As part of our transition to a standards-based system and in order to comply with WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) requirements, Minnesota has adopted the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS), along with the ACES Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) and the Northstar Digital Literacy Standards, as our content standards for ABE. (Visit https://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/ for more information on Northstar.)
As seen in the visual above, the business of Minnesota Adult Education is helping students attain the academic, transitions, and digital literacy skills they need to transition to whatever is next in their lives. This is the “what” of our instruction.
These skills are taught via meaningful content, the subject matter or context that is central to the instruction. This content may be related to an adult career pathway such as nursing or construction, or it may be focused on science or social studies if students are preparing for GED or a secondary credential. The content may also be connected to daily life skills and civics, such as navigating the community and accessing resources if students are newer to the US. Meaningful content could also be related to financial literacy, health literacy, and developing a future pathway. In Adult Education, much depends on the program, context, and students’ goals!
CCRS for Adult EducationThe College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS) is the document that lays out the standards for English Language Arts/Literacy, Math, and Foundational Reading Skills. It forms the foundation of the CCRS Implementation Cohort, a year-long MN ABE professional development activity that prepares program teams to align curriculum and instruction to the CCR Standards and develop a long-term standards implementation plan for their program (see more information below).
The CCRS document itself is divided into two sections:
How do teachers design instruction that simultaneously builds academic (CCRS), transitions (TIF), and digital literacy skills (Northstar)? This is the guiding question for a new ATLAS cohort beginning in fall 2026: the Content Standards Integration (CSI) Cohort, which will replace the CCRS Implementation Cohort.
Instead of asking teachers to specialize in a single set of standards, this cohort focuses on strengthening the instruction educators already do by integrating CCRS with transitions skills and digital literacy skills in ways that reflect how adults actually learn and live.
Find more details about the CSI Cohort below!
This free online course on the Canvas platform provides an introduction to the CCR standards for English Language Arts/Literacy or Mathematics in a self-paced format. Participants can complete the entire course for ELA and/or Mathematics, or access specific topics for a refresher or further practice.
This course meets the prerequisite requirement for several MN Adult Ed professional development activities, including the CCRS Implementation Cohort.
How do teachers design instruction that simultaneously builds academic (CCRS), transitions (TIF), and digital literacy skills (Northstar)? This is the guiding question for the Content Standards Integration (CSI) Cohort, new in fall 2026 and replacing the previously offered CCRS Implementation Cohort.
These face-to-face workshops engage participants in a guided exploration of the CCR standards for ELA (English Language Arts/Literacy) or Mathematics.
These workshops meet the prerequisite requirement for several MN ABE professional development activities, including the CCRS Implementation Cohort and Adult Diploma Training.
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PD Catalog
Starting July 1, the FY26 versions of ATLAS online courses will be available on Canvas with updated content to support your work in Minnesota Adult Education. Whether you're meeting state training requirements or looking to refresh your knowledge, now is a great time to explore what's new in ABE, ACES/TIF, and CCRS Foundations courses. Read More
Minnesota Adult Education is celebrating 10 years of working with the College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS)! Since 2015, CCRS implementation has transformed instruction, strengthened alignment with real-world goals, and built a strong foundation of training, tools, and resources that support all adult learners across the state. Read More
Registration Deadline: TUE. 7/14/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Participants will engage in a couple of classroom activities to experience scaffolding, checking comprehension and the gradual release of responsibility. These aspects of teaching and tutoring are then defined, explained further and participants get opportunities to practice them. Learn More
Registration Deadline: WED. 7/15/26 July 15: Accessible Distance Learning for Beginning English Learners Presenters: Elizabeth Bennett (Literacy Minnesota) & Rebecca Jarvis (Metro South ABE) In a perfect world, all learners would easily be able to access high-quality, relevant distance learning content. In the real world, we… Learn More
Venue: Lake Monster Brewing (see details below) Join members of LAN’s Legislative Committee to discuss how we advocate for Adult Education in MN! This is a chance to connect socially with other people in the field of Adult Education and brainstorm ideas for how we advocate for ABE –… Learn More
