OVERVIEW

The Adult Education Resource Guide and Learning Standards is intended to enhance programming for adults in New York State. The focus of this guide is to link New York's learning standards with the curriculum goals and objectives developed by adult education practitioners. The guide's purpose is to raise the standards of adult education in New York State with the belief that adult learners will be better prepared as parents and individuals to tackle the economic, social, and familial challenges and realities existing today.

The Adult Education Resource Guide and Learning Standards which follows includes the learning standards for English language arts and mathematics. These two areas were identified by adult education practitioners as the most important for beginning adult learners. Curriculum supplements for ESOL and GED are also provided.

The resource guide is more than learning standards, goals, and objectives. As such, the section entitled “An Introduction to Adult Education” includes:

	A look at the unique aspects of adult education. What makes adult education different from educating children?
	A brief overview of where to begin -- with curriculum development, instructional planning, classroom management, and assessment.

For the veteran adult educator, this first section is a reprise, a reminder of the creativity and skill required for this most important work. New teachers and new adult educators will find the introduction to be the foundation of everything they will be doing with adult learners. Clearly, it will be the beginning of further work and study.

A Work in Progress

The Adult Education Resource Guide and Learning Standards is literally a work in progress. Future editions of the package will:

• Explore the workplace knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in the world of work. It will be closely linked to the Learning Standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS). The remaining five standards will be addressed in an interdisciplinary approach. (A complete set of the learning standards may be found in Appendix A. For additional information about the K-12 Learning Standards documents, contact NYSED's Office of Curriculum and Instruction.)