Meryl Becker-Perzocki and I were sharing some thoughts about changes in the works. We're sharing a couple observations and posing questions for your consideration. Adult educators and our learners will experience a new GED® in 2014 and states' adoption of the Common Core Standards will influence the item content.
One of the changes in the GED® tests is that the computer-based administration allows for different item formats. For example on the Reasoning through Language Arts test, the multiple choice item format will continue, but other formats will also be presented including fill-in-the-blank, drag and drop, cloze items, short answer, and extended response.
Seems like we will want to ensure that our learners are familiar with these response options and can provide adequate information to constructed response items (e.g., short answer and extended response).
As your program prepares for this transition, here are a few questions for consideration.
- What changes are you anticipating in your instructional practices?
- How do you intend to prepare learners for a curriculum linked to the Common Core State Standards?
- Share with us the professional development materials that are preparing you and colleagues for these changes.
Comments
I've dug through the GED 2014's Assessment Targets and for the most part the targets seem to align with the 2002 targets. I believe that the test will be much more difficult for our students though because of the types of questions, particularly the exteded response questions. To prepare for this, we are going to have to incorporate writing activities across all content areas much more than we currently do. Writing (which is a major area of difficulty for our students) can't be put off on it's own separate curriculum anymore.
Because the test will be computer-based, we will all have to ensure that our students have at least a basic understanding of computer inputing skills, as well as decent keyboarding skills for the extended response entries. However, doing the minimum would be a disservice to our students as part of GED Testing Service's rationale for going digital is that adults today need computer literacy to make it in a college or career setting. We're exploring the adoption of a computer literacy curriculum that has been used by another local non-profit to supplement our ABE/GED curriculum. I would encourage instructors to look into Creative Commons and Open Educational Resources (copyright-free resources).
I've been exploring Khan Academy lately. The test modules there seem very similar to what GED Testing Service has shown us the test will look like, and are based on specific skills in math. Additionally, there's a "coach" feature that will let an instructor view their class' progress - who is struggling, who is proficient. It's only for math right now, but may be a useful tool for ABE/GED instructors and students.
Dan,
Thank you for your note. Seems like your program is considering a number alternatives for aligning the curriculum and instructional practices e.g., Khan Academy, computer literacy curriculum, and increased writing activities across the content areas. I hope you will keep us informed about your progress as the adoption proceeds.
Best,
Daryl
We are assigning each instructor to become the de facto point person for a particualr subject--not the only expert, just the instructor who will reallly delve into that one subject and share insights and need-to-knows about that subject (domain). It has been hard to get buy-in from those teachers who see Jan 2014 as being in the far distance, which of course it is not. This new version is a sea change and asks much more of adult educators who are often PT and must wear two quite different instructional hats starting now and especially this fall.
The RLA test is profoundly different from its two separate predecessors and in my estimation will mean a great deal more synthesis on the students' parts as both readers and writers, as well as prep on our part--all of which I'm fully in favor of--but bringing the field around to this successfully remains a challenge.
Where are you all in this process with instructional staff?
Dear Stephanie,
Thank you for your observations about some of your program level changes. Sounds like you are shifting some roles in your staffing to provide better alignment. That may be a significant challenge in itself as staff have to shift in their sense of roles and responsibilities. Keep us posted on how you are progressing in the transition and the strategies that seem facilitative.
Best,
Daryl
I have read the common core standards and I have read all of the material provided by th GEDr Testing Service. I've attended every webinar they've provided and this is my assessment of core skills needed:
• Knowledge of content vocabulary• Summarization skills• Math reasoning and thinking skills• Self-editing (in writing)• Data interpretation• Identifying relationships and specific organization methods• Comparing and contrasting skills• Analysis of arguments and using evidence from source text• Organization, structure, elaborating on details (writing)• Clear focused set of conventions and usage skills (writing)• Technology- cut, copy, paste, redo, undo; working with tabs and split screens• Critical thinking skills and application in all content areas• Content competencyThe first is critical in my opinion. If you know the vocabulary for the content areas, you're probably going to get through the test. The test is very much based on specific themes- checks out the "assessment guide for educators" - and if we focus on preparing our learners to speak academically in context, then the questions won't be so scary and possibly less challenging. Our learners sometimes lack academic language and code switching abilities. Furthermore, the test is based in Webb's DoK. It's about complexity. Questions will be asking the test taker to perform multi step processes- if our learners can reason through a multiple step problem- they will be ok. We have to teach or prepare our staffs to teach in a different way. Instructors are going to have to slow down and teach critical thinking and coping mechanisms for complex problems. -Maribel OjedaI agree completely with Maribel and can only hope that the essential sea change re needing a solid grap of academic vocab is coming through to adult educators. GEDTS has made it quite clear that vocab is no longer context-driven and thus somewhat easy to strategize with students vs. making sure that they actually comprehend both content-specific vocab as well as academic. The Academic Word List by Averal Coxhead, 2000, is a great place to start, and I also combed through all three chapters of the Assessment Guide for Educators from GEDTS--those words alone may scare some educators, let alone their students.
Stephanie
Student's need to read - and they need to read a variety of complex texts. One major skill that students will need to develop is in the reading of passages on a computer screen, which is very different than reading from a book.
I think in the curricular explorations that programs will be doing as they select an option for the new test is to look at the type of reading, complexity of reading materials, and depth of reading.
Kathy
http://www.i-pathways.org