Hi Robin:

I was wondering if the GED-Plus project in Florida is a resource for all
adult education programs in Florida.  Their website is a wealth of
information on the model (e.g., implementation guide, newsletters,
discussion board, etc.) and has a curriculum resource guide that is the
biggest compendium of study skills I've ever seen.

GED-Plus College Prep Program website:
http://www.floridatechnet.org/gedplus/

Cynthia






>>> "Matusow, Robin I." <RMatusow at dadeschools.net> 02/06/09 7:25 AM >>>


Yes I would love a copy. I am part of an adhoc group in Florida and we
are working on these issues.
Robin Matusow
Rehabilitation Instructional Specialist
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Regional Operations
(305) 995-1842



-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Susan Kidd
Sent: Thu 2/5/2009 4:34 PM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 1705] Re: Adult Ed Math & Accuplacer, cont.
 
A couple of years ago a group of ABE math teachers from Washington State
looked at the content of  CASAS Life Skills and Employability, the GED
and both the COMPASS and ASSET Numeracy/Pre-Algebra tests. If anyone
would like to see the crosswalk they created, I'd be glad to send you a
copy.


Susan

Susan Kidd
ABE Professional Development Coordinator
State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
office phone: 509-682-6968
cell phone: 509-630-4520
skidd at sbctc.edu



From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Joyce Winters
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 9:50 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 1696] Re: Adult Ed Math & Accuplacer, cont.

Thanks so much for your work and offer to share it, Tom.  Has anyone
also done this kind of work with the Compass placement test?


Joyce Winters,
Professional Development Specialist
NWRC/Owens Community College
2249 Tracy Road, Room 169
Northwood, Ohio 43619
567-661-7675
joyce_winters at owens.edu<mailto:joyce_winters at owens.edu>



>>> "Mechem, Thompson" <tmechem at doe.mass.edu> 2/5/2009 10:35 AM >>>

Ramsey, et al.---

Well, I can tell you what in my amateurish way I have done. For a number
of years part of my job has been to make presentations to GED teachers
and program directors regarding what skill sets are needed for success
on the five parts of the GED tests. As you know, no one can see the GED
tests, so it's hard for teachers to know what to teach or what it means
that one of their students got a 410 on the Writing test, and so on. The
GED Testing Service in Washington provides us with valuable information
on the most-missed questions (based on their analysis of every test
taken world-wide since January 1, 2002); we have the GED Item-Writing
Manuals, which give valuable insights into the philosophy of how the GED
questions are formulated; and we pester the GEDTS at every opportunity
for more info. Teachers have found this to be valuable for the most
part.

Lately I have focused more on the Math because it is the main reason for
GED failures and it is far and away the main reason that GED grads end
up in developmental courses.

Last spring, after it finally sunk in that GED grads were not getting
anywhere near as far as they needed in post-secondary education, that a
great majority  were wallowing in (mostly math) developmental courses,
that poor performance on the ACCUPLACER math test was one of the main
reasons for that, and that there was no correlation between a GED math
score and an ACCUPLACER algebra score, I took the ACCUPLACER Algebra
test (something I recommend everyone interested in this subject to do).
And I almost threw up, not just for myself, trying to battle through it,
but for our GED grads, knowing what it was going to look like to them.
So I took the ACCUPLACER dozens more times and I have put together
another presentation for teachers and program directors which talks
about the differences (in philosophy, in how the test is presented and
taken, and in the skills sets needed) and starts the dialogue as to how
we can create a GED math curriculum that prepares our students to pass
the GED tests, do well enough on the ACCUPLACER to avoid developmental
courses, and succeed in college Math classes.

(Here's a brief example: if the GED test wants you to use the formula
for the area of a rectangle, it will create a "real-life" situation in a
word problem, somebody building a patio or whatever, and the answer will
be what our GED students consider an "answer," "460 square feet" or
something like that. On the ACCUPLACER, the rectangle will have a width
of "x" and a length of "x + 3," so the area will be (I can't type the
exponent, but...) "x2 + 3x" and all the multiple-choice wrong answers
will be in that form, more or less.)

These presentations have been great for me because of the tremendous
enthusiasm and input from the teachers, "Well, here's a difficulty you
present and here's how I address that in my class." And the discussion
this week has been fabulous in that respect as well: so many dedicated
people and so many fantastic ideas I can hardly steal them all.

If anyone were to e-mail me off-list, I could send you my PowerPoint
presentation: one man's opinion, a work in progress, but perhaps food
for further thought.

Tom Mechem
GED State Chief Examiner
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
781-338-6621
"GED to Ph.D."
-----Original Message-----
From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Ramsey Ludlow
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 8:50 AM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 1684] Re: Adult Ed Math & Accuplacer, cont.
Very interesting, Donna. You refer to Tom Mechem's  identification of
the math that is tested on the Accuplacer. What are those, and how do we
get that info?

Thanks,

Ramsey Ludlow
Oxford / Buckfield Hills Adult Education
South Paris, Maine 04281

Donna Chambers wrote:
Jessie,

Thank you for bringing up the issue of the less rigorous current NEDP
math requirements.  As you mentioned, CASAS is in the process of
revalidating the competencies, but we cannot wait for this work to be
completed.  Here is how we are planning to address this in RI to be fare
to the NEDP graduates who are planning to move on to college or other
post-secondary programs through our Transitions program.

All NEDP candidates are informed when they first enter the program that
by fulfilling the national requirements they will still need further
work to meet the demands of most post-secondary programs.   Since our
pilot will blend both TTC and NEDP, candidates will fulfill the NEDP
math requirements as a first step and a base.  This math is basic
arithmetic.  Our combined National External Diploma Program/Transitions
to College Program will have the additional requirements of learning,
practicing and being assessed in the math that is being tested on the
Accuplacer (which my good buddy, Tom Mechem, has so painstakingly
identified.)   This is targeted scaffold instruction that requires
competency-based assessment (no one gets by without demonstrating
understanding).  You might call this NEDP Plus,  since these
participants will be going beyond the NEDP competencies to earn their
diploma. The reading and writing will also have increased rigor.  What
we will be doing is adding RI Transitions to College requirements to the
NEDP requirements.  This work does not change the existing NEDP
requirements, but offers additional activities beyond for our Rhode
Islanders.

Massachusetts Adult Diploma Program has a similar process in that all
diploma participants must meet the state MCAS rcompetency determination
before a diploma can be awarded.  In many ways, these graduates are more
ready academically to transition into college because they are required
to demonstrate understanding.

I hope this helps.
Donna Chambers



  ----- Original Message -----
From: Jessie Stadd<mailto:jstadd at gmail.com>
To: Assessment at nifl.gov<mailto:Assessment at nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 7:13 PM
Subject: [Assessment 1677] Adult Ed Math & Accuplacer, cont.

Hi All,
I am the Program Coordinator for Academy of Hope and Beyond Talent's
Pathways College Preparation Program, currently Washington D.C.'s only
college prep program for adult learners.  Unlike states where adult ed
programs are housed in community colleges or public schools, the
district relies on community-based non-profit organizations such as
ours. In addition to Pathways, Academy of Hope offers ABE/GED classes
and Beyond Talent offers peer-mentoring to non-traditional graduates.

Pathways follows the College Prep model and is comprised of three
month-long modules: writing, math, and college prep & career development
(applications, financial aid documents, etc.).  Our Pathways students
are primarily GED or EDP graduates, although we have had several high
school graduates in the program. All enter the program with generally
weak math skills. Most will attend our local university, UDC, or
neighboring community colleges in Virginia or Maryland, all of which use
the Accuplacer. Prior to starting, most of our GED and EDP graduates
placed into remedial math classes.

To address your point, Donna, while all of our students need extra work
in math, we have found that GED graduates generally have higher math
skills than our EDP graduates. Our GED graduates have some understanding
of algebra (at least of its existence!) but that is not the case for the
EDP grads. EDP learners entering the program scored in the 210s and 220s
on the B level math CASAS. As a GED instructor, I had always felt that
the less rigorous math requirements of EDP were a benefit and allowed
students to earn a credential who otherwise might not. However, as a
college prep program coordinator, EDP is doing a disservice to its
students who believe that since they earned an actual high school
diploma they are prepared for college. I understand that EDP is now in
the process of revamping their competencies to increase the amount of
math required. For those students who are interested in pursuing higher
education, I do believe this is a positive step.

Thank you,
Jessie Stadd
AoH Program Coordinator, Pathways College Preparation Program
Lifelong Learning Coach, Academy of Hope/Beyond Talent
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