Nomination

By nominating a Model Program, you have the invaluable opportunity to highlight innovative and emerging practices within the field of adult education. Imagine your Model Program set in the spotlight, receiving accolades for its inspiring best practices.

This is your opportunity to share your breakthroughs with fellow practitioners and position your successes on the CAEP website. Celebrate your milestones, fuel the spirit of innovation, and be the beacon for others charting their course in the vibrant world of adult education. Your story isn't just about recognition; it's about setting new standards and redefining excellence within the educational landscape.

Nominations are accepted during the open nomination period - March 1 through April 30 and are limited to three nominations per district (not per consortium).

The CAEP Model Programs structures honorees into three tiers of recognition: Foundational, Achievement, and Exemplary.

Foundational:

All Model Program nominations that achieve a target score of eleven from each reader will receive the Foundational recognition distinction;

1. Included in the Advancing California Adult Education Model Program repository.
2. Spotlighted via CAEP social media platforms (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook) and on the Advancing CA Adult Education website with a potential to be highlighted in the CAEP bi-monthly newsletter.
3. Included in the CAEP Model Program Reel that will be shown at the Summit.

Achievement:

The top 20 high scores will receive the following distinction in addition to the Foundational recognition items;

1. A 24"x 36" poster will be created to display during the Summit for spotlighting each program throughout the conference in the Model Program Gallery Walk.
2. All posters are an artifact of the CAEP Model Program achievement recognition and are able to be taken on the last day of the Summit to display at a site of your choosing, highlighting the recognized CAEP model program.
3. A PDF of the poster will be emailed to the nominator after the Summit for the program to use via marketing streams preferred.

Exemplary:

The Exemplary tier is the highest commendation of the CAEP Model Program tier, and is awarded to the two highest scoring programs. Each will receive the below distinction in addition to the achievement recognition acknowledgments;

1. Produce a brief 3-minute video, CAEP TAP will ensure 508 compliance and remediate. This video will be shown during a general session at the Summit.
2. The honoree videos will be shared on the Advancing CA Adult Ed website, at the Summit, and with the agency to share via marketing streams preferred.
   * The video will be shared via social media, on the Advancing CA Adult Ed website and via direct message to all consortia members.
3. Nominators and/or program lead will be recognized at the Summit and called to stage to receive an award. (Up to 3 people on stage)

Advancing CA Adult Education Program Nomination Process:

1. CAEP TAP invites nominations of new, emerging, and promising programs operating within the California Adult Education Program field that have some measure of success and may be replicable for other CAEP agencies.
2. Nominations are accepted during the open nomination period - March 1st through April 30th and are limited to three nominations per district (not per consortium).
3. Nominations are completed online. Successful nominations are those that align to the rubric criteria.
4. Once nominations have closed as published on the  CAEP website, a group of readers will independently score each submission.
5. Once scoring is completed and within ten weeks of the close of the nomination period all nominators will be notified.
6. Model programs will be included in the Advancing CA Adult Education Site as entered into the nomination. If there are any changes, the Nominator or Lead must contact CAEP Staff with updates by June 15, 2026.

Important Note

We recommend that responses be written in another document or use the template provided, then copied and pasted into the correct field. Select the following link to download the template.

Your CAEP Model Program nomination cannot be edited; all nominations will receive a view-only copy of what was submitted. After the nomination(s) are submitted, it can no longer be revised.

Ruberic

California Adult Education Programs (CAEP) support adults age 18 and older to achieve their educational, workforce, and life goals, and to become contributing, productive members of their local economies and communities. Advancing CA Adult Education serves as a statewide repository that elevates innovative, emerging, and adult education model programs demonstrating positive outcomes for students, agencies, and/or consortia.

This rubric is designed to:

1. Identify and recognize high-quality, impactful adult education programs across California
2. Ensure alignment with CAEP state priorities.
3. Highlight practices that are evidence-informed, student-centered, and scalable
4. Curate models that can inform research, practice, and peer learning statewide

Programs selected through this nomination process are featured in the repository and recognized annually at the CAEP Summit.

Each criterion is scored on a 0–3 scale. Reviewers should consider clarity, alignment, evidence, and potential contribution to the adult education field.

Score	Description
3 – Exemplary	Fully meets intent; clear, compelling, and well-supported
2 – Proficient	Adequately meets intent; minor gaps or limited depth
1 – Emerging	Partially meets intent; significant gaps in clarity or evidence
0 – Not Evident	Does not meet intent or information is missing

Evaluation Criteria	0 Not Evident	1 Emerging	2 Proficient	3 Exemplary
Program Overview and Context Intent: Establish a clear understanding of what the program is, who it serves, and how it aligns to statewide adult education priorities.	No program overview is provided.	Provides a limited overview with several missing or unclear elements.	Provides a clear overview and includes most required elements, though some details or connections may be underdeveloped.	Provides a concise yet comprehensive overview including: approved CAEP program area(s), aligned state priority(ies), and the 5 W’s + How (who, what, when, where, why, and how). Context clearly situates the program within local and regional needs.
Problem of Practice or Purpose Intent: Demonstrate that the program responds to a clearly identified need grounded in data, experience, or community context.	No problem of practice or purpose is identified.	Mentions a problem or purpose but provides minimal context or justification.	Identifies a problem of practice or purpose with some explanation of how the need was established.	Clearly articulates a problem of practice or purpose and explains how the need was identified using data, stakeholder input, research, or documented gaps in service.
Program Design and Response Intent: Explain how the program intentionally addresses the identified problem of practice.	No program response is described.	Provides a limited or unclear description of how the program addresses the problem.	Describes the program response with general alignment to the problem of practice.	Clearly and comprehensively describes program strategies, services, or structures and explains how they directly respond to the identified need.
Innovation and Distinguishing Features Intent: Highlight practices that advance the adult education field through innovation, promising practices, or effective adaptations	No distinguishing or innovative features are identified.	Mentions unique aspects but with minimal explanation or significance.	Identifies distinguishing features, though innovation or broader relevance may be less clear.	Clearly describes innovative, emerging, or model features that distinguish the program and demonstrate potential value to the broader adult education field.
Outcomes and Evidence of Impact Intent: Demonstrate that the program produces meaningful results for students, agencies, or consortia.	Outcomes and data are missing.	Lists outcomes with minimal or weak supporting evidence.	States outcomes and provides some supporting data, though depth or clarity may be limited.	Clearly states program and/or student outcomes and supports them with relevant qualitative and quantitative data (e.g., persistence, completion, transitions, employment, learner voice).
Documentation and Visual Evidence Intent: Enhance understanding and visibility of the program through visual representation.	No image is included.	-	-	Includes at least one clear, relevant image that authentically represents the program in action.
Replicability and Transferability Intent: Assess the potential for the program to inform or be adapted by other adult education providers.	Program is not replicable or transferable.	Replicability is limited due to context, resources, or lack of detail.	Program appears replicable with some adaptation or additional clarification.	Program design, implementation details, and context suggest it is highly replicable or adaptable across different settings or regions.

*Target Score for inclusion in the Advancing CA Adult Education database with 2 readers is 22, with 3 readers is 33, with 4 readers is 44, and so on.