- determine whether we are pushing our students to produce the most rigorous, level-appropriate language and thinking possible;
- identify challenges to students’ learning;
- plan instruction to address and assess the most relevant standards; and
- plan for scaffolding and other supports to better meet our students’ needs.
- Analyze and reflect on instructional tasks through the process of identifying the relevant disciplinary practices and ELP Standards
- Understand the what, why, and how of utilizing the ELP Standards in planning and instruction
- Download and print the module’s resources (which appear in the Resources tab beginning on slide 4) before you begin the training.
- Please turn off pop-up blockers in your browser for this module.
- Use the following instructions for navigating through this module using your keyboard and using JAWS assistive technology:
- Use the Tab key to move forward through each screen’s content. Press Shift + Tab to move backwards. A box surrounds the object that is currently selected.
- To select the skip navigation button and the navigation buttons that appear at the bottom of the screen (Play, Pause, Forward, Back, Volume, Closed Captions and Exit buttons), use the spacebar key.
- Press Shift + Enter to select a navigation button at the top of the screen or a hyperlink.
- For closed captioning select the cc button.
- What process can adult educators follow to understand the content knowledge, analytical skills, and language demands of an instructional task?
- What does task analysis reveal about the demands of instructional tasks in relation to academic content standards and language use?
- Determine whether we are challenging students to produce the most rigorous, level-appropriate, standards-aligned activities;
- Identify roadblocks to students’ understanding; and
- Plan for scaffolding and supports to better meet our students’ needs.
- Understand the value of a task analysis process that examines what adult English Language Learners (ELLs) need to know and do around content knowledge, analytical skills, and language use to accomplish an instructional task; and.
- Use a task analysis process to analyze and reflect on instructional tasks for various levels and content areas.
- Download and print the module’s resources (which appear in the Resources tab beginning on slide 4) before you begin the training.
- Please turn off pop-up blockers in your browser for this module.
- Use the following instructions for navigating through this module using your keyboard and using JAWS assistive technology:
-
- Use the Tab key to move forward through each screen’s content. Press Shift + Tab to move backwards. A box surrounds the object that is currently selected.
- To select the skip navigation button and the navigation buttons that appear at the bottom of the screen (Play, Pause, Forward, Back, Volume, Closed Captions and Exit buttons), use the spacebar key.
- Press Shift + Enter to select a navigation button at the top of the screen or a hyperlink.
- For closed captioning select the “cc” button.
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Abstract:
The ESOL Tutor Resource Pack includes resources for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutors to use with learners who are in prison or who have had recent experience with the criminal justice system.
Developed in the United Kingdom, this pack includes resources for ESOL tutors to use with learners who are in prison or who have had recent experience with the criminal justice system. It is based on the principles of the Learning and Work Institute’s Citizens’ Curriculum model, which promote flexible, local programs of study that are co-designed with learners and cover an interlinked set of skills and capabilities.
These resources cover three topics: civics, financial literacy and health literacy. Each topic consists of six ‘units’, each of which provides enough material for a three-hour ESOL class or session. The resources can be used to support the delivery of accredited learning leading to Skills for Life ESOL or Functional Skills English qualifications. They are mapped to the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum.
Each unit includes a set of tutor notes that provide a suggested approach, ideas for differentiation and learner involvement, and possible extension activities. They also include stimulus materials for tutors to use in these activities. The tutor notes are not meant to be prescriptive – they are only intended as guidance.
What the experts say
This is a fantastic resource for ESOL programs in correctional settings. There is great need in the field for tutor training materials and this resource is a valuable tool. American correctional facilities have significant populations of non-English speaking or English as a Second Langauge (ESL) students. Educational programs usually try to accommodate these learners by assigning bilingual inmate tutors, but there is usually little to no tutor training. This resource, though very basic, is a great introduction for tutors.
It is also a highly useful and relevant resource for general adult basic education instructors. It contains content appropriate to young adult and adult learners both in and beyond incarceration settings, contains generous resource links as well as material to be used in classroom settings. Participatory educators will be grateful to add this content to their repertoire; those newer to participatory processes are supported by clear explanations, examples of classroom activities, and processes and strategies that ensure the usefulness of this resources as well as its potential for adaptation and expansion.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Resource URL
Publication Year
2018
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Abstract:
This module digs deeper into the English Language Proficiency Standards using the last two steps in the four-step task analysis process that was introduced in Analyzing Student Tasks in Relation to Content Demands, Thinking Skills, and Language Use - Module Two.
“Digging Deeper Into the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education,” is the third in a three-part series professional development modules about the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards for Adult Education. The training is intended for instructors, instructional leaders, program administrators, and professional development providers.
Module Three engages users in the last two steps of the task analysis process. Steps three and four help us to better understand which of the core disciplinary practices and ELP standards are relevant to certain instructional tasks—and to instructional practices. This training answers the question: How does the task analysis process support educators’ understanding and integration of the ELP Standards during their own planning and instruction?
Benefits and Uses
There are several benefits of engaging in task analysis. The process helps us to
Required Training
Completion of Modules One and Two, and an understanding of your state’s academic content standards.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2018
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Abstract:
This module focuses on the task analysis process in relation to content demands, thinking skills, and language use.
“Analyzing Student Tasks in Relation to Content Demands, Thinking Skills, and Language Use” is the second in a three-part series of professional development modules about the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards for Adult Education. This training is intended for instructors, instructional leaders, administrators, and professional development providers who are learning to use the new ELP standards.
Module Two introduces the first two steps in a task analysis process. The content of the training responds to the following questions:
Benefits and Uses
In order to successfully complete an instructional task (or activity), our English language learners (ELLs) must demonstrate certain content knowledge, analytical skills, and language use. In analyzing an instructional task, instructors determine what students need to know and be able to do with regard to these three components (or lens). Analyzing a task through these three lenses helps us to focus on all the various cognitive demands placed on students as they tackle an instructional task or project.
Task analysis helps us think more deeply about the structure and demands of an instructional task for ELLs—especially tasks we did not create ourselves. The task analysis process allows us to:
Required Training
Completion of Module One: Introduction to the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education; an understanding of your state-adopted academic content standards.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2018
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Abstract:
Designed for advanced English as a Second Language and General Education Development learners, this two-week unit helps students learn about currently available entry-level work that is in high demand, pays over minimum wage, and does not require a high school credential. This easy-to-use PDF unit contains eight lessons that include detailed objectives, teacher guidance for all activities, and activity handouts. Lessons are designed to help learners practice the English and employment-preparedness skills necessary to obtain entry-level jobs.
The Career Exploration Unit includes detailed easy-to-follow lesson plans and accompanying print materials. The materials focus on the needs of students in the categories of English as a Second Language/English for Speakers of Other Languages/English Language Learner and may need to be adapted for Adult Basic Education-/Adult Special Education-level learners. It can be a helpful resource for guiding English as Second Language learners in deciding which integrated education and training pathway they would like to join.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Resource URL
Publication Year
2019
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Abstract:
This website, TeachingEnglish by the British Council, contains a wide range of practical resources for teaching English to adults.
This website contains three sections of resources for teaching English to adults: Lesson Plans, Activities, and English for Business. The Lesson Plans section features lessons with easy to use instructions and materials that provide students with the skills and confidence to enjoy learning English. The Activities section contains activities for use in the adult classroom. Lessons and activities are organized by level: Beginner, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, and Advanced.
The lessons in the English for Business section are designed around functional skills for business learners. All of the lessons and activities were written by English language teaching experts and are designed to engage learners in motivating and enjoyable ways. The topics covered are meetings, negotiations, and socializing.
What the experts say
This website contains a rich compilation of lessons designed and uploaded by English language professionals through the British Council. Materials include downloads of lesson plans and worksheets, podcasts and ancillary materials relevant to the broad range of topics and levels addressed in the resources. Educators can choose by topic, by level and by modality (reading, listening, writing) and can adapt content (particularly lexical differences in UK and US English) and can design assessment processes to gauge learners' understandings and competencies within the particular exercises/lessons. The section dedicated to adult learning and learners provides engaging, well-organized, and easily-navigated content that will serve those who teach English to adult non-native speakers and, in many cases, those who teach adult basic education (ABE) learners. The site also contains similar but larger sections targeting elementary and secondary students. That content is also worth exploring since some of those instructional materials will also appeal to older learners. A significant reward for using Teaching English resources for adults is that the vast majority of its content integrates “adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities,” as defined by WIOA legislation. (WIOA Title II, 2016, and IET Training Guide, n.d).
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Resource URL
Publication Year
2020
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Abstract:
This meeting focused on sharing best practices and challenges in adult education, particularly around ESL programs and workforce development. Participants discussed various initiatives including college and career readiness labs, apprenticeship programs, digital literacy efforts, and strategies for supporting ESL students during challenging times. Key topics included the implementation of Career Gateway classes that simulate workplace experiences, partnerships with employers for workplace learning, and the challenges of providing services to ESL students in correctional settings. Several participants shared resources including AI literacy lesson plans, digital literacy frameworks, and community partnerships, while others discussed the importance of trauma-informed instruction and multi-generational impact of adult education programs. The meeting highlighted successful collaborations between state directors, local programs, and employers, with participants emphasizing the value of working together to create pathways for adult learners.Summary
College Career Readiness Program Development
ESL Workforce Preparation Programs Update
Education Collaboration and Workforce Challenges
AI in Education and Literacy
IET Programs in Correctional Settings
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Meeting date: March 10, 2026 Meeting recording link: https://youtu.be/qoX5PbooNSw
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Abstract:
This meeting focused on sharing best practices and challenges in adult education, particularly around ESL programs and workforce development. Participants discussed various initiatives including college and career readiness labs, apprenticeship programs, digital literacy efforts, and strategies for supporting ESL students during challenging times. Key topics included the implementation of Career Gateway classes that simulate workplace experiences, partnerships with employers for workplace learning, and the challenges of providing services to ESL students in correctional settings. Several participants shared resources including AI literacy lesson plans, digital literacy frameworks, and community partnerships, while others discussed the importance of trauma-informed instruction and multi-generational impact of adult education programs. The meeting highlighted successful collaborations between state directors, local programs, and employers, with participants emphasizing the value of working together to create pathways for adult learners.Summary
College Career Readiness Program Development
ESL Workforce Preparation Programs Update
Education Collaboration and Workforce Challenges
AI in Education and Literacy
IET Programs in Correctional Settings
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Meeting date: March 10, 2026 Meeting recording link: https://youtu.be/qoX5PbooNSw
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Abstract:
Adult English learners (ELs) may need numeracy instruction to navigate daily life or understand health information, so this paper examines numeracy skill levels and home skill use of adult ELs in Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014 data and recommends implications for EL numeracy instruction.
Research on adult English learners (ELs) typically (and appropriately) focuses on language-related skills. However, adult ELs may need numeracy instruction to navigate daily life or understand health information. Little is known about how ELs use numeracy skills at home and connections of skill use with related electronic numeracy skills. The purpose of this paper is to examine numeracy skill levels and home skill use of adult ELs. Employing Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014 data, the paper begins with identifying adult ELs’ numeracy skill levels. The relationship of skill level with skill use is then analyzed to determine how six discrete groups of ELs at various skill levels employ numeracy skills, and to describe characteristics and backgrounds of each group for adult education instructors and interested stakeholders. The paper concludes with recommended implications for instruction from Curry’s (2017) instructional guide based on the PIAAC Numeracy Framework.
Benefits and Uses
This research expands on earlier 2012 and 2014 findings reported by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). It addresses further useful variables related to the needs of ELs to acquire numeracy and math skills.
Adult educators may find this report useful in different ways, depending on the role they play in the field and on the needs of the population they serve. All readers working in adult education, whether they serve ELs or native speakers of English, will benefit from the Abstract and initial remarks, which offer a useful summary of the purpose of the study in meeting the researched numeracy skills required by adult English learners (ELs) in the United States. Readers who do not serve ELs will also recognize the benefit to native English speakers in addressing the needs described in this study.
The Abstract and the introductory remarks that follow, define the difference between numeracy and math skills and provide a review of the related at-home needs faced by most lower-level Els and even native English speakers in programs. Those needs better define curriculum topics that should be addressed more in teaching ELs. Administrators can draw from this analysis to design programming to address the numeracy skill needs of English learners. Curriculum developers will find specific details to integrate into curriculum segments.
The article abstract describes the organization of this report. The report initially defines the term EL as “immigrant adults with low English language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and/or writing, [who] may seek to learn English to enhance their ability to communicate with, among others, neighbors, coworkers, child caretakers, and doctors in English.” That definition is not always clearly defined as such in later references to ELs, but generally, the research addresses the numeracy needs of selected adults, ages 25 to 74 years, first-generation immigrants, who experience challenges with English proficiency. Although that definition is limited, adult educators will find that the lessons learned and the recommendations made as a result of this study will provide implications for additional adult learners, including native English speakers in some cases.
The details relating to each aspect of the research are addressed in response to three questions:
1. What are average numeracy skill levels and numeracy at-home use rates of adult English learners (ELs) in the aggregate?
2. Controlling for education attainment, family background, and health, how does numeracy at-home use of adult ELs predict numeracy skill levels?
3. How does numeracy at-home use of adult ELs differ among discrete groups based on covariates (from Research Question [RQ] 2) and numeracy skill levels? What are descriptive characteristics of each group?
This report includes tables and charts showing the types of numeracy skills surveyed, the characteristics of six groups in relation to several issues (education, health, income, and more), and the results found in each listed aspect. The details presented in these tables and charts may serve adult educators in the US with (1) data to support proposal requests for budget items relating to those findings and (2) useful lists of skills that programs may want to address in integrating numeracy and health topics in language instruction, both for EL’s and native English-speaking students lacking literacy skills. Proposal writers will find the data reported useful in supporting proposals to fund related instruction. Future researchers will find helpful guidance in developing further data to pursue studies to deepen and expand the field's knowledge of adult English learners' numeracy skill needs.
The actual description of the study, conducted to expand on data already provided by PIAAC on the topic, will be useful to other researchers who wish to also use the final section, Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Research, as a guide to provide further data to programs in integrating numeracy and math into instruction. The Reference List will also provide future researchers and other authors with resources to develop further instructional tools to promote numeracy and math instruction in adult education programs.
The Implications for Practice Engagement and Health and the Implications for Instruction sections will be more significant and useful to instructors and curriculum developers who wish to integrate English language instruction with numeracy and health topics leading to improving the lives and educational opportunities of Els in the United States. Since numeracy skills are not often addressed in English classes, one hopes that instructors will be motivated to integrate these essential skills into instruction, and they will find helpful ideas in this resource on how to do that.
Most findings in this research are not likely to add a great deal of actual knowledge about ELs the field, since practitioners tend to be very familiar with the fact that ELs face numeracy and math challenges in their lives although they don’t often have students practice those skills in instruction. However, Table 1 provides helpful reminders of items that ELs face in their daily lives, some of which may be new to practitioners. Perhaps not so widely recognized among practitioners is the relationship of numeracy needs to health needs, expressed in Table 2. As a result, practitioners might consider integrating functional health-related computations (reading prescriptions, interpreting dosages, and more) into their language instruction. In addition, since this research found that learners with low numeracy skills also often face health-related issues, instruction might also include helpful strategies for maintaining good health in stressful environments.
What the experts say
This resource makes a useful distinction between numeracy skills and mathematics with numeracy being the skills employed in one's daily life such as budgeting or measuring medicine correctly compared to abstract mathematics concepts.
It also addresses a very big gap in adult education: numeracy and math instruction among English Language Learners. Experienced adult-education practitioners have long recognized the lack of numeracy and math skills among low-level learners. However, there has not been a strong movement to date to encourage the acquisition of numeracy and math skills in instruction among ELs. Practitioners recognize that the many English learners seeking to earn a high school equivalency diploma do receive math instruction once their English skills are at an adequate level; however, numeracy is not always a routine focus in English language classes. In fact, the need for numeracy skills has often been overlooked. Instruction often limits practice to the language needs of ELs without much attention to helping them integrate numeracy and math into practice, including math terminology, which can vary considerably among different countries.
This study expands on very useful findings from the 2012 and 2014 report published by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The analysis of PIAAC data focused on English learners suggests there is a need to offer programming related to numeracy skills to a subset of adults who seek English language instruction. The recommendation made here is to integrate numeracy skills drawn from PIAAC's Numeracy framework into instruction for English learners. The resource provides a helpful list of numeracy and lower-level math skills, especially related to financial literacy, that students regularly use at home and that instructors should integrate into practice. English instruction typically focuses on learners' needs, so incorporating aspects of numeracy makes sense. In that regard, more than teaching ELs to make doctor appointments for themselves or their children, for example, instructors might do well to teach them how to measure doses and physical data using the U.S. mathematical system and terminology. This resource includes a Table 1 list of Items for At-Home Use of Numeracy Skills, which might come in handy in developing curricula. As noted, English teachers would benefit from training on ways to effectively address the numeracy needs of adult English learners while math instructors would benefit from how to adapt instruction to make it accessible to English learners.
One newer concept exposed in this research is the well-connected data showing the relationship between low literacy and numeracy skills to the health needs of ELs. In addition to adding financial numeracy and/or basic math into plans, instructors might also integrate health topics into instruction, including related computations that might be helpful to students. Under the section “Implications for Instruction,” several ideas on actual practice are shared.
Readers playing different roles in adult-education programs will find different aspects of this resource helpful, from using the very detailed research information in proposals, to making curriculum changes to include numeracy/math/health skills, to integrating segments in instruction that encourage learners to not only speak the language of math but apply numeracy/math skills in solving problems that will help them improve the quality of their lives as immigrants or as other adult learners in the United States.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2020