2024 GED Conference
2024-07-24 - 2024-07-26 | California
GED Testing Service®‘s annual conference offers opportunities for learning, inspiration, and new perspectives. The 2024 Conference will be held in Long Beach, California. Offerings include a Train the Trainer session, information on the GED® mobile app and GED® analytics, Spanish language sessions, celebrations of GED® graduates, and a focus on Integrated Education and Training.
Learn more and register.

edWeb: Enhancing Literacy Outcomes for Struggling Readers: Strategies, Challenges, and Future Directions
2024-07-24 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online
This edWebinar will focus on specific strategies or programs that school districts have found effective in closing the literacy gap in adolescent and secondary education.
It highlights effective strategies and programs utilized by school districts to address the literacy gap among struggling readers, alongside ongoing challenges. The focus extends to professional development opportunities aimed at equipping secondary teachers with essential literacy skills to support struggling students. Additionally, it examines state-level initiatives targeting low literacy rates among students, detailing specific interventions implemented in districts with at-risk learners affected by factors like unemployment and low educational attainment.
Register here

LINCS: Contextualizing Employability Skills
2024-07-31 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
Would you like to learn more about contextualizing employability skills for deeper learning? During the month of July, LINCS encourages adult educators to complete the 1.5 hour online/on-demand course Workforce Preparation Activities in the Classroom: Contextualizing Employability Skills for Deeper Learning. At this live event, we will further discuss what we learned in the course and will also share some examples of contextualized activities and lesson plans.
Register here.

LINCS: Aphasia: What it is and Accommodations to Support Learners
2024-08-01 12:30 - 13:30 | Online
A National Institutes of Health survey found that 84.5% of Americans have never heard the term “Aphasia”, yet there are 180,000 new aphasia cases a year in the U.S. Join us to learn about this language-based disorder and gain some instructional best practices and resources to support learners both in and outside of the classroom.
Register Here

LINCS: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for IET (Integrated Education and Training)
2024-08-05 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
With IETs expanding all over the United States in community and correctional programs it’s a great opportunity to “scream” about all the great work everyone is doing.
ADVANCE IET subject matter experts Chrissie Klinger, Wendy Scheder Black, Kate Daly Rolander will be ready to discuss how to blend all those components of IET together effectively AND how to get that “cherry on top” with key partnerships.
Register Here

LACES Data Training - Invitation only
2024-08-06 - 2024-08-08 | The Arboretum, 300 Arboretum Place, Richmond, VA, 23236
By invitation only, more information is forthcoming. Please be sure to visit the LACES resource page for updates.

COABE: Improving Adult Learners’ Attitudes and Odds for Workplace Success
2024-08-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
Participate in thought-provoking discussion and activities that introduce habits, skills, and strategies your students need to get a job and succeed. Discover how you can incorporate activities like these in your classroom to equip your students for the workplace.
Register Here

LINCS: The Mirroring Project: An Innovative Approach for Teaching English Pronunciation
2024-08-07 15:00 - 16:15 | Online
Teaching pronunciation to adult English learners is important, but it can be challenging. On August 7 at 3:00 ET, join our guest presenters Suzanne Gilchrist McCurdy, ELA teacher, and Colleen M. Meyers, Education Specialist with the University of Minnesota who will introduce an innovative approach called “Mirroring,” which has the potential to increase the communication skills of English learners. If you’re an ELA teacher this LINCS event will be a great way to receive practical guidance and support to teach English pronunciation to your students.
Register Here

The Science of Reading: A Blueprint for Comprehension Instruction
2024-08-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Online

LINCS: Effective Instruction for English Learners with Limited Formal Schooling: Uncovering a Hidden Agenda
2024-08-14 14:00 - 15:15 | Online
Do you have adult English learners who have limited formal schooling in your class? Do you have questions about how to effectively support these learners with the language skills they need to achieve their goals? International expert, Dr. Helaine Marshall, will share highly effective approaches for teaching this population of learners. She will also identify approaches to avoid. Participants will leave with a treasure trove of ideas and resources to implement in the classroom.
Register Here

COABE: Setting the GPS: Creating a Career Success Focused Webinar Series for Adult Learners
2024-08-19 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
Come learn how to design and implement a webinar series for your adult learners ready to enter and re-enter the workforce. This webinar will explore salient topics and formats as well as ways to evaluate the impact of this professional development opportunity. Help your adult learners learn how to navigate towards success in their positions.
Register Here

LINCS: Understanding the Science of Reading
2024-08-20 15:30 - 16:30 | Online
Confused about the Science of Reading (SOR) and how to apply its principles to instruction in your adult education program? Join LINCS moderators Steve Schmidt, Dr. Carmine Stewart, and Dr. Kathy Tracey as they unpack the SOR and provide information on LINCS resources that will help elevate your reading instruction. Register for this event here .

IDEAL Consortium Open Conference
2024-08-22 | Online
The Innovating Digital Education in Adult Learning (IDEAL) Consortium is excited to announce that registration for The IDEAL Edtech Innovations Open Conference is now available! The IDEAL Edtech Innovations Conference is open and free and helps participants deepen their knowledge about digital education for adult learners. Throughout the half-day event, participants can choose to attend lightning talks or participate in an EdTech Maker Space focused on GenAI. There will be ample opportunities for engaging in dialog with subject matter experts and your peers from across the US. IDEAL Consortium member attendees will have access to workshops to help them leverage IDEAL professional development resources.
Registration information

LINCS: Digital Resilience in the American Workforce (DRAW): Learn with me
2024-08-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Have you wondered what digital resilience means? Have you wondered how you could improve and gain better access and comfort using your digital skills while doing the same for your learners? Join LINCS Professional Development Group for a walk though Digital Resilience in the American Workforce (DRAW) resources to include research, Professional development and instructional tools.
Register Here

GEDTS Tuesdays for Teachers: You Can’t Revise and Edit until You Analyze!
2024-08-27 15:30 - 17:00 | Online
GED Testing Service shares that the spotlight is on writing for August’s Tuesdays for Teachers webinar:
“We’ve talked about grammar skills that students need to write effective sentences. We’ve explored the writing process step-by-step. We’ve modeled and practiced writing effective arguments and claims. We’ve even looked at the GED Extended Response Scoring Tool. BUT… we, as teachers, still have problems helping our students write extended responses…and earn points! It may be time for a different approach to the extended response.
“We are going to take a dive into the essential elements of an effective response:

Arguments and evidence
Connections, explanations, details, and transitions
Sentence structure, grammar, and mechanics

However, we are not stopping there. Next stop, analyzing writing samples. We’ll share with you an Extended Response Checklist that will provide you with a quick way to review your students’ writing samples and identify the good parts and those that need a little (or a lot) of help. Finally, we will develop a plan for building students’ skills so they can write a response that will make them proud.
“As always, there will be time for Questions and Concerns. The session will be recorded and materials posted on the GED website.”
This will be followed by a “hot topic” session on the GED & Me official mobile app, which has been live on the Apple App store since the end of June. “Now with more than 40,000 downloads, we’re learning more about mobile app users and how the App is bringing learners back to pursue their credential. Listen in as we share data and insights about users and how you might want to use the app in your classrooms.”
Register here.

Office of New Americans: Shaping our Immigrants Future
2024-08-29 10:00 - 11:30 | Online
Join a special presentation by the Immigrant Services Team of the Office of New Americans for an overview of Virginia’s immigrant population. Get ready to explore the vibrant immigrant community in Virginia and discover valuable resources for employment, housing, healthcare, education, and citizenship.
Register here

edWeb: Small Groups and the Science of Reading: Helping Students Get Unstuck
2024-09-05 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
While following an explicit and systematic approach to your reading instruction, how can you help students who seem to get stuck on a particular skill? What can you do for students who “can’t blend?” What’s a good routine for students who are great at decoding but can’t read texts fluently?
In this edWebinar, Dr. Julia Lindsey is back to share strategies for using research-based routines to meet students’ literacy needs, especially with small groups. Dr. Lindsey is a proud former elementary school teacher, foundational literacy expert, and author of Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills.
You’ll walk away with classroom routines that will help your readers get unstuck and build key foundational literacy skills so they can decode, comprehend, and enjoy what they read!
Register here

LACES: Getting Off to a Good Start
2024-09-10 13:30 - 15:00
Join here.

LINCS: Promoting Digital Literacy for Adult Learners: Resources and Reflections
2024-09-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and Digital Promise partnered to develop, design, and launch new training materials to support Promoting Digital Literacy for Adult Learners: A Resource Guide.
Participants will learn about dynamic resources that support the whole adult learner and improve the quality, effectiveness, and comprehension of instruction delivery, with a specific focus on digital literacy. Findings from use cases will be shared to support participants in using these new resources.
Register

ProLiteracy: “Why Do I Have to Read This?”
2024-09-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
One of the most important skills on the High School Equivalency (HSE) tests is reading comprehension. Students who are strong readers will often perform better than struggling readers on all sections of the HSE tests, even math (something that can surprise students). What happens, though, when a student says, “I hate reading?” In this webinar, Kara will share techniques to help those resistant readers.
Register

LINCS: Guidance on Voting Rights of People with Disabilities
2024-09-12 15:30 - 16:30 | Virtual
Voting is one of our nation’s most fundamental rights and a hallmark of our democracy. However, due to limitations in access, many people with disabilities have been excluded from this right of citizenship.
Join LINCS moderators, Michael Cruse (Learners with Disabilities) and Jennifer Gagliardi (Civics Education & Citizenship) on September 12th at 3:30 ET. We will review the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal protections to identify and eliminate barriers preventing persons with disabilities from full voting participation.
Register

EdTech: Strategy Sessions – Open Education for Digital Equity
2024-09-13 13:00 - 14:30 | Virtual
Join EdTech every month on the second Friday to hear practical strategies and innovative approaches to the use of educational technology and the implementation of digital inclusion in education. Each EdTech Strategy session includes:

two lightning talks
a breakout room for small group discussion

Register

Bimonthly Program Managers Meeting
2024-09-16 13:30 - 15:30
This year’s bimonthly program managers meetings will be held on Mondays at 1:30p – 3:00p with an optional 30 minutes for discussion. Registering once will enable you to join ALL of the meetings for the 2024 – 2025 year.
Please save these dates on your calendars for the meetings:

September 16
November 18
January 13
March 17 (wear green!)
May 12

Register here

LINCS: Strategies to Support English Learners with Entering a Career Pathway through Integrated Education and Training
2024-09-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
This event will provide adult education practitioners with strategies that support English learners with entering a career pathway through participation in IET. Christy Schaffner from Ohio will share how data analysis has led them to focus on increasing IET programming and ways they support learners to enter and complete training.
Register

VALRC: Science of Reading Overview
2024-09-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Online
This is a repeat webinar from Spring 2024.
This session presents a basic overview of the science of reading and effective reading instruction, including alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. During the session, we discuss strategies for each component of reading and how to use them in the classroom. Participants will leave with resources for teaching each component.
Register

VALRC Online Facilitated Course, Beyond Basics: An Introduction to Multilevel ESOL Instruction
2024-09-19 - 2024-10-16 | Online
4 weeks | 16 hours
Most adult ESOL classes are multi-level in some respect; therefore, teachers of adult ESOL become experienced in teaching multilevel classes because. For example, students may come with different reading or speaking levels, different levels of home country education, differing lengths of time living in the U.S. In some programs, limited resources or program size may mean that native speakers and English language learners are in the same class. The multi-level nature of adult ESOL classes can be a benefit, not a detriment, to learning. But it can be challenging to manage as well.
This course is designed for teachers who want to tackle the challenges of teaching multilevel classes. It is for teachers who want to address the varied learning needs of individual students without planning individual lessons and burning out. It is for teachers who want to become highly effective multi-level classroom teachers by using strategies that work.
Through the online course format, you can learn at your own pace from the comfort and convenience of your own home or office. Facilitators, available to help you throughout the four-week course, lead you through the content and technical aspects of the course.
Each week’s lesson addresses a topic in adult education pertaining to multilevel ESOL instruction. Course activities include readings, videos, assignments, and discussions. The lessons are sequential.
Lessons and resources included in this course:

Benefits and Challenges of a Multilevel Class and Building Community
Shared Goals and Needs in a Multilevel Class
Interactive Activities and Grouping Strategies
Differentiated learning
Multilevel Lesson Planning and Standards

Preview the course syllabus.
You can register for this course using this Registration Form. The deadline to register is Thursday, September 12, 2024.

LINCS: Using an Immigrant Integration Approach in IELCE
2024-09-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Celebrate Adult Education and Family Literacy Week with the Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Americans (EARN) project! Join a webinar on September 19th to dive into EARN’s new resource, A Guide to Using an Immigrant Integration Approach in Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE).
This webinar will encourage participants to consider how to use the new guide to improve understanding of immigrant integration and how the approach can improve outcomes for multilingual and immigrant learners.
Preview the guide and bring your questions or learn about the guide with the EARN project team!
Register Here

LINCS: Elevating Multilingualism of Adult Learners and Education Professionals
2024-09-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Help celebrate and elevate adult and family multilingual learners of English and the professionals serving them, with highlighted panels throughout the week.
Join us for a panel with the TESOL International Association and the National Skills Coalition (NSC) as we discuss and highlight resources available to states, local grantees, and adult education practitioners serving multilingual learners.
Panelists:

Domminick McParland, OCTAE
Amanda Bersgson-Shilcock, NSC
Jeff Hutcheson, TESOL

Register Here

Career Pathways PLC #1
2024-09-19 13:00 - 14:30
A 3-part 90-minute Professional Learning Community (PLC) series (1st of 3) for ALL IET, IELCE, workplace literacy, and workforce development practitioners. This PLC will focus on targeted topics related to program design, using data to communicate needs and successes, locating and adapting instructional materials for all skill levels, and engaging employers and other partners to secure supportive services for all learners. Breakouts will focus on targeted topics for specific types of career pathways programming. Details and guest speakers will be announced on the listservs and on the Event Calendar.
Register

LINCS: Interactive Grammar Presentations that Center Students’ Experience
2024-09-19 15:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
ESOL teachers know that grammar instruction is an essential component of any adult ESOL class, but how can we teach grammar to support learner engagement and inquiry?
Will Linn, ESOL Specialist and Coordinator of ESOL Certificate Programs at the Literacy Assistance Center in NYC, will introduce teachers to a discovery-based approach to grammar that draws on students’ experiences to support learners to see how grammar is a meaning-making tool for self-expression.
Register
