The Happiest Conference
You may have seen that Disneyland was celebrating its 70th year, but did you know that CASAS was busy marking its own milestone just a few blocks away?
CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems) is used to measure the basic skills of adult learners in the US. CASAS assessments help adult educators identify skill gaps, place students into appropriate programs, and monitor progress of employment-related competencies.
The annual CASAS Summer Institute conference was held in Garden Grove last week. Over 1,000 attendees gathered to learn, network, and celebrate its 45th year. Ellii was excited to take part!
Not a boat! Ellii team (Tara, Marta, and Wendy) and friends at the CASAS networking social, Yacht Rock!, in the driveway at Hyatt Regency.
Despite tension in LA and hazy skies that locals described as June Gloom, our week in Garden Grove was filled with energy, hope, and camaraderie.
Here are some highlights and takeaways.
Learning
Ellii sponsored, presented at, and attended the CASAS Summer Institute (SI) this year, and it was fun to be a first-timer! As head of Ellii's content team, I spent my time soaking up information at the sessions, focusing on research about the following hot topics in US adult ed:
Best practices road trip
It was refreshing to attend an education conference where there were several sessions that barely touched on AI. Every session I attended at CASAS SI was informative and useful for the Ellii team; however, the one I enjoyed the most was a CASAS session titled Best Practices Road Trip by Laura Fetter and Astrid Robitaille. Throughout the session, educational specialists were invited up to speak about special programs and initiatives that teachers and administrators had implemented in their state.
Educators touched on a variety of topics from assessment to orientation. One popular tip everyone appreciated was the idea of waiting until Day 2 to assign the CASAS test, which agencies found resulted in fewer students dropping out before they even get started.
After the mini-presentations, Laura and Astrid summarized the highlights by reading out postcards, sometimes even attempting to mimic the state's English accents! The session had all of the essentials of a successful ELT presentation.
Resources
Ellii received several shout-outs at the sessions, and it was great to hear this enthusiasm in California. Here are some other resources that were shared in the sessions:
- CASAS YouTube Channel
- EL Civics Exchange (Contact elcivicsATcasas.org to get on the email list)
- USCIS Resource Center
- USCIS YouTube Channel
- USA Hello
- USA Learns
- Ventures Arcade
- SkillBlox
We are now prioritizing a long list of actionables related to content and features, rewriting our own road map to ensure we are providing just what adult educators need. This includes finding out which civics objectives our subscribers are focusing on next year, adding more high-beginner civics content, amping up our Citizenship Prep content, and continuing to build new exploratory IET courses that are in high demand.
Presenting
Wendy Klatt, our education specialist, delivered two presentations at the conference and also managed the booth and poster area where attendees could stop in anytime for live demos, Q&As, and merch!
In the first presentation, Wendy walked teachers and administrators through Supporting CASAS STEPS Success with Ellii, sharing our CASAS collections and NEW CASAS Test Preparation section, which has a digital/printable practice test for every level of the Reading STEPS and Listening STEPS tests.
Ellii was honored to have Ventures author Donna Price join Wendy for a session on Connecting Engaging Lessons and Games to the English Language Proficiency Standards.
Networking
What was different about the CASAS conference from other recent conferences I've attended? The CASAS team set the vibe! Even though it was a large conference and it was my first time attending, it had a small, close-knit feeling. People chatted over breakfast, in the elevators, and on the nice breaks between sessions. You saw speakers and attendees more than once. There were scheduled social events, including morning fitness opportunities.
Perhaps most importantly, this conference did not feel rushed. It helped being able to pop up into our rooms whenever we needed to reflect or refresh.
At breakfast, we met Kevin and Deb (above) from Dinuba Adult School. They manage a small adult school outside of Fresno and spoke so highly of their ESL instructor (who they likened to Mary Poppins) whose students come to class even on prep days and feel lost without her when school is not in session. We all felt a renewed sense of gratitude for being in this industry where we can experience a strong sense of purpose at work every day.
Marta Solodun (Ellii COO) and Donna Price (Ventures author and VIP guest) at the CASAS luncheon
At the booth, I met Lauren, an Ellii super user who has been using our new CASAS Practice Tests, which she described as "more rigorous" than our competitors. We took in the keynote together and chatted about multiple literacies, including financial literacy, AI literacy, and even driver's literacy. Lauren shared an interesting life-skills learning opportunity that happend in her class when two students bumped into each other in their cars. She brought the class out to the parking lot as they exchanged information and took photos of the scene. The entire class learned language and practical tips to use at the scene of an accident.
Food & fun
We did not go hungry at this conference, unlike many others I have attended over the years.
A full breakfast was served each day, and coffee and water were widely available. CASAS and its sponsors also provided a luncheon and an outdoor dinner party with food and dancing. In the evenings, friends of Ellii joined us at some local eateries: Nova Kitchen & Bar for sushi and mochi and Puesto Anaheim for tacos and cocktails. I also enjoyed a 5K run to Downtown Disneyland, where I indulged in a kid's meal at Ballast Point Brewing. We even caught the Disney fireworks from our hotel parking lot!
Nova Kitchen & Bar with Tara Benwell (Ellii VP of Publishing), Marta Solodun (Ellii COO), Donna Price (Ventures author), Wendy Klatt (Ellii Education Specialist), and Alisa Takeushi (OTAN)
Adult ed acronyms
As Canadians who are often traveling to the US for adult ed conferences, we are constantly learning new acronyms. Here are some that came up often at the CASAS conference last week and might be useful for anyone who is new to this industry or market.
ABE: Adult Basic Education
AEFLA: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
CAEP: Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (a nonprofit organization that accredits educator preparation programs)
CASAS: Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (assessments that measure the basic skills of adult learners in the US)
CCR: College and Career Readiness Standards
COAAPS: Civic Objectives and Additional Assessment Plans (pre-approved objectives and assessment plans designed to help adult learners develop civic knowledge and skills in California)
ELA: English Language Acquisition
ELP: English Language Proficiency standards
IELCE: Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (education services provided to the English language learners who are adults to help them achieve competency in English language and acquire skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the US)
IET: Integrated Education and Training (blends adult ed/ESL with workforce training and preparation)
N-400: application for naturalization in the US
NRS: National Report System for adult education (the accountability system for federally funded adult ed programs in the US)
OTAN: Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (provides support for instructional technology and distance learning to literacy and adult educators in California)
STEPS: CASAS's Student Test of English Progress and Success
USCIS: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (government agency that processes immigration applications in the US)
WIOA: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services)
Thank you to CASAS organizers and friends Jane, Jennifer, and Karla for making us feel welcome and putting on an outstanding conference. We hope to see you next year for CASAS Summer Institute 2026!
PS. If you haven't tried Ellii's NEW CASAS Practice Tests, we hope you'll check them out and send us some feedback.
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