Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

Understanding the NRS Changes – June 8th Webinars – SAVE THE DATE

May 9, 2012 Dear Program Directors, Beginning in FY13, there will be changes to the way we report the achievement of outcomes to the USDOE. Since the beginning of the National Reporting System, the adult basic education system has reported the outcomes of only those students who had set the goal of achieving a specific outcome. In order to ensure that the accomplishments of all learners can be captured, the NRS follow-up measures will change from being dependent on learner goals to an automatic cohort designation. That is, rather than collect these data only from learners who set a goal to achieve the outcome, States must collect the measure on defined cohorts of exiting learners, as explained below.

Entered employment. States will report this measure for learners who enter the program unemployed and in the labor force, who exit during the program year.
Retained employment. States will report this measure for learners who were unemployed and in the labor force at entry and had a job in the first quarter after exit; and learners who are employed at entry into the program who exit during the program year.
Obtain a secondary credential. States will report this measure for enrolled learners who take all GED tests, or are enrolled in adult high school at the high ASE level, or are enrolled in the assessment phase of the External Diploma Program (EDP), who exit during the program year.
Entry into postsecondary education or training. States will report this measure for learners who passed the GED tests or earned a secondary credential while enrolled in adult education, or who have a secondary credential at entry, or who are enrolled in a class specifically designed for transition to postsecondary education, who exit during the program year. In addition, the definition of postsecondary education and training has been expanded to specifically include apprenticeship programs.
For the entry into postsecondary measure, the reporting period is expanded to any time from learner exit from the program to the end of the following program year.
Note that time periods for collecting the employment measures are unchanged. Entered employment is collected for the first quarter after exit and retained employment in the third quarter after exit.
The time period for collecting attainment of secondary credential is also unchanged from anytime after exit to the end of the reporting period.

New Measures

There are three new measures to the NRS that states must collect beginning in FY2013.
Highest level of educational level or degree attained. This new student status measure requires reporting of the highest grade level or degree students attained, either in the U.S. or abroad.
Teacher years of experience. A new teacher status measure reports the total number of years of teaching experience for both full and part-time paid instructors.
Teacher certification. A second new teacher status measure reports the educational credential of full and part-time paid teachers.

Understanding the NRS Changes Webinar

Adult and Community Learning is offering three webinars on June 8th to review the NRS changes for FY13. We will be sending out a link to a registration form so that Program Directors can register for one of the three sessions offered. The three times on June 8th are:

1:00 - 2:00 PM
2:00 - 3:00 PM
3:00 - 4:00 PM

In preparation for the webinars, please read the materials posted on the NRS website at http://www.nrsweb.org/foundations/NRSChanges.aspx and the Questions and Answers posted on our ACLS website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/smartt/ The webinars will review the following areas:

FY13 changes on follow-up outcomes
- Automatic Cohort Designation
New data requirements
Changes to reporting timeline and reporting tables
Implications for implementation

As always, thank you for your work on behalf of adult learners. With Literacy in Mind.
Anne

Last Updated: May 16, 2012