Report of Regents P-12 Education/Adult Career and Continuing Education (ACCES) Joint Meeting Committee to The Board of Regents

Your P-12 Education/ACCES Committee held its scheduled meeting on May 19, 2014.  All members were present, with the exception of Regent Chapey, Regent Norwood, and Regent Young, who were excused.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Update on the new High School Equivalency exam – Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™)

Your Committee was provided an update on the implementation of the new high school equivalency exam, TASC™.  Much work focused on preparing test coordinators, adult educators, and examinees for the changes to processes and procedures as well as for the content and rigor of the assessment.  The first TASC™ test was administered on January 21, 2014 and the first batch of diplomas/transcripts/failure notices went out last week.  The Department would now like to encourage and support additional Computer Based Testing for 2015 at the test centers. 

In addition, with the implementation of a new more rigorous national test that measure the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), there is an immediate need to provide enhanced professional development for adult education instructors, teachers and administrators.  In March 2014, SED hosted a specialized training program to develop the skills of 62 adult education Master Teachers to both enhance their own teaching skills related to Common Core-based HSE preparation and to develop their skills as trainers to prepare other adult education teachers and instructors.  The Department is proposing to expand this program later this year with a particular focus on the CCSS.