ATLAS provides professional development around numeracy instruction that centers on implementation of the College & Career Readiness (CCR) Math Standards and preparing adult learners for the daily math demands of work, college, and community.
Both literacy and numeracy are critical skills for adults in order to fully engage in their communities. To further define the work of adult numeracy instruction for ABE and with the goal of achieving equitable math instruction for adult learners, the Minnesota Numeracy Instruction Advisory Team (MNI A-Team) holds that:
See the full MNI A-Team statement regarding math instruction in Minnesota ABE >>
Math Institute is offered annually, generally in early fall. While the focus of the institute changes from year to year to respond to current math needs of teachers and programs, the core of all content is grounded in the CCR Math Standards, Mathematical Practices, and Key Instructional Shifts (see the CCRS Math Resources section of the CCR Standards resource library for more information). Content includes tenets of effective numeracy instruction to adults at all levels, as well as more advanced math content for those working on high school equivalency or adult diploma requirements.
Check the Events calendar for upcoming dates and information!
ATLAS has built a partnership with Minnesota’s math teachers’ professional organization, MCTM (Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics), and MinnMATYC (Minnesota Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges). The annual MCTM Spring Conference in Duluth is a statewide event for math educators in K-12 through college contexts; when funds are available, ATLAS provides scholarships for ABE practitioners across the state to attend, in addition to coordinating a core group of math practitioners to present at the conference.
Webinars and regional event workshops are offered throughout the year to deepen practitioners’ math content and pedagogical knowledge around adult math instruction. In addition, one webcast series is archived for instructors’ viewing and use at any time: the Mathematical Practice series, described in more depth below.
The Teaching Numeracy to Adults initiative focuses on the actual teaching of math/numeracy (rather than pure standards implementation); it involves an online course via Canvas as well as live webinars and partner work for a robust professional learning experience for participants. It was designed with a wide audience in mind: administrators and instructors, both those who identify as math teachers and those who do not; those who currently teach math/numeracy in their classrooms and those who do not.
The purpose of this webcast series is to give adult educators a better sense of each of the 8 Mathematical Practices of the CCRS (College & Career Readiness Standards) and to suggest ways to encourage using the Practices with their students. Each webcast offers an explanation of the highlighted Practice as well as facilitation questions to ask students, sample activities at multiple levels, and classroom videos that demonstrate the Practice.
The Minnesota Numeracy Instruction Advisory Team (MNI A-Team) is an ATLAS-sponsored team designed to strengthen math and numeracy teaching and learning in Minnesota ABE through relevant, meaningful, and effective professional development for practitioners.
The A-Team is responsible for visioning and implementing a long-term strategic plan for numeracy PD in Minnesota, as well as specific tasks yearly to support established PD efforts, such as the September ABE Math Institute, regional workshops, etc.
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It may be summer, but ATLAS staff and consultants are hard at work for you, adding new resources around equity! Read more to learn about what’s been added, where to find them, and some suggestions on how to use them in your setting. Also - look for the Teaching for Equity session at Summer Institute next month! Read More
In FY26, ATLAS partnered with the Adult Numeracy Center at TERC to offer a CALM Implementation Cohort for representatives from 15 Minnesota Adult Education programs across 12 consortia and a wide variety of instructional settings. The cohort’s goal was never to focus solely on a particular curriculum. Instead, its purpose has always been—and the goal of MN ABE math/numeracy instruction continues to be—to equip teachers and programs with effective tools and instructional approaches that strengthen mathematics instruction and support meaningful learning for all students. CALM and BeCALM are two high-quality resources that we are excited to help make more accessible to Minnesota Adult Basic Education practitioners and learners. Read More
Registration Deadline: WED. 11/11/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Join your state trainers virtually at the Support Staff pre-conference for a CASAS Implementation training. This training provides an overview of the approved CASAS tests. It will cover selection and administration of the appropriate CASAS test, interpretation of test… Learn More
Registration Deadline: WED. 11/11/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Join your state trainers virtually for a TABE Implementation training. This training provides an overview of approved TABE tests. It will cover selection and administration of the appropriate level test, interpretation of test scores, and measurement of student progress. Learn More
Registration Deadline: THU. 11/12/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Vocabulary is everyone’s favorite reading component! And helping students master reading vocabulary is a key to helping them master comprehension. But how many words should you teach? And which words are the most important? What strategies are best for… Learn More
