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 are 16 years of age or over 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 valid Minnesota classroom 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.

A candidate for licensure to teach adult basic education shall:

A.

hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university that is regionally accredited by the association for the accreditation of colleges and secondary schools;

B.

demonstrate the standards for effective practice for licensing of beginning teachers in part 8710.2000; and

C.

show verification of completing a Board of Teaching preparation program approved under chapter 8705 leading to the licensure of teachers of adult basic education in subpart 3.

Subp. 3.

Subject matter standard.

A candidate for licensure as a teacher of adult basic education must complete a preparation program under subpart 2, item C, that includes the candidate's demonstration of the knowledge and skills in items A to I.

A.

A teacher of adult basic education must understand adult basic education organizational structure:

(1)

the history and philosophy of adult basic education including its purposes, mission, and populations to be served;

(2)

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

(3)

systems of delivering adult education programs and services.

B.

A teacher of adult education must understand adult learning theories:

(1)

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

(2)

contemporary strategies and models for teaching adults; and

(3)

formal and informal diagnostic procedures, including self-assessment, for identifying the academic and personal needs of adult learners and how to use this information as the basis for customizing the curriculum so as to meet their needs.

C.

A teacher of adult education must understand the content and methods for teaching reading including:

(1)

knowledge of reading processes and instruction including:

(a)

orthographic knowledge and morphological relationships within words;

(b)

the relationship 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 and domain-specific word knowledge;

(d)

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

(e)

the development of academic language and its impact on learning and school success; and

(2)

the ability to use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and curriculum 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 secondary settings;

(b)

the ability to scaffold instruction for students who experience comprehension difficulties;

(c)

selection and implementation of a wide variety of before, during, and after reading comprehension strategies that develop reading and metacognitive abilities;

(d)

the ability to develop and implement effective vocabulary strategies that help students understand words including domain-specific content words;

(e)

the ability to develop critical literacy skills by encouraging students to question texts and analyze texts from multiple viewpoints or perspectives; and

(f)

the ability to identify instructional practices, approaches, and methods to match materials, print and digital, to the cognitive levels of all readers, guided by an evidence-based rationale, which support the developmental, cultural, and linguistic differences of readers.

D.

A teacher of adult education must understand the content and methods for teaching mathematics:

(1)

mathematical concepts and the procedures and connections between them including:

(a)

basic mathematics processes including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division;

(b)

basic mathematics systems of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percentages;

(c)

estimation of quantities and the evaluation of the reasonableness of estimates;

(d)

systems of measurement and their use; and

(e)

constructing, reading, interpreting, and making inferences from tables, charts, and graphs;

(2)

mathematical problem-solving techniques and strategies; and

(3)

how to teach mathematics contextually to reflect actual uses using real world materials and situations that build on the adult learner's prior knowledge.

E.

A teacher of adult education must understand the content and methods for teaching listening and speaking:

(1)

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

(2)

ways of constructing meaning for participation in formal and informal speaking situations so students can organize ideas and use different verbal and nonverbal communication styles;

(3)

how to teach listening and speaking contextually to reflect actual uses using real world materials and situations that build on the adult learner's prior knowledge; and

(4)

how to adopt appropriate learning materials and adapt teaching strategies to meet the second language needs of adult learners whose first language is not English.

F.

A teacher of adult education must understand the content and methods for teaching writing:

(1)

the stages of the writing process;

(2)

multiple strategies to assess and respond to student writing;

(3)

the principles and formats of communicating thoughts, ideas, information, and messages appropriately and effectively in written English; and

(4)

how to teach writing contextually so as to reflect actual uses using real world materials and situations that build on the adult learner's prior knowledge.

G.

A teacher of adult education must understand the content and methods for teaching application skills:

(1)

the higher order thinking skills of thinking critically, solving problems, and making decisions;

(2)

effective interpersonal and group participation; and

(3)

understanding how to learn.

H.

A teacher of adult basic education must understand career development and transition skills:

(1)

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

(2)

the process of accessing information and resources of jobs and training;

(3)

the career decision-making process; and

(4)

the skills necessary to find and keep a job.

I.

A teacher of adult basic education must understand adult teaching and learning:

(1)

factors for selecting and techniques for using materials and resources in adult education programming;

(2)

formal and informal diagnostic procedures for identifying the academic and personal needs of adult learners and how to use this information to develop competency-based instruction for individuals, small groups, and large groups;

(3)

strategies for learners to assess their own progress; and

(4)

factors to consider in developing unique curricula for specialized adult populations.

Subp. 3a.

Student teaching and field experiences.

A candidate for licensure to teach adult basic education must apply the standards of effective practice in teaching adult students through a series of formal observations and directed instructional experiences with adults participating in adult basic education programs totaling at least 100 hours and including at least two written evaluations by faculty supervisors.

Subp. 4.

Continuing license.

A continuing license shall be issued and renewed according to the rules of the Board of Teaching governing continuing licensure.

Subp. 5.

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

Statutory Authority:

MS s 122A.09; 122A.18

History:

23 SR 1928; 34 SR 595; L 2015 c 21 art 1 s 110; 39 SR 822

Published Electronically:

January 14, 2016