MA Measurable Skills Gain (MSG)

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) ensures access to education and workforce services for individuals with barriers to employment and demands increased performance accountability for states that receive federal adult education funding.

The state of Massachusetts documents performance using a (performance) standard called Measurable Skills Gain (MSG). MSG includes three outcomes which must be achieved during the fiscal year: Educational Functioning Level (EFL) completion, High School Equivalency (HSE) credential attainment, and Postsecondary Education or Training (PSE/T) enrollment. (Note: Postsecondary enrollment must start after a student exits from the adult education program.)

Annually, programs are assigned separate ABE and ESOL targets using a formula that incorporates (i.e., is weighted on):

1. The number of students who pre-test into each of the National Reporting System (NRS) levels that the program serves, and
2. ACLS performance goals for each NRS level derived from the federal target assigned to Massachusetts and adjusted to account for our state's system which awards partial credit (explained below) and the likelihood, based on past data, of meeting the federal target.

Program performance is the program's actual MSG relative to its target. For example, an ESOL program with a target of 45% and an actual MSG of 50% has exceeded its target by 11%; its performance is 111% relative to target. The performance of another program with a target of 55% and an actual MSG of 50% is 91% relative to target.

Programs get an initial credit (i.e., 1.0) for the first MSG outcome earned and partial credit (i.e., 0.1) for each additional outcome earned beyond the initial. If a student in a program achieves an initial outcome and two additional outcomes, then the program's credit for that student is 1.2. Only outcomes achieved during the fiscal year are included in MSG.

MSG outcomes, both initial and additional (i.e., partial), can be any of the following:

• Educational Functioning Level (EFL) completion
• High School Equivalency (HSE) credential attainment
• Postsecondary Education or Training (PSE/T) enrollment after exit

These examples show how programs earn initial and partial credit for student outcomes:

• Two EFL completions (i.e., advancement in two NRS levels) = 1.1
• EFL completion in two subject areas (e.g., reading, math) = 1.1
• High School Equivalency (HSE) credential attainment and two EFL completions = 1.2
• Two EFL completions in two subject areas plus enrollment in Postsecondary Education or Training (PSE/T) after exit = 1.4

MSG Targets Assigned by ACLS

ACLS posts preliminary ABE and ESOL program targets after summer and fall pre-tests have been entered into LACES. Targets may change slightly over the course of the year since one of two factors in an MSG target is the number of students who pre-test into each of the program's NRS levels and pre-testing continues throughout the year.

Programs may calculate their targets by entering the number of students who pre-test at each NRS level in the FY2024 Target Calculator below.

• FY2024 Target Calculator

MSG target percentages are based on federal targets assigned to Massachusetts and adjusted upward because of the opportunity for individual students to achieve multiple outcomes. OCTAE raises the Massachusetts target each year. As OCTAE raises the Massachusetts target, ACLS will raise program targets.

The preliminary FY2024 targets below are based on LACES data as of March 8, 2024.

• FY2024 Preliminary MSG Targets

FY 2023 MSG Program Performance

The Excel document below, FY2023 MSG Performance, has 19 sortable columns:

1. Program Name
2. Number of ABE students
3. Number of ABE excluded
4. Number of ABE students who completed at least one EFL
5. Number of HSEs obtained by ABE students
6. Number of ABE students who enrolled in Postsecondary Education or Training
7. Percent of ABE students post tested (excludes ABE L6)
8. Program MSG ABE target
9. Program actual ABE MSG
10. Percent of ABE target met (actual MSG/target)
11. Number of ESOL students
12. Number of ESOL students excluded
13. Number of ESOL students who completed at least one EFL
14. Number of HSEs obtained by ESOL students
15. Number of ESOL students enrolled in Postsecondary Education or Training
16. Percent of ESOL students who were post tested
17. Program MSG ESOL target
18. Program actual ESOL MSG
19. Percent of ESOL target met (actual MSG/target)

Assigned targets (i.e., columns H and Q) and percentage of targets met (i.e., columns J and S) are rounded to the whole number. Actual MSG (i.e., columns I and R) are rounded to the tenth percentage.

ACLS was required to revise our Release of Information form for FY22. The requirement prevents ACLS from adding HSE credentials and postsecondary enrollments to the LACES records of students who declined to sign the release. This means that we are also required to suppress some information in this report. There is a + instead of a number if there are fewer than six HSE or PSE/T outcomes.

• FY2023 MSG Performance Report

The methodology behind the FY2021 and FY2022 MSG Performance Reports differs slightly from the FY2019 and FY2020 reports. Those reports were based on the number of PoPs (Periods of Participationⁱ). The FY21 report is based on the number of student participants in the program year. ACLS changed to participants to simplify the methodology. However, year to year results remain comparable.

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ⁱ A period of participation (PoP) refers to the period of time beginning when a student starts attendance and ending on their date of exit from the program. Each student's exit during the same program year is counted as a separate period of participation for purposes of calculating levels of performance. A new period of participation is counted each time the student enrolls-even if both enrollments occur within the same program year.

Last Updated: March 7, 2024