Certificate Program Description The LAC Academy offers fee-based professional certificate programs to develop current and future adult educators. All LAC Academy certificate programs can make a difference in your career and life by providing you with: Core knowledge necessary to be an effective adult educator n Opportunities to share ideas, experiences and networks with peers n An opportunity to try out new strategies and methods with immediate feedback n A valuable credential from a reputable leader in adult education. This rigorous program provides future as well as current adult educators with an overview of best practices for GED and other High School Equivalency test instruction, a firm foundation in the newly-adopted Common Core State Standards for K-12 which will form the basis of the new High School Equivalency exam, and an overview of the anticipated changes to the GED in 2014. This program serves as an initial qualification for any individual or program: n considering a career in or currently teaching GED preparation classes to adults or at-risk youths n offering staff or professional development to adults in the fields of workplace training, in-house corporate and computer training, vocational rehabilitation, union trade, craft and business training, healthcare industry staff development or proprietary non-degree adult school education
“ I found this course to be invaluable – not only in preparing me for the demands of this transition, but also giving me many important resources to expand my skills and knowledge base regarding the new technological, informational and procedural standards being tested. Recognizing the need to have a standardized approach to the new test helps me as a teacher immensely, and seeing an emerging community of teachers sharing these goals and practices greatly elevates my ability to succeed. This program enabled me to create a practical approach with relevant tools and support, and provided an important support community.” Lisa Diomande, Cohort 2 GED Instructor, Harlem Y Literacy Zone
n interested in developing a continuing specialization in the teaching of adults
“ I would describe the program as a comprehensive, hands-on course that balances theory and practice in such a way that adult educators – who range from novices to seasoned pros – will come away with a wealth of useful information, new ideas, and new perspectives on high school equivalency instruction. As a participant, I feel that the modules served to reinforce some ideas I held previously, but more importantly, many became catalysts for bursts of creative planning on my part. After the course, I revamped and/ or discarded many of my older lessons in favor of ideas I had or was given during the course – my teaching practice was invigorated because I was no longer bored with the same lessons I had been teaching for years, which in turn has invigorated my classes.” Elena Pearson, Cohort 1 GED Coordinator, The Hetrick-Martin Institute
(100Hours/10CEU’s) This certificate program provides current and future adult educators with an overview of best instructional practices, a firm foundation in the Common Core State Standards for K-12 education which will form the basis of the new High School Equivalency (HSE) exam, and an overview of the state policies guiding the transition from the current GED. Format: Participants attend 36 hours of on-site classes, in addition to 90 hours of study and reflection online as part of a professional community of practice.
GED Prep Certificate Modules UNIT 1: Introduction and Orientation This unit introduces participants to: program objectives and expectations; an overview of the GED’s past, present and future; the Common Core State Standards (CCSS); and the online learning forum, Moodle.
UNIT 2: A Focus on Writing The essay portion of the current writing test tends to be very challenging for GED test takers. Learn effective evidence-based approaches to instruction and lesson planning that will help learners become more efficient, organized and confident when writing expository essays for the current GED test. The workshop will focus on Common Core Writing Standards and preparation for teaching students to respond to Document Based Questions in analytical essays that employ reasoning and evidence.
UNIT 3: A Focus on Reading Learn evidence-based teaching strategies designed to foster a lifelong love of reading and success on the current GED and future HSE assessments. Special attention will be paid to the Common Core Reading Standards, with a focus on a transition from an emphasis on literature to complex informational texts, evaluation of specific arguments or claims in a text and analysis of multiple texts.
UNIT 4: Social Studies Prep Learn the essentials of contextualized lesson planning and how to take an interdisciplinary approach to lesson design for Social Studies. We will focus on using primary and secondary documents, answering Document Based Questions and the importance of statistical analysis during this unit. Special attention will be paid to the reading and writing Common Core Standards for Literacy in History and Social Studies.
UNIT 5: Science Prep We will continue our focus on contextualized lesson panning and how to take an interdisciplinary approach for Science instruction. We will focus on integrating writing activities into Science instruction during this unit. Special attention will be paid to the reading and writing Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects.
UNIT 6: Math Mastery Day 1: Math is often the most intimidating and difficult topic for GED teachers because many GED teachers lack formal math training. During this workshop participants will be repositioned as learners. Instruction will focus on helping teachers master several Common Core aligned mathematical concepts that are also essential to student success on the current GED. Day 2: The math test is historically one of the most difficult GED tests for our learners. This workshop will resume the focus on evidence-based instructional strategies that will promote students’ mathematical efficacy. Learn strategies designed to address math and test taking anxiety, test taking strategies for the math test, and evidence-based teaching strategies that will promote student achievement. Special attention will be paid to a deep study of the Common Core Standards for Mathematics. UNIT 7: Program Completion During this final workshop, participants will present and submit their portfolios. They will also share instructional activities, reflections and resources they have created or accumulated over the course of the program.
Online Learning All LAC Academy Certificate programs are blended models, incorporating both on-site and online learning environments. Incorporated into each certificate are tutorials and support to make sure students have the tools they need to succeed in the online portion of our certificate programs.
For More Information LAC Academy fee-based certificate offerings vary by season. Please visit www.lacnyc.org/lacacademy for current certificate offerings, tuition, and application deadline information. To Apply: An application is required to be admitted to all programs. To apply, please visit the LAC Academy website for more information and to download the application. For LAC Academy inquiries, Please contact the Dean: Marilyn J. Rymniak: marilynr@lacnyc.org or 212-803-3322