October 28 , 2016
New PA Adult Education Resources website is up and running
 
The Pennsylvania Adult Education Resources website has been updated to include a fresh new look and additional resources. The new website includes easier navigation to find resources to support your teaching, professional development, and program improvement activities. New features include: 
  • Lesson Bank - Find College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS)-aligned lessons to use with your students. You can submit lessons to be included on the website, too! 
  • CCRS Resources - Access all of your CCRS resources in one place, organized to help you to find what you need quickly and easily. 
  • On-Demand PD - View online modules available at your convenience. 
  • PD Portal - Access the new online learning system that will be used for professional development courses and communities of practice from the main navigation menu. 
Please be sure to visit the new Pennsylvania Adult Education Resources website at www.paadultedresources.org  and share the site with your colleagues, volunteers, and partners. We would love to hear your feedback on the new site as well. 

Please note: While the main website address has not changed, you may need to update some of your bookmarks if you have saved pages from the old site. 

Teaching Tips and Resources
Civics It Up! - A new Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education resource 
The National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium has shared a new resource call Civics It Up!,  created by the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center. Meant to help teachers to blend language learning with civics education, the civicsitup.org  website has great ideas that can be used in EL/Civics classrooms. Explore the site to discover resources and lessons and to watch a video explaining how you can use this new resource to help your students. 
 
Evaluating websites as information resources
A study of middle school students found that only 4% checked the accuracy of information that they found online for school projects. It is not hard to imagine a similar minority of adults verifying the truth of what they read online. Edutopia has shared information about the WWWDOT Framework , a series of questions that students can use to evaluate a website as an information source. As with much from Edutopia, this article and resource was developed with younger students in mind, but can be easily adapted and used for adult education students. 
 
High School Equivalency (HSE) Updates and Resources
GEDPrep Connect™ now to help students connect with agencies
When students create an account at GED.com, they will now have the opportunity to be pointed to adult education providers in their area through GEDPrep Connect™. Also, adult education programs who participate can see those students who have expressed interest in their program. Go to the GEDPrep Connect™program page to learn more, view theOverview webinar of October 16, or visit the FAQ page. You can also register for the GEDPrep Connect™ FAQ webinar which is on Wednesday, November 2 at 1:00pm.
Professional Development Opportunities
NCFL offering Toyota Family Teacher of the Year webinar series
The National Center for Families Learning will present a series of seven monthly webinars from November to May. These are the Toyota Family Teacher of the Year webinars and will be based on a new book from NCFL, Stronger Families, Stronger Communities: 20 years of Highly Effective Teaching Practices Supporting Two-Generation Learning. These webinars are a good professional development opportunity for both new and experienced family literacy staff. 

WIOA Updates
WIOA final rules published in the national register 
On August 19, 2016, the U.S. Depa rtments of Labor and Education announced the publication of the WIOA Final Rules in the Federal Register. Quick reference guides and FAQs are available online to keep you up to date with these important changes. 

State and National Adult Education News
FAFSA® applications now accepted for 2017-18 school year 
There are some changes that are coming to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid  (FAFSA ® ). One change is that applications will now be accepted on October 1 instead of January 1 for the following academic year. Go to the Federal Student Aid website to learn more about the changes to FAFSA®  and see FAQs. 

Grants and Scholarships
What to look for in a grant writer 
With so much funding in adult ed ucation coming from grants, selecting the right person to write your grants could mean the difference between getting funded and not. GetEdFunding.com shares some tips  o n what to look for in a grant writer, including  a good resume and writing samples, relevant experience, and a history of success. Keep these tips in mind so that you can choose the right person for this complicated but crucial task. 

AmeriCorps state and national grants
AmeriCorps distributes state and national grants in six focus areas, one of which is education. The goal of the education grants focuses on access, resources, and outcomes relating to economically disadvantaged children. The deadline for an optional Notice of Intent to Apply is December 7 and applications for national grants are due January 18. The deadlines for single-state applications vary by state. See GetEdFunding.com for a full list of grants with links to details. 

What's New on the PA Adult Education Resource Site?
Visit  www.paadultedresources.org  for the latest PA adult education news and resources. Recent additions to the site include:
Upcoming State and National Conferences
State and National Newsletters
These are state or national organizations' newsletters that may be of interest to you. To receive the most recent editions by email, please subscribe directly to the newsletter. 
 
Workforce GPS Newsletter , US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Features information and resources related to the public workforce investment system
September           October  
 
OCTAE Connection, US Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, & Adult Education
Features news and resources for adult basic, career and technical education  
October 4, 2016          
 
GED ® in Session,
GED Testing Service ®
Features information and resources from the developers of the GED ® test 
 
Families Learning News of the Week, 
National Center for Families Learning
Features information and resources for family literacy, early childhood education, and parent education   
September 23, 2016           October 7, 2016           October 14, 2016                    
 
This newsletter is a result of a project developed by the Communications Project which is managed by the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 through a contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Education; however, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of TIU 11 or the Pennsylvania Department of Education. No official endorsement of these agencies should be inferred.