ACLS January 2017 Monthly Mailing

Massachusetts Department of

Elementary and Secondary Education

75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906 Telephone: (781) 338-3000

TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370

Adult and Community Learning Services

TO: ABE Directors, SABES Coordinators, WIA Administrators, Career Centers, LWIB,

Teacher/All Staff

FROM: Jolanta Conway, ABE State Director

DATE: January 18, 2017

RE: What's in this Mailing?

Dear ABE Directors:

ACLS would like your input on a number of important initiatives (e.g., Performance Accountability, Indicators of Program Quality, Monitoring). Beginning later this month, I will be sending you links to online surveys related to these initiatives. Your valuable input will help to shape and strengthen these initiatives. Performance Accountability will be one of the earlier surveys to go out, and in preparation for that, please listen to the recorded webinar from December on the state performance accountability framework, which can be found on this page.

Ø Performance Standards Webinar

ACLS hosted two identical performance standards webinars in December. The webinars helped ABE directors, teachers, advisors, and other stakeholders understand the Measurable Skills Gains (MSG) standard in the new Massachusetts performance accountability framework. After the webinars, participants were able to describe the performance accountability system, list the components of the MSG standard, understand how MSG individual program targets will be calculated and assigned, and describe the MSG reporting period. Participants also learned how the new accountability system focuses more on outcomes than on processes and how flexibility plays a key role.

Links to the webinar can be found on the ACLS page of the SABES website and on ACLS’s performance standards page of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website.

The monthly mailing for January will be posted to our website shortly. Please review the information and share with your staff.

Ø ACLS Webinars-SAVE THE DATES

This winter and spring, ACLS will offer webinars on Educational Functioning Levels (EFL) and on the National Reporting System (NRS). Each webinar will be offered twice. Please save the following dates:

Educational Functioning Levels (EFL) Webinar:

· Monday, February 27, 11 AM -12.30 PM

· Thursday, March 9, 2-3.30 PM

National Reporting System (NRS) Webinar:

· Tuesday, March 28, 10AM-12 PM

· Wednesday, April 5, 10AM-12 PM

Registration links and more details to follow.

Ø Communications Survey

We are pleased to report that we have received 80 responses to our communications survey to date! If you have not yet had a chance to do so, please take 10-15 minutes for this before the survey closes on Friday, January 20.

Ø Curriculum Update

-Apply for an ELA Curriculum Development RFR: new deadline of February 3, 2017

-Where does content fit in to literacy learning

-Spotlight on Effective Tools for ABE Teachers

-US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Adult Citizenship Content Standards

-EduCore and the Literacy Design Collaborative provide lessons aligned to CCRS and more

Ø High School Equivalency Update

-Mass Residents can now choose one of two assessments – the HiSET® or the GED® test

-High School Equivalency Office website www.doe.mass.edu/hse is being redesigned

-Ruth Derfler – Retired after working 44 years for the commonwealth

- HiSET® launched its new, enhanced website

-Procedural Notes:

o As of January 3, 2017 the TI-30XS scientific calculator is the only approved calculator for use on the HSE tests in Massachusetts

o Under this four-year contract, all HiSET® and GED® scores will remain valid through December 31, 2020. There will be no sun-setting of scores, including those for current HiSET® testers who started testing in 2014, 2015, or 2016, until at least that date.

Ø MA ABE Educator Development and Evaluation System ELA Pilot

Over the past two years, directors and teachers from several programs have participated in pilots of the ABE Educator Growth and Evaluation (EGE) policy, providing critical feedback to the ACLS.

For FY17, ACLS is seeking ten programs to participate in a third pilot of the EGE system within the context of English Language Arts. The goal of the pilot is to ensure that this system provides effective processes and tools to support quality instruction and student success.

Questions may be submitted in writing to . Completed applications (hard or electronic copy) must be submitted by Friday, February 3, 2017.

Ø Press Release

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Implements New Web-based Permit Test in 26 Additional Languages

Ø Massachusetts ABE System Video and Brochure Update

Thank you to all the program directors and coordinators who shared their student success stories for the new promotional video and brochure about the Massachusetts ABE System being developed by ACLS and the SABES PD Communication Center. The Center received over twenty inspiring student success stories from programs throughout the state. It was fantastic to read about the steps to success that ESE-funded programs are providing for so many students across the Commonwealth.

We wish we could highlight every student success story! After careful consideration, three students were selected to be featured in this initiative. We have started shooting the video and designing the brochure, which will be available this spring and posted to the SABES website.

If you have any questions about this initiative, feel free to contact Erin Earnst, SABES PD Communication Center Director, at 781-414-9753 or .

Ø Mid-Year Outstationing Report Due January 31, 2017This is a reminder that the mid-year outstationing report is due January 31, 2017. The time period for the report is September 1, 2016-December 31, 2016. The report should include the following:

1. Number of referrals made to ABE programs by program

· Of the total number, how many were enrolled in classes

· Of the total number, how many were placed on waiting lists

2. Number of ABE students enrolled at one-stop career centers (i.e., shared customers)

3. Activities conducted by the outstationed staff member for ABE programs and partner agencies (e.g., OSCCs, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission)

4. Top two success stories

Programs should email their reports to Derek Kalchbrenner at ACLS at , and should copy their program specialist and workforce development board executive director.

Ø SMARTT Update

-SMARTT User Group

-FY127 SMARTT Intake Form

-SMARTT Team Project Board

-Data Entry Lock-Out

-Update Contact Information in SMARTT

-SMARTT is on Facebook and Twitter

-SMARTT Resources

Ø WIOA Joint Partner Local Umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Guidance

This WIOA Joint Partner Local Umbrella MOU offers guidance on articulating a vision for organizing the region’s workforce system, establishing local area partnerships to work on integrated service delivery, and establishing terms for WIOA core partners to contribute to One-Stop Career Center (OSCC) infrastructure costs. Part XI: Approach to an Integrated Service Delivery System includes guidance and examples of how core partners can contribute to the shared infrastructure costs of regional OSCCs. The section on ACLS can be found on pages 22-23.

Ø WIOA Regional and Local Planning and Local Board Responsibilities Training and Employment Notice

The United States Department of Labor has released Training and Employment Notice (TEN) No. 21-16, which provides guidance on regional and local planning and local board responsibilities. The TEN provides state and local workforce system leaders and other stakeholders an informational Q&A on the requirements for regional and local planning under WIOA. In addition, the Q&A also addresses the role of Local Workforce Development Boards in reviewing provider applications for the local competition under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), which are required under WIOA to align with Local Plans.

Curriculum Update, January 2017

Updated 1/19/17

Apply Now for an ELA Curriculum Development RFR: Feb. 3, 2017 deadline

A Request for Response (RFR) to support curriculum development in English language arts and literacy has been posted to the COMMBUYS website. Search under 17ACLJS2 or the RFR title, Developing Model English Language Arts Curriculum Units for Use in Adult Basic Education. (Programs that submitted a response to the previous RFR, 17ACLJS1, do not need to respond.)

The goal of this RFR is to support the development of model ELA units and lessons across several content areas. The units and lessons will be shared with ABE practitioners as exemplars that can be modified for use in the classroom. Applicants may adapt existing K12 units from any source or develop their own. Applicants may also apply to develop more than one unit and lessons and receive $4,000 per unit and lessons.

This RFR has two parts; applicants may propose to develop curriculum units and lessons, or may apply to be a project facilitator, or may apply for both. The contract will span February through June 30, 2017, with potential for renewal.

Happy 2017!

As we all begin a new year, ACLS wants to know how to best support the curriculum and instruction work that programs offer for adult learners. If you have suggestions about how the ACLS Monthly Mailing Curriculum Updates can be most helpful to you, please let Jane know at . Would readers like more resources? Suggestions for instructional materials? Thought provoking articles about teaching and learning? Synopses of recent or relevant research? Curriculum samples? We would like to hear from you!

Where does content fit in to literacy learning?

In this engaging blog post from May 2016, literacy expert Timothy Shanahan makes a case for the importance of students learning content knowledge at the same time as learning skills. Though addressing a K12 audience, the blog post references some research on students in college developmental education courses who may not benefit from appropriately challenging content, and the negative effect the low level texts have on student progress.

Spotlight on Effective Tools for ABE Teachers

The Center for Standards and Assessment Implementation at WestEd offers a variety of useful resources for teachers of math and literacy, as well as tools for formative assessment.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Adult Citizenship Content Standards

This past October, LINCS announced that the USCIS would host a discussion about its new Guide to the Adult Citizenship Education Content Standards and Foundation Skills and the topics therein. The Guide provides a framework for developing a comprehensive curriculum to help “eligible Lawful Permanent Residents prepare for the naturalization interview and test.” For more information, explore USCIS and its related resources:

§ The Professional Development Guide for Adult Citizenship Educators

§ Elements of Program Quality for Adult Citizenship Education

§ USCIS Citizenship Resource Center

EduCore and the Literacy Design Collaborative provide lessons aligned to CCRS and more

ASCD is a rich resource for all teachers, whether teaching K12 or ABE. One such resource, EduCore, provides exemplar lessons and modules in math, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), literacy, and history across grade levels, anchor papers of student work, video resources, and more. It also contains links to other useful sites for lessons. For example, Share My Lesson showcases lessons for alignment to the Common Core1 ELA, History, and ESOL that have been downloaded and highly rated by teachers. While a K12 resource, there are many applicable materials for ABE.

Questions, Comments, or Suggestions?

Please contact Jane Schwerdtfeger at .

The College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRSAE) is a verbatim subset of the Common Core State Standards.

Updates from the High School Equivalency Office

· Massachusetts residents can now choose one of two assessments, the HiSET® or the GED® test, to earn the Massachusetts High School Equivalency Credential. Testing under this new contract began January 3, 2017, and is, so far, going very smoothly. One previous HiSET® test center, Keefe Tech in Framingham, will no longer be testing; however, the remaining 27 test centers are fully operational. In addition, GED® testing is being offered at six sites, with more expected. For more details on the GED® test, go to www.ged.com. For more details on the HiSET® go to www.hiset.ets.org.

· The High School Equivalency Office website, www.doe.mass.edu/hse, is being redesigned to reflect the new testing landscape and is in the final stages of construction. When completed, this site will offer information on eligibility requirements, fee structures, test center locations and contact information, a HiSET®/ GED® comparison, and more. The new HSE website is expected to be up and running by January 17, 2017.

· Ruth Derfler, Director of High School Equivalency Testing and ADP, has retired after working 44 years for the Commonwealth providing passionate advocacy on behalf of our students. Her duties have been assumed by Tom Mechem, State Administrator and Chief Examiner for High School Equivalency.

· GED Testing Service has two very useful tools available to programs preparing students to take the GED® test.

o GEDPrep Connect™ helps GED® candidates find prep programs in their local area, by routing them to the Adult Education Locater when they create their account on www.ged.com or after account creation. Furthermore, lists of GED® candidates who express interest in a program will be available to adult educators in those programs that participate in GEDPrep Connect™. Participating programs will designate a staff member(s) to access GED Manager and view candidates who have expressed interest in their program.

o Also available to participating programs, via GED Manager, is a quick and easy way to view test scores of any of their students who have agreed to share their scores with individual prep programs.

o A webinar on both these features by Scott Salesses and Jane Bledsoe of GED Testing Service will be held on Friday, January 27, 2017 from 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST.

o Webinar information:

Call in number: 617-483-6662

Access Code: 773-390-072#

On a computer, use any browser. Nothing to download.

Join the meeting: https://join.me/scott.salesses

On a phone or tablet, launch the join.me app (https://join.me/app) and enter meeting code: scott.salesses

· In December, HiSET® launched its new, enhanced website. The new site has a livelier look and much-improved functionality. It makes it easier for testers and teachers to find information on the exam and resources for preparation. Please check it out as time allows.

· Two procedural notes:

o As of January 3, 2017, the TI-30XS scientific calculator is the only approved calculator for use on the HSE tests in Massachusetts as alternative to the drop-down calculator that is available on the computer. This calculator will be distributed by Test Administrators to all candidates taking the HiSET® paper-and-pencil math test and will be available to all candidates taking either the HiSET® math test on computer or the GED® math, science, and social studies tests. Massachusetts testing rules prohibit any candidate from bringing his or her own calculator for use on any tests, despite what it says on the GEDTS® website.