1. Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education
December 1 and 13, 2016
Good afternoon, everyone, this is Derek Kalchbrenner, program specialist at Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS), and with me is Barbara Pope, also of ACLS. We are pleased to have you at our webinar and are excited to bring you information on Workforce Investment and Opportunity Agenda (WIOA) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE). ACLS sees IELCE models as opportunities to provide contextualized and concurrent education and training programming that can accelerate our learners’ entry into and advancement in the workforce. This webinar is a repeat of the one that was presented on December 1st. The PowerPoint will be posted on our website and we invite you to revisit it because of all the nuances this program contains.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

2. Overview Opportunities IELCE offers Definitions IELCE Components
Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education
Definitions
Sections 231 and 243
IELCE Components
Models
Resources
OCTAE Guidance
Let’s begin with an overview. We will start with a look at the opportunities IELCE programming offers, including a review of the Department’s Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education (CVTE) directory. Then we will review the WIOA definition of IELCE, including the two places—Sections 231 and 243—where IELCE appears. Then we will review the components of IELCE programs and there are four: 1) adult education and literacy activities, 2) workforce training, 3) civics education, and 4) workforce preparation activities. With an understanding of these components in mind, we will look at some ways IELCE models can be composed. Then we will take a look at what resources are currently available for IELCE. One thing we cannot cover today is the current IELCE RFP that’s on our website. If you have questions about that, you can them to the address in the RFP.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

3. What IELCE offers
Concurrent and contextualized accelerated education and workforce training
Partnerships with Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education programs
Student attainment of one or more industry-recognized credentials
Stronger collaborations with workforce development system partners
IELCE programs offer many opportunities. First, they provide programs with the opportunity to offer instruction contextualized to regional high-demand industries concurrently with workforce training. Prior to this, education and training programming were frequently offered sequentially. By providing this funding for combined education and training programming, IELCE accelerates learners’ pathways into the workforce by reducing the time it takes for them to complete a training program.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

4. What IELCE offers
Concurrent and contextualized accelerated education and workforce training
Partnerships with Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education programs
Student attainment of one or more industry-recognized credentials
Stronger collaborations with workforce development system partners
IELCE models also offer partnership opportunities between Adult Basic Education (ABE) Programs and Chapter 74 CVTE Programs. Chapter 74-approved vocational technical education programs are programs that meet the definition of vocational technical education contained in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 74, and are approved by DESE pursuant to Chapter 74 and the Vocational Technical Education Regulations. In these partnerships, ABE programs make use of the schools’ vocational facilities after school, in the evening, and on Saturdays, as well as drawing on CVTE faculty expertise. In fact, all three of our first IELCE pilots that began in June are partnerships with Chapter 74 programs. We have found K-12 excited by the possibilities of partnering with ABE. Dean Technical High School, for example, which is partnering with Holyoke Community College ABE Program on a Home Health Aide/Certified Nursing Assistant program, actually markets the program to the parents of the school’s children. The school sees this as an opportunity to broaden its mission by offering programs for parents as well as children. The link that’s provided here will take you to the database of Chapter 74 programs offered in the state. This database can be searched by program and by city.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. Chapter 74 Directory
We will take a brief look at the Directory. This is a screen shot of it. You see that I have filled in some fields already. This dropdown menu lists the different types of programs that are available. There are over 40. You can see some of them here, starting with agricultural mechanics going down to the letter e with electricity. I think I was hungry when I created this particular slide which is why culinary arts is highlighted. When we go to the next slide…
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. Chapter 74 Directory
…we see a screen shot showing a partial list of programs that come up under a statewide search. There are a total of 61 Chapter 74-approved culinary arts programs. Included on this list is Cambridge where we have an IELCE program running. Cambridge Community Learning Center is partnering with Cambridge Rindge and Latin on a health assisting Home Health Aide/Certified Nursing Assistant program. We see from this list that the district also has Chapter 74 approval for culinary arts. When you click on the district’s link you will see their complete list of Chapter 74-approved programs. There are 12 of them, including automotive technology, early education and care, and graphic communications. I think you can see even from this small sample the number and variety of programs available in the state. We encourage you to look at this directory to see what Chapter 74 programs are in your region and consider reaching out to the district’s superintendent if you think there is a partnership opportunity.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. What IELCE offers
Concurrent and contextualized accelerated education and workforce training
Partnerships with Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education programs
Student attainment of one or more industry-recognized credentials
Stronger collaborations with workforce development system partners
Back to what IELCE programs have to offer. IELCE programs offer students the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials while they are improving their English. Once again, prior to this, a typical education and training model had students completing education classes before workforce training classes. With concurrent, contextualized ESOL instruction, students can receive high-quality workforce training leading to industry-recognized credentials while enrolled in their ESOL classes.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. What IELCE offers
Concurrent and contextualized accelerated education and workforce training
Partnerships with Chapter 74 Career/Vocational Technical Education programs
Student attainment of one or more industry-recognized credentials
Stronger collaborations with workforce development system partners
Finally, IELCE offers ABE programs more opportunities to work with workforce development boards, one-stop career centers, postsecondary education institutions, training providers, employers, and other workforce partners. These partners help with program design, curriculum development, student workforce preparation, employer engagement, and job placement. These types of collaborations already exist in a number of regions. IELCE formalizes them and encourages us to develop more.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

9. IELCE Definition
INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS EDUCATION.—The term ‘integrated English literacy and civics education’ means education services provided to English language learners who are adults, including professionals with degrees and credentials in their native countries, that enables such adults to achieve competency in the English language and acquire the basic and more advanced skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the United States. Such services shall include instruction in literacy and English language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation, and may include workforce training (Section 203(12) of WIOA).
Now let’s take a step back and look at the WIOA definition of IELCE. The next few slides are text-heavy but I promise that we will go through them slowly and that the slides that follow are not as dense. I have highlighted the first sentence here and from that sentence we see that IELCE means educational services provided to English language learners that enables these adults to achieve competency in the English language and acquire the skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the United States. You will note that the definition includes professionals with degrees and credentials in their native countries. WIOA encourages us to reach out to these populations which in some cases have not found ABE programming that meets their needs. WIOA sees these professionals as an underserved population and asks that we broaden our services to make sure we include them.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

10. IELCE Definition
INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS EDUCATION.—The term ‘integrated English literacy and civics education’ means education services provided to English language learners who are adults, including professionals with degrees and credentials in their native countries, that enables such adults to achieve competency in the English language and acquire the basic and more advanced skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the United States. Such services shall include instruction in literacy and English language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation, and may include workforce training. (Section 203(12) of WIOA).
The next sentence states IELCE activities must include instruction in literacy and English language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities and civic participation and may include workforce training. Now, in a few slides, we are going to come back to that last phrase about workforce training because it has caused some confusion in the field. For now, just note that with respect to workforce training, the definition here tells us that in some cases workforce training is included.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

11. IELCE Definition (cont.)
Each component must be:
“…of sufficient intensity and quality, and based on the most rigorous research available so that participants achieve substantial learning gains…” (Section 231(e) of WIOA).
WIOA also tells us that each of the components of IELCE programs—adult education and literacy activities, workforce preparation activities, civics education, and workforce training— must be of sufficient intensity and quality and based on the most rigorous available research with respect to improving reading, mathematics, and English proficiency. What qualifies as sufficient intensity? WIOA leaves that up to the states and programs to determine and that determination needs to be based on a number of factors, including type of program and student availability. We know that our students time is at a premium and we need to maximize it. IELCE models offer us a strategy to do that.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. WIOA Sections 231 and 243 IELCE appears in two places: Section 231
If funded through Section 243, the program must be integrated with Integrated Education and Training
As I mentioned at the beginning, IELCE appears in two places in WIOA. Those are Sections 231 and It is allowable for a program to have funding from one stream or both. Let’s look first at Section 231.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

13. Section 231
REQUIRED LOCAL ACTIVITIES.—The eligible agency shall require that each eligible provider receiving a grant or contract under subsection (a) use the grant or contract to establish or operate programs that provide adult education and literacy activities, including programs that provide such activities concurrently (Section 231(b) of WIOA).
Section 231 provides for grants and contracts to eligible providers to offer a range of adult education and literacy activities. We now need to define adult education and literacy activities.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. Adult Education and Literacy activities
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, and Integrated Education and Training
Here is the AEL definition. We see that there are a number of activities here, and that IELCE is one of them. This is important because IELCE is something different in Section Here, in Section 231, IELCE is an activity that can be offered in a program. In this case, IELCE essentially replaces and expands the former Workforce Investment Act (WIA) EL Civics. It may be helpful for you to think of Section 231 that way—that it replaces the former WIA EL Civics.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15. WIOA Sections 231 and 243 IELCE appears in two places: Section 231
If funded through Section 243, the program must be integrated with Integrated Education and Training
We will now look at Section 243 and remember, it is possible for a program to have funding through both of these streams. Section 243 has a clause that 231 does not have. Section 243 states that if an eligible organization receives IELCE funding through Section 243 the program, and notice the word program, must include Integrated Education and Training (IET). You will recall from the IELCE definition that said IELCE may include workforce training. Section 243 is where the workforce training is included and it is a requirement. Let us take a look at the WIOA language.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

16. Integrated Education and Training
The term ‘integrated education and training’ means a service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities, and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement (Section 203(11) of WIOA).
This is the WIOA definition of IET. I have highlighted the components: adult education and literacy activities, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training. So we see that in Section 243 the IELCE program must be done in combination with integrated education and training, the concurrent and contextualized education for a specific occupation or occupational cluster, the workforce preparation activities, and the workforce training.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

17. Section 243
IN GENERAL.—From funds made available under section 211(a)(2) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to States, from allotments under subsection (b), for integrated English literacy and civics education, in combination with integrated education and training activities (Section 243(a) of WIOA).
Here is the definition, and notice the word shall here. This means that states must devote funds to this program. Specifically, 12% of a state’s total Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) award be reserved to carry out the IELCE program.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Section 243
GOAL.—Each program that receives funding under this section shall be designed to—
(1) prepare adults who are English language learners for, and place such adults in, unsubsidized employment in in-demand industries and occupations that lead to economic self-sufficiency; and
(2) integrate with the local workforce development system and its functions to carry out the activities of the program (Section 243(c) of WIOA).
This outlines the goals of Section 243 IELCE. Un-subsidized employment in in-demand industries in occupations that lead to self-sufficiency. In addition, this is to be done in collaboration with regional workforce development partners.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. IELCE Components
Let us now take a look at models. What I am going to show does not represent all possible models. These are ones that I have either seen or thought of but there are many others. I am only going to give a short rationale for why a program might propose a particular model because today I want to focus on what is possible to get us thinking about the different types of models that are available to us. WIOA does not advocate a particular model either. That is left to the judgment of states and programs, the rationale being that they know what works best for their students. This is true for ACLS as well. ACLS does not advocate for one model over another.
To start with, let’s review the four components of an IELCE program. The light red box shows the contextualized Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) activities. The green shows the Workforce Training, and remember, the AEL and Workforce Training have to be contextually and concurrently aligned. We also have Civics Education and Workforce Preparation activities. Now, this slide not only shows the four components, but it also shows a possible model as well. A program could offer all four of these components in a program of study as classes. In other words, students would have an AEL class, a Workforce Training class, such as welding or advanced manufacturing, a Civics Education class, and a Workforce Preparation class.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

20. Workforce Preparation Activities
…activities, programs, or services designed to help an individual acquire a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills, including competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems, and obtaining skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education or training, or employment (Section 203(17) of WIOA).
A brief pause to review the WIOA definition of Workforce Preparation Activities. We see that these are activities, programs, or services that include things like critical thinking, digital literacy, and competencies such as utilizing resources and understanding systems. In the next few slides we will look at some ways activities they can be delivered. One way is what we just saw in the previous slide which is in a class that is part of a student’s schedule along with the three other components of IELCE. Other ways include integrating them within a contextualized AEL class or a Workforce Training class or in both. Let’s look at some other ways.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

21. Workforce Preparation Activities
If we read this slide from left to right, the first thing we see is Workforce Preparation Activities. In this model, they are offered at the beginning of a program of study either as a class, or a series of workshops or seminars. In this model, the workforce preparation activities serve as a kind of pre-employment program, something that prepares students for the contextualized and concurrent work that is to come.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

22. Workforce Preparation activities
Another way is to have the Workforce Preparation Activities at the end of a program of study. The idea here is that students should be taught these activities when they are closest to exiting the program and starting their job search.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

23. Contextualized IELCE and IET
Two IELCE approaches
Approach #1:
Contextualized IELCE and IET
Let us go back now to possible models. There are basically two approaches to developing a model. The first is by having a Contextualized English Language Acquisition and Civics Education program and combining it with an integrated education and training program. I am calling that Approach #1.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

24. Two IELCE approaches Approach #2:
The second approach is to co-enroll students from other classes, programs, or agencies. This is where OCTAE really listened to concerns from the field about finding large enough cohorts interested in a particular occupation or occupational cluster. For example, an agency might have some students interested in welding or health assisting but not enough for a program. With the flexibility now offered by OCTAE, there is a way to tackle this problem and that is to form a cohort of students from multiple places and that is what is represented here in what I’m calling Approach #2. Here you have students in separate education classes but coming together in the Workforce Training class. We think that this approach offers some very interesting opportunities for our students.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

25. Approach #1 example
Let us now look at some Approach #1 models. This slide, which we looked at previously, is an example of an Approach #1 model. The two examples I showed with the Workforce Preparation Activities in different places are also Approach #1 models.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

26. Approach #1 example
In this example, the Civics Education has been integrated with the Contextualized AEL class, which I try to represent with a different color. Here among the contextualized AEL activities, students are also learning about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, civic participation, how to be active members of their communities, and other civics topics. Civics Education is not a separate class. It is a part of the AEL class.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

27. Approach #1 example
If we read this slide from left to right, the first thing we see is the ELA/Civics Education component. Now, why would an agency put this component first? Well, one reason could be the agency wants to assess whether or not these students are interested in the Workforce Training component. Putting this class first allows the agency time to determine which students are interested in going on to the IELCE program after completing the ELA/Civics Education class. Maybe all of the students are interested in continuing, but maybe only some of them are. In either case, only the students interested in the Workforce Training go on to the next part of the program. Notice also that in this model the Workforce Preparation Activities occur after the contextualized and concurrent AEL and Workforce Training classes. Again, there could be multiple reasons for this. One could be the agency thinks it’s too much for the students to have the Workforce Preparation activities along with the AEL and workforce training classes. There could be other reasons as well.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

28. Approach #2 example
We will now look at some Approach #2 examples. Again, OCTAE heard from the field about the potential difficulty of finding enough students interested in a specific occupation or occupational cluster to fill a class. Now that can be addressed by finding the students in multiple classes. Remember that an agency can get IELCE funding from both sections of WIOA. In this example, an agency has Section 231 IELCE funding for three classes of 14 students each. The agency also has funding for a Section 243 IELCE in early education and care program for 15 students. In the first ELA/Civics Education class 7 students are interested in enrolling in the IELCE program, 3 in the second, and 5 in the third. That gives the agency its needed cohort of 15 students to be able to run an IELCE program focused on early education and care.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

29. Approach #2 example
What on earth is this? We will spend some time on this slide because it presents a component we have not seen yet. In this model, an IELCE program is formed by co-enrolling students from an ABE IET Program. Let’s take a closer look. First, at the top of the page, we have an IELCE program of 14 students. All of these students are taking the contextualized ESOL classes. Now, in this particular class, we see that only 7 of the students are actually enrolled in the full IELCE program. In the middle of the page, we have the workforce training component. This is where the students from both programs come together. At the bottom of the page, we have an ABE IET class. You will notice that there is not a Civics Education component and that is because Civics Education is not a requirement for an IET program. In this class of 15, 8 are interested in the Workforce Training. So what you have is a Workforce Training class where English language learners are co-enrolled with native English speakers. Now does the curriculum have to be the same in both the contextualized AEL class and the ABE? No, and of course it actually couldn’t be because in one class you have English language learners and in the other native English speakers. The curricula for program, however, would need to be contextualized to the IELCE program’s occupation or occupational cluster.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

30. Approach #2
In this model, we have students co-enrolled from two different agencies in a Workforce Training class. We have 14 students in one agency taking Contextualized AEL, Workforce Preparation, and the Civics Education classes. 7 of those students are also taking the Workforce Training component. Then in the same town or region we have another agency also offering the same three components. In that organization’s program, 8 of the 15 students are taking the Workforce Training. Where does the workforce training class take place? It could take place at one of the agencies, a local school in a Chapter 74-approved program, a community college, or a training agency.
In all of these models, there would need to be robust and detailed discussions about administration, staffing, schedules, and curricula long before implementation could even begin. Nothing that I have shown here just appears. But I hope you can see that WIOA gives us the flexibility to be creative and expansive in our thinking about IELCE.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

31. Resources
SABES Center for Education and Career Planning:
CLASP Memo: IET: Model Programs for Building Career Pathways for Participants at Every Skills Level:
Academic, Career, and Employability Skills Transitions ACES-Transitions Integration Framework (ACES-TIF):
North Star Digital Literacy:
Career Pathways Toolkit: An Enhanced Guide for Systems Development:
EL/Civics Online:
Center for Occupational Research Development:
ACLS IET webpage:
Let’s take a look at some resources. The SABES Center for Education and Career Planning is the place to start. It has Career Pathways professional development offerings and resources. You can sign-up for notifications at this address.
In August 2016, CLASP, the Center for Law and Social Policy, released this 12-page Memo on model IET programs. It includes definitions, strategies, curricula, and resources.
ACES-TIF is a free Workforce Preparation Activities resource. The goal of ACES is to help ABE programs provide contextualized instruction integrating postsecondary education and training readiness, employability skills, and career readiness at all levels. The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) was designed to provide ABE programs and instructors with guidance on the effective integration of transitions skills into instruction at all levels of ABE. It includes modules on effective communication, critical thinking, and self-management.
North Star Digital Literacy assessments define the basic skills needed to perform tasks on computers and online. The ability of adults to perform digital tasks can be assessed through online, self-guided modules. Included are basic computer digital literacy standards and modules in ten main areas such as Basic Computer Use, Internet, Windows Operating System, Mac OS, , Microsoft Word, Social Media, and Information Literacy. When students pass the assessments, they can obtain the Northstar Digital Literacy Certificate.
The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) has just released the revised Career Pathways Toolkit: An Enhanced Guide and Workbook for System Development. DOLETA revised the Career Pathways Toolkit to align with the new vision, definition, and requirements of WIOA. The revised Toolkit now includes
embedded and writeable worksheets for each of the Toolkit’s Career Pathways Elements.
EL/Civics Online is a professional development opportunity for ESOL instructors who wish to incorporate Civics Education content into their curricula.  This series of online courses assist teachers in creating lessons in U.S. History, U.S. Government, Civic Engagement, and The Naturalization Process.
The Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) has a wealth of career pathways resources.
Finally, ACLS recently created an Integrated Education and Training webpage. You can find abstracts of our current IELCE programs here and it is where this PPT will be posted.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

32. From OCTAE
January 11, 2016, OCTAE Program Memorandum 15-7 on Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education under WIOA.
March 24, 2016: Serving English Language Learners under AEFLA. OCTAE:
March 24, 2016: English Language Acquisition WIOA Topical Fact Sheet:
Here are the links to the resources OCTAE has provided on IELCE. The first is a memo on IELCE programs under WIOA. This memo has to do with how the law describes IELCE programming and when these programs need to include IET. The second link is a presentation on the new requirements for serving English language learners under WIOA. The third is an ELA Fact Sheet. This includes Terms, Definitions, and Resources.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

33. Derek Kalchbrenner dkalchbrenner@doe.mass.edu
Thank you!!!
Derek Kalchbrenner
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education