Embracing Change: An Updated IET Approval Process

Congratulations to all the career pathway students who have received an industry-recognized credential at an Adult Education program this school year! Earning that piece of paper is important, but the transition from the Adult Education classroom to employment is the ultimate goal. This requires students to embrace many changes when leaving the security of their local ABE site while they navigate new situations and experiences.

Teachers and administrators face their own challenges when designing, implementing and sustaining career pathways. Particularly cumbersome is the Integrated Education and Training service model, commonly known as IET. Read on to learn more about the updated IET Approval Process with new documents and changes to the evaluation of Single Set of Learning Objectives.

What is IET?

In an IET program, three types of learning are delivered contextually and concurrently:

1. Adult education and literacy (core ABE content defined by CCRS)
2. Workforce preparation activities (e.g. ACES/TIF and Northstar)
3. Workforce training (for a specific occupation or occupational sector)

The core principles of IET are explained in national resources such as the LINCS Integrated Education and Training Toolkit. Or if you are exploring what elements are needed for an IET program, this IET Guide can be used to determine if you have all the necessary elements of IET at your Adult Education site.

If a Minnesota Adult Education program has reviewed the resources and has determined that they are utilizing an IET service model, then the next step is to submit documentation to get it approved.

Information on the IET Approval process can be found on the MN ABE website at http://mnabe.org/career-pathways/iet. You will find four helpful documents:

1. IET Approval Form Directions
2. IET Approval Form
3. IET Approval Form Single Set of Learning Objectives (SSLOs)
4. IET Definitions and Resources

While you might be able to put together IKEA furniture without the directions, you will need to utilize the directions on the IET Approval Form. The directions have many helpful links to help you accurately answer the questions.

What are SSLOs?

For many programs, the most challenging part of the IET Approval process will be creating the four to six Single Set of Learning Objectives (SSLOs). Traditional learning objectives are statements that describe what the student will be able to do after instruction, and follow the format:

Students will be able to (SWBAT) + a verb

Example: SWBAT record observations from a guest speaker on a graphic organizer.

In IET programs, a single set of learning objectives is a “mashup” of the three required learning components in a way that is integrated and contextualized to the career field. It follows the same format, but is typically longer and more complex than a traditional learning objective because there is so much to cram in.

Students will be able to (SWBAT)…

+ Adult education and literacy

+ Workforce preparation activities

+ Workforce training

SSLOs will be evaluated by ATLAS using a rubric, where strong SSLOs contain the three required components, competencies are clearly stated, and there is a measurable outcome.

Example: SWBAT determine central ideas from medical texts, printed and online, and summarize the key supporting details of symptoms and ailments during a lab with simulated workplace scenarios common to a Certified Nursing Assistant where the student receives a passing score of 15 or more out of 20 points from their CNA instructor.

Here is the same strong SSLO, this time color coded. The three required IET components are in purple, the clearly stated competencies are in blue, and the measurable outcome is in red.

SWBAT determine central ideas from medical texts, printed and online, and summarize the key supporting details of symptoms and ailments during a lab with simulated workplace scenarios common to a Certified Nursing Assistant where the student receives a passing score of 15 or more out of 20 points from their CNA instructor.