Preparing for Standards-Based Instruction in Adult Education

Preparing for Standards-Based Instruction in Adult Education

(Last revised 3-14-13 JCMiller Draft 2)

About Standards and Webb’s DOK

Adult Education Standards and Content Standards Warehouse

The federal Office of Vocational and Adult Education is releasing content standards for adult education in April 2013. OVAE also sponsors the Content Standards Warehouse

Common Core State Standards

This site describes the Common Core State Standards from which the OVAE Adult Education Standards were derived. Visitors can download the CCSS for English Language Arts and Mathematics. Adult educators can focus on the grades 9-12 and College and Career Readiness standards. Visitors can download a presentation on the CCSS and watch a webinar.

Common Core State Standards (videos)

Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy 2011

This site contains a series of brief videos that explain the development and implementation of the CCSS. Some of the videos demonstrate instructional strategies for implementing the CCSS with learners.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

Wisconsin Center of Educational Research, 2005

This circle graph of the DOK displays verbs associated with each of the four DOK levels and describes 5-7 instructional activities associated with each level.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, webinar (archived)

GED Testing Service®, 2012

This 1-hour archived webinar describes the Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK). Topics covered include: understanding the concept of DOK, discriminating between difficulty and complexity, identifying tasks related to each DOK level, and how teachers can apply the DOK during instruction.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Guide: Career and Technical Education Definitions

Massachusetts State, 2009

This resource explores how curricular elements can be categorized based on the cognitive demands described in the four levels of Webb’s DOK. For each level, the resource describes curricular elements that suit the DOK level, provides a list of possible products, provides a list of verbs associated with the teacher’s role and the students’ role, and provides a specific list of activities teachers can use during instruction at the DOK level.

Enhancing Subject Matter Knowledge

Annenberg Learner

The Annenberg Foundation

This professional development site lets teachers browse six content areas, including mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies/history, for learning content and instructional strategies. A wide variety of courses are offered through self-study. Courses targeted to middle-school through post-secondary education could be appropriate for adult education ABE/ASE teachers. Courses include video programs, print guides, and web interactive activities.

Teachers’ Domain

WGBH Educational Foundation/National Science Foundation

Teachers' Domain is an online library of more than 1,000 free media resources from the best in public television. These easy-to-use classroom resources, featuring media from NOVA, Frontline, Design Squad, American Experience, and other public broadcasting and content partners. Teachers' Domain resources include video and audio segments, Flash interactives, images, documents, lesson plans for teachers, and student-oriented activities. The Adult Education section contains resources in three areas: GED Preparation, Professional Growth, and Workforce Readiness. A Search box in combination with a Grade Level selector and Media Type enable teachers to locate appropriate resources for adult learners.

Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons

This website contains a variety of curated open source teaching tools and resources (lesson plans, activities, assessments, videos, etc) aligned with Common Core State Standards. Users can define searches by grade level (secondary and postsecondary), subject area (arts, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and applied sciences and technology), media format, and materials type.

Reading Instruction

Bringing the Common Core Standards to Life in the Classroom

Thome, Catherine,

This article describes key instructional impacts of the ten Reading Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) from the CCSS. For each of these key topics, the paper describes what it is, what it means for teachers and how teachers can implement the standard: close reading of text, text dependent questions, text complexity, teaching academic and rich vocabulary, informational text, using shorter text, and expanding writing. Adult educators can skip the paragraphs promoting a particular publisher’s reading books.

A Primer on “Close Reading of Text”

Brown, S., and Kappes, L., The Aspen Institute, 2012

This document defines the Close Reading strategy, specifies the six steps of the strategy, discusses the role of background knowledge in Close Reading and discusses five additional considerations when implementing Close Reading.

Close Reading of Text

This search of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons includes more than four dozen resources and exemplars about close reading of text.

Reading Like a Historian

Stanford History Education Group

This curriculum contains 6-9 detailed lesson plans and materials for eleven key periods in US history. Each lesson helps learners practice the skills of close reading of original historical documents and supporting arguments through evidence in the text. Many lessons include side-by-side comparisons of historical texts, similar to tasks included on the GED® 2014 Test.

Strategies to Facilitate Reading Comprehension among College Transition Students

Di Tommaso, K., National College Transition Network and World Education, Inc.

This article advocates for direct instruction in the use of reading strategies for adult learners. Eight reading strategies are described.

Helping Students Understand Text Structures: Informational Problem/Solution

Ryan, M., Learn NC

This exercise (GL 7.0) teaches students to understand the organizational structure of problem/solution essays by having them write "what it says" and "what it does" statements about a text. Learners practice the skills of close reading of text.

Writing Instruction

Answering the Constructed Response Essay Question

Forsyth, S., virtualibrarian, 2011

This site clearly explains the RACE method of constructed response: reword, answer, cite evidence, and explain. In addition to the article on constructed response, teachers can click on the “High School” tab for high school-level lesson plans in English, Science, History, and Math.

Cracking Constructed Response

Esty, B.

This powerpoint has very clear explanations of two frameworks for writing constructed responses - ACES and RACE. Although the examples are from K-8, the strategies are applicable to constructed responses written by learners at any level.

Constructed Response

This site guides teachers in writing constructed response questions for use during instruction. The site identifies the features and sequencing of constructed response questions, identifies higher level thinking skills assessed by constructed response, and describes how to develop a scoring rubric.

24 Months and Counting: Moving Towards Evidence-Based Writing
Goonen, B., Pittman-Shetler, S., National Consultants

This 1-hour recorded webinar explains the skills students will need for the Writing section of the 2014 GED® Test.

or

Math Instruction

The van Hiele Model of the Development of Geometric Thought

Crowley, Mary L., Learning and Teaching Geometry, 1987 Yearbook of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, pp. 1-16.

This article presents an overview of the van Heile model and discusses classroom implications and instructional strategies.

Key Concepts: Pre-Algebra

Glencoe Online

This site contains lesson plans for 27 key algebraic concepts to teach learners.

Numeracy

World Education, facilitated online courses

For course descriptions, dates, and registration:

Foundations of Teaching Adult Numeracy

Teaching Reasoning and Problem-Solving Strategies

Number Sense: Teaching About Parts and Wholes

Geometry: Teaching About Shapes and Measures

Data: Helping Students Interpret Numeric Information

Algebra: Introducing Algebraic Notation

The Components of Numeracy

Ginsburg, L., Manly, M, and Schmitt, M.J. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), December 2006

This seminal paper explores three major components (and numerous subcomponents) that form and construct adult numeracy: Context (the use and purpose for which an adult takes on a task that demands math), Content (the mathematical knowledge needed for the chosen task), and Cognitive and Affective elements (processes that enable a learner to solve problems). The paper concludes with implication for practice in adult education programs.

Adult Numeracy – PD Monthly Advisor and Planner

Miller, J., Colorado Dept. of Education, Adult Education and Family Literacy Office, (2010)

This PD MAP contains over two dozen resources on teaching numeracy skills to adult learners.

Understanding Assessments of High School Equivalency

Assessment Guide for Educators

GED Testing Service®, 2012

The Guide covers the following material about the 2014 GED® Test: Chapter 1: introduction, item types across the four content areas, item layouts, the item samplers, and performance standards. Chapter 2: Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Model, assessment targets for the four content areas, reasoning through language arts test passage requirements, content comparison between the GED® tests of 2002 and 2014. Chapter 3: short answer items, extended response scoring rubrics, and reporting category descriptions for content areas.

GED® Test Item Samplers

This site gives teachers access to example test items for the 2014 GED® test. Teachers can explore and interact with an item sampler for each of the four 2014 tests while connected to the Internet, can download the samplers to view at any time without an Internet connection, and/or can print PDF files with screen shots of the item samplers. Visitors to the site can also view a slide presentation, and/or three brief webinars that describe in depth the purpose, functionality, and tools of the item samplers. Spanish language versions of the item samplers are due out in early 2013.

2002/2014 GED® Test Comparison

KET Adult Learning, 2013

These six charts compare features of the GED® 2002 and 2014 Tests: General Test Differences, Reading and Writing/Reasoning through Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and Scoring.

2014 GED® Webinars – archived

GED Testing Service®

The following webinars were offered live in January 2013. They are now available in archived form.

For a description of the webinar content:

To view the webinars:

• 2014 GED® Test 101
• Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
• Wonderful World of Technology
• Exploring the Reasoning through Language Arts Module of the 2014 GED® Test
• Exploring the Social Studies Module of the 2014 GED® Test
• Exploring the Science Module of the 2014 GED® Test
• Exploring the Mathematical Reasoning Module of the 2014 GED® Test
  

Professional Development and the 2014 GED® Test

Goonen, B. and Pittman-Shetler, S., for the GED Testing Service®, July 2012

This powerpoint presentation describes the new item types on the 2014 GED® test and specifies the key skills that instructors should teach for learners to respond successfully to those item types.

Technology Skills for Assessment

Wonderful World of Technology, webinar (archived)

GED Testing Service®, 2012

This 1-hour archived webinar provides an overview and demonstration of the basic computer skills required for success on the 2014 GED® test such as document writing and editing skills, directional tools, virtual calculator, mathematics formula sheet, and symbol selector. The webinar also identifies steps teachers can take to assist students in gaining the skills needed for computer-based testing.

Take the GED® Test on Computer

GED Testing Service®, 2012

Visitors to this web site understand the benefits of taking the GED® test on computer and can view a tutorial with instructions and practice screens on using a computer to take the GED® test. The tutorial skills apply to the 2002 test; instructions and examples of the GED® 2014 test interactive item types are not included.

Mousing Around

Palm Beach County Library System

(Retrieved 12-15-12)

This program provides practice for very basic mouse skills, such as clicking and clicking and dragging skills.

Goodtyping

(Retrieved 12-15-12)

This program provides 27 graduated lessons designed to help students learn to use their entire keyboards correctly.

Power Typing

(Retrieved 12-16-12)

This site offers typing lessons as well as a small collection of typing games that students can use to develop their typing skills.

TypingWeb

(Retrieved 12-16-12)

TypingWeb is a fee online typing tutor and keyboarding tutorial for all skill levels. This site includes entertaining typing games, typing tests and will track a student’s progress.

Computer Training (Retrieved 12-16-12)

This site hosts free, self-paced tutorials on a multitude of office applications. Users can take a tutorial on Microsoft Word to learn word processing skills.

Calculator Tutorial (Retrieved 12-16-12)

The 2014 GED® test will use a virtual TI30XS MultiView™ calculator. The website above includes a tutorial on using this calculator. In addition, GED Testing Service® will post a calculator tutorial on their website in early 2013.