Practices with Promise Success Story
Submitted By: Pedro Mendez, Yosemite (Stanislaus Mother Lode) Consortium
Consortium collaborates to host region-wide professional development
- Type of Practice: Professional Development
- Targeted Population: Teachers, Faculty and Staff
- Program Area(s): Adult Basic & Secondary Education, English as a Second Language & Citizenship , Career Technical Education
- Consortia Involved: Adult Education Pathways
The Challenge
From initial planning meetings and conversations among members of the Stanislaus Mother Lode Adult Education Consortium (Yosemite), it became clear that teachers across the region had developed different understandings of college and career readiness standards (CCRS) and curricular approaches. The consortium conducted professional development surveys and assessments among the region’s adult school and college instructors to gather information that would help it organize a common training for instructors from the 15 consortium member districts and area nonprofits. The goal was to encourage deeper conversations among the members about how to improve adult learning in the region.
The Solution
The consortium organized and coordinated a series of classes via the American Institutes for Research (AIR) that covered the following topics: (1) understanding the CCRS, (2) CCRS for math instruction, (3) CCRS for English language arts, (4) managing the multilevel ESL class and differentiating instruction and (5) exploring ESL instructional strategies.
The City of Ceres sponsored the training site, via the Ceres Unified School District, and instructors signed up for the classes through the Turlock Unified School District and/or Modesto City Schools.
In session one, participants became familiar with CCRS content for both English language arts and mathematics and how to apply them to different levels of adult education. In session 2, participants delved more deeply into the three instructional shifts in math. Session 3 focused deeply on the three instructional shifts in English language arts - complexity, evidence and knowledge. In session 4, participants worked in learning stations, where they reviewed and applied concepts to materials they brought with them or began applying their knowledge by preparing upcoming classroom lessons. Session 5 exposed teachers to flexible grouping, cooperative learning using expert groups and home groups.
Outcomes
The professional development sessions provided educators across the region with critical knowledge about the CCRS, helping to create a more uniform educational experience and outcomes for adult education students across the region, and reinforced collaborative planning, with instructors from across districts holding curriculum and alignment planning meetings to focus on improving impact and reach to adult learners. CCRS professional development evaluations indicated that the training provided a high level of satisfaction and value.
The Data
A total of 117 teachers from across the region enrolled across the five training sessions, representing as many as nine area programs per weekend session.
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