Hello Everyone!
I started drafting a post to you all because I have several random things I would like to share with you and it has been a while since I have contributed in this forum. And then it hit me.
I never did report back to you all on the outcome of the Program Improvement Workgroup! This was the group for which I solicited volunteers for the Leadership Excellence Academy professional development I am required to do.
I had to prepare a report to submit which you could all see if you are interested. What I thought I would do here is to give you the big conclusions we arrived at first. Then, I want to talk a little about the process we used to get there. Those of you with attention deficit issues can stop reading after the outcomes, and those of you with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can keep reading...
The purpose of this exercise was to survey staff to identify the top few things we need to do to improve our program. You all received an invitation to take the survey, and we had a 76% response rate!! (I confess, I totally forgot to actually take the assessment myself. Don't judge.)
So, without further ado, here are the top three things the workgroup identified we need to work on to improve our program:
1. Recruiting Students
2. Retaining Students
3. Providing access to technology in all classrooms
I believe there were two other items that came out that are also important but did not make the top three. These are preparing for GED 2014, and the necessity of streamlining the whole paperwork submission process. Frankly, I wasn't all that surprised by these outcomes. Are you surprised by them?
I wish to thank the following people for their participation in the workgroup:
April Amspaugh
Mary Colley
Michael Craig
Gary Felumlee
Susan Hyland
Roxanne Lewis
Heather Mazeroski
Carolyn Summers
Because I held the first meeting of this group in haste, not everyone listed above was involved in the first step. The main purpose of this meeting was to look at various example surveys and choose one that we could modify to fit our needs. I did not participate in this process because I felt it should be developed by staff and not by me. The sub-group came up with some very specific things. They took parts of one survey, the rating scale from another survey, and added some other things besides. They very specifically wanted everyone to be able to make general comments about each section, which turned out to be really great information to have later in the process.
I created the survey based on the suggestions given to me. The entire workgroup had an opportunity to review, and I fixed a few typos and some other small things. Then we distributed it to the entire staff. Please be assured that all answers were completely anonymous. The entire group listed above assembled to review the results.
When one fills out a survey like the one I sent out, responses are automatically compiled in a spreadsheet. With Google, you can also generate a summary page that makes colorful pie charts that gave us quick visual clues as to the questions where the majority of folks answered "unsatisfactory." By using that information along with the comments people made, it really didn't take us very long to see what we needed to address first.
So, I turned in my report. Now what?
The Leadership Academy is a 2-year program, so I will continue on with that. The plan is to take the things we have identified and then examine what the latest research tells us is an effective way to address the improvements we have identified. After that, we look at our program data and see what that tells us about the things we need to improve. By the time we are done, we have a clearer view of the steps we need to take to make improvements in our program.
I can also share with you that I met this week with Cathy Pastre for my evaluation, and together we set a couple of goals for me to be working on in the next year. Step 1 will be to conduct an inventory of technology at all of our sites. Step 2 is to figure out what we need so that everyone has adequate access to technology (and eventually the official GED Practice Tests which will only be online) and a connection to the Internet.
We'll keep working on the other things, too. Thanks to everyone for helping voice their opinions. Keep them coming!!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
...And What About Those SAFE Accounts?
I have been busy during the month of September preparing and submitting several reports to the state office. I feel pretty good about having those submitted on time and behind me now. (Shirley handed me these reports on my first day on June 1, so I have been thinking about them for a while!)
October will be just as busy for me with several state meetings scheduled in Columbus. I have a meeting in Bellville for the Ohio Leadership Excellence Academy on Friday, October 5. This is a 2-year long program that will help our program become more strategic in planning and in improving what we do. I will be asking for everyone's input in the future. I have a GED Examiner meeting on October 12 in Columbus. And the Fall Director's meeting is in Columbus Oct. 15 and 16. I'll be burning a path in the road to the "big city."
In this article, I would like to address the subject of student SAFE accounts. It seems that not all of us are having the students create their own SAFE account, and we are just signing students up to take the GED under our own accounts. I know that it has only been relatively recent that students could even create their own accounts on the ODE website, and most of us were trained to enter the application for them.
I also know it is easier to do it ourselves. We can get it done faster. And then we can move on to the other things we need to do with other students and get more done. Often the first step is to sign them up for an email account, and that process can be more frustrating than signing up for the ODE account.
The State of Ohio told us we cannot sign other people up when students had to start paying for the test. Because payment confirmation is sent to the email account they enter on the website, they must have their own email account. Even if it isn't their personal account, that payment info should not be going to an instructor's email account.
It turns out that there's more to the story when students do not have access to their own SAFE account. These are the students who call in to the office asking for the results of their GED Test. We cannot give this information out over the phone. The only way we can give this information out is if they come to the office and show us a valid ID. Depending on work schedules, transportation, child care, etc. etc. etc. this can often be more difficult than going to their local library, logging on to the ODE website and seeing for themselves how they did.
And yes. Your students tell on you. They tell us that you signed them up and that they did not create accounts when they call us. They call the office because our program did not give them the tools to get the information they need on their own. And because they can't go back to your class for some reason or other. Or they don't want to wait. Or because we have an 800 number.
Maybe the thing to do is to have students create an email account way before they ever need it to sign up for the GED test. This breaks the process up for the instructor and spreads the frustration out over time. Don't forget that you probably have other students in your class that can walk a student through signing up for an email account.
And after all, don't we want out students to learn to use email? So much of the world works through email they are really at a disadvantage if they aren't somewhat familiar. Just like you need to use your email. Because with all those meetings I have, I'm going to have a lot to tell you...
Oh hey! And have you checked out the ABLE website? Jim Sacco has been working really hard on it. Let us know your thoughts, changes, corrections, etc. Websites are always a work in progress, but I have to tell you. I go here to get my info before I holler for Shirley these days. It is quite handy.
http://www.mid-east.k12.oh.us/AdultLiteracy.aspx
October will be just as busy for me with several state meetings scheduled in Columbus. I have a meeting in Bellville for the Ohio Leadership Excellence Academy on Friday, October 5. This is a 2-year long program that will help our program become more strategic in planning and in improving what we do. I will be asking for everyone's input in the future. I have a GED Examiner meeting on October 12 in Columbus. And the Fall Director's meeting is in Columbus Oct. 15 and 16. I'll be burning a path in the road to the "big city."
In this article, I would like to address the subject of student SAFE accounts. It seems that not all of us are having the students create their own SAFE account, and we are just signing students up to take the GED under our own accounts. I know that it has only been relatively recent that students could even create their own accounts on the ODE website, and most of us were trained to enter the application for them.
I also know it is easier to do it ourselves. We can get it done faster. And then we can move on to the other things we need to do with other students and get more done. Often the first step is to sign them up for an email account, and that process can be more frustrating than signing up for the ODE account.
The State of Ohio told us we cannot sign other people up when students had to start paying for the test. Because payment confirmation is sent to the email account they enter on the website, they must have their own email account. Even if it isn't their personal account, that payment info should not be going to an instructor's email account.
It turns out that there's more to the story when students do not have access to their own SAFE account. These are the students who call in to the office asking for the results of their GED Test. We cannot give this information out over the phone. The only way we can give this information out is if they come to the office and show us a valid ID. Depending on work schedules, transportation, child care, etc. etc. etc. this can often be more difficult than going to their local library, logging on to the ODE website and seeing for themselves how they did.
And yes. Your students tell on you. They tell us that you signed them up and that they did not create accounts when they call us. They call the office because our program did not give them the tools to get the information they need on their own. And because they can't go back to your class for some reason or other. Or they don't want to wait. Or because we have an 800 number.
Maybe the thing to do is to have students create an email account way before they ever need it to sign up for the GED test. This breaks the process up for the instructor and spreads the frustration out over time. Don't forget that you probably have other students in your class that can walk a student through signing up for an email account.
And after all, don't we want out students to learn to use email? So much of the world works through email they are really at a disadvantage if they aren't somewhat familiar. Just like you need to use your email. Because with all those meetings I have, I'm going to have a lot to tell you...
Oh hey! And have you checked out the ABLE website? Jim Sacco has been working really hard on it. Let us know your thoughts, changes, corrections, etc. Websites are always a work in progress, but I have to tell you. I go here to get my info before I holler for Shirley these days. It is quite handy.
http://www.mid-east.k12.oh.us/AdultLiteracy.aspx
Thursday, September 6, 2012
OMG, I am blogging
Hello ABLE Staff:
I have resisted the world of blogging forever, but I have lately been thinking it might be useful to start.
Since I have started as ABLE Coordinator for Mid East Career and Technology Centers, a day does not go by that I do not learn something new that I did not know before. I keep thinking that other staff might be interested in some of these things.
But I am also determined to not bombard your inbox with frequent emails. I believe that if I am strategic about the emails we send to you, you will be more inclined to read them when you get them. When you get one from office staff, you will know it is important and needs your attention.
By utilizing the blog, I can impart these words of wisdom as I think of them, but you can read them when you wish to. Or not at all, I guess.
Within the first hour of my day today, I learned that when students request a verification letter for proof that they have been attending class, that letter is technically supposed to come from the main office so that it may be written on Mid-East letterhead.
When I was an instructor in Morgan County and a student needed a letter for a boss, a case worker or a parole officer, I just typed it up on my facility's letterhead, signed it, and they went on their merry way.
In typical fashion, things work differently in Muskingum County. I learned this because a Muskingum County instructor called into the office asking for such a verification letter.
I'm just thinking out loud here, but maybe we should create a generic letter on ABLE letterhead that would allow an instructor to enter a student's name, some other info, print it out and sign it. I'll try to learn if this is a violation of some rule, whether it is from the state or from Mid-East. In the meantime, the beauty of a blog is that you can comment on it if you wish. What do you think about the idea?
I have resisted the world of blogging forever, but I have lately been thinking it might be useful to start.
Since I have started as ABLE Coordinator for Mid East Career and Technology Centers, a day does not go by that I do not learn something new that I did not know before. I keep thinking that other staff might be interested in some of these things.
But I am also determined to not bombard your inbox with frequent emails. I believe that if I am strategic about the emails we send to you, you will be more inclined to read them when you get them. When you get one from office staff, you will know it is important and needs your attention.
By utilizing the blog, I can impart these words of wisdom as I think of them, but you can read them when you wish to. Or not at all, I guess.
Within the first hour of my day today, I learned that when students request a verification letter for proof that they have been attending class, that letter is technically supposed to come from the main office so that it may be written on Mid-East letterhead.
When I was an instructor in Morgan County and a student needed a letter for a boss, a case worker or a parole officer, I just typed it up on my facility's letterhead, signed it, and they went on their merry way.
In typical fashion, things work differently in Muskingum County. I learned this because a Muskingum County instructor called into the office asking for such a verification letter.
I'm just thinking out loud here, but maybe we should create a generic letter on ABLE letterhead that would allow an instructor to enter a student's name, some other info, print it out and sign it. I'll try to learn if this is a violation of some rule, whether it is from the state or from Mid-East. In the meantime, the beauty of a blog is that you can comment on it if you wish. What do you think about the idea?
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