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WSL Updates for July 13, 2017

Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 Posted in For Libraries, News, Training and Continuing Education, Updates | Comments Off on WSL Updates for July 13, 2017


Volume 13, July 13, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) HIGH SCHOOL 21+

2) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

3) INTRO TO PROPOSAL WRITING

4) HELP EVERY STUDENT SUCCEED

5) PROJECT OUTCOME UPDATES

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) HIGH SCHOOL 21+

High School 21+ is a competency-based high school equivalency program for adult learners 21 and older who do not have a high school diploma or equivalency. Adults demonstrate competencies in reading, writing and math contextualized in science, history, government, occupational studies, and digital literacy. This can be done through alternative means including, but not limited to:

  • High school and college transcript credits,
  • Work, life, military experience,
  • Prior learning portfolio,
  • Credit for testing.

High School 21+ is currently offered by all 34 of the state’s community and technical colleges, 5 community based organizations, and 3 corrections sites. Most of the college programs offer an online option through Canvas. This program expands high school completion options already offered by the community and technical college system.

In November 2015, Troy Goracke, Basic Education for Adults Program Administrator at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, presented a WSL First Tuesdays webinar on High School 21+. The program was recorded, and is available on YouTube at youtu.be/akHigIjEhn0.

Washington libraries may wish to promote High School 21+ to adults seeking high school equivalency programs. For more information, visit sos.wa.gov/q/HS-21.

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2) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The library of the 21st Century is considered an essential part of its community. With that in mind the director and staff need to “get out of the stacks and into the streets!” Being involved in organizations and activities outside of the library provides a unique perspective to both staff and trustees in regard to the culture and needs of the community.

Community engagement, while it may have a different meaning depending upon your role in the library, is reaching outside of the physical library building, meeting people in the community and listening to them. There are many roles to play and you can monitor your level of involvement based on your capacity. Community engagement activities provide an opportunity to offer the library as a solution to issues, or at least as a potential partner to help tackle issues. This can be accomplished through building relationships and sharing ideas and library resources, whether that is space, staff or other assets to accomplish a common goal.

This free one-hour online course was produced through the COSLA (Chief Officers of State Library Agencies) Continuing Education Connector project with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and is available through WebJunction.

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3) INTRO TO PROPOSAL WRITING

You know how important it is for nonprofits to maximize their funds by spending wisely. But this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice when it comes to professional development. Are you new to proposal writing or looking for a quick refresher? The Foundation Center’s free “Introduction to Proposal Writing” training covers the basics of writing a winning proposal including the do’s and don’ts and how to follow up whether the answer is yes or no. Este curso también se ofrece en español. The training is available in several formats:

In addition, the Foundation Center’s GrantSpace service offers these resources:

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4) HELP EVERY STUDENT SUCCEED

In August, Washingtonians will have another chance to learn about the state’s plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) federal accountability plan.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is conducting four webinars to provide more information about the ESSA Consolidated Plan’s creation, changes from the first draft, and how the public can provide feedback before submission to the U.S. Department of Education in September. The four ESSA webinars will cover how OSPI has revised the Consolidated Plan since the first public comment period late last year.

  • Tuesday, August 15, 4–6 p.m. (register)
  • Saturday, August 19, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (register)
  • Wednesday, August 23, 5–7 p.m. (register)
  • Wednesday, August 30, 6–8 p.m. (register)

To learn more about ESSA in Washington State, visit the OSPI ESSA website.

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5) PROJECT OUTCOME UPDATES

The Public Library Association’s (PLA) Project Outcome is a free online toolkit designed to help public libraries understand and share the impact of their programs and services by providing simple surveys and an easy-to-use process for measuring and analyzing outcomes. This webinar will overview the last two years of Project Outcome’s development and provide updates on the latest participation numbers, outcome data metrics, library stories, and Task Force work. PLA will also cover planning throughout the rest of the grant period and management of Project Outcome in the future. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences.

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will:

  • Know how Project Outcome has developed over the last two years;
  • Understand how other libraries are implementing the surveys and what the outcome data results looks like; and
  • Know how Project Outcome will continue to serve the library field in the future.

This webinar is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Details:

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, July 17

Tuesday, July 18

Wednesday, July 19

Thursday, July 20

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DISCLAIMER: The State Library regularly highlights third-party events and online resources as a way to alert the library community to training and resource opportunities.  By doing so, we are not endorsing the content of the event, nor promoting any specific product, but merely providing this information as an FYI to librarians who must then decide what is right for them.

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