Students & Families Adult Education Adult & Community Learning Services
Adult and Community Learning Services

Requirements of the Massachusetts ABE Program and Staff Development Provider System (SABES)

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provides funding to support a statewide professional development system for adult basic education programs and practitioners, called the System for Adult Basic Education Support, or SABES. SABES is funded on a multi-year basis, currently on three-year funding cycles.

SABES consists of five Regional Support Centers, located in the Western, Central, Northeastern, Southeastern, and Greater Boston regions of the state; a Central Resource Center, located in Boston; and a Statewide Adult Basic Education Research and Resource Collection, located at the University of Massachusetts/Boston.

The purpose of the Department's SABES program is to improve teaching, strengthen programs, and improve student outcomes. A multi-year work plan, updated annually, is negotiated with the Department to identify priorities for the use of program and staff development resources. This document summarizes fundamental, ongoing expectations of recipients of SABES funding.

A. Minimum Required Services and Related Staffing Capacity

1. Provision of a Range of Program and Staff Development Services designed to improve teaching, strengthen programs, and improve student outcomes in Adult Basic Education programs.

2. New Staff Orientation (required for staff new to Department-funded ABE)
   • 15 hours, documented, approved by the Department, consistent across all regions
   • The New Staff Orientation provides staff new to working in a Department-funded Adult Basic Education program with an overview and introduction to ABE in general and specific to the Department's program, funding, and accountability requirements.
   • Each participant who completes the full 15-hour New Staff Orientation must receive a Certificate of Completion.
   
   
3. Training and Technical Assistance in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
   • Each SABES Regional Support Center is required to hire and maintain a staff person who is qualified to provide support and training to Adult Basic Education programs, directors, teachers and assessors in the following areas: the development and implementation of curriculum aligned with the Massachusetts ABE Curriculum Frameworks; key concepts related to standardized assessment of student progress; administration and scoring of Massachusetts' mandated assessments; and options for placement and other assessments.
   • Curriculum training and technical assistance must assist programs to develop a single, unified program-wide, written curriculum for each service type (e.g. ABE, ESOL).
     • The Adult Learning Center curriculum must be aligned with, and incorporate learning standards from, the Massachusetts ABE Curriculum Frameworks. The ALC must use the benchmarks in the Massachusetts ABE Curriculum Frameworks to help coordinate instructional levels. Instructors must have written lesson plans. Instructional design, lesson planning and teaching strategies in the classroom must be coordinated with curriculum design at the program level.
     • Students' goals and objectives must be incorporated into the curriculum. Curricula must incorporate "authentic" real-life contexts that are responsive to the needs, goals, and interests of adult students in their roles as workers, family members, members of the community, and lifelong learners. Curricula and materials must also reflect the diverse educational, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds of the students served.
     • Methodologies and strategies must be based on a foundation of research and effective practice.
   • Assessment training includes:
     • Basic assessment concepts (optional for all levels of ABE practitioners); and
     • Administration and Scoring of Massachusetts' mandated assessments (required of all Department-funded ABE programs).
     • Options for placement assessments and classroom-based assessments
   • All staff administering and scoring assessments must have successfully completed training to appropriately administer and score the state-required tests and have certificates on file at their program site.
   • Participants who successfully meet defined learning objectives must receive Certification of Competence.
   • Mandated assessments for ABE students include: BEST Plus, REEP, TABE, and the Massachusetts Adult Proficiency Test (MAPT).
   • All Assessment trainings must be documented; content and design must be approved by the Department.
   
   
4. Dissemination and Promotion of Massachusetts Professional Standards for ABE Instructors.
   • Through a collaborative process over several years, Massachusetts ABE practitioners have worked with the state and SABES to define the pedagogical and other professional knowledge and skills required of ABE teachers. The Standards can be reviewed at:
     http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr47.html?section=08&flag=abe
   • These Standards are used by ABE teacher preparation providers in preparing their candidates, by the Department in reviewing teacher preparation programs seeking state approval, and by the Department as the basis for evaluating the proficiency of candidates for ABE licensure. While these Standards were initially developed in the context of the ABE teacher's license, they can also serve other important purposes outside of that licensure context.
   • Because the Professional Standards for Teachers define what an ABE instructor needs to know and be able to do, ABE directors can use them to evaluate candidates for teaching positions and to inform performance appraisal of teaching staff, and teachers themselves can use them to self-assess their skills and competencies and as the basis for professional development plans.
   • SABES must assist ABE teachers and directors to use the Standards in such ways, and is expected to identify for potential participants which Standards are addressed in each of its offerings.
   
   
5. Training in an Integrated Program Planning and Staff Development Process, and Support for Program and Staff Development Facilitators
   • All Department-funded ABE programs must use a process that integrates program and staff development. For the purposes of this policy, the Department uses the following definitions. Program development is defined as "a systemic approach to assessing programmatic needs, defining and prioritizing goals for program improvement, developing a plan to meet those goals, and engaging in activities to meet those goals. The overall goal of program development is to improve program effectiveness in a way that enables programs to more effectively support learners in attaining literacy skills." Staff development is "a systemic approach to assessing individual needs for professional development, defining and prioritizing goals, developing a plan to meet those learning goals, and engaging in learning activities to meet those goals." Department policy recognizes that the full power and impact of these investments in program and staff development can best be achieved when the two are joined systematically.
   • All Department-funded ABE programs must have a Program and Staff Development Facilitator who works to ensure that the program uses a planning process that links program development activities and staff development.
   • The SABES Professional Development System is responsible for promoting and assisting with the facilitation of an integrated program and staff development process in programs and providing related trainings and technical assistance, including training and support for Program and Staff Development Facilitators
   
   
6. Support for Programs with Action Plans
   • The Department monitors 20% of its funded programs annually, and 100% over a five-year funding cycle.
   • The SABES Regional Support Center is expected to participate in monitoring exit meetings and provide follow-up assistance to programs as needed and requested by the program and/or Department.
   
   
7. Dissemination of Massachusetts Guidelines for Effective Adult Basic Education, the Massachusetts ABE Rates System, and the Indicators of Program Quality.
   • Provision of training and technical assistance in ABE Program Design (using the Massachusetts SMARTT data collection and reporting system)
     • This is currently a four-day training with learning objectives, design, and assessment protocols that have been co-designed with and approved by the Department.
   
   
8. SMARTT and Cognos trainings and technical assistance
   • Each SABES Regional Support Center (RSC) is required to hire and maintain a staff person to provide support and training to ABE technology users within the assigned region and to the RSC itself, assisting with testing of new features, and updating manuals to be used in training. This individual must meet the following minimum qualifications: a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience; sound understanding of Windows operating environments; sound understanding of Local Area Networks; demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills; the ability to communicate technical information in writing and orally; a commitment to customer service; and knowledge of the Internet, word-processing, spreadsheet, and database principles. Additional preferred qualifications include: two years experience supporting microcomputers in a non-homogenous networked environment; intimate knowledge of Windows operating systems and TCP/IC protocol suite; experience with Ethernet and Network Interface Cards; experience setting up networked applications; experience working in an adult education environment, particularly involving teaching and support of Adult Basic Education students; and MCSE Certification.
   • Training in the use of Massachusetts' System for Managing Accountability and Results Through Technology (SMARTT Program Planning, Data Collection and Reporting) includes:
     • SMARTT New User trainings (required for all Department-funded programs)
     • SMARTT Updates
     • Cognos trainings
   • Programs must initially send two staff members to required SMARTT trainings and must maintain a minimum of two staff proficient in the SMARTT system.
   • Each participant who completes the trainings must receive a Certificate of Completion. All SMARTT trainings must be documented; content and design approved by the Department.
   
   
9. Provision of services to orient ABE programs and practitioners to and assist them in implementing Department policies related to:
   1. Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Curriculum Frameworks and the integration of technology in the classroom
   2. Assessment of Student Progress
   3. Countable Outcomes/Goal-setting
   4. Program Continuous Improvement
   5. Massachusetts Guidelines for Effective Adult Basic Education
   6. Massachusetts ABE Rates System
   7. Massachusetts Indicators of ABE Program Quality
   8. Massachusetts SMARTT System
   9. Strategic Community Planning for ABE
   10. Collaboration between Massachusetts Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development Systems (Each Regional Professional Development Center is required to identify a designated staff person who is qualified to provide information to Adult Basic Education programs and staff on Massachusetts' Work Force Development system and to coordinating activities designed to assist the field with developing the skills and knowledge needed to effectively integrate services and collaborate with workforce development and community partners, including career centers, local Workforce Investment Boards, local employers, schools, and family support services.
   11. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the National Reporting System for Adult Basic Education
   
   

B. Additional Essential Services

1. Training and other support for new and experienced teachers and counselors/ADA Coordinators (see Massachusetts Guidelines for Effective Adult Basic Education, "Role and Responsibilities of the Educational Counselor/ADA Coordinator")
2. Training and other support for new and experienced program directors
3. Training and other support for program and staff development facilitators (see Massachusetts Guidelines for Effective Adult Basic Education, "Program and Staff Development Facilitator")
4. Support for the integration of adult basic education and work force development in the classroom and in the program
5. Training and support of technology coordinators in ABE programs
6. Opportunities to network and/or other support for community planners, technology coordinators, family literacy coordinators, and participatory health education facilitators

C. Massachusetts' SABES Professional Development Providers must be Fully Informed and Equipped to Provide Assistance to ABE Programs and Practitioners in all of the Following Areas

1. Effective instructional practices and approaches to curriculum, particularly in the areas of: adult learning and development; ESOL; reading; writing; mathematics; and high school equivalency and alternative high school subjects
2. Effective organizational development and school improvement models
3. Generally recognized professional development quality indicators and standards
4. Current research relevant to the above areas
5. Massachusetts Professional Standards for Adult Basic Education Teachers
6. Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Curriculum Frameworks
7. Massachusetts Guidelines for Effective Adult Basic Education   
8. The Massachusetts ABE Rates System   
9. Massachusetts System for Managing Accountability and Results Through Technology (SMARTT), including its reporting capabilities through Cognos
10. Department Adult and Community Learning Services Assessment Policies and Procedures
11. Department Adult and Community Learning Services Countable Outcomes Policies
    http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/pawg/COdefinitions.html
    http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/pawg/COchart.html
12. Massachusetts Indicators of Adult Basic Education Program Quality   
13. Massachusetts Guidelines for Professional Development Providers
14. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998
15. National Reporting System requirements and related Massachusetts policies and procedures on assessment, student goal setting, and follow-up (countable outcomes), including data matching.
    See also notes from the Department's 2007 Directors' Meeting workshop    on how Massachusetts complies with NRS requirements regarding program follow-up on student goal achievement.
16. The Americans with Disabilities Act
17. Massachusetts Workforce Development system http://www.mass.gov/dlwd/ ; http://www.detma.org/WSCareercenters.htm ; and http://www.commcorp.org/
18. Massachusetts Community Planning requirements