CALIFORNIA ADULT LITERACY
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

Did you know that CALPRO offers free professional development courses which you can take via the Internet any time, any place?

Facilitated Online Courses

Through CALPRO?s facilitated courses you can exchange ideas with other adult educators from across the state, get input and feedback from a subject-area expert, and register for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). You also have the option to meet with participants and facilitator in real-time during a Webinar.

All you need to get started is an e-mail account, Internet access, and a few hours a week for study, scheduled at your own convenience.

Beginning in July, CALPRO will offer three facilitated online courses:

1. Managing the ESL Multilevel Class
2. Organizing and Monitoring Instruction to Improve Learning Gains
3. Understanding the Adult Learner, Session 1

Registration
Enrollment for these summer courses is limited, so register early!

For a schedule of CALPRO online courses, registration, and other details, visit the Online Courses Web page.

Online Courses for New Instructors
CALPRO also has two self-directed online courses for new ABE and new ESL instructors. Registration for these is open year-round. For details, visit the Online Courses Web page.

CALPROgress is the newsletter of the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project. In this newsletter you will find articles that are theme based and focus on useful information about research and best practices in professional development. In addition, each issue contains links to important national, state, and local web sites, and useful resources.

CALPROgress is published twice a year, both in hard copy and on our Web site (PDF format). The available issues are listed below:

Current Issues

• Spring 2009 [PDF]
• Fall 2008 [PDF]

Past Issues

• View past issues of CALPROgress

CALPRO is very pleased to partner with the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) to offer California adult educators the opportunity to participate in an intensive professional development offering; Learning to Achieve: A Research Based Training On Learning To Serve Adults with Learning Disabilities.  Learning to Achieve is a five-day training program designed to help adult education and vocational training practitioners understand learning disabilities (LD) in adults and learn how to actively support adults with LD in educational and workplace settings. The training will take place from July 27th through the 31st in Sacramento. Nominees should be agency-based instructional leaders who will be able to facilitate training on the Learning to Achieve materials to their agency’s staff.

The National Institute for Literacy will cover all costs for participants to attend the five-day training including: travel, accommodations and meals. The only cost not covered is staff time to attend.

Attached is the nomination form (due by May 29th) and more detailed program information about Learning to Achieve.

Download the Program Description and Information [PDF]

Download the Nomination Form [PDF]

Participate in an opportunity to become a professional development leader in Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and English as a Second Language (ESL) at the CALPRO Training-of-Trainers' Institute.

CALPRO Training-of-Trainers' Institute
June 29-30, 2009
Los Angeles, CA

The purpose of the Training-of-Trainers' (ToT) Institute is to build capacity for a cadre of adult educators to facilitate workshops on CALPRO professional development modules, including new, revised, and ever-popular modules.

Agencies that receive WIA Title II or adult education state apportionment funding from the California Department of Education Adult Education Office are eligible to nominate staff members to the ToT.

Due date to submit nominations is Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Click on the invitation below for details.

Download the ToT Invitation [PDF]

CALPRO develops fact sheets on topics of interest to adult education instructional staff and administrators. The purpose of the fact sheets is to provide information about current trends and issues in adult education and to direct users to additional resources on the topic. Each fact sheet presents one topic and takes the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Fact Sheets

• Authentic Materials
• Universal Design for Learning
• Health Literacy
• Assessing the Needs of Adult English Language Learners
• Adult Learning Theories

Visit the Publications Web page to download the fact sheets.

New to teaching adult basic education (ABE)? Help is now just a mouse-click away!

Orientation for New ABE Teachers, a self-directed online course, is now available. The self-study course guides new instructors through the most immediate and important aspects of teaching adult basic education in California. Available entirely online to individual participants who work without other participants or a facilitator, this course offers extreme flexibility in professional development and fosters independent learning.

To get started, an individual needs only an e-mail address and Internet access. For a course description, registration details, and other information, visit CALPRO's online campus Web page.

The Catalog of CALPRO Professional Development Resources represents a comprehensive guide to CALPRO's many professional development products and services, such as workshops, online courses, resources guides, and research-based publications. 

Download the Catalog of CALPRO Professional Development Resources [PDF]

Since 2001, CALPRO has trained California adult educators to deliver workshops on various topics. These facilitators are available to help ensure that an agency’s teaching staff continues to grow professionally.

The California Department of Education and CALPRO encourage local adult education agencies to use these workshops for site-based professional development opportunities for their staff members.

Click on the link below to download the fact sheet. The fact sheet outlines the process for scheduling CALPRO workshops.

Download the Fact Sheet for Site Administrators: Process for Scheduling CALPRO Workshops [PDF]

From January 4 – March 17, 2008, CALPRO administered its annual statewide online survey to help determine professional development needs of California’s adult education teachers and administrators. A total of 1,783 adult educators responded. For a copy of the Executive Summary, click on the link below.

Download the Executive Summary of the 2008 Professional Development Needs Assessment [PDF]

CALPRO has posted two sets of nationally validated competencies to help you assess your skills and plan for your professional development. Two competency checklists, one for administrators and one for teachers, are available. You may complete these online and then use them as a guide to help you track your own professional development. Periodically, complete the checklist and print out to save a copy for your records. This will help you document the progress you are making toward your professional development goals. Note that CALPRO ensures you complete confidentiality and does not retain the information you enter.

To view and complete the competency checklists, go to the Professional Competencies Web page.

Go to the Management and Instructor Competencies Web page.

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ACVE) closed its doors on December 31, 2003. Over the years, the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) developed and produced a rich collection of publications pertaining to research and practice in adult, career, and vocational education.

CALPRO is pleased to announce that the complete archives of all ERIC ACVE publications can be accessed on the CALPRO Web site.

View the ERIC Document Collection on the CALPRO Web Site