Hello everyone,
 
Please sign up for the guest discussion on the Content Standards List
with Ronna Spacone next week.  I would think that many on this List
would find that discussion of great interest.
 
To participate in the discussion, sign up for the list at:
 <http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards>
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards
 
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
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Greetings colleagues,
 
Next week, Monday, September 25 through Friday, September 29, the
Content Standards Discussion List will be hosting a discussion on the
U.S. Department of Education's efforts to support state-level adoption
and institutionalization of content standards for adult learning.  Our
guest will be Ronna Spacone from the Department's Office of Vocational
and Adult Education (OVAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy
(DAEL).
 
Please read the introductory information below, which includes a link to
the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse Website, to help prepare
you for the discussion.  
 
You may begin posting your questions to Ronna this week.  I will collect
the questions together and re-post when the discussion starts next week.
 
Aaron
 
Aaron Kohring
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content  
Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
 
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For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Education, OVAE, has
used National Leadership Activity funds to provide technical assistance
and support to states already committed to standards-based education
reform.  
 
OVAE's efforts to promote the implementation of state-level content
standards began with the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse
Project, operated by the American Institutes of Research (AIR),
2003-2005.  The project included:
 
1.	Technical assistance and networking for state collaborative
working groups or consortia in 14 states,
 
2.	The development and publication of "A Process Guide for
Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" and
 
3.	The development of the Adult Education Content Standards
Warehouse (AECSW) Website.  The AECSW site provides universal access to
existing state standards as well as nationally developed content
standards in the areas of reading, mathematics, and English language
acquisition.  Since it was launched in May 2005, eleven states and CASAS
and Equipped for the Future have contributed their standards for
posting.  The site also serves to disseminate the "Process Guide for
Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" as well as the
professional development materials that were developed for the State
Standards Consortia project.  In preparation for our listserv discussion
next week, I invite you to please visit the AECSW Website located at:
(http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org
<http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/> ), which AIR continues to
operate with OVAE. 
 
In September 2005, with the conclusion of the State Standards Consortia
activities, OVAE funded a new activity to identify how best to continue
to support states committed to the implementation of standards.  A
six-month planning project was then conducted by MPR Associates, Inc.,
along with partner organizations Design Perspectives and World
Education.  Planning activities included a literature review of
noteworthy practices, an evaluation of the electronic warehouse, and an
assessment of the needs of states to support standards-based education.
Twenty-four states chose to participate in the project.  Based on the
results, OVAE has moved ahead and made plans for a new project scheduled
to begin next month.
 
As in the past, the new activities will provide opportunities for
interested states to work together and learn about standards-based
education.  The project is expected to focus especially on the
implementation of standards, including: how to translate standards into
classroom instruction and curriculum and how to assess the
implementation of standards to guide instructional improvement and
program practice. 
 
I invite you to learn more about the Department of Education's efforts
to promote state-level adoption of content standards and to ask
questions about these activities during the listserv discussion.  Please
refer to the various sections of the AECSW Website
(http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org
<http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/> ) including the Guide,
Warehouse, and Field Resources as well as the OVAE DAEL Website located
at: (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html). 
 
I look forward to an interesting, engaging discussion and appreciate the
opportunity to take part.  Thanks.
 
Ronna Spacone
Education Program Specialist
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
U.S. Department of Education
Ronna.spacone at ed.gov 
 
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