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Adult Education Administrator's Manual

Application and Funding

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Starting an Adult Education Program

So you received your NOGA, what do you do now?  The following are suggestions to assist you.  There is no specific sequence to these items.  These items overlap and programs will revisit each as adjustments to starting up the program are necessary.

Needs Assessment

Programs should review the needs assessment, as described in the application, and determine whether a more comprehensive description of the needs of the target population is required.  Methods for assessing need might include data from government reports, surveys and public comment.  Data collected from the target population should include, but not be limited to the following:

• Number of years of prior schooling
• Educational needs (ESL, ABE, GED, work skills development, citizenship)
• Employment status
• Social economic status
• Ethnicity
• Age
• Marital status
• Number of children
• Immigration status
• Availability for instruction (days of the week, hours of the day)

Based on these data, the adult education program can determine the scope of the program, including the number and type of classes to offer, class locations, staffing, instructional materials and training needs.

Budget

When reviewing and creating a budget for the program, grantees should consider the following items as applicable to their particular situation:

• Staffing (director, coordinator(s)/manager(s), data entry, instructors)
• Assessment instruments (BEST and TABE)
• Materials
• Books
• Educational software
• Equipment (computers, printers, copiers, fax, scanners)
• Publishing, printing
• Building usage/rent
• Utilities
• Professional development
• Consultants/trainers
• Travel to conferences and sites
• Conference fees

Even though 75% of the funding allocations are dependent, in part, on the number of contact hours accumulated annually, programs should be careful not to extend beyond what they can effectively manage.

The budget should allocate sufficient professional development training and resources to provide effective instruction. There is a correlation between the quality of instruction and student retention, so a commitment to improve instruction through professional development will enable the program to meet its goals.

Personnel

Each program should have clear expectations of its staff consistent with its philosophy, mission, goals and standards for program quality.  Guided by these expectations, the program will develop a specific staffing plan.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications for both instructional and non-instructional staff are described in TAC §89.25(4). In addition, the program will establish overall requirements for instructional and non-instructional staff, based on an analysis of how best to accomplish the mission of the program. The fiscal agent is required to keep personnel records for all staff in accordance to local Human Resource procedures. Records must include: verification of qualifications and a professional development record for all staff. It is advisable to keep written job descriptions all paid and volunteer staff, both instructional and non-instructional.

Hiring Protocol

Grantees must become thoroughly familiar with their human resources department’s policies and procedures regarding hiring practices, issues of compensation, supervision, evaluation, grievances, termination, and advancement.

Interview Process

The human resources department of the fiscal agent can assist in developing a bank of appropriate interview questions that will help identify applicants are most likely to be successful teachers, coordinators or support staff.

Subcontractors/Partners

Memoranda of understanding (MOU’s) and/or non financial agreements, specifically describing the relationship between the fiscal agent and its subcontractors and/or partners should be developed. These MOU’s should specifically describe the responsibilities of the fiscal agent and the responsibilities of the subcontractors and partners. (A sample non-financial agreement.)

Sites

Locations for classes should reflect the results of the needs assessment and advisory committee suggestions. Suitable sites should provide easy access to students and be in compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Programs might consider entering into a service contract agreement with participating sites. The program and each site should meet before the beginning of the classes.  If the adult education program is using classroom space in a school, the teachers whose classrooms are being utilized should be included in such meetings so all parties will agree on how to share the space. Programs should expect to invest time on an ongoing basis with each site.

Another consideration is that many schools and buildings have regular hours of operation.  This includes janitor hours and timers on heating and air conditioning.  If the adult education program is providing classes at off times, arrangements will need to be made for such matters.

It is recommended that fiscal agents provide representatives of their sites (principals, librarians, directors) and partners with annual or semi-annual updates of the size and scope of the classes at that site, including student retention and progress. 

Class Schedule

The class schedule should reflect the results of the needs assessment and advisory committee suggestions. The more intensive the classes (more contact hours per week), the higher the probability that students will make progress. Fiscal Agents are required to maintain a current class schedule on file.

Fiscal agents should develop an annual calendar of classes and sites with all partners in consideration of each sites hours of operation and annual calendars.  Some schools close during holidays and summer months.  The class schedule should take these fluctuations into account 

Assessment Materials

Programs will need to purchase the standardized assessments as soon as the program receives the NOGA.  ESL students are required to take the Basic English Skills Test (BEST) , published by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), at the time of registration and for progress testing. The Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) is the required assessment for ABE and GED students, as well as those ESL students transition beyond the BEST.  The TABE is published by CTB/McGraw Hill. 

Books/Materials

The choices of instructional tools are a matter of what materials best meet student needs.  The instructional tools used are based on the student’s achievements on the assessment tests (the BEST and TABE). The functioning levels of the students are defined by the scores each student obtains in these tests.

The variety of instructional tools that may be used in the educational process is diverse and can come in many different formats.  Regardless of the format , instructional tools should be aligned with the Texas Curriculum Frameworks (see Curriculum section of this manual) and the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report and (see Appendices) Equipped for the Future (EFF) guidelines.

US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration: Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)

Equipped for the Future Resources Special Collection (EFF)

Marketing

Programs should design recruitment strategies so that their services are attractive to those most in need.  Efforts should communicate the value and purpose of the program to the community and individual learners. Strategies that maximize personal contact with prospective students and invite participation from the adult learners generally have most impact.

Networking 

Managing a good adult education program is much easier when you share experiences with other providers.  Programs should b ecome familiar with the adult education directors in their area and around the state as other program directors are invaluable sources of information.  To further facilitate networking, program administrators should participate in their regional advisory meetings hosted by the GREAT Centers in each region of the state.

Maintaining an Adult Education Program

In efficiently maintaining a successful adult education program, grantees must keep in mind the main goals of the adult education program. According to Section 202 of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the overall purpose of the Act is to create a partnership among the Federal Government, States, and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and literacy services in order to:

(1) assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency;

(2) assist adults who are parents to obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the educational development of their children; and

(3) assist adults in the completion of a secondary school education.

The adult education program in Texas provides literacy, English language proficiency for limited English proficient adults, basic academic and functional context skills, and secondary level proficiencies for out-of-school youth and adults who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance who function at less than a secondary completion level.

In the delivery of services to meet the program’s goals, the grantee must provide instruction that:

• integrates the Indicators of Program Quality,
• is based on research-based sound principles of adult learning, and
• uses student centered holistic approaches to teaching.

Additionally, programs must strive to provide professional development opportunities for their staff that meet both the programmatic needs and the individual needs for professional growth.

Programs must maintain accurate records such as:

• Enrollment information and Rosters
• Baseline and Progress Testing
• Contact Hours
• Retention
• GED completions
• Exit
• Certification
• Budget

While the Texas Educating Adults Management System (TEAMS) management system stores collected data, depending on the size of the adult education program, the fiscal agent may consider maintaining an additional database. A shadow program can provide quick access to important information for each class and site in order to provide ongoing process evaluation and make adjustments and corrections to the program. A shadow system can also produce student rolls for teachers instrumental in maintaining and documenting monthly attendance reports vital to the funding formula.

Program Maintenance

In order to receive accurate reports from the AEGIS system (see Monitoring and Technical Assistance section of this manual), program must submit reports by dates required. The general instructions in the RFA detail the due dates for all reports. These reports include:

1. Financial Expenditure reports
2. Data Sign-Off in the Report Section of TEAMS
3. Progress Reports (semi-annual reports to be submitted in a format to be approved by Texas Education Agency (TEA) to match federal reporting requirements.)

In order to be able to react to changes in the community and to adapt the program’s goals and objectives accordingly, the adult education programs should continually survey the area to identify changing demands and developing trends, and to accommodate the various adults needing adult education programs. The target population served in the adult education program is transient. The locations, times, and types of classes may vary each session to be accessible and convenient to the needs of students. Weekend and evening classes are a common request of adult education students.

In order to engage in a process of continuous program improvement, administrators should require regular and ongoing systematic support and evaluation of each teacher, at each site, at least twice annually. In the grant application, each program should describe how it will administer ongoing monitoring, correct deficiencies and provide continuous improvement. This process evaluation is important for a program’s success.

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