The rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation are critical components of civic integration and a key component of IELCE. IELCE instruction in this topic can include information about documentation and citizenship preparation as well as community engagement more broadly, such as through topics like navigating community services and achieving a more digitally equitable future. Resources in this section highlight how IELCE activities can support civics education and deliver citizenship and civic participation services.
Research, 2021
Measuring Civic Readiness: A Review of Survey Scales
This publication is a U.S. Department of Education review of state and local civic readiness efforts to quantify civic readiness, including descriptions of the format and structure of survey scales, civic readiness categories measured by the scales, and a summary of the reliability and validity evidence associated with the scales. States can use this resource to support the creation of state-level civic readiness measures. A webinar about the review is also available.
Policy, 2021
Texas Adult Education and Family Content Standards
The Texas Workforce Commission’s adult education standards now include Citizen/Community Member Content Standards (see pages 122–129) under four categories: Become and Stay Involved; Form and Express Opinions and Ideas; Work Together; and Take Action to Strengthen Communities. States can use these standards to identify their own standards, activities, and benchmarks around civics education.
Research, 2012
The Economic Value of Citizenship for Immigrants in the United States
Migration Policy Institute’s research demonstrates that naturalized citizens earn more than their non-naturalized counterparts, with a 5%+ wage premium identified for citizenship status. States can use this to promote the value of citizenship activities and naturalization efforts for both individuals and communities.
Policy, 2020
State Government Guide to Promoting U.S. Citizenship and Facilitating Naturalization
The New Americans Campaign is a bipartisan initiative to increase the number of people gaining citizenship through naturalization by promoting the benefits of citizenship and modernizing the process. States can use these recommendations for state governments to promote the route to U.S. citizenship.
Policy, 2022
Civic Objectives and Additional Assessment Plan (COAPP) Information
California’s Civic Participation and IELCE assessment system was developed by CASAS for the California Department of Education EL Civics program and has been updated for IELCE and California’s immigrant integration legislation (AB 2098). States can use this information to develop their own additional assessments on core civic and immigrant integration areas, including digital literacy.
Instructional Material, 2022
Civic Objectives and Additional Assessment Plans List
California’s Civic Participation and IELCE assessment system was developed by CASAS for the California Department of Education EL Civics program and has been updated for IELCE and California’s immigrant integration legislation (AB 2098). Programs can use the COAPP rubrics to develop and evaluate explicit civics instruction across multiple immigrant integration goal areas including economic security, civic and community participation, and digital literacy.
Video, 2024
Civic Engagement Activities in Adult Education
This video, developed by EARN, showcases how Briya Public Charter School, in Washington, DC, provides opportunities for civic engagement. An audio description version is available in the description of the video.
Video, 2023
Contextualizing Civics for the Workplace
This video, developed by OCTAE’s EARN project, showcases how Montgomery College, in Maryland, contextualizes civics content to IELCE activities to prepare learners for IET.
Instructional Material
California EL Civics Exchange
This repository was created by CASAS, the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network, and the California Department of Education to share original instructional materials for the seven EL Civics competency areas.
Instructional Material
Teaching Skills That Matter Civics Education
Instructors can use the OCTAE issue brief, case study, lesson plans, instructional resources, and video on civics education to support civics instruction.
Instructional Material, 2022
“Why Vote?” Voter Engagement Resources
The Right Question Institute provides online and downloaded resources in English and Spanish to support voter engagement, self-advocacy, and the Question Formulation Technique. Instructors can use these materials to build awareness, stimulate discussion, and support learners’ formulation of their own questions.
Instructional Material, 2022
Access America - USA Learns
This online adult ESOL course from the Sacramento County Office of Education focuses on immigrant integration. Instructors can use these materials in remote, hybrid, and blended IELCE activities.
Informational Materials, 2023
Civics in the Adult Education Classroom
This spotlight describes and provides examples of how civics content and activities can be integrated and contextualized into instruction in four discrete ways: 1) teaching specific civics education topics, 2) supporting civic integration, 3) offering opportunities for civic engagement, and 4) focusing on a civic understanding for the workplace.
Informational Materials, 2023
Expanding the Use of Online Resources in IELCE Activities to Support Immigrant Integration and Inclusion
This guide offers tips and guidance for program administrators and instructors on using virtual learning strategies for serving ELs, especially in the Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) context. This guide also describes how programs can leverage online resources for IELCE instruction to support immigrant integration and inclusion.
Applying for residency and citizenship requires completion of government-issued documents. Many resources exist to outline these complex procedures, and this section provides resources to support these efforts.
Informational Material
USCIS Green Card
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provide helpful information about Green Card eligibility and the application process.
Informational Material
How to Apply for a Passport
The State Department provides an easy-to-read overview of the steps for how to apply for or renew a U.S. passport.
Informational Material
States Offering Driver’s Licenses to Immigrants
This article outlines the laws enacted in 18 states and the District of Columbia to allow unauthorized immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Informational Material
Avoid Scams Resource Center
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provides materials on how to avoid immigration scams. Materials are available in multiple languages.
Citizenship preparation instruction, typically offered in citizenship preparation programs funded by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, supports immigrants in preparing for the naturalization exam, which assesses English literacy and knowledge of American history and government. Adult education instructors may want to be aware of these resources as IELCE activities can prepare ELs for these formal citizenship preparation activities through partnership with citizenship preparation programs, student supports, and instruction related to civics.
Instructional Material
USCIS Citizenship Resource Center
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resources support civics and citizenship programs, including a toolkit with a program development guide and instructional materials. Programs can use these materials to develop their citizenship preparation courses and outreach to the community. Instructors can use these materials to support their direct civics and citizenship test prep instruction and direct learners to independent study materials.
Instructional Material
Avoid Scams Resource Center
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provides materials on how to avoid immigration scams. Materials are available in multiple languages.
Instructional Material, 2021
U.S. Citizenship Course -USA Learns
This online course from USA Learns provides direct instruction for the U.S. citizenship test. Instructors can use these materials in remote, hybrid, and blended citizenship preparation programs and encourage their use as self-study materials.
The ability to navigate community services such as schools and health care are critical for immigrants’ socioemotional well-being and for civic integration. Resources in this section provide guidance for instruction on these vital civic integration topics and strategies for connecting immigrants and English learners to community resources, such as through community navigators.
Research, 2019
Health Literacy and Adult Basic Education
This supplement of Health Literacy Research and Practice seeks to affirm the relevance of adult basic education to advancements in the health literacy field.
Instructional Material
Two-Generation Family Approaches to Citizenship Education
This tip sheet from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Division of Education and Training provides a model for two-generation civics education and highlights ways K-12 schools and adult citizenship education programs can engage the entire family through civics education.
Research, 2019
A Novel Approach to Improve Health Literacy in Immigrant Communities
The Anchorage Health Literacy Collaborative developed a community-wide program to address the health literacy needs of the city's immigrant and refugee population. This journal article describes the collaborative, services, and outcomes.
Informational Material
ORR Fact Sheets
These fact sheets from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provide information about eligibility for ORR benefits and services.
Informational Material, 2017
CASA Know Your Rights Booklet
CASA provides this booklet summarizing a variety of legal services for low-income immigrants who are experiencing housing, employment and immigration-related issues.
Informational Material, 2022
Know Your Rights/English for Speakers of Other Languages Tool Kit
This toolkit developed by the Boston College Center for Human Rights and International Justice with ESOL teachers has four sections that each include several lesson units: Basic Human Rights, Knowing Your Rights in a Car Stop, Protecting Families in Cases of Separation, and Understanding the U.S. School System.
Professional Development
Social & Emotional Learning and Trauma-Informed Approaches in Refugee Education
This free online mini-course illustrates the use of social and emotional learning and trauma-informed approaches in their classrooms to support refugee student well-being and learning.
Instructional Material
Teaching Skills That Matter in Adult Education (TSTM)
OCTAE’s TSTM Toolkit provides an issue brief, a case study, lesson plans, and an annotated bibliography in the topics of digital literacy, health literacy, financial literacy, civics education, and workforce preparation.
Instructional Material
Financial Literacy Guide from Maryland Skilled Immigrant Task Force
This Maryland Department of Labor resource includes Quick Start Guides related to financial literacy in multiple languages.
Instructional Material, 2022
Practitioners Guide to Supportive Servicess
This guide, from the U.S. Department of Labor, aims to help workforce professionals in quickly and accurately locate emergency and long-term resources for workforce program customers to gain economic stability. It includes information on rental assistance, earned income tax credit, nutrition, food security, health care resources, and legal aid, among others.
Many immigrant families experience digital inequity and do not have adequate access to key digital tools such as home broadband internet services and digital devices. Resources in this section provide strategies for accommodating immigrant families’ current digital access and supporting their ability to obtain these key digital tools.
Informational Material, 2020
Digital Navigators
The Digital Navigators services model is a solution to address digital access and learning and upskilling. States can use this model and the toolkit to develop policies and support programs with implementation of Digital Navigators.
Instructional Material, 2021
Media Literacy Education to Counter Truth Decay: An Implementation and Evaluation Framework
This report presents a framework for implementing and evaluating media literacy educational efforts. Instructors can use this resource as a guide for incorporating implementation and evaluation of media literacy into instruction.
Research, 2022
The Digital Literacy Action Plan: A Strategy for Differentiation and Learner Agency in Digital Literacy Instruction
The Digital Literacy Action Plan is an instructional strategy designed to differentiate, increase learner agency, and address digital equity concerns. Instructors can use this resource to help with integration of digital literacy.
Instructional Material
CrowdED Learning
Open Educational Resources (OER) are open resources that can support differentiated, no-cost instruction for English learners. Instructors can use the resources provided on this site for various OERs to inform instruction.
A network of partners may deliver these services to adult English learners, including internationally-trained professionals.