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Higher Education Coordination Commission

Adult Basic Skills (ABS) Professional Development

Oregon community college partners and other Adult Basic Skills (ABS) providers can find information here on professional development resources. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD) is committed to providing research-based professional development that will assist Oregon’s ABS programs in meeting their educational and career development goals.

Learn more about the HECC’s support and coordination of ABS here.

Background and Calendar

Professional development for ABS faculty, staff, and administrators is available on a local, state, and national level. Our approach is evidence-based and centered on collaboration between providers, the state, and other Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners. Our goal is improving the quality of instruction and subsequent student outcomes within WIOA programs across the state. Learn more in our plan, framework, and calendar of trainings below.

2022-2027 ABS Professional Development Plan and FrameworkOregon ABS Professional Development Calendar 

Oregon's ABS Learning Standards are the Oregon Adult College and Career Readiness Standards (OACCRS) and the Oregon Adult English Language Proficiency Standards (OAELPS).

Professional Development Resources

Learning Standards Foundation Training is a required training comprised of two parts: 
  1. OACCRS/OAELPS Orientation and 
  2. Adult Education Module. 
Both parts can be found in self-study format on Canvas. Email ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov​ to enroll in the ABS Foundations Training course. 

The OACCRS/OAELPS Orientation can also be taken as a live Zoom workshop facilitated by state learning standards trainers. View the ABS Professional Development Calendar​ to see dates/descriptions and register.

​Facilitated trainings for additional learning standards modules are offered throughout the program year by ABS instructors who are also state learning standards trainers. Self-study versions of the modules are available on the Canvas Learning Management System. 

The OACCRS/OAELPS Orientation Module provides a vital baseline knowledge of the standards that. Completing the Orientation Module is necessary to participate in the modules below. Participants must complete the Orientation Module before taking additional modules or participating in a standards-based Professional Learning Community (PLC).

It is recommended, but not required, that participants take the modules in order.

PLC activities related to the module topics are available in the "Professional Learning Communities" section.

Register for facilitated trainings on the ABS Professional Development Calendar​ or email ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov for access to the modules on Canvas.​
  • ​​​​Math Module 1: The Key Shifts​​. Learn about the Key Shifts in content and instruction that underlie the standards: Focus, Rigor, and Coherence.​​
  • Math Module 2: The Mathematical Standards of Practice. Learn about the 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice: essential habits of mind and action that describe student behaviors, ensure an understanding of math, and focus on developing reasoning and building mathematical communication.
  • Math Module 3: The Mathematical Standards of Content. Use a variety of tools to develop their understanding of the Standards for Mathematical Content and begin to apply these standards to your practice.
  • Math Module 4: Integrating the Key Shifts, Standards for Mathematical Practice, and Standards for Mathematical Content. Bring it all together and practice applying all the components of the standards to your own practice.
Please note that the Language Arts (LA)/English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Modules below incorporate both OACCRS-LA and OAELPS, with an opportunity for participants to engage with whichever set of standards meets their needs.
  • ​LA/ESOL Module 1: The Four Dimensions and Process Skills. Learn About The Four Dimensions of Performance and The Process Skills through guided activities and discussions.
  • LA/ESOL Module 2: Planning Instruction - Starting From an Anchor. Experiment with creating a standards-aligned lesson plan starting from an anchor.
  • LA/ESOL ​Module 3: Planning Instruction - Starting From a Task. Experiment with creating a standards-aligned lesson plan starting from a task.​​
  • LA/ESOL Module 4: The Key Advances With a Focus on Text Complexity. Use a variety of methods to evaluate text complexity for use in instruction and learn why Key Advance #1 is essential to college and career readiness. Key Advances #2 and #3 will also be addressed.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Standards-based Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a requirement for ABS program directors/coordinators, instructors, and data professionals. Taking the Orientation module is a pre-requisite for participation in a standards-based PLC.​ ​

In PY24-25, there will be two Statewide PLCs offered during Winter/Spring 2025. More information is coming soon.

  • Math and English Connections to Support Skills Transfer
  • Statewide fully-asynchronous PLC (title forthcoming)

Sample activities for PLCs have been provided below and will continue to be added on an ongoing basis.

Local programs can also fulfill PLC requirements by having instructors participate in local BurlingtonEnglish onsite/virtual school-specific training. Contact ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov​ for more information about satisfying annual PLC requirements with site-specific BurlingtonEnglish training."

​​​​​​In Program Year 2024-2025, Oregon ABS programs continue their use of BurlingtonEnglish (BE) to support their English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students and programs. 

Directors, instructors, and site leads are required to participate in ongoing professional development as outlined in the document below. Registration information and links are included at the end of the document.

Local programs can fulfill PLC requirements by having instructors participate in local BurlingtonEnglish onsite/virtual school-specific training. Contact ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov​ for more information about satisfying annual PLC requirements with site-specific BurlingtonEnglish training.


​Professional Learning Communities (PLC) activities related to Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) are available in the "Professional Learning Communities"​ section.


NEW! For PY24-25, Oregon ABS has launched a lesson plan bank with fully-developed, standards-aligned lesson plans for Math, Language Arts, and ESOL. Lesson plans are designed as "grab-and-go" materials and are organized by standard level and NRS level.

The Community of Practice (COP) is a place for ABS members across the state to engage with peers about adult education practices and access high-quality ABS resources. Participants can engage in a variety of topics, including ABE/GED, ESOL, Distance Learning & Digital Literacy, Program & Student Data, and more. Recording and materials from From the Field instructor-led professional development sessions are also avaulable on the COP.

The COP is available on the Oregon ABS Canvas site. To join, email ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov.​​


NEW! Distance learning and digital literacy courses will be launched in Canvas in PY24-25. Look for:

Email ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov​ with questions or to join courses on Canvas.

Resources:


​​NEW! In PY24-25, CAST, the organization that developed the tenets behind Universal Design for Learning, will lead a cohort of 30 instructors in a year-long series of workshops to learn and apply best practices of UDL. Participants who successfully complete the workshops will be eligible to earn an industry-recognized credential from CAST.

More information is coming soon. Contact ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov​ with questions about joining the cohort.​

NEW! In PY24-25, HECC will offer a year-long series of workshops aimed at helping instructors become trauma-aware and trauma-informed. 

More information is coming soon. Contact ashley.garrigan@hecc.oregon.gov​ with questions.​​



 

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