Important Subscriptions and Accounts

To remain up-to-date on important adult education program information, subscribe to or create an account with the following:

VALRC listserv The VALRC listserv is managed by VALRC and is used to advertise upcoming professional development opportunities, news, and other important information for Virginia adult educators. Scroll down to the “Connect With Us” at the bottom of any page on our website to provide an email address that you check regularly.

LINCS The Literacy Information and Communication System, or LINCS, is a federally-managed resource for adult educators in the U.S. LINCS offers professional development courses and modules, online communities of practice, and information of interest to the field.

In Session GED® Testing Services educator newsletter providing the latest news and updates from the GED® testing program.

Workforce GPS This online technical assistance website is sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. Resources include curated communities of interest, webinars and other training resources, promising workforce development practices, and relevant evidence-based research.

COABE COABE’s mission is to inspire educators so adults succeed and communities thrive. The Coalition on Adult Basic Education exists to provide leadership, communication, professional development, and advocacy for adult education and literacy practitioners to advance quality services for all adult learners. COABE represents the field of 65,000 adult educators and provides a variety of services, including professional development through annual, state-of-the-art national conferences, more than 40 webinars annually, and a peer reviewed journal.

Reference Links by Topic

Bookmark the sites that have the most value to you in implementing your responsibilities as a program manager.

Adult Education Vision and Scope in Virginia

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education Resources and links about the role of adult education in the workforce development system in Virginia including high school equivalency credential (HSE), adult secondary completion options, grants and funding, data, monitoring and evaluation, program policy and guidance, professional development, regional programs, and resources.

Virginia Regional Program Structure Information about Virginia’s 22 regional programs and adult English literacy and civics education programs that are funded in local areas with large populations of English language learners. This index can be queried by city or county or program manager name by typing “control F” and is most often used for those seeking contact information for local adult education centers.

Adult Education in Workforce Development Fact Sheets Scroll down in the Introduction to find downloadable fact sheets, designed to communicate with various audiences, outline the role of adult education in the workforce development system in Virginia. These fact sheets are the product of the Adult Education and Literacy Advisory Committee to the Board of Education.

WIOA Priorities

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Federal Act signed into law on July 22, 2014, designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

Virginia Combined State Plan Information Virginia Board of Workforce Development Strategic Plan and information about the Combined State Plan review and approval process.

Partnerships

Virginia Career Works Links to the agencies that collaborate on Virginia’s workplace needs and resources for employers, job seekers, and service providers in Virginia.

Virginia Sector Strategies and Career Pathways Academy (SSCPA) Online academy that pairs sector strategies and career pathways for Virginia’s workforce professionals, this effort builds upon a decade of work in the Commonwealth to align education and training programs in ways that make it easier for individuals to access and complete pathways to family-supporting careers.

Agency Partners and News Across the Adult Education Field  Scroll to find resource links to agencies and organizations that support the work of adult educators and the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center. And listen to our podcast series for the latest news and stories from the field, as well as our learner publication, Spotlight. 

Career Pathways and Workforce Preparation

Integrated Education and Training (IET) Planning Tool Document that assists in organizing elements and requirements of the Integrated Education and Training (IET) program model under title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Integrated Education and Training (IET) in Virginia: A Blueprint  IET programmatic planning and instructional resources for developing and implementing IET programs for adult learners. The Blueprint provides checklists and resources for all parts of IET development, implementation, and evaluation. Also included are resources and guidance for IELCE programming to support English learners in career pathways.

Career Pathways and Workforce Preparation VALRC Spotlight Resources Resource links to assist in developing strategies to fill the need for a more highly educated and currently trained workforce.

Program Management

Adult Education Program Managers Responsibilities Guide This manual is addressed to AEFLA-funded grant program managers. It provides a reference guide to federal and state policies, compliance principles, key citations, and technical assistance resources for Virginia adult education program managers.

VDOE Adult Education Director’s Memos Archived links to Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Director’s Memos from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education.

VDOE Grants and Funding List of grant opportunities and links to grant application packages made available through the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education to support adult basic education and literacy and workforce development activities.

Program Leadership VALRC Spotlight Resources Resource links to professional development and technology integration resources for regional managers and administrators of public and private adult education and literacy programs.

Data, Program Monitoring, and Evaluation Management and Leadership

VDOE Data, Monitoring, and Evaluation Links to Virginia Department of Education resources on the National Reporting System, updated versions of the Assessment and Distance Education Policy and Adult Student Profile Document (ASPD), archived versions of the Virginia Narrative Annual Performance Report, and monitoring and program improvement information and protocols. 

Adult Student Profile Document (ASPD) Adult Student Profile Document (ASPD)  Access the fillable current ASPD in English and 12 additional languages on the Grants and Funding page, under Forms. 

Multilingual ASPD Videos  Access the ASPD video in nine languages. These videos can be provided to multilingual learners to support them in knowing what information they will have to provide during registration.

VDOE Assessment and Distance Education Policy Local program responsibilities for assessment specific to the National Reporting System (NRS) and state requirements and definition of distance education for adult education programs in Virginia with guidelines by which programs can report adult learners’ distance education hours to the state management information system (MIS).

National Reporting System (NRS) for Adult Education Accountability system for the federally- funded adult education program, authorized by Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The NRS support project offers training and technical assistance activities to assist states in collecting, reporting, and using data.

GED® Manager & GED® Analytics Lite Exclusive portal designed to help educators & test administrators manage their programs. Virginia allows limited access to this portal. See the tutorial, Know Your Numbers: What Story Does Your HSE Data Tell?, on the Professional Development page for how to use these sites and gain insight into the data. 

Virginia Employment Commission: Community Profiles Search for demographic information by county, city, workforce investment area, or community college area. Each community profile provides information about population change, population by age, race and ethnicity, gender, English learner groups, and educational attainment by group. The profiles also provide employment data, including major employers, industries, and training providers.   

Instructional Leadership

Standards-based Instruction VALRC Spotlight Resources Web-based and other resources to support standards-based instruction and links to Virginia’s adult education standards: the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) for Adult Education and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) instruction.

Aligning Content Standards VALRC Spotlight Resources Resource links for College Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education (ELPS), and high school equivalency assessment targets. These tools are designed to give educators guidance in evaluating potential curricular materials for College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) alignment. They include criteria to consider and suggested high-value actions for closing any identified gaps in standards-based instruction. 

VALRC Resources for Numeracy, Writing, and Reading Use the search field to locate resource links for educators who teach mathematics, writing, or reading to adult learners. 

Quality Teaching Online Resources and Tips These resources and tip collections provide guidance to support programs and instructors in implementing quality teaching online.

VDOE Adult Secondary Completion Options Five ways for adults to earn a high school credential in Virginia. To compare all high school credential options, click the link in the first paragraph of the page to read Five Ways to Earn a High School Credential, Virginia Board of Education Recognized Diplomas or Certificate.

VDOE High School Equivalency (HSE) Credential News and announcements from the Virginia Department of Education.

GED® Virginia Website with learner resources including a list of frequently asked questions for test takers.

ESOL VALRC Spotlight Resources Resource links to instructional content with current methodologies aligned with English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) to improve ESOL students’ learning. 

Inclusive Virginia This website provides adult education program leadership, staff, and instructors with information, instructional strategies, resources, and accommodations for providing access to effective adult education for all learners seeking adult education opportunities. 

Professional Development

Virginia Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education Professional Development Archive of recorded video tutorials for adult educators from the VDOE Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education staff.

Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center (VALRC) VALRC main website that includes the Professional Development Events Page, a collection of current professional development opportunities geared toward specific audiences of adult educators separated by type: Webinars and Virtual Events, Facilitated Online Courses, Self-paced Online Courses, and Face-to-Face Training Opportunities. Also, see the Events Calendar for additional offerings. 

LINCS Learning Portal Access freely available, evidenced-based professional development courses and training through the LINCS Learning Portal. Explore 20+ self-paced online courses and facilitated online courses for adult educators and program managers. Earn a downloadable certificate of completion for each course you complete. You will need to create a free account to start learning.