AEL Professional Development Course Offerings

In order to register for live (in-person or virtual) DESE-sponsored professional development, AEL staff must login to the DESE AEL Professional Development Learning Management System (LMS) at MOAEL-Noverant.  This 20-minute training video covers the basics of using the LMS system.     

If you do not currently have access to this system, please contact your local AEL program director.

See below for pre-recorded professional development offerings. Your local AEL program director should record PD hours for completion of these.

Pre-recorded Professional Development 

Data Management for Local Program Staff

The thought of data management and program performance can create a feeling of stress and confusion for instructors and staff.  Effective data management is a critical component to successful Adult Education and Literacy programs. Having a clear understanding of data can result in improved student persistence, motivation, and performance.  Instructors are the “front line” of program performance. This training will empower instructors and staff to play an active role in data management and provide them with tools to help them work smarter, not harder.

This training is divided into the following four segments:

Part 1: Review Data Collection Procedures

Part 2: Review Program Performance Standards

Part 3: Analyze LACES Reports for Improved Student Performance

Part 3B: Laces Training for Instructors - Please note, to benefit from this training, instructors should have a LACES login and be prepared to perform the step-by-step instructions along with the presenter. We suggest participants use a computer with two monitors or use separate devices to view the training and perform the steps in LACES.

Part 4: Analyze the Assessment Process to Drive Instruction for Improved Student Performance

Completing all four segments is worth 1.5 PD hours.  Instructors can watch this four-part training twice for credit (watching twice totals 3 PD hours).

Click here to access the AEL Data Management Training for Local Program Staff.

Follow-up Survey Guidance and Best Practices

AEL program data is important to validate the success of our programs. While measurable skills gain (MSG) is the most referenced performance measure, other measures have a significant impact on Missouri’s ability to document program success. Post-exit performance measures (often referred to as follow-up outcomes) are different from MSG because they measure whether the student obtained employment or a credential in a given time period after they exited the program.

This training is divided into the following five segments:

Part 1: DESE Guidance for Conducting Follow-up Surveys (14 min)

Part 2: DESE’s Detailed Explanation of Follow-up Surveys and Entering Data (21 min)

Part 3: Best Practices from Literacy KC (9 min) - Wendy Kline shares procedures, responses to challenges, and lessons learned. Key points include the program’s approach of using a dedicated team of teachers to contact students, the importance of reassuring students about how data is used, and the need to remind students throughout their time in the program that staff will be contacting them for survey purposes.

Part 4: Best Practices from St. Charles Community College (10 min) - Lindsay Woods highlights the importance of ongoing communication with students about the survey, the benefit of getting student SSNs, how to prioritize potential survey completers, and her use of Canva in the survey process.

Part 5: Best Practices from St. Louis Community College (6 min) - Susan Ryffel and Kathleen Bender discuss the benefit of personal connection in their small program and the importance of conditioning students to read emails sent by program staff.

Completing all five segments is worth 1 PD hour. Staff can watch this five-part training twice for credit (watching twice totals 2 PD hours).

Click here to access the Follow-up Survey Training Showcase.