Arkansas Conferences
Conference Evaluations - if you have not filled these out yet, please take a moment and send your evaluations so we can make next year even better. The overall evaluation is on top fo the document.
AACAE 2023 Conference - October 25-27th, 2023 at the Little Rock
Double Tree Hotel and Convention Center
The Arkansas Association of Continuing and Adult Education (AACAE) and Adult Learning Alliance (ALA) proudly announce the 2023 Conference. The conference will be held from Thursday, October 26 to Friday, October 27. A pre-conference will be held on Wednesday, October 25. The conference theme is “Discover your next” and it will be held at the Doubletree Hotel and Robinson Center in downtown Little Rock.
The AACAE and ALA Conference promises valuable and current professional development for adult education and literacy staff from all corners of the state. Strands will include Literacy, ELL, Workforce, Digital Literacy, Content Areas, and Instructional Strategies.
Hotel rooms must be reserved by 9/25/2023 for you to receive the negotiated rate. The room block is ready for reservations, with instructions on how to reserve below! Please reserve ASAP!
Conference Evaluations - if you have not filled these out yet, please take a moment and send your evaluations so we can make next year even better. The overall evaluation is on top fo the document.
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AACAE & ALA 2023 Annual Conference Registration
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Thank You to our Vendors & Sponsors, we appreciate your partnership! |
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Aztec Software, Booth 1 |
New Readers Press, Booth 7 |
$5 Jewelry Junkies by Paparazzi, Booth 2
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Red Comet, Booth 8 |
Essential Education, Booth 3 |
Burlington English, Booth 9 |
GED® Testing Service, Booths 4 |
Townsend Press, Booth 10 |
Data Recognition Corp (DRC), Booth 5 |
AdvanceNet Labs, Booth 11 |
Arkansas Reads, Booth 6 |
TRIO, Booth 12 |
Brainchild, Booth 13 |
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Click here for a downloadable pdf of the Conference Grid and descriptions
AACAE & ALA CONFERENCE Thursday, October 26, 2023 |
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Location |
General Session |
Breakout 1 |
Lunch & Awards |
Breakout 2 |
Breakout 3 |
Robinson Center |
General Session |
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Lunch & Awards |
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Salon A |
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Debbie Feagin: |
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Kathryn Rasure: |
Amanda Moore: |
Salon B |
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Abtin Mehdizadegan |
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LaJuana Delph: |
Tad Meyer: |
Salon C |
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Daniel Lee: |
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Christina Miller: |
Janice Ellis: |
Riverside East |
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Kenda Grover: |
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Chasity Wright: |
Debi Faucette: “Discover Your Next” with GED Testing Service |
Riverside West |
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Alejandra Garza: |
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Jenny Walker: |
Nancy Leonhardt: |
Please visit our vendors and show your appreciation for their support of AACAE! |
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Click here for a downloadable pdf of the Conference Grid and descriptions
AACAE & ALA CONFERENCE Friday, October 27, 2023 |
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Location |
Membership Business Meeting, 8:30 am - 9:15 am |
Breakout 4 |
Breakout 5 |
Salon D |
Membership Business Meeting |
Amanda Kuttenkuler |
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Salon A |
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Christina Miller: |
Anne Bonkofsky: |
Salon B |
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Ashley Hammond: |
Charlie Weeks: |
Salon C |
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Anthia Ratna: |
Dianne Doyle: |
Riverside East |
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Brandy Chronister: |
Sulideisi Camacho: |
Riverside East |
Dixie Evans: |
Literacy Council Roundtable |
Literacy Council Roundtable |
Click here for a downloadable pdf of the Conference Grid and descriptions.
Thursday, October 26th
Breakout 1: 10:45 am to 11:45 am
Discover Your Next “Creativity With Canva”
Debbie Feagin, Director, EACC Adult Education & Literacy, dfeagin@eacc.edu
Chantil Newmon, Instructor
Briley Padilla, Instructor
Canva is a free popular graphic design platform that allows users to create various content like social media graphics, posters, presentations, and more. Canva offers many additional features, like animations, which allows you to share your design directly on social media or download it for other purposes. This session will show you how to create a Canva account, choose a design type, customize the design, and save and export your creation.
Abtin Mehdizadegan
Abtin Mehdizadegan, Attorney at Law, Hall Booth Smith, P.C., abtin@hallboothsmith.com
Using LACES and YouTube to Achieve Student Success
Daniel Lee, Adult Education Instructor, ASU-Newport, daniel_lee@asun.edu
Explore useful tools and resources to unlock each student’s learning potential and to achieve high retention and pass rates.
Your Next Step: Obtaining Your Adult Education License
Kenda Grover, Associate Professor, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, kgrover@uark.edu
Marsha Taylor, Director, AALRC, marsha@aalrc.org
This session will provide instructors and administrators with information about the online Master of Education degree in Adult and Lifelong Learning offered at the University of Arkansas and details about completing the coursework necessary for licensure in adult education. Content will focus on the admission process, the nature of required coursework, and procedure for applying for licensure. Information will also be provided about the Doctor of Education degree in ADLL.
Diverse Recruiting and Multilingual Resources
Alejandra Garza, Co-Director River Valley Adult Learning Alliance/GED Spanish, Russellville Adult Education Center, areyes149@gmail.com
Emely Rincon, GED Student
This presentation will describe best practices in multicultural and multilingual awareness-raising strategies used to recruit students. Materials will also be provided in Spanish, one of the most demanding languages used in the state.
Breakout 2: Thursday, October 26th, 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm
Aztec GED Flash to Increase Student Testing Confidence
Kathryn Rasure, Instructor/WAGE Coordinator, Lonoke/Prairie County Adult Education Center, kathryn.rasure@lonokeschools.org
Tracy Donahoe, Instructor, Lonoke Adult Education
Are you using Aztec Flashcards as your final step to prep your students for the Ready Test or to increase GED test scores? If you aren’t, you are missing an opportunity to build testing confidence with your students that are right on the 435 passing line. We will share our student success statistics and how we use the flashcards to build testing confidence with our students.
Discovering Your Next: The Building Blocks of Workplace Competencies
LaJuana Delph, Adult Education Workforce Development Coordinator, Adult Education Section, Division of Workforce Services, lajuana.delph@arkansas.gov
LaTasha Dale-Warren, Adult Education Section, Division of Workforce Services
Phyllis Fitzpatrick, Adult Education Section, Division of Workforce Services
The Arkansas Adult Education’s Workforce Preparation and Training Program (WAGE) utilizes the Workforce Industry Competencies; the Competency Model Clearinghouse to develop contextualized instruction, IETs, and workplace classes. This training session will focus on knowledge, skills, and abilities such as interpersonal skills, integrity, professionalism, initiative, and adaptability in the classroom. Incorporates the Building Blocks Model in Adult Education that reflects the foundational knowledge and skills needed by today’s workforce or assists in the development of curriculum that connects with everyday job positions available across the state.
Engaging and Motivating Learners to Improve Outcomes
Christina Miller, National Consultant, Aztec, chmillerconsulting@gmail.com
Engaging learners through interactive classroom activities will increase motivation, improve critical thinking skills, and lead to higher learner achievements and outcomes. Research shows a direct correlation between the power of motivating learners through active learning strategies and the impact that motivation has on learning characteristics such as attention and memory. The focus of this session will be to provide the fundamentals of how learning happens, what impacts learning, and building a learning climate in the classroom that yields results.
TABE Testing Updates and Overview of the New TABE Workforce Readiness Portal - Aligning TABE Scores to Career Skills from O*Net
Chasity Wright, Assessment Solutions Consultant, Data Recognition Corporation, chwright@datarecognitioncorp.com
This session will review updates and best practices for TABE testing, including Off-Line Testing, plans for TABE 13/14 and discuss the use of TABE CLAS-E Online that can support ESL programs. We will review new alignments to Grade Ranges and the Concordance of TABE 11/12 to available High School Equivalency tests. We will also explore the new TABE Workforce Portal that aligns TABE Scores to over 900 of the Bright Outlook careers posted in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Network (O*Net).
Culture Begins with Leadership
Jenny Walker, Executive Director, Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties, jenny@literacytxk.org
A positive culture improves recruitment, retention, and completion among program participants and volunteers, but creating that culture does not happen by accident. Learn about intentional strategies Literacy Council leaders can implement to develop a culture that makes everyone feel safe, welcome, and loved.
Breakout 3: Thursday, October 26th, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Mastering Social Media for Adult Education Success: A Step-by-Step Guide
Amanda Moore, Instructional Specialist and WAGE Coordinator, SAU Tech Adult Education, amoore@sautech.edu
Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive into a practical, hands-on tutorial that equips you with the skills to harness the true potential of social media in adult education. In this interactive session, we will unveil the secrets to leveraging your digital imprint for marketing and retention, providing you with actionable steps to implement immediately..
A Teacher’s Dozen: Activities to Engage Your Learners
Tad Meyer, Customer Manager, BurlingtonEnglish, tad.m@burlingtonenglish.com
Rebekah Van Lare, BurlingtonEnglish
Join our session to learn about multilevel classroom practices to differentiate instruction and adapt activities to keep all students engaged and appropriately challenged. We will share ideas and strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of each of your English Language Learners and enrich your multilevel classroom. Participants will leave full of new strategies to support their English language learners. Join our conference classroom and sweeten you day with the BurlingtonEnglish team!
ELL Conversation Class
Janice Ellis, Faculty, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, jwhite39@nwacc.edu
Ed Rogers, ELL Team, NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Doranely Perez, ELL Team, NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Vicki Johnson, ELL Team, NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Ideas to use when facilitating an ELL Conversation Class.
“Discover Your Next” with GED Testing Service
Debi Faucette, Senior Director, GED Testing Service, debi.faucette@ged.com
GED Testing Service welcomes the partnership with educators and learners to “Discover Your Next!” We constantly strive for “the next” innovations or enhancements to existing resources and services for learners and educators. Join us to discover the exciting new innovations: the GED Mobile App coming soon, new partnerships to open additional doors for our learners, and ways to address IET requirements. Refresh your knowledge regarding all things GED with updates in the tools and resources you use every day. From research outcomes to instructional strategies, the focus is always on the learner, and we at GED Testing service understand that focusing on dedicated educators is our path to maintain the focus on the learner.
Literacy Council Best Practices and Ideas
Nancy Leonhardt, Executive Director, Adult Learning Alliance, nancyleonhardt@arkansasliteracy.org
Debbie Feagin, Mary Katy Martin, Jessica Blasingame, Diedra Gunnels, and Sarah Richardson
Hear some new best practices and ideas from the Directors of literacy councils in Eastern Arkansas, Mississippi County, Crawford County, Columbia County and Garland County.
Friday October 27th
8:30 am – 9:15 am
AACAE Membership Business Meeting
AACAE and ALA Members
The primary objective of the AACAE business meeting is to provide AACAE members with an opportunity to communicate and discuss ideas, plans, and decisions relevant to the organization.
Leveraging Your Local Imagination Library Program for Family Literacy & Parent Engagement Programs
Dixie Evans, Executive Director (Former), Literacy Council of White County, dixie.evansconcretellc@gmail.com
Learn how to leverage the free books through the statewide Arkansas Imagination Library Program to develop comprehensive Family Literacy and Parent Engagement programs. Additional tools, resources, and program information will be shared on how Literacy Council of White County used Imagination Library to enhance adult learning and parent participation.
Breakout 4: Friday, October 28th, 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Amanda Kuttenkuler
Amanda Kuttenkuler, Vice President of Programs, Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, amanda@arruralhealth.org
Reading to Learn - Strategies for the Struggling Reader
Christina Miller, National Consultant, Aztec, chmillercounsulting@gmail.com
Adult education teachers come from diverse educational backgrounds. Not all teachers are trained to help struggling readers navigate reading across the different subject areas. We will preview several strategies of teaching academic reading that will help teachers provide learners with a better understanding of how to approach science, social studies, and other academic subjects and will give learners a more organized way to approach learning course content. Active learning strategies presented in this session will help participants understand the transition from “learning to read to reading to learn.”
Pharmacy Tech…Discover Your Next IET!
Ashley Hammond, Lead Teacher/ADA Coordinator/Distance Learning Coordinator, UAM McGehee, hammond@uamont.edu
Come discover an IET to increase overall enrollment, improve your distance learning clientele, and grow your retention rates. The Pharmacy Technician program from Aztec is what you are looking for in your next IET. This session will explain the procedures, structure, and resources we provide in our LEA to make Pharmacy Technician Training a successful IET.
Teaching Literacy to Young Learners in Non-NES Country
Anthia Ratna, EFL Teacher, Khon Kaen University Demonstration School International Division, Thailand, ratnaanthia@gmail.com
The session will talk about stages of literacy development, how to plan the game-based lesson, planning the curriculum, and how literacy activities should be introduced.
Draw Arkansas
Brandy Chronister, Russellville Adult Education Center, ESL Instructor, brandy.cunningham@rsdk12.net
Amanda Moore, Brandi Ricks, and Browder Swetnam
Discover digital resiliency skills through the DRAW program.
Breakout 5: Friday, October 27th, 10:45 am – 11:45 am
Teaching Skills That Matter
Anne Bonofsky, WAGE Coordinator, Russellville Adult Education Center, anne.bonkofsky@rsdk12.net
Jane Baldwin, Deanna Bruce, Dana Rockwell, Russellville Adult Education Center
The Teaching Skills That Matter in Adult Education project (TSTM) trains teachers to integrate the skills that matter to adult students using approaches that work across critical topics. Using the project’s tools and training, adult education teachers can teach the transferable skills students need in these critical contexts.
Best Practices for Increasing Engagement and Outcomes with Online Curriculum
Charlie Weeks, Director of Client Success, Essential Education, charlie@essentialed.com
Do you need to get your students up and running with Essential Education or expand your current usage of online curricula in general? If so, this session is for you. This session will go over best practices that educators can implement in their classrooms immediately. If you do not use Essential Education software, there will still be great takeaways and ideas to implement into any classroom. This list of best practices has been compiled through research and feedback from teachers and programs across the country. Topics to be discussed include: student orientation, feedback, monitoring progress, practical strategies and activities to use Essential Education in your classroom, teachers’ presence, persistence and engagement, and more. Come learn ways to better utilize this awesome learning tool in and out of the classroom. You will leave with a more focused approach when blending online curriculum in your classroom.
All About Accommodations
Dianne Doyle, HSE Coordinator, Adult Education Section, Division of Workforce Services, dianne.doyle@arkansas.gov
Wendy Bryant, ADA Coordinator, Adult Education Section, Division of Workforce Services
This session will discuss the accommodations process for high school equivalency testing, including new changes and how to be an effective advocate for the test taker.
Empowering Futures: Build Rapport to Guide Students in Discovering Their Next Steps
Sulideisi Camacho, Adult Education Section, sulideisi.camacho@arkansas.gov
This workshop will focus on building rapport to create a positive and nurturing environment where students feel empowered to explore their interests, skills, and passions. Furthermore, this workshop will explore career exploration methodologies to assist students in identifying and aligning their skills with potential job and career opportunities.
Click here for a downloadable pdf of the Conference Grid and descriptions.
AACAE 2023 Program
Arkansas Association of Continuing and Adult Education (AACAE)
Message from the AACAE Executive Committee
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Dorissa Kaufman |
Dr. Robbie Cornelius |
Anne Bonkofsky |
LaCarol Clement |
Scott Sikora |
Welcome to Little Rock for the Arkansas Association of Continuing and Adult Education Annual Conference! The AACAE Executive Board carefully chose our location and theme, “Discover your next...” to represent our hard work and continuous growth in adult education. Adult Education has grown beyond the brick-and-mortar of getting only a high school diploma. We have expanded our horizon by offering our students WAGE I and II certificates and IETs (that include but are not limited to CNA, phlebotomy, manufacturing, CDL, paraprofessional certification and welding). We hope that this conference inspires you to spend time learning and connecting with colleagues. Adult Education is an ever-changing world, and we can all be better, together.
The Board has been working hard all year with many volunteer hours to offer top-notch professional development sessions and networking opportunities, which include instructional strategies, English language learners, workforce, transitions, resources, diversity, and literacy councils. We have lots of new surprises in store!
We are very fortunate to have AACAE as a state professional organization for adult educators. However, we still need your continued support. Your yearly dues include membership to our national counterpart, the Commission on Adult and Basic Education (COABE), which offers a variety of benefits including free regular training webinars on critical adult education topics. We ask that you attend the business meeting on Friday morning because we need your input for AACAE’s future. At this time, we would like to acknowledge some very important members of our team. Without support from Dr. Miles, Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC) and literacy councils, we would not have the time, energy or resources to make this conference happen. The AACAE Executive Board would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge its appreciation and recognition for the following individuals who attend, participate, and assist in our board meetings:
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Dr. Trenia Miles
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Marsha Taylor
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Rob Pollan
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Klaus Neu
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Nancy Leonhardt
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Message from the Director of Adult Education
Dr. Trenia Miles
On behalf of the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Adult Education Section, I want to thank directors, teachers, volunteers, and staff across the state for contributing to students’ success. I also want to give special acknowledgments to the Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC), Adult Learning Alliance (ALA), and state staff for the support provided to the field. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank the members of the Arkansas Association of Continuing and Adult Education (AACAE) committee, led by Dorissa Kaufman, for organizing and planning such a great conference. The AACAE committee has worked tirelessly to ensure this conference meets your needs and has practical application for you in the classroom. This year’s theme, Key Ingredients for Success, is so appropriate and includes descriptors such as critical thinking, determination, dedication, and enthusiasm, to name a few. We know that these characteristics are essential not only in the classroom but also in life. You amaze me with your passion, creativity, problem-solving skills, and advocacy on behalf of your students. Without your commitment and hard work, we would not be as successful as a state and recognized nationally in meeting federal benchmarks. A favorite quote, “Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people,” is the essence of the role of teachers in educating learners. Under your leadership and guidance, adult learners have earned their Arkansas High School Diploma, attained credentials and certifications, increased earnings, and, more importantly, have seen their confidence and self-esteem soar with such accomplishments. Continue instilling critical ingredients for success in our learners. Please enjoy the conference and have fun. Thank you for all that you do on behalf of our students.
Sincerely, 
Trenia Miles, Ed.D.
Director
Message from the Executive Director of Adult Learning Alliance of Arkansas
Nancy Leonhardt 
What do you hope to discover as your next? As we join together to celebrate adult
education and literacy in Arkansas, we have the opportunity to discover and remind
ourselves why we do what we do.
Welcome to each of you to the 2023 AACAE Conference. I love the energy during this
conference each year as administrators, teachers, and volunteers from adult education
programs and literacy councils come together to learn and share their knowledge, best
practices, skills, and creativity. We learn so much from each other. In addition, we have the
opportunity to connect and find new ways to collaborate and best serve our students.
On behalf of the Adult Learning Alliance, I want to thank each of you across the state for all that you do on behalf of our students. Together, we can ensure the success of our programs and our adult learners. Please enjoy the conference and this wonderful city I call home.
Sincerely,
Nancy Leonhardt, Executive Director
2023 AACAE Directory of Committees
AACAE 2023 Doubletree Hotel
AACAE link is pasted below or follow the step-by-step directions:
Step by Step Directions:
- Go to doubletreelr.com
- Enter arrival/departure dates
- Click the "Special Rates" box
- Enter "91H" in the Group Code box
- Click the "Check Rooms & Rates" box. The group rate of $98.00 per night is available for Standard King and Double Queen rooms.
The cost for parking at the Doubletree Hotel is $15.00 a day for the Robinson Center Parking Garage. Parking in the garage is an allowable expense that can be covered, but the expense must be placed in the budget. So please remember to add $15.00 per day to your TR1 before the conference. VALLET parking is NOT AN ALLOWABLE EXPENSE.