Projects: CAELA

The U.S. Department of Education, under contract with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), is supporting states’ efforts to improve adult English language learners’ achievement through a national Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Network.

The CAELA Network is working with twelve states from June 2008 to September 2010, to help them increase their capacity to provide high quality professional development for practitioners working with adults learning English.

Virginia was one of the twelve states selected from a competitive process to participate in this capacity-building effort in professional development. Each state was able to choose the focus of their project. Virginia's project is to:

• Develop and implement Tier 1 of a 3-tiered training program for state ESL Certification of adult ESOL instructors
• Establish a protocol to follow for evaluating the effect of the certification program on the knowledge and skills of the ESOL practitioners and, in turn, on their practice. This evaluation process will include:
• Pre and post knowledge assessments of ESOL practitioners
• Review of Action Plan submitted
• Review of Certification Action Plan Results submitted
• Data obtained on student progress and retention

For more information, please contact Nancy Faux at nfaux@vcu.edu and/ or visit the CAELA Network web site at http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/