1. Brad Hasskamp ABE Policy & Operations Specialist Minnesota Department of Education

2. Start By Connecting Participants Introduce yourself to your neighbors:  Name  Role  Program & Organization  How did you get your start in ABE and volunteer management?  What questions do you have about volunteer program expectations?

3. Brad Hasskamp ABE Policy & Operations Specialist Minnesota Department of Education Background 2002Volunteer ESL TeacherNeighborhood House 2002-2003EFL TeacherBibo Middle School (Shenzhen, China) 2003-2006ESL/ABE/Children’s Literacy Program Manager Neighborhood House 2006-2010ABE Learning Centers Manager Minnesota Literacy Council 2007-2010Professional Development Advisor St. Paul Community Literacy Consortium 2006-2010Board MemberLiteracy Action Network

4. Start By Connecting Participants  Started as a volunteer?  Has less than one year experience in ABE?  Has less than one year experience in volunteer management?  Works in greater Minnesota?  Works for a school district?

5. State Organization Office Minnesota What do we mean by “state?”

6. Program Organization Consortium State Federal

9. Which volunteers are required by MDE-ABE policy to receive training?

10. All ABE volunteers who:  Directly tutor or instruct students; &  Generate ABE contact hours independent from a classroom teacher.

11. Volunteers starting before what date can be “grandfathered” in without pre-service training, according to MDE-ABE policy?

12. ABE volunteers who began volunteering prior to July 1, 2006, can be “grandfathered” in to your program.

13. How long is the training volunteers receive at the beginning of their service, according to MDE-ABE policy?

14. The pre-service training is hours

15. Do volunteer classroom assistants working under the direct supervision of a teacher need to be trained?

16. according to MDE-ABE policy but…

17. Do volunteers need the pre-service training if they are working with students when the teacher is not in the building?

18. according to MDE-ABE policy

19. Do volunteers need the pre-service training if they are responsible for a class of students and under only minimal teacher supervision?

20. according to MDE-ABE policy

21. Do volunteers need to be trained if they are taking a group of students to another room to work with them?

22. according to MDE-ABE policy as long as…

23. Do volunteers need to be trained if they are only doing student intakes?

24. according to MDE-ABE policy but…

25. Do volunteers need to be trained if they are only working with programming not receiving state or federal ABE funding?

26. according to MDE-ABE policy because…

27. Which 4 types of certification or experience can make an ESL volunteer exempt from the state’s pre-service training requirement?

28. ESL volunteer exemptions:  TEFL/TESL Certificate  College degree in ESL or Linguistics  Current Minnesota K-12 License  Over 400 hours of documentable ESL instruction (paid or volunteer) in comparable programs

29. Which 3 types of certification or experience can make an ABE volunteer exempt from the state’s pre-service training requirement?

30. ABE volunteer exemptions:  Current Minnesota K-12 License  Current Minnesota ABE License  Over 400 hours of documentable ABE instruction (paid or volunteer) in comparable programs

31. What topics are covered in your program’s volunteer onsite orientation?

32. Suggested onsite orientation topics:  Details on program procedures in testing and accountability  Risk management  Program policies  Program curriculum  First lessons

33. What 5 topics must be covered in a pre- service volunteer training, according to MDE-ABE policy?

34. Required Pre-Service Topics:  Initial & Ongoing Assessment  Goal Setting & Follow-Up  Working with Texts/Curriculum  Lesson Planning  Working with Adults

35. Volunteers must receive pre-service training within what time from their volunteer assignment, according to MDE-ABE policy?

36. Volunteers need to get trained within months

37. Where can volunteers get pre-service training, according to MDE-ABE policy?

38.  Minnesota Literacy Council’s Main Office  Local sites that bring in MLC trainers  Programs that get their training certified by the MLC & by the MDE-ABE office

39. Are volunteers required to receive ongoing training?

40. according to MDE-ABE policy

41. Programs cannot count ABE contact hours for students who have not made a level gain in 30 months. Some programs use volunteers to work with these students. Is this a best practice? How would you balance an effective use of resources and using the best resources for the students that need it most?

42. Volunteers must receive what amount of ongoing training, according to MDE-ABE policy?

43. Volunteers need hours of ongoing training annually

44. Can school districts use unlicensed volunteers and count ABE contact hours?

45. according to MN State Statute and MDE-ABE policy, BUT…

46. Does the MDE-ABE office require that volunteers get an official background check?

47. according to MDE-ABE policy but…

48. PointsCategory <16 16-24 >24

49. Some people think it is not possible to include volunteers in their ABE program. What would you tell them?

50.  Volunteers create more access to ABE services.  Volunteers can allow programs to offer more individualized service.  Volunteers bring unique expertise.  Volunteers generate more public support for your program.  Volunteer ABE programs can offer high quality instruction.

51. Share your program’s: Policies Best Practices Challenges

52. What additional questions do you have?

53. Minnesota ABE Web Site http://mnabe.themlc.org/ Rob Podlasek Volunteer Training Manager Minnesota Literacy Council rpodlasek@themlc.org Brad Hasskamp ABE Policy & Operations Specialist Minnesota Department of Education brad.hasskamp@state.mn.us 651-582-8594