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:
October 16, 2015
RE:
What's in this Mailing?
The monthly mailing for October will be posted to our website shortly. Please review the information and share with
your staff.

Assessment Update
-Reminder: FY16 New MAPT Assessment Policy – Effective Date July 1, 2015
-Update on BEST Plus
-Assessment Samples Needed

Career Readiness Initiative Update
-Highlight of the Week
-Snapshot of the Field
-Tips from the Field

Commonwealth Workforce Coalition (CWC) Call for Presenters
The CWC’s 13th Annual Workforce Development Conference will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at the
Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge, MA.
CWC is soliciting workshop proposals by providers and staff from community-based education and training
programs, housing services, youth employment, homeless services, adult education, community colleges,
career centers, workforce investment boards, community development organizations, and supportive
services agencies from across the state that highlight best practices, innovative solutions, and practical
tools and models for workforce training, employment, and education programs and partnerships that
support low-income individuals and families on the pathway to economic success.
The call for workshop presentations is available on the 2016 CWC Conference website.
Proposals must be submitted electronically to dramirez@cedac.org by November 6, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. If
you have any issues accessing the proposal form, contact Dilia L. Ramirez at dramirez@cedac.org or (617)
727-5944.

Curriculum Update
-Programs’ Scope and Sequence Submissions August 2015
-Preparing for the November Conference Implementing the College and Career Standards in the ABE and
ESOL Classroom
-The Important of Backward Design in Curriculum Development

HiSET® Updates
-The 2016 Reading Subtest
-The 2016 Essay
-The 2016 Math Subtest
-The 2016 Science and Social Studies

Professional Development Announcements
Remember to visit the SABES Statewide Professional Development Calendar at a Glance on the SABES
Website
Registration is now open for the ACLS and SABES Conference on Implementing the College and Career
Readiness Standards in the ABE and ESOL Classroom.
In addition, be sure to check out the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS), where
teachers can find College and Career Readiness Standards Instructional Resources in math and ELA.

SMARTT Update
-Performance Standard Adjustment
-Project Role and Staff updates
-Automatic Exit – September 15, 2015
Assessment Updates
1. Reminder: FY16 New MAPT Assessment Policy — Effective Date July 1, 2015
Starting FY 2016, ABE programs in CALCs must administer pre-and post- assessments with ASE level (GLE 9–12)
students in both the MAPT for Reading and the MAPT for Math. Programs are encouraged to make design
changes to support this transition. Programs would still need to set a primary assessment area in SMARTT.
However, learners scoring 600 or above on the MAPT test are excluded from the pre- and post-test percentage,
and are not required to complete a MAPT post-test in their primary assessment area.
2. Update on BEST Plus
A new version of BEST Plus-BEST Plus 2.0-was approved by the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education
(OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education. The new version will be available starting July 1 st 2016.
What has changed:



40% of the test items replaced with new pictures and better test items
The test administrator guide (TAG) for initial training
The NRS score ranges
What has not changed:



The basic structure of the test
The BEST plus rubric
The BEST Plus initial training and the recertification training requirements in MA
In FY2016 ACLS-funded programs using the BEST Plus will continue to use the current version until June 30,
2016. BEST Plus 2.0 will be available for purchase starting February 1 st, 2016 but programs must start
administering BEST Plus 2.0 only after July 1st 2016 (FY2017).
Starting July 1st 2016, programs must use only the BEST Plus 2.0 (the new version) for pre- and post-testing.
Programs cannot use the current BEST Plus for pre-testing and BEST Plus 2.0 for post-testing.
This also means that programs will not be allowed to copy over any tests administered after April 30 th 2016. We
recommend programs start thinking and planning for the arrangements needed to accommodate this policy change
in FY2017.
Further, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) or ACLS will not be able to refund the cost of any unused BEST
Plus tests. However any balance of test administrations programs may have after July 1 st 2016 at CAL and on the
computers will automatically carry over and these tests will automatically be converted into BEST Plus 2.0.
Finally, certified BEST Plus administrators following MA recertification in February 2016 do not need to retrain to be
able to administer BEST Plus 2.0.
Webinars from the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) will be available soon to find out more information about
BEST Plus 2.0. ACLS will inform the field of the webinar dates as soon as these dates are released.
For more information on BEST Plus 2.0 changes in MA, the new FY2016 MAPT policy or any assessment queries
in general, please contact Dana Varzan-Parker, ACLS Assessment Specialist, at email: dvarzanparker@doe.mass.edu or telephone: 781-338-3811.
3. Assessment Samples Needed
In preparation for the annual TABE CLAS-E recertification test in the spring, ACLS and the SABES Assessment
Center need samples of student-written responses to CLAS-E Expository Writing items of all levels (1-4).
We would appreciate if practitioners would send these samples to Joan Ford, Director of SABES Assessment
Center, at joan.ford@bristolcc.edu. Please make sure not to include student names or scores on the samples.
Career Readiness Initiative Update
The Career Readiness Initiative (CRI) has started a bi-weekly newsletter aimed at highlighting programs in the field
that are using ACT Career Ready 101 in innovative ways. The Hampden County Sherriff’s Office was the focus of
the first edition. The story of the program’s success helping six of its students earn the National Career Readiness
Certificate (NCRC) is included in the mailing. Programs that are interested in being featured in future editions
should email the CRI: careerreadiness@massmail.state.ma.us.
Highlight of the week!
Hampden County Sheriff’s Department (HCSD) offers a variety of educational programs for those currently
incarcerated as well as ex-offenders who seek services at the Re-Entry Center in Springfield. With the support and
leadership of Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr., the HCSD has become a leader in correctional education within
Massachusetts and beyond our state borders. Hampden County was the first correctional facility in the state,
for example, to offer computer based testing for the HiSET. With support from the administration, this facility
and its satellite programs were able to offer the Internet- based Career Ready 101 program. The inmate population
at the Main Institution, custodial students from minimum security as well as ex-offenders had access to this
program for the purposes of becoming academically prepared for the workplace.
During the summer of 2015, a group of twelve students enrolled in an intensive Career Ready 101 class at the After
Incarceration Support Services (AISS) Center. The majority of this cohort had recently graduated from the
Transition to College and Careers program also offered at AISS. These college-bound students were able to
engage in Career Ready 101 learning five mornings a week for two hours each time the class met. The class ran
for eight weeks with the goal of having 75% of the class prepared to take the WorkKeys Assessment to earn the
National Career Readiness Certificate. Of the twelve who started, nine of the students completed 40 hours of
computer-based instruction in CR 101 and had successfully attained the highest levels in the three areas that
WorkKeys would assess (Reading for information, Locating information, and Applied mathematics). Their post-test
scores indicated they were ready for the WorkKeys Assessment. Due to movement and relocation of three
students, only six were able to test and they all earned an NCRC certificate. Two of the students earned GOLD
and the other four earned SILVER. A grant from the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education that supported the
Transition to College and Careers class had funding to pay for these students to test at Holyoke Community
College.
Snapshot of the Field
The six students who tested for the NCRC all have plans to continue their education either at the postsecondary
level or in a certificate program in the coming months. This cohort of students entered the Transition to College
and Careers programs with the goal of improving their Accuplacer test scores that would determine their placement
in English and math once enrolled in college. With the successful completion of that goal, these students were
eager to take on the next challenge and continue to sharpen their academic skills to be college and career ready.
The Career Ready 101 program allowed many of these students to continue on their educational journey while also
gaining workplace skills. They wanted a program that would keep them engaged and challenged while waiting for
their fall programs to commence. Two students received Gold on the NCRC: one plans to pursue a STEM degree
at Holyoke Community College and the other continues to work toward sobriety and is enrolled for the spring
semester at Holyoke Community College. The other four students who earned Silver on the NCRC also have plans
to continue with some form of higher education. One is enrolled at Springfield Technical College, two have also
enrolled at Holyoke Community College and the fourth hopes to finish a certificate program to become a Drug and
Alcohol Counselor.
Tips from the field
Becky and Gloria the primary teachers at Hampden County believe in building community. They stress that a team
approach to coaching and motivating students gets the best results when using Career Ready 101. They made it
mandatory that their students log in at least 40 hours of training with the program during their 8 week class that met
5 times a week for 2 hours. Their summer program was solely based on Career Ready 101 and they focused
mainly on Math, Reading, and Locating information. For students who were able to move quickly, they assigned
lessons from the Soft Skills Suite that focused on Problem Solving and Critical Thinking.
Gloria and Becky said that they enjoyed working with CR101 because it:
 Builds computer skills
 Will help students find a job through Career Exploration tool
 Builds confidence in students
 Aids in training for the Accuplacer
The staff at the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department can be reached by email or phone.
Susanne Campagna, Education Manager, susanne.campagna@sdh.state.ma.us (413) 547-8000 ext. 2440
Rebecca Labrie, Academic Instructor, rebecca.labrie@sdh.state.ma.us (413) 547-8000 ext. 2470
Gloria Granfield, Computer Instructor, gloria.granfield@sdh.state.ma.us (413) 547-8000 ext. 2437
Curriculum Update, October 2015
Programs’ Scope and Sequence Submissions August 2015
Ninety eight ABE and ESOL programs submitted a curricular scope and sequence for one level in English
Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, or ESOL. ACLS received 113 submissions in total, because a number of
programs submitted a scope and sequence for more than one content area or more than one level. As a result,
there were:



26 submissions in Mathematics
35 in ELA
52 in ESOL
ACLS wishes to extend a sincere thank you to all programs for their submissions. It is clear that the majority of
program staff spent many hours discussing what would be included in their scope and sequence and how it would
support learners’ next steps to college and/or career. We know that curriculum development is intensive and
difficult work, and we appreciate the seriousness and level of detail with which programs tackled their program’s
scope and sequence.
Since the scope and sequences have been submitted, ACLS has shared copies with reviewers in the Mathematics,
ELA, and ESOL SABES PD Centers and Jane has been in discussion with all three centers regarding individual
submissions and the feedback which will go to each program. Tom Mechem has already read all of the
Mathematics submissions and Jane Schwerdtfeger is reading all of the ELA and ESOL submissions. The next step
will be that program directors receive feedback on their submission(s) via email from either Donna Curry (director of
the SABES Math PD Center), Merilee Freeman (director of the SABES ELA PD Center), or Dori McCormack
(director of the SABES ESOL PD Center). Care has been taken to ensure that feedback will be relatively consistent
in amount and detail.
The Math, ELA, and ESOL PD Center directors and Jane are using the three scope and sequence templates and
the Scope and Sequence Checklist to evaluate submissions. Depending on the feedback recommended, programs
may be encouraged to attend specific professional development, and/or receive assistance from a curriculum
coach at one or more SABES PD centers. Some programs will be asked by ACLS to allow parts of their scope and
sequence to be posted as exemplars on the ACLS and SABES web pages. The three centers expect to send
feedback to programs by mid-October. The feedback will be relatively brief, focused on the most important
strengths and areas in need of strengthening for each submission. After receiving the initial written feedback,
programs will have the opportunity to contact the appropriate PD center for more in-depth feedback.
A natural next step in this process would be for programs to develop instructional units and lessons, the building
blocks of a full curriculum. To that end, the November conference Implementing the College and Career Standards
in the ABE and ESOL Classroom will be devoted to this process. Participant teams will further their understanding
and development of their scope and sequence and units. National experts will provide advice and address program
teams’ questions regarding scope and sequence, unit development, and alignment to the standards. The skills and
knowledge gleaned from this conference will be of vital importance as programs flesh out the curriculum
submissions due June 30, 2016. Programs may access information on and registration for this conference on the
SABES website.
Preparing for the November Conference Implementing the College and Career Standards in the ABE and
ESOL Classroom
The conference is still a few weeks away, but please make sure to register for either November 19 or November
20th to save your seat at the conference! The speakers promise to be enlightening and helpful to all programs’
scope and sequence work.
Also, please be ready to dig into the standards and participate in in-depth discussions about what standards
implementation looks like in the ABE and ESOL classroom. The past two CCR conferences have supported
program staff in learning about the CCR standards, and so this conference will be moving forward to use our
knowledge about the standards to put them into greater action in our teaching. For staff who would like more
opportunities to learn about the standards before the conference, the LINCS website has very helpful materials
about the CCR standards materials for all levels of users: CCR Standards: The Instructional Advances (or Shifts) in
ELA Literacy and CCR Standards: The Instructional Advances (or Shifts) in Mathematics. ACLS and SABES
encourage you to check them out—to be used either on one’s own, or as a group discussion topic for an upcoming
staff meeting. The materials contain all one needs to facilitate a discussion, including PPT, facilitation notes,
activities, and answer sheets.
The Importance of Backward Design in Curriculum Development
The term “backward design” refers to a three-step process of curriculum development in which the first step is to
identify the desired results or intended outcomes that teachers want students to learn as a result of the instruction.
The second step is to specify the assessment evidence the teacher will use to determine whether or not (or how
well) students learned what was taught. Only then, during the final step, does a teacher develop the learning plan
that will support students to reaching the desired results (e.g., outcomes). This process was described in the book
Understanding By Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. This book is an invaluable resource to ABE teachers
in developing instruction that is focused and aligned to content standards. Backward design is the curriculum
method that ACLS and SABES PD Centers of Math, ELA and ESOL believe is most effective. These SABES
Centers also base their curriculum development PD on the backward design model. ACLS and SABES encourage
programs to understand the fundamentals of this method and use it for their curriculum work.
There are many ways to learn about Understanding by Design, which is published by ASCD. A short and quite
concise book that is an excellent introduction to backward design is Solving 25 problems in Unit Design, by Jay
McTighe and Grant Wiggins (2015, ASCD). At 55 pages and about $10, this book is an easy read, affordable,
certain to help programs strengthen their curriculum units and improve instruction to adult learners.
Have You Visited These Websites Lately?
Many new materials of use to ABE teachers have been uploaded to Student Achievement Partners, ReadWorks,
Illustrative Mathematics, and LearnZillion. We encourage you to check them out as you continue working on
curriculum development.
Questions, Comments, or Suggestions?
Please contact Jane Schwerdtfeger at janes@doe.mass.edu.
HiSET® Updates
The 2016 HiSET will contain subtle but significant changes from the current test. Although there are several months
before the new test is rolled out, it is not too early for teachers to familiarize themselves with these changes and, to
the extent appropriate, adapt their instruction accordingly. Below are some of the key changes in selected subtests.
The 2016 Reading Subtest


Includes a set of paired passages and related questions
Greater emphasis is placed on close reading: the interpretation of individual words, phrases, and
sentences.
The 2016 Essay
Two documents are now available to assist teachers and students in adapting to these changes.


The 2016 Scored Sample Writing Responses document includes an evidence-based writing prompt and six
sample essays with commentary, one for each of the six essay scoring points.
The 2016 Writing Response Scoring Guide is the updated scoring rubric for the 2016 essay.
Both of these documents may be accessed through the HiSET ® website,
http://hiset.ets.org/states_educators/resources/downloads/
Two other important points of consideration for the 2016 Essay:


The Essay must have evidence from at least one of the paired passages. If not, the examinee will
receive a “0”.
The Essay must make reference to the opposing viewpoint of the examinee. If the examinee is arguing
‘Yes,” she must at least acknowledge the possibility of “No.”
The 2016 Math Subtest


Items involving imaginary/complex numbers, added to the 2015 test, have been removed for 2016.
The 2016 Formula Sheet has been re-formatted and will contain trigonometric ratios.
The 2016 Science and Social Studies
Subtests contain completely new items but the Content and Process Categories remain essentially unchanged.
SMARTT Update, October 2015
1. Performance Standard Adjustment
We want to thank the Directors’ Council and several programs for identifying the discrepancy between the
posted FY15 adjusted cut points for Average Attended Hours and the Cognos Performance Standards Reports.
The SMARTT Update section of the June 2015 Monthly Mailing described an adjustment to the benchmarks for
the Average Attended Hours performance standard. Unfortunately, that mailing included the wrong table, and
the cut points shown were based on fewer than the seven months of attendance intended for the adjustment.
However, the FY15 Performance Standard Report for Average Attended Hours was based on the correct
adjusted cut points.
Our analysis of the discrepancy included a review of the full year data. ACLS realized that programs statewide
were penalized by the adjusted standard. By applying the regular twelve-month standard, five programs will
gain two points, 40 programs will gain one point, 38 will remain the same, and one program will lose one point.
Because the data from the full twelve months shows an overall increase in the number of programs awarded
more performance points, ACLS will not use the adjusted performance standard for Average Attended Hours.
The following will be the basis for the awarding of performance points for fiscal year 2015:
Average Attended Hours
Definition:
Total number of attended hours divided by the total number of students. (Attended hours includes rates
based, non-rates based, and volunteer match hours.)
Standard:
Programs ensure that students attend between 130 and 159 average attended hours.
Benchmarks:
# of points Cut Points for Average Attended
Hours
Advanced
3
160 and above
Meets Standard
2
130 – 159
Needs Improvement
1
105 -129
Remedial Action
0
Less than 105
Includes:
 Projects with fund codes 340, 345, and 359
 Students with attendance greater than 0 hours
 All attended hours --- rate based class attendance, non rate based class attendance, and volunteer
match hours
Excludes:
 Non rate based class focus of “SA: GED Content Area”
 Students enrolled only in “Transitions Math” or “Transitions Writing” non rate based classes
 Distance Learning directly enrolled students -- those directly referred to the Hub by the Community
Adult Learning Center (CALC) Option 1 or 2 sites
At the request of the Directors’ Council, ALCS also reviewed the Pre/Post Test and Learning Gains
performance standards reports and compared full-year performance to 7-month performance. Programs fared
better using the twelve-month standards so there is no need for any adjustments.
2. Project Role and Staff Updates
Correct work email addresses need to be entered in the staff screens since the ACLS listservs are based on
the emails in the staff section in SMARTT. Make sure that correct project and site coordinator names are
entered in the project and site screens so that appropriate staff receive ACLS announcements. If a staff
member has left your program, please exit the staff member so s/he will not continue to get ACLS updates.
3. Automatic Exit – September 15, 2015
472 students who had no attendance for the months of April 2015 through June 2015 were auto exited on
September 15, 2015 and assigned exit dates of June 30, 2015. SMARTT automatically exits a student from the
site when both conditions below occur:
 No attendance (class, match, and distance learning curricula attendance) was recorded for that student
during the three most recent months which have been “locked out” from data entry, (August, September,
October); and
 No attendance has yet been entered for that student during the current two month period
(November and December) for which data entry is allowed.
The next auto exit will be on December 1, 2015 for students who had no attendance for July 2015 through
November 2015.
Automatic Exit
Schedule
Month of Last
Attendance
No Attendance in
These Months
December 1, 2015
January 15, 2016
February 15, 2016
March 15, 2016
April 15, 2016
May 15, 2016
June 15,2016
July 15, 2015
August 15, 2015
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
July – November
August – December
September – January
October – February
November – March
December – April
January – May
February – June
March - June
System
Assigned
Exit Date
June 30
July 31
August 31
September 30
October 31
November 30
December 31
June 30
June 30
September 15, 2015
March
April – June
June 30
Questions? Please contact Brian Newquist at bnewquist@doe.mass.edu