Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Logo
The Department has moved to 135 Santilli Highway in Everett. The Department's office and Licensure Welcome Center are open. The new location has free parking and is a short walk from the Wellington station on the MBTA's Orange Line.
Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

LACES Student Data Management System Information

Massachusetts adopted the online LACES (Literacy, Adult and Community Education System), developed by LiteracyPro Systems, to collect and report performance data from adult education providers. The application was designed specifically to report to the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS), as required by all states receiving WIOA Title II funding. LACES is currently utilized by approximately one-third of the states to report to NRS. In addition to meeting the requirements for federal reporting, LACES offers adult education providers a tool to manage student demographic, assessment, and progress data.

  • Sign In to Your LACES Account

  • MA LACES Users Manual

  • LACES Video Resources Update
    ACLS is working to bring these videos into full compliance with accessibility standards of the Department and the Commonwealth. Work is underway to incorporate closed captioning into each of the videos. Please contact Toby Maguire if you have any concerns, or If a LACES user has an immediate need for a specific video and ACLS will prioritize getting the video closed captioned quickly.

  • Monthly Mailing Updates

  • Release of Information
    WIOA requires that programs identify those adults who, in addition to being eligible for services, face one or more barriers to employment. This requirement is intended to shed light on how well students with barriers are being served by the workforce system.

    Programs may use whatever intake forms they wish as long as the forms solicit and collect all the information needed to do data entry in LACES. (Note: Programs enrolling students in HSE preparation classes (i.e., pre-ASE and ASE levels) must enter student information in LACES (i.e., student name and DOB) as it appears on the government issued picture ID the student will be using to register for the HiSET® and/or GED® exam. This policy is to ensure proper data matching with HiSET® and GED® records. Programs may wish to keep a photocopy of the ID on file or scanned into LACES.)

    At the beginning of each fiscal year, programs are expected to complete new intakes for all students, including those who are continuing from the previous year.

    Please note that DESE updated the Release of Information form to meet FERPA. For additional information see the June 24, 2021 FY2022 ROI memo . ACLS requires that programs ask students to provide their social security numbers (SSN)1 and sign an ROI form. Declining to provide an SSN and/or sign an ROI will not impact students' eligibility for services. Please present the new form to all students and ask that they sign. Then indicate in LACES whether they signed.

  • FY2024 Student Intake FormUpdated November 2023

  • Desk Review Resources

  • LACES Hot Topics
    Are you learning about ACLS and LACES updates only after someone else tells you? Have you missed student referrals because the contact information and description in the ACLS program directory is old or inaccurate? You can remedy this in just a few minutes by following these four steps detailed in the attachment titled — Updating Program Information in LACES .
  • Updating Staff Records


1 The program must do follow-up when the student does not provide an SSN.

Last Updated: November 16, 2023

 
Contact Us

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149

Voice: (781) 338-3000
TTY: (800) 439-2370

Directions

Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.