Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Programs and People: 

Wyvonne Stevens-Carter
State Adult Education Director
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
15 Pleasant Street
Malden, Massachusetts 02148
Phone: (781) 338-3835
wyvonne.stevens-carter@doe.mass.edu

Assessments: 

ABE: Massachusetts Adult Proficiency Test (MAPT) Reading and Math; TABE 9 & 10 – Writing
ESL: BEST Plus; TABE CLAS-E Reading and Writing

Data Systems: 

Literacy, Adult and Community Education System (LACES) by LiteracyPro Systems, Inc.

Followup Methods: 

GED: Data Match
Employment: Data Match and Survey
Transition to Postsecondary Education or Training: Data Match and Survey

Data Tools for Monitoring and Program Improvement: 

Reports are generated by the SMARTT ABE database thereby ensuring consistency with the data collected. Further, SMARTT includes date stamping and out of range data checking capabilities that are invisible to the user but enable ACLS to identify problematic entries, e.g., every student in a local program having the same attendance percent or same goal attainment percent. SMARTT is also used to generate a random selection of students and their key performance indicators for use in data audits.

The SMARTT ABE system includes an extensive business rules middle tier that automatically ensures most policies and procedures are followed.

The SMARTT ABE web database provides internal checks for error correction/data cleaning so that state staff can review and analyze data submitted rather than check for errors. In PY11, we added checks for scale scores entered for the TABE CLAS-E Writing test to ensure that accurate information is entered for the forms and levels entered. The user gets an error message if the scale score entered does not match the form and level in the Norms book. The user will not be able to enter incorrect information. For example, once a form of a test is entered in the system such as TABE 9, then only TABE 10 is shown for the next form to be entered. The system only allows correct ranges to be entered for each test, i.e. the range for BEST Plus scores is 88-999. If a score is entered out of that range, an error message pops up for the user identifying the allowable range for data entry. (2) The site section of the system has several assessment reports available ---one for each test (MAPT, TABE, BEST Plus, and CLAS-E Writing, and CLAS-E Reading) so the user can identify which form of the test to administer next as well as the next time the test needs to be administered. (3) The Cognos reporting tool allows users to print their federal reports at any time. (4) Monitoring and site visits by ABE Program Specialists also ensure the validity and reliability of the data that is entered. (5) We conduct data audits to ensure correspondence between what the program claims on behalf of students and what the students actually verify.

State Tools and Resources: 

Adult and Community Learning Services
http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/

FEATURED RESOURCES

Explore featured resources related to WIOA and the NRS including: state guidance, reporting, and external WIOA resources.

Reporting Measurable Skill Gains (MSG) Types 3, 4, and 5

NRS Technical Assistance (TA) Guide—Revised March 2021

WIOA and NRS Resources

Distance Education Tips

NRS Reporting Tables