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:
September 11, 2015
RE:
What's in this Mailing?
The monthly mailing for September will be posted to our website shortly. Please review the information and share
with your staff.

Adult Career Pathways Kick-Off Meeting
The Adult Career Pathways Kick-Off Meeting will be Wednesday, September 16 from 10 AM to 3PM at
Devens Common Center. The Center is located at 31 Andrews Parkway, Devens, MA.
Register here for the meeting. The deadline to register has been extended to Monday, September 14th.
Also please note that if you are attending the meeting on September 16, there will be a concession stand
for breakfast and lunch that is cash only. Lunch must be ordered and paid for no later than 10AM.

Assessment - ESOL Programs:
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.

HiSET® Updates:
-Test at a Glance
-The 2016 Essay
-New Practice Tests

Orientation for New ABE Directors
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Date
Friday, September 18, 2015
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Friday, October 23, 2015
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Friday, February 19, 2016
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Snow Date: Friday, February 26, 2016
Location
ESE75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA
ESE75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA
ESE75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA
ABE Directors may register here for these sessions no later than Friday, September 4, 2015. These sessions
build on one another so plan to attend all three sessions in their entirety.
If Directors are unable to make a session after registration, please email bpope@doe.mass.edu and copy the
Program Specialist. Participants that miss a session may be required to attend the series the following
fiscal year.
Please click here to complete survey no later than Monday, September 14th. Based on the information
received in the survey, the trainings are customized to meet the needs of the participants.

SABES Professional Development Announcements:
-Visit the Statewide Professional Development Calendar at a Glance on the SABES Website
-New Coordinator at the SABES PD Center for English Language Arts
-North Star Digital Literacy Assessment

SMARTT Update:
-Beginning the New Fiscal Year
-Performance Standards Reports for FY15 available in Cognos
-SMARTT Training Schedule
-Automatic Exit – August 15, 2015

State Performance Measures Task Force:
The Adult and Community Learning Services unit has convened a State Performance Measures Task
Force. The tasks of the group are to
1. review the six WIOA performance measures;
2. decide whether those measures should be carried forward as state performance standards;
3. decide which, if any, performance standards from the current state performance standards
should be carried over into a new state performance accountability system;
4. decide if any additional standards should be added; and
5. weight the standards.
HiSET® Updates
As we continue to adjust to the changes in the 2015 HiSET® and prepare for the 2016 tests, the Educational
Testing Service has released preparation information and materials useful for both these purposes.
Test at a Glance
Test at a Glance (TAAG) is a document that provides an outline of the Content and Process Categories for each of
the five subject areas on the HiSET ®.
The Math section of the 2015 TAAG has been updated to include:




descriptions of the topics covered in the basic content categories;
a list of the High School College and Career Readiness Statements that are included in the Mathematics
test;
the calculator policy; and
a list of formulas students should know but which are not on the formula sheet.
The 2016 TAAG contains College and Career Readiness Standards for Reading, Writing and Mathematics. All
subtest areas have been updated to include approximate percentages and new content areas.
In addition, new 2016 Sample Questions for each of the five subtests, with Depth of Knowledge levels, are now
available.
Each of these documents may be accessed through the HiSET ® website,
http://hiset.ets.org/states_educators/resources/downloads/
The 2016 Essay
Starting in 2016, the essay portion of the HiSET ® Writing subtest will require examinees to cite evidence from text,
an important skill emphasized in the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education. Two documents
are now available to assist teachers and students in making this change.

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/
New Practice Tests
Updated practice tests are now available, reflecting the changes to the 2015 Mathematics subtest and the 2016
Language Arts-Writing, Language Arts -Reading, and Mathematics subtests. The new releases include evidencebased writing prompts, a set of a paired passages, and new mathematics items. Although of course the 2016
Science and Social Studies subtests contain completely new items, the Content and Process Categories remain
essentially unchanged; therefore there are no new practice tests in these two subjects. For a breakdown of the
updates and for methods of purchasing the new practice tests, please see the Quick Reference Guide (PDF).
SABES Professional Development Announcements
Visit the Statewide Professional Development Calendar at a Glance on the SABES Website
The SABES Calendar at a Glance (http://www.sabes.org/content/statewide-calendar-glance) provides information
about professional development (PD) activities currently being planned throughout FY16 to help ABE programs
plan PD for the upcoming year. This PD Calendar is designed as a spreadsheet that can be sorted by PD Center,
location of PD, title of PD activity, quarter in which PD will be offered, and type of PD (e.g., face-to-face,
DL). Programs are encouraged to regularly check each SABES PD Center's web page at www.sabes.org and the
SABES Online Registration Calendar at http://sabes.org/calendar for updated information and news.
New Coordinator at the SABES PD Center for English Language Arts
Merilee Freeman, Manager of the SABES PD Center for English Language Arts (ELA), is happy to announce the
addition of Lakshmi Nayak as the new full-time Coordinator for English Language Arts. Lakshmi will be involved in
all aspects of the ELA PD Center work including reviewing programs’ submission of the Scope and Sequence for
ELA, providing technical assistance to the ABE field, and continuing her role in the Standards in Action project from
OCTAE. Lakshmi brings to this new position over 22 years of teaching high school and adult education students.
Most recently she was an Adult Educational Services Teacher where she assisted in the development of ELA
programs at Project Hope in Roxbury. Lakshmi earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science at Wellesley College
and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University. Please join the SABES PD Center for ELA in welcoming
Lakshmi to her new role. She can be reached at lnayak@qcc.mass.edu or 508-854-4379.
North Star Digital Literacy Assessment
The FY 2016 ABE continuation application/RFP issued by ESE/ACLS highlights WIOA’s definition of “workforce
preparation” that includes digital literacy and promotes the integration of digital literacy skills in instruction.
Applicants responding to this RFP were asked to describe how their ABE programs would integrate digital literacy
to prepare students for college and careers. To assist ABE programs in meeting the digital literacy needs of their
students, the SABES PD Center for Distance Learning and Technology Support will provide PD trainings and
support to increase the digital literacy skills of ABE practitioners throughout the state.
As an important next step in this process, practitioners are strongly encouraged to take all seven modules of the
SABES-sponsored North Star Digital Literacy Assessment so that SABES can ascertain practitioner technology
skills and plan appropriate PD. The seven current modules cover the following areas: Basic Computer, World Wide
Web, Windows 7 OR MAC OS X, Using Email, Microsoft Word, Social Media, and Microsoft Excel. North Star is
planning additional modules as time goes on including one on PowerPoint sometime this fall. Practitioners who
complete this assessment are eligible to participate in a “North Star Digital Literacy Assessment Support Session”
that will focus on using the available North Star resources for teachers’ self-help and, even more importantly, for
class materials that teachers can use in their classes to teach students basic digital literacy skills.
For access to the North Star Digital Literacy Assessment, see the Letter to ABE Directors from the SABES PD
Center for Distance Learning and Technology Support at http://www.sabes.org/content/letter-abe-directors-northstar-digital-literacy-assessment.
SMARTT Update
1. Beginning the New Fiscal Year
Please review the Steps to Start the New Fiscal Year found on the ACLS SMARTT Information webpage. This
document outlines important steps that should be completed at the beginning of the fiscal year. In addition to the
directions found in the document, it is important to keep the following in mind:
Post -Planning Class Completion (PPCC). All the classes in your approved FY16 plan (July 2015-June 2016) and
any July and August classes that were approved in FY15 plan will be generated in PPCC. It is important to review
your calendar and make sure that you account for holidays and vacations in the monthly schedule. Only when
PPCC is done will classes show in the Class List for the purpose of teacher assignments and student
enrollment.
Assigning Teachers to Classes. Once PPCC is done, you can assign teachers to classes. NOTE: When attempting
to add an instructor from the staff list to the class, if the teacher does not show on the lookup, it may be because
there are not enough teaching hours in the salary record for this teacher. See examples of this
here: https://smartthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203291660-Teacher-not-showing-when-assigning-to-class
Intaking students from the waitlist. The method for creating full intakes from the waitlist has changed slightly.
Please follow the step outlined here: https://smartthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204727740-WaitlistProcedures .
2. Performance Standards Reports for FY15 available in Cognos
The performance standards reports for Community Adult Learning Centers and Correctional Institutions are now
available in Cognos. NOTE: The high school equivalency credential goal data will continue to be updated through
September 30.
To view your performance standards reports please see the following tutorial:
https://smartthelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203504240-How-to-see-your-Performance-Standard-SummaryReport-in-4-Steps
3. SMARTT Training Schedule
The following trainings are also available on the SABES website at: http://sabes.org/calendar. Register by clicking
on the register icon on the workshop title on the SABES calendar.
September 8 - September 30; October 1 – October 30
SMARTT New User (online)
September 22, 24, 25, and 28
SMARTT/Cognos Update: Starting the New Year (Online)
October 5 – October 30
Intro to Cognos (Online)
October 9 and 19
Intro to Performance Standards (Online)
4. Automatic Exit – August 15, 2015
There were 404 students who were auto exited on August 15, 2015 because they had no attendance for the
months of March through June 2015. SMARTT automatically exits a student from the site when both conditions
below occur:
1) No attendance (class, match, and distance learning curricula attendance) was recorded for a
student during March, April, and May. Note: these months have been “locked out” from data entry.
and
2) Attendance has not been entered for a student during June (the current period *)
for which data entry is allowed.
The next auto exit will be on September 15 for students who had no attendance for April through June 2015.
Automatic Exit Schedule
Automatic Exit
Schedule
December 1
January 15
February 15
March 15
April 15
May 15
June 15
July 15
August 15
Month of Last
Attendance
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
No Attendance in
These Months
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
March
April – June
June 30
* Two months are usually open for data entry but since July attendance information cannot be entered until
after the SMARTT system fiscal year rollover, only June was available for data entry prior to the August 15 th
automatic exit date.
Questions? Please contact Brian Newquist at bnewquist@doe.mass.edu
State Performance Measures Task Force
The Adult and Community Learning Services unit has convened a State Performance Measures Task Force.
The tasks of the group are to
1.
review the six WIOA performance measures;
2.
decide whether those measures should be carried forward as state performance standards;
3.
decide which, if any, performance standards from the current state performance standards should be
carried over into a new state performance accountability system;
4.
decide if any additional standards should be added; and
5.
weight the standards.
The goal of this group is to recommend state performance standards. The task force facilitator will draft a report
that will include the group’s performance standards recommendations along with rationale for each
recommendation.
The recommendations from this group will inform the work of ESE staff in the creation of a state performance
accountability system by which program past performance will be measured in the years ahead.
The new state system will be piloted with the field before it becomes the official new performance accountability
system.
The task force members are:
Martha Oesch – facilitator
ACLS staff:
Jolanta Conway, ABE State Director
Toby Maguire, ABE Assistant Director
Brian Newquist, Senior Data Analyst
Cheryl Ransom, Transition Coordinator/Team Leader
Dana Varzan-Parker, Assessment Specialist/Program Specialist
ABE field staff:
Elaine Dougherty, YMCA, Woburn Adult Education Director
Maria Kefallinou, Quinsigamond Community College Adult Education Director
Judith Kocik, Valley Opportunity Council, Adult Education Director
George Kohout, Springfield Technical Community College, Adult Education Director
Kevin O’Connor, Framingham ESOL Plus, Adult Education Coordinator
The meeting dates and locations are as follows:
Sept. 3 – ESE, Malden
Sept. 10, 17, and 24 – Worcester
Oct. 8 – Worcester
Oct. 22 – ESE, Malden