CDE Announcements Archive

2026–27 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title II: Adult Education Family Literacy Act (AEFLA)

Dear Adult Education Administrators:

As we kick off the 2026–27 Program Year (PY), there is much to celebrate. Currently, the Adult Education Office (AEO) is finalizing program year 2025–26 closeout activities and completing our leadership transition. We are pleased to report that California’s federal award has been received. This provides a strong, stable start as we enter the final year of this four-year grant cycle, and we look forward to the momentum we will build together.

This message highlights the following topics:

• End-of-Year Requirements Fiscal Year (FY) 2025–26
• Final Expenditure Claims
• Ushering in 2026–27
• Welcome Back Video
• New Administrator Orientation: Save the Date
• Reporting Site User Account Updates
• HSE Summer Convenings 2026

Information regarding FY 2025–26 end-of-year requirements is available on the WIOA, Title II: AEFLA Grant Information 2025–26 web page.

Data and documents due July 15, 2026, include the following:

1. End-of-Year Data, TOPSpro® Enterprise
2. Adult Education Personnel Information
3. End-of-Year Data Integrity Report
4. Payment Points Summary Report
5. End-of-Year Certification Letter
6. Employment and Earnings Follow-up Survey

Data and documents due by August 1, 2026, include the following:

1. Final Expenditure Claim Report (ECR)
2. Official Payment Points Certification Letter

If you have not already submitted these year-end deliverables, please take a moment to do so now. Additionally, annual audit activities for Community–Based Organizations and Community College Districts were recently adjusted and are due by October 15, 2026, which is different than past grant years.

The Final ECR module opened on July 1, 2026, and can be accessed through the California Adult Education Online Application and Reporting Site (Reporting Site). Include all eligible reimbursements regardless of quarter, up to 100 percent of the award amount.

Non-federal expenditures to supplement this grant must be reported and a state-imposed match of no less than 25 percent of the grant award is required. A threshold of 30 percent for reporting matched expenditures has been applied; however, grantees should maintain documentation for all expenditures in their files.

One-time state ELL HealthCare funding may be used for reporting matched expenditures. Reference the source in the notes if included in the state column of the Non-Federal Sources section of the ECR.

Workforce Training and Infrastructure Costs are included as part of the Final ECR. Previously reported figures will be automatically displayed for reference. If you plan to enter zero dollars for this year and reported something greater than zero last year, double check both current and past year entries to ensure accuracy.

The data collected is required for federal reporting. Please contact your AEO Fiscal Analyst via email with questions regarding the final claim or for additional assistance.

Information on Program, Data and Accountability Reporting for PY 2026–27 will be available on the 2026–27 WIOA, Title II: AEFLA Grant Information web page. The 2026–27 deliverables have already been added to the Reporting Site dashboard to assist grantees with planning activities. The federal award was received on July 1, 2026, and California’s allocation is consistent with preliminary estimates.

Preliminary funding results for 2026–27 are pending availability of funds and approval of the grant awards by the California Department of Education. As shared last week, adjustments have been made to the preliminary awards to reflect current state authority. Please log into your Reporting Site account for more information and review our communication dated July 20, 2026.

We anticipate Grant Award Notifications (GANs) to be released by mid-August and will distribute an email notification once they have been loaded into the Reporting Site.

Continuing the tradition of welcoming adult education staff and administrators to the new program year, the AEO recently posted its latest Welcome Back video. This will be the first opportunity for many grantees to hear directly from our new State Director of Adult Education, David Stang. The recording is less than five minutes in length and available on the Resources section of the Reporting Site or through this direct YouTube link.

The virtual 2026 New Administrator Orientation (NAO) will be held September 15–17, 2026 and registration will be available soon. Please save the date! NAO is recommended for staff who have been in a position supporting WIOA adult education programs for two years or less. Staff onboarding this summer may be interested in accessing last year’s NAO training website. This page will be available until mid-August, at which point we will pause it for updates in preparation for the 2026 event.

Reporting Site users with the role of OAR Admin are reminded to review and update user access and roles in the Manage Account section of the Reporting Site, as well as contact information in the Agency Contacts. Incoming users, such as new Adult Education Directors and Superintendents, will need access to your agency’s online account to download grant award information once it is available. 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.

The California Department of Education invites chief examiners, test site administrators, school counselors, and others with a connection to the California High School Equivalency and Proficiency programs to the in-person 2026 Summer Convenings. The convenings are designed to provide timely updates and collect valuable feedback on these programs and the testing vendors: GED® and HiSET®. The events will be held throughout the state between August 10 – 20, 2026.

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

Sincerely,

David Stang
Education Administrator and State Director
Adult Education Office
California Department of Education
916-322-2175
adulteducation@cde.ca.gov