PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
These practices include
- Selecting the correct subject for progress testing
- Improving test environment
- Generating student testing hour report weekly to be distributed to front end staff and instructors to ensure eligible students are assessed
- Student folder sticker system to identify student hours/progress
- Implementing Burlington English if gain is not earned upon 1st progress test
- Creating a TABE 11/12 aligned curriculum using Scoreboost materials
- Providing Test Hour report to staff
LIVE AND LEARN, MESSY MOMENTS
The many changes for this year in adult education have all been challenging. This program has had to move locations during implementation of this product. The challenges of implementing TABE 11/12 along with errors displayed in KAERS have made the assessment process more difficult. Through this product, many observations have been made and the staff has shown great flexibility and perseverance.
We kept telling our PLC coach that we don’t feel like we’ve created a “product”; what we have done is modify our practices and procedures. Like everyone else, we’ve been through some major changes this year, so many that it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was causing our Academic Performance to suffer the way it has. Never in the past 6 years has our Academic Performance been as low as it was earlier this year. We always just “did what we did” and “got what we got”, and it was always at or above the state mandated goal. This year, our Jessamine Learning Center moved to a new location, the TABE changed, our GED® goal was increased by 31% in Jessamine, we took on a new county (Woodford), our Woodford Learning Center ALSO moved mid-year, we had new goals, etc. Amidst all that, though we stayed on track with our GED® goal, our academic performance floundered. These brainstorming sessions helped us turn that around, and we believe we will reach 57% by June 30th.
MASTERY MOMENTS
The program has discovered that weekly staff meeting are better suited for Mondays rather than the planned Wednesdays. This has allowed staff to be aware of which students need to be assessed for the week ahead. The staff is proud of the improvements in points gained and new student enrollment.
Results of Product
Ultimately, our product’s effectiveness will be judged by our final MSG performance percentage. At our target deadline (May 1st), our academic performance was 50%, the goal we set for this PLC project. As of the week this submission is due, May 21st, it is now 51%. With only 8 MSGs remaining to reach the KYSU goal of 57%, we now see that we are in a good position to reach our state goal…something we didn’t think possible when we were hovering at 35% just a few months ago.
WHAT DO WE NEED TO CLONE THIS PRODUCT?
We think other programs can easily adopt some of the procedures. We have included a template for our “GED® Candidate Spreadsheet”. Though we also use GED Manager™, this internally produced document helps us keep track of GED® candidates from PAST YEARS who haven’t completed the test. We often reach out to people not currently enrolled, and this spreadsheet is a great tool to go over periodically in staff meetings to make sure we leave no stone unturned as we work toward our GED® goal.
We have also included the TABE 11/12 Math Test analysis created by one of our instructors. Though we are starting to see more textbooks aligned with the test, like everyone else we struggled at the beginning of the year to find appropriate materials…so we created our own. We hope you find this helpful.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
Staff responsibilities can be found in the blank document below. Timelines can be customized for each program.
