Resources for the Digital Literacy Skills

The DLDE Project has identified free resources that you can use with your student to build digital literacy skills. Located on the Digital Literacy page and each of its subpages, these resources are aligned with the Digital Literacy Skills competencies and levels (Basic Skills and Mobile, Internet, Communication, and Information Literacy). Instructors can use these resources to incorporate digital literacy into their lessons or to offer extra support for students with digital literacy needs.

Developed by Pennsylvania’s Digital Literacy and Distance Education (DLDE) project, the Digital Literacy Skills are a part of the PA Foundation Skills for adult education. The Digital Literacy Skills checklists were designed to help instructors who want to build their students' digital literacy skills. It includes definitions of the digitally literate student, a guiding framework on the areas of digital literacy to target during instruction, and a set of benchmarks by which to track student development.

Using Cognitive Science to Improve Instruction

A recent Edutopia article, 6 Evidence-Based Instructional Practices Drawn from Cognitive Science, highlights strategies you can use in your instruction to maximize your students' learning. Consider ideas like priming the student's brain for learning or pre-teaching jargon to avoid cognitive overload to judge their effectiveness in your classroom.

Applying and Preparing for College

A pair of Edutopia articles focus on helping students enter college. Six Steps for Supporting First-Gen Students in Applying to College focuses on a blueprint used in high schools to help these students through the often overwhelming college application process, though the ideas apply to adult students as well. The same is true of the suggestions in Preparing Students with Disabilities for the Transition to College. Preparing students for what to expect and equipping them with strategies to address it increases the likelihood of success for these student populations.

Integrated Education and Training (IET) Development Series

The Integrated Education and Training (IET) Development Series course will be offered in late spring of 2024. If your program and local partners need support with IET development sooner, please reach out to Chrissie Klinger (cok5111@psu.edu) for customized face-to-face or virtual support. Did you know that, in addition to IET development and delivery support, the IET project also can help programs with other accelerated career pathways programming? You can learn more about accelerated career pathways on the PAAER website or by contacting Chrissie Klinger for more information.

Professional Learning for Adult Education and Family Literacy Staff

Staff at PDE-funded adult education and family literacy agencies can view a list of upcoming courses now available for enrollment in the PD Portal. For more information about any of these courses, please visit the PD Portal, open the course catalog, and review the syllabus. If you are interested in enrolling in a course, please consult with your in-house professional development specialist (IHPDS) to determine if the course meets your professional learning goals.

COABE National Award Winners

Winners of the 2024 Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) national awards have been announced and Pennsylvanians have won in two categories! Cheryl Heister of Literacy & Learning Success Centers has won Outstanding Local Excellence in Advocacy, and Beyond Literacy in Philadelphia has won the Behind Every Employer Incentive Grant. Congratulations!

WIOA Reauthorization Roundtables

In mid-December, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced its bipartisan approach for WIOA Reauthorization. A series of virtual roundtable meetings will be held in the coming weeks to inform our Congressional representatives on what's working, what's not, and what else matters as they navigate a renewal of the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act. WIOA serves as the primary funding source for Pennsylvania's statewide workforce development system. 

• February 15 - Employer Services
• February 22 - Youth Services
• February 29 - Systems Coordination
• March 7 - Performance Monitoring and Reporting
• March 14 - Training Activities

All meetings are from 10:00 until11:30 a.m. and open to PWDA members and non-members. Register online.

PAACE National Award Nominations

The 2024 PAACE Conference will host an Awards Luncheon on Monday, April 15. to award national award winners. Nominations are due by February 15, and winners will be notified by March 15. Categories include Outstanding Student, Leader, Practitioner, Volunteer, or Partner of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award.

Volunteers Needed at COABE Conference

If you are planning to go to the COABE Conference March 17-20 in Nashville, Tennessee, and want to volunteer to help make it the best conference possible, consider signing up to volunteer at the conference. Volunteers will receive a Starbucks gift card and another thank-you gift. There are several roles available, and a volunteer training webinar will be arranged closer to the conference.

The job postings below are for adult basic education programs funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and, at least in part, by WIOA Title II funds. You can also find the postings on the PAAER website. To post a job, please email the job advertisement to mjmanfred@tiu11.org. 

• Administrative Support -- Allegheny County Jail

• Google Scholar Mentor/Instructor - COABE

Visit PAAER.org for the latest PA adult education news and resources. Recent additions to the site include:

• 23-24 Career Pathway Student Reports
• Updated eData Access Database Template v1.4
• Digital Literacy Resources

• COABE National Conference - March 17-20, 2024, Nashville, TN



• PAACE Conference - April 14-16, 2024, Pittsburgh, PA

State and national organizations' newsletters are listed below and may be of interest to you. To receive the most recent editions by email, please subscribe directly to the newsletter. 

Families Learning, News of the Week, National Center for Families Learning

Features information and resources for family literacy, early childhood education, and parent education.

Jan. 19 Jan. 5 Dec. 18

WorkforceGPS, Workforce3 One

Features career pathways and workforce development information.

Jan. 16 Jan. 10 Jan. 9

PA Association for Adult Continuing Education

Features information for adult education partners for advocacy, networking, and professional development

January Newsletter

COABE Connects, Digital Equity, Coalition On Adult Basic Education

Features national information, resources, and initiatives for adult basic education.

Jan. 19 Jan. 12 Jan. 11 Jan. 5 Dec. 29 Dec. 22

World Education/U.S.

Features resources and information from World Education projects including EdTech Center News, The Change Agent, College for Adults, E-Learning, LINCS Region 1 Professional Development Center, National College Transition Network, and many others. 

Jan. 17 Jan. 10 Dec. 20

OCTAE Connection, US Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, & Adult Education 

Features news and resources for adult basic, career, and technical education.

Dec. 27