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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today was proud to announce four adult education programs have been selected as the recipients of the 2007 Programs of Excellence Award.

Receiving this honor are Grossmont Adult School, Napa Valley Adult School, Santa Clara Adult Education, and Tehachapi Mountain Adult School. (See site links below.)

"These outstanding schools have offered the types of innovative programs and services that address the evolving needs of our adult learners. As a teacher of adult education classes, I recognize the challenges and appreciate the dedication it takes to provide such rigorous, meaningful courses and curriculum," said O'Connell, who is a part-time adult education instructor during the summer. He currently is teaching a class in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"I applaud the hard work of these educators, administrators, and staff who made this recognition possible," he said. "The designation 'Programs of Excellence' is a great honor," he said. "I hope other agencies have the opportunity to review their proven practices and are able to incorporate some of these successful ideas into programs of their own."

The California Department of Education (CDE) Adult Education Office created the Programs of Excellence Award in 1997. Programs that earn this designation are characterized by the outstanding innovative and exemplary services they provide to adult learners.

Award-winning programs must complete a challenging certification process. They must convene a body of diverse stakeholders within their local community to complete a self-assessment and review the following dimensions: curriculum and instruction, learner support services, leadership and planning, learner accomplishment, and community involvement. They submit a written application in which they document evidence of exemplary practices that meet rigorous criteria.

A team of adult education administrators and teachers from across the state reviews the applications in a double-blind review process using a scoring rubric. Programs that qualify during the application review phase then host a team of visiting adult educators led by CDE consultants. The purpose of the site visit is to verify that the exemplary program components are there.

These schools will be honored at the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) luncheon on September 27, 2007, at the Doubletree Hotel in San Diego.

California's adult education system includes adult schools in more than 350 school districts with hundreds of sites, library literacy programs, community college non-credit courses, state and local jail and correctional facilities, and other state agencies. These programs help adults learn to read, earn their high school diploma or General Education Development test (GED), study English in classes practical and relevant to adult lives, and move toward high-wage professions by gaining marketable job skills.

• Grossmont Adult Education – El Cajon [http://www.guhsd.net/adult/] (Outside Source)
• Napa Valley Adult School – Napa [http://www.adulted.nvusd.k12.ca.us/] (Outside Source)
• Santa Clara Adult Education – Santa Clara [http://www.scae.org/cgi-bin/indexz.cgi] (Outside Source)
• Tehachapi Mountain Adult School, California Correctional Institution – Tehachapi [http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Divisions_Boards/Adult_Programs/DEVOP.html] (Outside Source)