Hi Sandy,

I agree with Tina that by creating a sense of community students feel
comfortable and open to risk taking in their learning.  I have a
transitions to college program that is based on a cohort model. The
students take the same classes and build bonds with each other that
carry over when they enroll into their college programs.  The retention
in that program is high, 86%.  Kudos to your teachers.

Toni

 

Toni F. Borge

Adult Education & Transitions Program Director

Bunker Hill Community College

Chelsea Campus

175 Hawthorne Street

Chelsea, MA  02150

Phone: 617-228-2108   *  Fax:617-228-2106

E-mail: tborge at bhcc.mass.edu

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter." Martin Luther King Jr.

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 5:40 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 722] Re: Using Data for Program Improvementbegins
today!

 

Hi Sandy,

 

I think you answered your own question. Teachers who create a sense of
community are always already more successful at retention. Sometimes it
is difficult to put a finger on exactly what that factor is that creates
the environment, but a caring instructor is predisposed to generate
great results regardless of time of day, demographics of the classroom,
or whatever variables are offered. 

 

Tina





Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu

 

-----assessment-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: -----

To: "The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov>
From: "Sandy Strunk" <sandy_strunk at IU13.org>
Sent by: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov
Date: 04/16/2007 12:29PM
Subject: [Assessment 719] Re: Using Data for Program Improvementbegins
today!

Tina and Larry, 

I do this, too, but I'm also very interested in positive deviance. How
is it that some teachers, who work in very challenging settings, are
able to produce such significant results? For example, there's a teacher
in our program, let's call her Miranda, who consistently has high
enrollment, wonderful retention and excellent student achievement. I can
assign her to ABE/GED, ESL, family literacy, day, evening - it just
doesn't seem to matter. It's a much harder data collection question,
because she thinks she's doing what everyone else is doing and,
ostensibly, she is. What jumps out at me when I visit her class is the
sense of community she's able to build that seems to be based on her
belief that her students will accomplish great things. 

 

Sandy Strunk 

Program Director for Community Education 

Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 

1020 New Holland Avenue 

Lancaster , PA 17601 

(717) 606-1873 

________________________________

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 2:41 PM 
To: The Assessment Discussion List 
Subject: [Assessment 715] Re: Using Data for Program Improvementbegins
today! 

 


Hi there, 

 I like to use state database information to show me which teachers are
needing assistance and which teachers are modeling good practices. The
database is certainly not a final word, as we all have had groups of
students that performed well or poorly regardless of instruction.  The
data is a good place to show red flags, however. Student assessments and
staff self-assessments are also great for predicting professional
development needs. Data can also help us see what people groups we are
reaching with advertising, and which people groups are not. Then we can
create new means of recruitment for our program. 

Tina 



Tina Luffman 
Coordinator, Developmental Education 
Verde Valley Campus 
928-634-6544 
tina_luffman at yc.edu 

"Condelli, Larry" <LCondelli at air.org> 
Sent by: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov 


04/16/2007 09:15 AM 

Please respond to 
The Assessment Discussion List <assessment at nifl.gov> 

To 

"The Assessment Discussion List" <assessment at nifl.gov> 

cc 

 

Subject 

[Assessment 713] Re: Using Data for Program Improvement begins
today! 

 

 

 




Hi Everyone, 
  
It is a pleasure to be a guest on the list this week and my thanks to
Marie for asking me and organizing this. 
  
There is a strong federal initiative to promote use of data for program
improvement at the state and level.  Through the National Reporting
system project which I direct, we have conducted several training and
technical assistance activities over the past 4 years on this topic,
including two general training seminars on using data and more specific
ones on promoting adult education programs, monitoring, developing state
and local report cards. All of the training materials and other
information on the topic, including sample work from states, is
available on the NRSWeb website, which Marie has referenced. 
  
All of the other guests have done a great deal of interesting work and
many of them attended our training (and Sandy Strunk served as a trainer
for us a few years back). 
  
I will be interested to get your questions and learn of your
experiences, as well as the responses from the other guests. 

________________________________


From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Marie Cora 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 7:29 AM 
To: Assessment at nifl.gov 
Subject: [Assessment 710] Using Data for Program Improvement begins
today! 

Good morning, afternoon and evening to you all.   
  
Today begins our discussion on Using Data for Program Improvement.  I
have pasted the announcement below - please note that there have been
some edits to Guest bios.  Also, I am trying to send 4 attachments (they
are power points) but I'm having a tough time getting them through the
server.  For now, you have the announcement below and as soon as I
arrange access to the Power Points, I'll let you know.  If you received
the original announcement that I sent, you have one of the attachments
already ("Using Data Effectively DCornellier").  Thank you for your
patience with this. 
  
Also, I would like to acknowledge that today is Patriot's Day and is
celebrated in many corners of the United States .  Some of our guests,
as well as subscribers, may not be present on-line with us today and
this is fine - they will catch up with us tomorrow.  For anyone ready to
begin, please feel free to post your messages. 
  
I'll start us off by asking our guests to briefly describe how they use
data in their work to improve literacy services.  Subscribers, please
post your questions and share your own experiences using data.  What
type of data would you like to track and why? 
  
Thanks! 
  
Marie Cora 
Assessment Discussion List Moderator 
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