Minnesota Administrative Rules

8710.4000 TEACHERS OF ADULT BASIC EDUCATION.

Subpart 1.

Scope of practice.

A teacher of adult basic education is authorized to provide to learners, who have aged out of the compulsory attendance requirement for secondary schools as set forth in Minnesota Statutes, section 120A.22, and are not enrolled in elementary or secondary schools, instruction that is designed to develop mastery of basic education skills including English language skills. This part shall not prohibit a school board from employing a teacher who holds a teaching license but who is not licensed as a teacher of adult basic education to teach adult basic education. A license under this part does not qualify a teacher to provide instruction leading to a high school diploma.

Subp. 2.

Licensure requirements.

An applicant seeking a license to teach adult basic education must meet the requirements for a license pursuant to parts 8710.0311 to 8710.0314 and Minnesota Statutes, sections 122A.181 to 122A.184.

Subp. 2a.

Initial licensure program.

A candidate completing a board-approved initial licensure program for adult basic education must demonstrate the content standards set forth in subpart 3 and the standards for effective practice in part 8710.2000, focused on teaching adults as learners.

Subp. 2b.

Additional licensure program.

A candidate completing a board-approved additional licensure program for adult basic education must demonstrate the content standards set forth in subpart 3.

Subp. 2c.

Licensure via portfolio.

An applicant seeking an initial license via portfolio pursuant to part 8710.0330 must submit a content portfolio aligned to the standards set forth in subpart 3 and a pedagogy portfolio aligned to the standards for effective practice in part 8710.2000, focused on teaching adults as learners.

Subp. 3.

Subject matter standards.

A candidate for licensure as a teacher of adult basic education must demonstrate the knowledge and skills in items A to F.

A.

Organizational and systems structure.

The candidate must understand adult basic education organizational and system structure, including:

(1)

the history and purpose of adult basic education, including the learners served;

(2)

federal and state adult basic education legislation, policies, regulatory agencies, sources of funding, and related services;

(3)

models of delivering adult education services, including eligible providers and distribution of funds;

(4)

types of programming offered, including English language instruction, high school diploma and equivalency options, career and postsecondary preparation, and other basic skills instruction;

(5)

accountability measures, including standardized assessments, learner outcome expectations, and data collection requirements; and

(6)

supports and technical assistance resources available to adult basic education providers.

B.

Adult learning theories and teaching practices.

The candidate must understand adult learning theories and teaching practices, including:

(1)

characteristics common to all adult learners as well as those common to unique populations;

(2)

formative and summative assessment practices that inform instructional planning and goal setting for students;

(3)

application of instructional practices for testing that address the needs of adult learners;

(4)

application of instructional strategies and resources for adult learners, including but not limited to those who are incarcerated, survivors of trauma, refugees and immigrants and those with low basic skills, limited formal schooling, and physical or cognitive learning challenges;

(5)

instructional planning at the lesson, unit, and course level for basic skills, life skills, academic content (e.g., math, social studies), and career-contextualized instruction; and

(6)

disposition and resources to attain the content knowledge and related teaching practices needed to grow professionally as an adult educator.

C.

Content and effective practices.

The candidate must understand the content and effective practices for teaching language and literacy, including:

(1)

knowledge of reading processes and instruction including:

(a)

grapheme-phoneme knowledge and morpheme relationships within words;

(b)

the interrelationships between word recognition and vocabulary knowledge, fluency, and comprehension in understanding text and content materials;

(c)

the importance of direct and indirect vocabulary instruction that leads to enhanced general, academic, and domain-specific word knowledge;

(d)

the interrelationships between and among comprehension processes related to print processing abilities, motivation, reader's interest, background knowledge, cognitive abilities, and knowledge of academic discourse; and

(e)

the development of academic language and its impact on learning, school success, career pathways, and civic engagement;

(2)

the ability to use a wide range of evidence-based practices, approaches, methods, and print, visual, or digital materials to support reading instruction including:

(a)

the appropriate applications of a variety of instructional frameworks that are effective in meeting the needs of readers of varying proficiency levels and linguistic backgrounds in adult education settings;

(b)

the ability to scaffold instruction for students who experience difficulties reading or understanding a variety of texts, as well as an understanding of when and how to gradually remove scaffolds;

(c)

selection and implementation of a wide variety of before, during, after, and repeated reading comprehension strategies that develop reading and metacognitive abilities necessary to access complex text;

(d)

the ability to help adult learners develop, deepen, and broaden their understanding of general, academic, and domain-specific content words;

(e)

the ability to develop critical literacy skills by teaching students to identify and evaluate evidence, make and support inferences, and question and analyze texts from multiple viewpoints or perspectives;

(f)

the ability to identify features of complexity within a text and associated challenges in order to inform instruction; and

(g)

an understanding of the rationale and instructional use of a wide range of texts and text types within instruction, including informational texts;

(3)

understanding the content and effective practices for teaching writing, including:

(a)

the stages of the writing process;

(b)

the connections between reading and writing;

(c)

instruction to build adult learners' abilities to communicate ideas clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences in a variety of text types, with increasing control over structures at the discourse, sentence, word, and mechanics levels;

(d)

how to teach writing contextually to reflect actual uses using authentic materials and situations that build on adult learners' prior knowledge; and

(e)

multiple strategies to assess and provide feedback to student writing; and

(4)

understanding the context and effective practices for teaching listening and speaking, including:

(a)

the listening process and how to receive, attend to, interpret, and respond appropriately to verbal messages and other cues;

(b)

ways of constructing and expressing meaning for participation in formal and informal situations;

(c)

how to teach listening and speaking contextually in a variety of work, community, and academic settings using authentic materials and situations that build on adult learners' prior knowledge;

(d)

the ability to develop critical learning skills by teaching adult learners to identify and evaluate evidence in texts, make and support inferences, and question and analyze multiple perspectives; and

(e)

how to assist multilingual learners to improve English pronunciation and achieve English proficiency.

D.

Mathematics.

A teacher of adult education must understand the content and effective practices for teaching mathematics, including:

(1)

adult numeracy and mathematical thinking and strategies adults need in order to participate fully in their communities and to pursue career and postsecondary opportunities;

(2)

characteristics common to adult math learners, including math anxiety, and strategies for instruction that develop learners' skills and confidence;

(3)

the mathematical thinking processes and proficiencies that ensure strong math learning, including problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, representation, and connections;

(4)

instructional practices for adult learners that develop their ability to conduct math common in consumer, household, citizenship, and workplace contexts; and

(5)

disposition and resources to attain the content knowledge and related teaching practices needed to teach adult numeracy, including numbers and ratios, and understand operations, algebra and functions, geometry, probability, and statistical measurement.

E.

Employment and transition skills.

The candidate must understand the content and effective practices for teaching academic, career, and employability skills needed to transition to postsecondary education, career training, the workplace, and deeper community involvement, including:

(1)

the culture of the contemporary workplace and the changing nature of job skills; and

(2)

transition skills, including effective communication, learning strategies, critical thinking, self-management, developing a future pathway, and navigating systems.

F.

Digital literacy.

The candidate must understand the content and effective practices for teaching digital literacy skills, including:

(1)

development of digital literacy skills needed for adult learners to seek, obtain, and retain employment; successfully complete training and postsecondary education; and participate fully in their communities; and

(2)

instruction that enables adult learners to perform tasks on computers and online, including computer basics, essential software skills, and basic online skills, including:

(a)

using technology to communicate in a variety of contexts, including work, school, and community;

(b)

using digital tools to enhance communication and collaborate with others;

(c)

thinking critically about digital resources and using multiple online sources to find, evaluate, and test the validity of information;

(d)

understanding rules and norms around technology use in different contexts; and

(e)

understanding the benefits and risks of online communication in order to act as a responsible digital citizen.

Subp. 3a.

Clinical experiences for candidates completing an initial licensure program.

A candidate completing an initial licensure program to teach adult basic education is exempt from the clinical experience requirements in part 8705.1010, subpart 3, item C (Standard 11). The candidate must complete at least 100 hours of clinical experiences in adult basic education programs that include:

A.

observations with actionable feedback to ensure growth and attainment of standards with a minimum of three observations conducted by the cooperating teacher;

B.

observations with actionable feedback to ensure growth and attainment of standards with a minimum of three observations conducted by the supervisor;

C.

a minimum of two triad meetings with the cooperating teacher, the supervisor, and the candidate for clear and consistent communication; and

D.

at least one written evaluation by the supervisor that addresses the candidate's ability to apply the standards in this part and apply the standards of effective practice in part 8710.2000 in teaching adult students.

For the purposes of clinical experiences, a candidate completing an initial licensure program for adult basic education and another licensure field must consider the other licensure field as the initial license subject to part 8705.1010, subpart 3, item C (Standard 11), and consider the adult basic education license as an additional license subject to subpart 3b.

Subp. 3b.

Clinical experiences for candidates completing an additional licensure program.

A candidate completing an additional licensure program is exempt from the clinical experience requirements in part 8705.1010, subpart 3, item E (Standard 13). The candidate must complete at least 80 hours of clinical experiences in adult basic education programs that include:

A.

observations with actionable feedback to ensure growth and attainment of standards with a minimum of two observations conducted by the cooperating teacher;

B.

observations with actionable feedback to ensure growth and attainment of standards with a minimum of two observations conducted by the supervisor;

C.

a minimum of one triad meeting with the cooperating teacher, the supervisor, and the candidate for clear and consistent communication; and

D.

at least one written evaluation by the supervisor that addresses the candidate's ability to apply the standards in this part and apply the standards of effective practice in part 8710.2000 in teaching adult students.

Subp. 4.

[Repealed, 47 SR 986]

Subp. 5.

[Repealed, L 2015 c 21 art 1 s 110]

Statutory Authority:

MS s 122A.09; 122A.092; 122A.18

History:

23 SR 1928; 34 SR 595; L 2015 c 21 art 1 s 110; 39 SR 822; L 2017 1Sp5 art 12 s 22; 47 SR 986

NOTE:

The amendments to this part are effective July 1, 2025. 47 SR 986.

Published Electronically:

August 31, 2023