ket college & career ready news - education.ket.org · summer 2016 - ket college & career...
TRANSCRIPT
Kaitlyn Beghtol is following a dream and setting an example.
What are you doing differently? What makes you so successful?Diane Kelley often hears those questions about the Hardin County Adult Education Program. This year, Hardin County was the first adult education program in Kentucky to achieve their GED® attainment goal for fiscal year 2016.
This accomplishment, fewer than eight months into the fiscal year, demonstrates Diane and the Hardin County staff’s strong commitment to their students’ success, according to Cody Davidson, Ph.D., director of administrative leadership for Kentucky Adult Education.
“Throughout the year, they have exhibited hard work and dedication, creativity and responsiveness, never-say-quit attitudes, and unwavering enthusiasm,” Davidson said.
Specifically, 59 adults earned their GED credential in eight months, the goal deter-mined by the number of adults in the county without a high school equivalency.
“Our goal is always to get them to a GED as fast as possible,” the new director said. Kelley has been in the job less than two years after teaching for 15.
The educator said several recent events have helped the Hardin County educators hone their methods. One is the state-mandated GED Express Program.
“GED Express allows us to look at each stu-dent to see exactly what they need,” Kelley said. “Maybe they need a math class but are
ready to take another section of the test.”
Once the student’s needs are assessed, this is where KET’s Fast Forward program comes in. The program allows learners to focus on just what the individual needs.
Fast Forward blends instruction in the subject areas covered on the GED test with the convenience of distance learning. Learners can work on one subject area or one aspect of a subject area and can go at their own pace.
“All of our students get a Fast Forward account,” Kelly said. “We consider that the golden ticket because it is really prescrip-tive. It tells them exactly what they need to study. We avoid putting students where they are not getting exactly what they need.”
The program also uses a tactic that Kelley found counterintuitive at first: “test boldly.”
“At first I was afraid of that,” Kelley acknowledged. “I was afraid of what would happen if they didn’t pass.”
But Kelley tried it, encouraging students to “put some skin in the game.” She found the more aggressive approach motivated many students.
Yet another aspect of the Hardin County Program is targeted Friday “Rev it Up” classes that prepare learners for test taking.
And if those classes are not motivating enough, the staff also holds quarterly recognition events.
KET collEgE & carEEr rEady nEwsSummer 2016 Volume 31, Issue 2 KETCollegeandCareer.org
continued on page 2
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SecretS of a winning adult ed program
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“We always try to give them something,” Kelly said—“a jar of honey because we ‘bee-lieve’ in them, a candle with ‘grow, glow, succeed’ inscribed. This spring we gave them a tree seedling with a note attached. It read: ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is now.’ We try to recognize every student. After all, they came through the door, they took the first step, the most important step.”
The staff pays particular attention when learners are headed to the testing site.
“We cheer them down the steps and out of the building,” she said. “We are shouting their names, and we put a virtual cheer on Facebook. If they don’t pass, they can come back, and we create a new plan. There is no embarrassment if they don’t pass.”
“Outside of class we are relentless about contacting our students. We call. We email regularly. We send postcards, letters, and flyers.”
When do you give up on a student?
“When I get a non-contact order from the judge,” Kelley laughingly said, although that hasn’t happened. “We wear them down. It is easier to get their GED than to keep hearing from us. We have 15 people we’re trying to woo back right now. We will give them a little space but we know if a couple of years go by, they probably won’t finish, so we try to prevent that from happening.”
And whenever they arrive, Kelley said the learners find a professional staff.
“Our staff has worked diligently to learn how best to present material to students,” she said. “We work really hard and have really segmented our classes.”
Data has also played an important role, according to Kelley, a self-described non-data person.
“Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE) really wanted directors
to focus on the data,” she said. “It was really hard for me to delve into the data as deep as they wanted me to go. In the past, we looked at our data sporadically. I always thought that the state looked at the numbers and we looked at the students, but now I realize it has to be a bit on both sides. The data allows me to see where we are weekly. Am I on target or not on target? What an eye opener. It has been very powerful for me and other directors. Sometimes the data is not pretty, not where I want it to be, but it has helped us achieve our goals this year.”
Another big help is that the state pays for GED vouchers and Fast Forward accounts.
“This is really helpful for the students. Instead of $125, they pay $60. I don’t know how many people could pay the full $125.”
Finally, each December Kelley and her crew conduct what the state calls a blitz and what they call an extended review. By any name, it is a time to focus on the people who are really close to earning their credential.
“People close to finishing want to be able to be done by Christmas,” she noted. “They don’t want to come back in January, so we have hard-core reviews on specific topics toward the end of each year. This year it was mostly math. We had 11 in the class, and nine earned their GED. The review is as fast paced as we can go, concentrating on algebra, geometry, and time to practice some of the problems they will see on the test.”
The final secret is this, according to Kelley, “There are really no secrets. There is nothing we are doing that anyone else can’t do.” As Kelley says to her students: “I never said it was going to be easy, I said it was going to be worth it.”
For more information, please contact Diane Kelley at [email protected].
SecretS of a winning adult ed program from page 1
I never said it was going to be easy, I said it was going to be worth it.—Diane Kelley
Summer 2016 - KeT college & career ready 3
In 1999, before the new millennium even ticked into being, KET launched a multimedia series called Workplace Essential Skills. The idea was to provide adults with skills they needed to succeed on the job and in life.
These skills were commonly called “soft skills” and often contrasted with “hard” skills—the technical knowledge needed to do the job. The workplace was beginning to whisper about a lack of these skills and the problems this deficiency caused, but there were few places to turn for help.
17 years later, the whisper has become a rumble, and the importance of soft skills is no longer in question. These needed skills are now often called—“essential” skills.
Adult educators and KET lead the way on “soft skills”
e S S e n T i a l S K i l l S S p e c i a l S e c T i o n
Dresses appropriately
7.6.
5.4. 3.
2.
1. On time
Communicates well with others
Uses good judgment
Listens well
Follows basic workplace etiquette
Works well as part of a team
SofT SKillS
TEChniCal SKillS &
KnoWlEdGE
4 Ket college & career ready - Summer 2016
Wioa becomes the pathway
This new thinking is also reflected in the first update to the nation’s core workforce training program since passage of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998. The new law, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), seeks to improve connections between employment, training, adult education, and vocational rehabilitation programs.
WIOA requires states to strategically align workforce development programs and submit a four-year strategy for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and meeting the workforce needs of employers.
in Kentucky, adult educators are leading the way
Programs to address essential skills come through Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE), centers through-out the state, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, and others.
“A lot of our students haven’t worked,” says Sharon Johnston, senior associate for KYAE.
“We knew we needed to integrate soft skills into their education. That led to the need to develop employability standards. Then we needed to determine how to integrate these into lessons and align them to college and career standards. That grew into the need for a standardized lesson plan, which grew into development of a lesson bank for adult educators.” (See chart on page 5)
Kentucky Adult Education also took the lead in the development of the Kentucky Essential Skills Certificate (KESC).
The certificate is awarded upon successful completion of two requirements:
1) Finish the four components of a computer program called WIN (Worldwide Interactive Network)
and
2) I nstructor validation that the student has practiced and implemented skills in the classroom.
WIN includes instruction in communication,
F R O M T H E N A T I O N A L S O F T S K I L L S A S S O C I A T I O N
It’s interesting to note that the above statistics were taken from the work by Charles Rigborg Mann, A Study of Engineering Education, in 1918. That’s right—1918!
Almost 100 years have passed since Charles Rigborg Mann published his extensive research on the need for soft skills education in our schools and workplaces. The National Soft Skills Association was created to build and improve upon this work.
Summer 2016 - Ket college & career ready 5
professionalism, problem solving/critical thinking, and team building.
In Louisville, John Greenwell, workforce training coordinator for Jefferson County Public Schools Adult Education, has created workshops that provide training in essential skills, job-specific training, and some that blend the two.
He and trainer Tia Jones have also developed workshops for the county’s adult education sites focused on helping students earn a KESC. Essential skills are the focus of those workshops, which are designed for adults without a high school equivalency.
Kentucky’s state and regional colleges are also preparing their students
Being launched in May is a program at Western Kentucky University (WKU) called Learn and Earn. The program partners with area companies and businesses to employ both traditional and non-traditional college students. In return, those students work for wages and receive college scholarships from their employers as well.
“At its simplest, the program is an opportunity for students to work part time to help with their tuition and possibly receive a scholarship,” says Leslie Witty, project manager with Learn and Earn.” It also helps students by exposing them to job opportunities they may not have considered.
But embedded in the program is online soft skill courses that students have to complete to be accepted.
“Interpersonal skills are huge—things like interviewing, dress, networking, listening, workplace etiquette,” she said. “We cover all these areas where employers are expressing needs.”
KCTCS plunges in
By next fall, the Kentucky’s Community and Technical College System will have essential skills built into many of their courses, according to Rhonda Tracy, chancellor of the system of 16 community and technical schools.
“We are right in the throes of determining the best soft skills to address, measuring soft skills attainment, and determining software packages that reinforce these skills,” she says.
“We thought we knew what our industry partners wanted and needed,” Tracy said, “but we wanted to hear it directly from them so last fall we asked our program advisory councils to rank a list of soft skills. Now we have that information so there is no guessing on our part.”
“Our faculty will take this information and walk it back into the curriculum. Where in our curriculum do we reinforce dependability and reliability, for example? Then we measure. When students graduate what might that look like?”
The workshop format is important, according to Jones. “We don’t believe you can change culture completely online. We want to engage students in activities and awareness and make sure students are able to demonstrate their mastery of skills.”
KET continues to address essential skills
Workplace Essential Skills has become even more important for today’s workplace, so much so that KET is creating new resources on topics relevant today such as the use of social media and electronic media. These self-paced modules will be easily accessible and simple for teachers and students to use.
For more information on KET’s Workplace Essential Skills, go to ketcollegeandcareer.org or call 800.354.9067.
H O W T O I N T E R v I E W
An important essential skill is the ability to interview well. Potential employees can use this free, self-paced module that includes videos from a professional career counselor, interactive practice opportunities to get you thinking about your strategy, and find more activities you can try at home on your own. Go to pbslearning media.org and search “workplace interview”.
Employability Standards
The employable adult should be able to:
E.1 Effectively contribute to a team through cooperation, leadership, and giving and accepting critical feedback to work toward a common goal.
E.2 Utilize workplace tools and technologies to communicate effectively (e.g., memos/e-mails, basic computer programs, phone systems).
E.3 Model compliance of workplace policies and procedures.
E.4 Utilize and support workplace organizational structures (e.g., company departments, corporate goals, chain of command).
E.5 Utilize resources responsibly.
E.6 Identify and effectively use skills and materi-als needed for a particular task.
E.7 Accurately analyze information and respond appropriately.
E.8 Interact with others in a professional manner.
E.9 Analyze self-performance to better under-stand strengths and areas for improvement.
E.10 Seek out opportunities for advancement and improvement of personal skills and abilities.
Standards created by Kentucky Adult Education.
6 Ket college & career ready - Summer 2016
Communities are also focusing on essential skills, largely because they have found that economic development increasingly requires a workforce with such skills.
The Springfield-Washington County Economic Development Authority is a good example.
“Being a smaller community, everything was recruit, recruit,” observes Daniel B. Carney, executive director. “Now there is a shift to workplace development because of the job growth we’ve seen.”
The authority’s efforts are bundled under their WorkReady Project.
“In meetings with industry we asked about their challenges going forward,” Carney says. “It kept coming back to finding the right people. Industry needs skilled welders, engineers, tool and tie
makers, but the common denominator is soft skills. A lot of employers struggle with finding people who are responsible, on time, know how to communicate, and work in a team.”
“We have tried to bridge those concerns in partnership with the local school district. We have developed a Work Ready seal. For each year high school students meet criteria such as being on time and working cooperatively, they get moved up a level. As we educate employers and make it worth it for the students, we believe this will speak volumes to employers and show that the students have done something, stuck with it for four years, and are ready for next step.”
For more information about the Springfield-Washington County Economic Development Authority call 800.430.5505.
Greg Coker, founder of the Institute for Soft Skills and an executive coach, has a new book coming out called Soft Skills Field Manual: The Unwritten Rules for Succeeding in the Workplace.
It is a complement to his soft skills boot camps.
“You wouldn’t be in business without the technical skills,” Coker said, “but most managers will tell you that without soft skills, their products and services are slower to market, there is a lot of drama in the office, and companies are losing millions of dollars.”
During his boot camps, Coker first defines soft skills because he said there is still a lot of confusion about what it means. Then he provides non-academic, immediately usable tools to help people improve their soft skills.
The topic is so “red hot” that Coker is working with school districts to provide a soft skills workshop for graduating high school seniors. He said many economic development organizations are paying for the workshops because they know how important the skills are to both employers and potential employees.
The veteran speaker said that although soft skills are in the spotlight right now, over the long run there has to be a balance between hard and soft skills.
“Soft skills are a complement to and partner with technical skills,” Coker said. “It shouldn’t be either/or. It should be IQ (intelligence) and EQ (emotional intel-ligence).”
For more information contact Greg Coker at [email protected] or call 270.223.8343.
Soft skills boot camps
communitieS get into the act
Fast Forward workbooksavailable now in both printed and e-book formats
Fast Forward BasicsWritten for the intermediate reader, the Fast Forward Basics series builds a foundation for higher-level study. Pretests help learners assess their skills, and practice exercises throughout the chapter give opportunities to check learning gains.
Fast Forward Writing Basics Fast Forward Reading Basics Fast Forward Math BasicsFast Forward Science Basics Fast Forward Social Studies Basics
Fast Forward Skills for SuccessThese easy-to-use workbooks focus on key skills that will help users prepare for a high school equivalency test. Skills are explained through examples, strategy suggestions, and practice questions. Major new additions to the GED® test requirements are included, plus advice on taking a computer-based test. These books are ideal for a basic review of the subject.
Fast Forward Language Arts Skills for Success Fast Forward Math Skills for Success
To order call
800.354.9067 or visit ketfastforward.org
1 Secrets of a winning adult ed program
SpECial ESSEnTial SKillS SECTion:
3 Adult educators and KET lead the way on “soft skills”
6 Communities get into the act
7 Soft skills boot camps
Summer 2016 Volume 31, Issue 2 KETCollegeandCareer.org
KET collEgE & carEEr rEady nEws
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KET college & career ready is published by Kentucky Educational Television—one of the largest public television networks in the U.S. KET produces and distributes top-quality multimedia resources for learners and teachers from preschool through professional development, across the country. Each newsletter features innovative professionals, programs, and resources. To submit comments or suggestions, or to request permission to reprint stories, contact Marcie Crim, editor, or Debra Gibson Isaacs, writer, at [email protected]. To see this issue online and sign up to receive the newsletter via email, go to KETcollegeandcareer.org.
Fast Forward helps students prepare for GED®, HiSET®, and TASC tests—on computer, tablet or smart phone. And teachers can manage, track, and report student enrollment. To see for yourself, go to ketcollegeandcareer.org/freetrial.
What teachers sayabout Fast Forward
“it’s so easy to use!”
“ it’s great for differentiation in the aBE classroom.”
“You can just let students go!”
“ We’re surprised by how many people use text-to-speech.”
“The price is right.”