Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

Revised and Current LG Points Comparison FY07 to FY09

Dear Community Adult Learning Center Directors, Over the course of the past year, Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS) has continued to work on the performance accountability system used to measure the effectiveness of Community Adult Learning Centers to ensure that it accurately and equitably captures program outcomes. Two efforts, in particular, have focused on a review of the performance standards. The first was the work undertaken by the Performance Based Funding (PBF) Task Force, a group of nine ABE Program Directors working with ACLS and receiving technical assistance from a USDOE-sponsored expert. As part of its work, the PBF Task Force reviewed the foundation of each performance standard and related data. In particular, the Task Force focused on learning gains (ABE vs. ESOL), supplemental weighting for learning gains (low level ABE and low level ESOL) and average attended hours over a two fiscal year period. As a result of this data review, the PBF Task Force has recommended that the performance standard to measure learning gains be changed from a standard based on the combined average of learning gains made by ABE students and ESOL students (38%) to a standard based on the distinct percentage of learning gains made by ESOL students (43%) and the distinct percentage of learning gains made by ABE students (34%). Reviewing the same data, the ABE Advisory Council has made the same recommendation to ACLS. No further recommended changes or modification to the performance standards were made by either group. The change in the performance standard necessitated a modification to the points based on learning gains assigned to programs. To correct the imbalance in the assignment of performance points based on the combined average of ABE and ESOL learning gains, ACLS has recalculated the points for FY07, FY08 and FY09 separating ABE from ESOL learning gains. Additionally, the assignment of points was calculated based on the percentage of ABE and/or ESOL services provided by a program. Attached please find a spreadsheet that outlines the following:

Tab 1 - Summary of Changes - This worksheet reflects only changes in the assignment of learning gain performance points based on using the new formulas.
Tab 2 - Cut Points - This worksheet provides the new cut points for the assignment of learning gain performance points based on the new formulas.
Tab 3 - All 07 - 09 - This worksheet includes the assignment of all performance points based on learning gains for FY07, FY08 and FY09 whether the points were changed or not based on using the new formulas.

If you have any questions, please contact your Program Specialist. As always, thank you for all that you do to provide high quality services to adult learners. Sincerely,
With Literacy in Mind. Anne Anne Serino, Massachusetts ABE State Director
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education/ACLS
75 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor
Malden, MA 02148
(Ph) 781-338-3801
(Fax) 781-338-3394

Last Updated: April 21, 2010