Case Study: Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative achieves higher graduation rates and workforce-ready certifications with Edmentum

Serving the Evolving Needs of a Rural Community

Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative (PVAEC) is a four-district adult education consortium in rural Piscataquis County, Maine, formed to give local adults flexible pathways to high school completion, college readiness, and career certificates. Facing limited local educational options, a shifting post-manufacturing economy, varied learner levels, and new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requirements, the Cooperative needed scalable, individualized programming to prepare residents for changing job demands.

PVAEC adopted Plato Courseware (including CTE Library and WorkKeys) to deliver courses across Business & Skills, College Transitions, HiSET/high school completion, Literacy, and Personal Enrichment at four learning centers and through the county corrections system, tailoring curriculum for individual learners. The program produced tangible results in 2015—29 high school/HiSET diplomas, 9 CNA certificates, and 3 Class-B commercial driver licenses—and has helped rebuild the local workforce as jobs return and broadband expansion improves economic prospects.

Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative

Thelma Regan

Director