board of Directors of each RTC establishes staff development offerings and delivery strategies.   RTCs work in close cooperation with Regional Literacy Centers, the Practitioners’ Task Forces, the Literacy Coalition, and other Adult Education providers.   A system of linkages exits to coordinate the work of the RTC’s with regional stakeholders.

 7 Practitioners’ Task Force Committees   Experts in their specific fields   Work in collaboration with DOE, develop a vision of future program needs and service delivery strategies   Develop and recommend appropriate strategies in response to critical issues   Establish consistent standards for performance measures   Develop materials to be used in training

 8 Florida Literacy Coalition (Adult Literacy Resource Center)   Sponsor the Florida Literacy Referral Service, the official hotline for prospective students and volunteers   Refer callers to local literacy programs and provide specific literacy information as requested to the media   Provide technical assistance to literacy providers through the annual Literacy Coalition Conference   Provide advocacy training, CBO leadership training, and training for tutor educators   Serve as a conduit and clearinghouse for literacy data and national information   Maintain LINCS   Provide information, literacy news, relevant statistics, and a literacy events calendar

 9 5 Regional Literacy Centers   Recruit and refer students and train volunteer tutors to local educational providers   Foster community awareness of regional literacy opportunities   Provide literacy resources through statewide and regional collaboration

 10 Governor’s Family Literacy Initiative   Promote and support integrated intergenerational family literacy services through programs including the following four components:   Adult Literacy   Parent Education   Parent and Child (PAC) Time   Early Childhood Education

 11 Bridges to Practice  Teachers School Districts Community Colleges Technical Centers Correctional Educators  Tutors and Literacy Providers  Support Staff  DVR & Community Agencies  Workforce Boards  One Stop Centers  Interagency Providers National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) A Research-Based Guide for Literacy Practitioners

 12 Staff Development - Annually  2 Annual Symposia  2 – 3 State Adult Education Conferences  Web site –  2, 5-hour Web-based Trainings  Resources  Referral Services Persons that suspect a possible learning disability Persons with diagnosed learning disabilities Teachers wanting information on accommodations Parents requesting services their adult children Questions about GED Testing Questions about materials, supplies, reading programs Questions about assistive technology Educators

 13 LD State Plan Initiative  Gerald Frisby, Chairperson Interagency writing group “Creating a Statewide Interagency Service Delivery System for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Florida” Recommendations to the Department of Education

 14Recommendations  Adopt a definition of an adult with learning disabilities consistent across all service providers.  Each service provider shall develop documentation guidelines that establish eligibility for services pursuant to the framework established in the document Creating a Statewide Delivery System for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Florida.  At the initial point of entry, each service provider shall make available to adults with documented learning disabilities, assurances of non-discrimination and access to reasonable accommodations.  Service providers shall adopt a procedure for documenting and providing reasonable accommodations (pursuant to Section 504/ADA/IDEA/ and the Florida Equity Act) within 30 to 45 days from development of the Accommodation Plan. Should the provision of services exceed 30 to 45 days, written communication shall be provided to the adult describing the progress made to date. To facilitate the effective implementation and the achievement of the Service Delivery System goals, several recommendations were made.

 15Recommendations  Implement the Statewide Service Delivery Model with recommended timelines to service adults with learning disabilities.  Waiver opportunities that are available to high school students shall also be made available to adults in Adult High School and GED Preparation.  Enforce the Basic Skills Exemption for Students with Disabilities - FS (3), (18), FS (7) in all vocational programs so that test scores will not be used to keep students from entering programs for which they have otherwise demonstrated an aptitude.  Expand existing K-12 State Board policy rule 6A to include adults with disabilities in adult education, workforce readiness, and literacy programs to set their self-determined goals.

 16Recommendations  The Department of Corrections shall refer inmates with identified learning disabilities for re-evaluation and follow-up within six months prior to release.  Establish and promote a pilot Regional Assessment Center through joint Interagency funding to complete diagnoses of learning disabilities for GED Preparation students that meet specific criteria.  Establish and promote a Clearinghouse of resources for adults with learning disabilities.  Develop a statewide database system that can provide impact information on the programs, activities, and services provided to adults with learning disabilities.  Conduct a summative evaluation on the effectiveness of the service delivery system including use of the qualitative and quantitative data relative to the indicators in this Implementation Plan.  Establish an Implementation/Advisory Committee to proceed with the recommended actions and indicators as set forth in this document.

 17 Practitioners’ Task Force - LD Gerald Frisby, Facilitator  The Task Force’s work will be guided by the recommendations presented by the Interagency Development Team on Adults with Learning Disabilities in the 2005 Report to the Florida Department of Education.  Vision  Vision:A comprehensive delivery system for the State of Florida that supports adults with learning disabilities and those suspected of having learning disabilities, in achieving their self-determined goals.  Mission  Mission:Develop a service delivery system that maximizes access and resources for adults with learning disabilities and that enhances services and accommodations necessary for success.

 18 Florida TechNet  On-line and on-site technical staff development  Linkage to other resource sites  Assist the education community to integrate technology in their programs  Serve as a central website for all adult education providers  Living Library Adults with Disabilities

 19 Web-Based Training  html Florida’s Bridges to Practice: An Introduction (5 hours)  Florida’s Bridges to Practice: Merging Theory with Practice (5 hours)  Serving Adult with Disabilities - Project Success

 20 Resources  Resources for Adults with LD  Guide_disabilities05.pdf Learning Disabilities (ABE Task Force)  Facts and Statistics on Learning Disabilities & Literacy  hhttp:// Glossary of LD-Related Terms  yslexiaPDF.pdf Reading Disabilities and Dyslexia

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