Applied Academics for Adult Education (AAAE) is an adult general education program through which adults attain academic and workforce readiness skills at the functional literacy level or higher that are needed to pursue a certificate in a career and technical education program. AAAE is based upon the assessed needs of the student and the academic and employability requirements of Florida’s Comprehensive Post-Secondary Vocational (PSAV) Education Programs. AAAE should incorporate applied academics and vocationally related materials that are relevant for the student. Instruction may include a variety of differentiated instructional strategies including individualized tutorial services, cooperative learning, problem-solving, and small-group settings. Any student who does not possess the minimal level of basic skills for a career/technical program should be referred to AAAE for a structured program of basic skills instruction.

The AAAE program is a non-graded system. This program is designed for students who have tested at the equivalent of 9th grade and above but need to improve their basic skills to meet the requirements of a CTE program in which they are enrolled. If the student is currently enrolled in a CTE program and meets one of the exemptions in Rule 6A-10.0315, FAC, he/she would be able to opt out of AAAE. It is the teacher’s responsibility to decide and inform the student of the criteria for demonstrating proficiency in a standard and benchmark. It is not necessary for a student to master 100% of the standards to demonstrate proficiency for the course.

The program is characterized by open entry/open exit, self-paced instructional modules, flexible schedules, and performance-based evaluation. As a result, a variety of multimedia resources is used in the AAAE laboratory setting. Equipment used may include computers, tape recorders, cassette players, language masters, videos, CD-ROMs, interactive videos, voice synthesizers, integrated work stations, screen magnifiers, talking books, etc.