CDE Announcements Archive

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) 2025–26

Dear Adult Educators:

As we start wrapping up the program year, the Adult Education Office (AEO) looks forward to the graduation season and the next steps ahead for many adult education students across California. The strength of adult education in our state reflects the leadership and commitment you bring to your programs and students each day. Thank you for your continued work and dedication. To support this effort, we are sharing several reminders and information for next year to assist with program planning.

Included in this message are the following:

• Preliminary Funding Results
• Course Approvals Program Year 2026–27
• Continuous Improvement Plan Revisions
• End-of-Year Information
• Preparing for the Final Expenditure Claim Report
• Save the Date for New Administrator Orientation
• Reporting Site User Account Updates

Preliminary Funding Results are now available for agencies and can be accessed with a login at the California Adult Education Online Application and Reporting Site (reporting site). Award amounts are considered estimates and subject to available funding. A handful of agencies are awaiting payment point adjustments for a second round of data matching, which are not yet reflected in these preliminary estimates. Additionally, there are no plans to distribute award amendments during the 2026–27 program year.

The Course Approval system for Program Year 2026–27 opened recently.

Course Approvals must be submitted no later than June 15, 2026, before the start of instruction for Program Year 2026–27. Agencies may submit revisions for courses offered during that year through March 31, 2027. Course Approvals are required for agencies receiving WIOA and California Adult Education Program (CAEP) funding.

To ensure compliance, CAEP consortia members are encouraged to communicate timelines with partner agencies and to support non-WIOA adult school members in obtaining access to the reporting site. An exemption for non-instruction is available.

The Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) Review Team is hard at work processing submittals that arrived at the end of April. If your CIP is returned with a request for revision, a new due date will be issued. Please make the requested changes and resubmit your CIP on or before the new due date. This will keep the review process moving quickly and reduce the impact that an incomplete CIP may have on your final Expenditure Claim Report (ECR) reimbursement.

Additional guidance to support end-of-year closeout activities is available on the California Department of Education WIOA, Title II: AEFLA Grant Information 2025–26 web page. Please review the information for updates, timelines, and reminders as you wind down the end of the program year.

Although the Final ECR is not due until August 1, 2026, agencies will be required to report Workforce Training and One-Stop Infrastructure expenditures as part of the final claim. Agencies are encouraged to begin compiling this information now to support timely and accurate submission.

Questions regarding reporting requirements should be directed to your assigned AEO Regional Consultant.

The 2026 New Administrator Orientation is scheduled for September 15–17, 2026. Staff in a position supporting WIOA adult education program for two years or less should plan to attend this virtual event. Mark your calendars so you do not miss out! Registration information will be out later this year. Resources and recorded sessions from last year’s training are available at: https://aecalifornia.instructure.com/courses/242. This information may be invaluable to new staff onboarding during the summer.

Reporting site users with the role of OAR Admin are reminded to maintain all user account access, contact information, and Agency Contacts. Incoming users, such as new Adult Education Directors and Superintendents, will need access to the reporting site to download grant award information later this year, and former staff should have their permissions removed. For additional guidance, check out the WIOA User Guide for OAR Admins in the Resources section of the reporting site. The estimated time to complete this important activity is less than 15 minutes.

If you have any questions, please contact the AEO by email at adulteducation@cde.ca.gov or by telephone at 916-322-2175.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Zachry, Ed.D.
Education Administrator and State Director
Adult Education Office
California Department of Education
916-322-2175
adulteducation@cde.ca.gov