The goal of ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) is to support instructors in teaching the hard-to-define, yet make-or-break skills needed to succeed in the workplace, college, and community.
The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) is the cornerstone of ACES, and it is one of three documents comprising the state-adopted content standards for Minnesota ABE. Visit the CCR Standards page to see how ACES fits into the broader content standards for ABE, including the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS).
The TIF was designed to provide ABE programs and instructors with guidance on the effective integration of transitions skills (also known as soft skills or professional skills) into instruction at all levels of ABE.
The TIF includes six categories of skills:
Want more information on implementing the TIF in your own practice? Check out the ACES resource library!
Facilitated by the ACES Coordinator and Minnesota ABE teachers and administrators statewide, webinars are offered throughout the year to keep adult educators up to speed on ACES work and keep these important transitions skills fresh in educators’ minds. To increase their applicability, ACES webinars are often combined with other content areas and initiatives, such as the College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), Northstar Digital Literacy, and adult career pathways.
ATLAS also offers ACES-related workshops at Fall and Spring Regionals across Minnesota.
For information on upcoming opportunities, check the Events calendar.
ACES Foundations is a free online course that provides a wonderful overview of ACES and how it can give teachers the tools they need to help students reach their goals.
ACES professional learning communities (PLCs) provide teachers with the opportunity to examine their roles as adult educators in a “transitions” landscape; explore and practice integrating transitions (TIF) skills into their lessons, materials and instructional settings; and work collaboratively with colleagues to reflect on and develop their teaching practice.
The Content Standards Integration (CSI) Cohort is a 4-month professional development activity designed to help instructors build confidence and familiarity with integrating all three sets of MN ABE Content Standards into their curriculum and instruction.
Get MN ABE Connect—the official source for ABE events, activities, and resources!
Sign Up
Over the past 10 years, the ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) project has grown into a nationally recognized transitions framework that has influenced work being done around Minnesota and across the country. Now we're excited to announce some upcoming changes to the ACES TIF on the horizon! Read More
Instructor Dan Bruski describes how he led his low-intermediate ESL students through a project-based learning activity around composing a list of rules and expectations for their online class. The culmination of the lesson was the creation of a video on "How to be a successful online student," which has an authentic use for orienting new students. Read More
Registration Deadline: MON. 5/23/22 Join Minnesota adult education distance education leaders and an EnGen representative to learn more about EnGen and an upcoming pilot of this career-focused English language learning DL platform in school year 2022-23. Minnesota adult education programs will have the opportunity to… Learn More
Registration Deadline: MON. 5/23/22 Participants learn about the types of materials that they may be working with, including prepared texts and realia. Participants also learn about the practice of explicit instruction, how to effectively give instructions, and suggestions for extending worksheets to maximize understanding and practice. Learn More
Registration Deadline: TUE. 5/24/22 In this session, we will explore how to use the Progress component in Burlington Core and also how to run the different reports available to you. NOTE: Attendees must have current login credentials for their BE account. … Learn More
