Teaching Skills That Matter in Massachusetts Adult Education: In July 2020, ACLS joined a team of eight states participating in the Teaching the Skills That Matter in Adult Education project (TSTM). This project, led by American Institute for Research (AIR) and the Office for Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), trains teachers to integrate the skills that matter to adult students using approaches that work across critical topic areas. Using the project's tools and training, adult education teachers can teach the transferable skills students need in these critical contexts.
 

 
Each participating TSTM state has a team of four teacher leaders and a state adult education representative.
Role of the MA TSTM Team
The role of the MA TSTM team is:

The team recently completed an intensive three-day virtual training with AIR and is currently working with the TSTM coach assigned to Massachusetts to practice the nine skills, five topic areas, and five approaches in their classrooms.
 
TSTM Team
Brooke Machado (ELA)
Profile: Brooke has worked as an adult education instructor, teaching both ESOL and ABE from Beginning Literacy to High Adult Secondary Education, in and around Boston since 2004. Besides teaching, Brooke works as an instructional coach with the SABES ELA C&I Center offering support to teachers and administrators with curriculum development and implementation of the CCR Standards. Brooke currently teaches classes in reading, writing, financial literacy and Social Studies at the Boston Public Schools Adult Learning Center in Roxbury, MA. Additionally, she is STAR trained and uses evidence-based reading instruction in the classroom. Brooke holds a master's degree in applied linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Laura Porter (ESOL)
Profile: Laura Porter teaches a high-level ESOL class at the Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center and is the Program Coordinator for the SABES ESOL C&I Center. She supports the planning, general operations, and evaluation of the PD Center, and develops and facilitates a variety of professional development offerings in diverse subject areas. She has been an ESOL educator since the 1990s when she started teaching informally as a Peace Corps volunteer, followed by graduate studies leading to a Master of Arts in Teaching ESOL and Spanish from the School for International Training. She has provided teacher training to public school teachers and adult educators, and presented workshops on a range of topics, including curriculum development, vocabulary development, goal setting, and bringing "green" topics into the ESOL classroom.

Christa Exter (Math)
Profile: Christa Exter has worked as an adult education instructor, teaching both math and ELA to high adult secondary education students throughout Massachusetts since 2004. Christa is STAR trained and uses evidence-based reading instruction in the classroom. Christa was one of the three pilot instructors for the Curriculum for Accelerated Math (CAM) in collaboration SABES Math C&I Center which later paved the way for the Curriculum for Adults Learning Math (CALM). Christa was one of the members of the MAPT-CCR Standard Setting Study Committee for UMASS CEA and is currently an editorial board member for the Change Agent. Christa currently teaches an advanced ASE class in reading, writing, and math at the Methuen Public Schools Adult Learning Center in Methuen, MA.

Lena Marecki (ESOL)
Profile: Lena Marecki has been working in adult education at the Intergenerational Literacy Program (ILP) with Chelsea Public Schools since 2016, where she teaches multi-level ESOL Family Literacy classes. In the last year, Lena has also grown as the Technology Manager of her program, where she oversees the research and implementation of effective digital resources. She is part of the program’s leadership team and also works on curriculum development and learner assessment. Before joining the ILP, Lena taught STEM to middle school students and supported third graders with Special Needs. Lena holds a BA in English and Art History from Cornell University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
 
Dana Varzan-Parker (ACLS TSTM Team Lead)
Profile: In her current role as curriculum, instruction and assessment specialist with ACLS, Dana is responsible for providing curriculum, instruction, and assessment policies for the ACLS-funded adult education programs and working closely with the statewide curriculum and instruction PD providers to implement PD that is data-driven and relevant to adult educators. Dana had ten years of experience in adult education as an ESL teacher and program director of an adult education program in a non-profit agency.
 
Learn More about TSTM
Adult education providers are invited to participate in the TSTM launch webinar on Friday December 4, from 9:30 am to 11:00 am.
Webinar Information:

The goals of this webinar are to:

For questions related to TSTM, please contact Dana Varzan-Parker, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Policy Coordinator and TSTM Team Lead, at dana.varzan-parker@mass.gov .
 

 Distance Education
AZECT and KET INFO

NEW AND IMPROVED AZTEC COMING DECEMBER 1, 2020!!
AZTEC has released a new and updated version which will bring a new look with more resources and flexibility for registrars, teachers and students. As previously announced, ACLS will be transitioning to and activating this upgrade for December 1, 2020.  In order for this transition to take place, access to AZTEC will not be available on Monday, November 30, 2020.
 
ACLS has arranged the following PD Sessions to assist in this transition (PLEASE be sure to share this information with staff members who are AZTEC Users):
 
Monday, November 16
10:00-11:30 - Admin and Registrar Webinar
Ring Central Meeting Link:  https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1480652908
 
1:00-2:30 – Instructor Webinar
Ring Central Meeting Link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1491361374
 
Thursday, November 19
2:00-3:30 – Admins and Registrar Webinar (same content as Monday Admin and Registrar session)
Ring Central Meeting Link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1484881906
 
4:00-5:30 – Instructor Webinar (same content as Monday Instructor session)
Ring Central Meeting Link: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1488508215

Do not hesitate to contact Paula.Jurigian@mass.gov with any questions or concerns. 

 
KET Seats Available
ACLS has a number of KET seats which are available for immediate distribution to CALC programs.  If you would like to have access to seats for your class or program, please contact Paula Jurigian via email at:  Paula.Jurigian@mass.gov
 

 

News from the Field!
 

News from the Clinton Adult Learning Center:
Christine Cordio, AE Program Director/Chief HSE Examiner for the Clinton Adult Learning Center sent in this photograph of an ESOL classroom. The students came in two weeks prior to classes beginning to take a ‘technology class’ which meets Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:00-9:00pm. This class was designed by the teachers to prepare students for remote learning. Clinton Adult Learning Center purchased a Zoom account, so that learning can be differentiated by breakout rooms, and quizzes and polls can be used to check for understanding. During this time students were taught everything from how to mute, share screens, access homework, raising hands, and turning in assignments. Students use ‘My English Lab” to access the online learning tools associated with their book. Clinton Adult Learning Center is fully remote. Good job, Staff. Good Job!