Supporting Adult English Language Learners in Texas

Texas has a robust support system for Adults and Adult English language learners who have a goal of improving skills, knowledge, and language ability, with a focus on future employment and career development.

In order to provide a robust and well-informed curriculum tailored to the needs of various adult learners, Texas, with the support of the Texas Workforce Commission, publishes and maintains the Texas Adult Education and Literacy Content Standards 2.0 , a robust collection of standards covering key areas of adult learning including: General English Language Arts, Mathematics, and English as a Second Language. The Content Standards 2.0 are a robust resource that provides a connection between important skill development and workforce areas important to Texans, including: Healthcare Science, Advanced Manufacturing, Construction and Extraction, and Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.

The most recent update included a comprehensive review of the research related to teaching adults English as a Second Language (ESL) to understand how research informed practices can be used to support Adult ESL education and Adult Literacy development in Texas.

After careful evaluation, the Global Scale of English  was selected as one of the informing pieces of research valuable for supporting adult literacy and adult ESL education. The Global Scale of English for Professional Learners was specifically referenced to support the description of detailed work-related activities described in the Standards 2.0.

Learn more  about the Content Standards 2.0 at the Train PD  website, TCALL, and connect with additional tools and resources for support adult learners, and adult ESL students in Texas.

Additional tools and resources for using the Global Scale of English and GSE Teacher Toolkit can be found here.

Employability Skills Framework and the Global Scale of English

The Employability Skills Framework, developed by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, is designed to support educators in understanding the skills necessary for students to be successful in the workplace and in their career pathways.

An extensive research has been done to establish the relationship between the GSE and other scales and reference frameworks, such as NRS and CASAS.

And now the GSE is also aligned to the Employability Skills Framework to help educators in developing curricula that support language development with an emphasis on transference of high value skills for future employment.

The GSE forms a backbone for Pearson course materials and assessment.