Adult Basic Education New Student Orientation

1. Adult Basic EducationNew Student Orientation Your local Adult Basic Education (ABE) program is here to serve you.

2. Greetings • We are proud that you have decided to return to school to further your education. The decision you have made shows that you are concerned about your future and we look forward to assisting you as you strive to reach your personal goals. The purpose of this short slide show is to give you a better understanding of the Adult Basic Education program so you can receive the maximum benefit from the program.

3. Program Sponsorship • This program is sponsored through Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges. Local programs are operated by participating public school districts, community colleges, community based organizations, and other institutions.

4. First Things First—Setting Goals • In order for this class to be successful for you, it is very important that you set goals for yourself in the class. Please make sure that you share and discuss these with your teacher. • Goals need to be SPECIFIC, REALISTIC, and POSITIVE. • To say “I want to be a millionaire by the age of 20” would not be very realistic. But to say “I eventually plan to work in a department store by first getting a job as a sales clerk…then as an assistant manger…then as a manager” would be realistic, specific, and positive. • Many adults who return to school have the goal of getting the GED. That is a great goal, but you first need to think about the short term goals which must be reached to prepare for the 7 ½ hour test. • For example, “I would like to get my GED, but first I have to upgrade my skills in writing an essay for the GED and learn how to solve mathematics word problems”. This goal is more specific and takes into account some of the skills that must be achieved first, in order to be prepared to take the GED test. • Our goal in this class is to help you break down the subject matter into small, achievable parts that will help lead you to your broader long-term goals. Please remember that achieving goals takes time and personal commitment.

5. Goal Setting Questions Here are some questions to help you define your goals. Take out a sheet of paper, write the questions down, and answer each question. 1. What is your long-term personal goal for this class? 2. How much time are you willing to commit to achieving this goal? 3. What are some things you know of right now that you need to learn more about in order to reach your long-term goals? 4. What employment goals do you have? 5. What do you need to do to achieve your employment goals? 6. Do you have specific goals for yourself or your family that you would like to share? 7. Can you identify any things that are getting in the way of you achieving your goals? (Examples: lack of time, little family support, low self image) Congratulations! You have made the first step towards your success. We all have dreams about what we want to do with our lives. But dreams are simply a wish list floating in the clouds. In order to move forward, you must set goals. Any goal that is not written down is just a dream. Since you have just written down your goals, you have made the important first step towards your success in this class. All you have to do now is commit your time, energy and enthusiasm into being a successful student.

6. Now, your goals are set. Congratulations! You have made the first step towards your success. We all have dreams about what we want to do with our lives. But dreams are simply a wish list floating in the clouds. In order to move forward, you must set goals. Any goal that is not written down is just a dream. Since you have just written down your goals, you have made the important first step towards your success in this class. All you have to do now is commit your time, energy and enthusiasm into being a successful student.

7. Adult education classes are not like regular school. It is very important that you understand that this class is not designed to be like the regular school you once attended. There are several things about adults that make them learn differently from children. We respect these differences and try to make the class best meet your adult needs. Below are some of the ways adults learn differently. Think about it! • Adults are self-directed. As an adult you depend on yourself to earn a living and manage your life. • Adults are doers. You use what you learn to be better workers and parents. • Adults have a broad base of learning that has come from life experience. • Adults have many life experiences to learn from. • Adults learn more slowly than children, but just as well. • Adults are motivated to learn internally by self-esteem and feeling of achievement. • Adults need to apply their learning immediately in order to help them with their life situation. • Adult learners are from many educational levels, backgrounds and ages.

8. Key features of ABE/GED Classes: • Adult Education classes do not give grades. Instead of grades, your instructor will focus on helping you master the skills you need to be successful to reach your personal learning goals. • You will not be issued textbooks for Adult Education classes. Although books and other materials will be used during class time, you will not be given specific books to keep. Your instructor will check out materials to you to use during your home-study time. • You will be taking a test during the first week of your class time so the instructor will be able to know what materials you need to work with. • You are expected to act as a responsible adult while attending these classes. The instructor will go over the expectations for student behavior on the first class meeting. Failure to follow the student expectations can result in dismissal from the program. • Class attendance is very important in being able to reach your learning goals. Please let your instructor know of any difficulties at home that might cause you to have to miss classes. • Class work in adult education classes is usually self-paced and based on your personal learning level. Many times, the entire class will all be working on different assignments and the teacher will be going around the room helping each student with any problems they are having. • It is the responsibility of the student to let the instructor know about any problems you are having with your class work.

9. How do I find out what I need to learn in this class? • Take the TABE Locator Test—This short test in reading, math, and language will help us know which longer version of the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) to give you. • Then take the TABE Full Battery Test—This 3 hour test covers reading, math, and language. It will be graded and you and the instructor will review your scores to find out what you need to study in this class.

10. Keeping up with progress The best way to succeed in class is to have a clear picture of the skills you need to study each day. Check them off as you accomplish them and move to the next skill. Before you know it, you will have reached a learning milestone. Your teacher will be keeping a record of the skills you are studying on a form called the SIOA (Student Instructional Objectives and Assignments)

11. How long will this take me? • The length of time this class will take is different for every person. It all depends on your background knowledge, personal motivation, and study habits. • After you have been in class 50 hours, your teacher will give you the TABE test again as a post test to see what type of progress has been made. From this post test, we can determine what else needs to be covered in class.

12. Let’s talk about the GED The Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests) are designed to measure learning outcomes that are generally acquired through completion of a high school program of study. The GED is a standardized test, meaning that its scoring scale is derived from the performance of a sample of graduating high school seniors. The content on the test is drawn from material used in today’s high schools. Below is a summary of the five sections of the GED: SECTION# OF QUESTIONSTIME LIMIT Math Part I 25 45 minutes (Calculator allowed) Math Part II 25 45 minutes Science 50 80 minutes Social Studies 50 70 minutes Language Arts Reading 40 65 minutes Language Arts-Writing-Part I 50 75 minutes Language Arts-Writing Part II Essay 45 minutes

13. Frequently Asked Questions--GED • Who is eligible to take the GED tests? • To be eligible to test, you must be 17 or older and not required to be enrolled in school under the MS Compulsory School Attendance Law. Students ages 17-18 must furnish an official statement on school letterhead giving the date that they officially withdrew from high school or the date their regular high school class graduated. GED examinees must have been a resident of Mississippi for at least 30 days. To take the GED test, call your local GED testing center to sign up for the next upcoming GED orientation session. This session usually takes approximately 2-3 hours on a separate day before you take the exam. The GED examiner will provide you with a listing of what paperwork needs to be provided at the orientation. A free training session on the GED calculator is provided at the GED orientation. For a listing of GED examiners, click on the link below: http://www.colin.edu/gedonline/GED%20Centers.htm

14. FAQ’s, Ctd. • How are the tests scored? GED standard scores range from a minimum of 200 to a maximum of 800. To pass the tests in Mississippi, a student must score 410 on each test and at least a 450 average for the entire test (total of 2250 points).

15. What will I do if I do not pass the tests? You can take the GED tests over for a $12.00 fee per section. The test can be taken three times in each GED calendar year. It is recommended that students who do not pass the test attend classes to become more prepared for the section(s) of the test that they did not pass. Since the test is standardized, a student would make a similar score if they retested with no preparation; therefore, it is important that students prepare for any parts which did not meet the minimum score requirements.

16. Can I get into college with the GED? The GED diploma is accepted by about 95 percent of the U.S. colleges and universities. GED graduates are also eligible for most federal financial aid programs provided they meet other criteria. GED graduates will likely have to take the ACT or some other type of test for college admissions purposes.

17. What about accommodations for people with disabilities? Special test editions including Braille, audiocassette, and large print are available to students who have specific learning disabilities. The accommodation granted depends upon the disabling condition. Standard testing accommodations including extended time, supervised breaks, use of an audiocassette edition, calculator, scribe, and a private room can also be granted. To request an application for accommodations, you must contact the local GED examiner and request form L-15 (for specific learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and form SA-001 (for emotional and physical disabilities).

18. Is the GED easy? The GED is not an easy test; however, it is not impossible. By setting clear and concise learning goals in this adult education class, you can achieve your goal of passing the examination. Below are several learning goals any student desiring to take the GED test needs to achieve. • Goal 1: Learners will identify and correct errors in pieces of writing using the conventions of standard written English. • Goal 2: Learners will use writing process to compose a well-organized, 200-word essay on an assigned topic within an allotted time period. • Goal 3: Learners will read and develop an understanding of key concepts and vocabulary in social studies. • Goal 4: Learners will read and develop an understanding of vocabulary, and applications of key concepts in science. • Goal 5: Learners will be able to comprehend, interpret, and analyze popular and classical literature and commentary about literature and the arts. • Goal 6: Learners will develop an understanding of applied mathematical concepts in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry that require reasoning and problem-solving skills. • Goal 7: Learners will be better prepared for the tests of the GED by learning pertinent test taking strategies.

19. Study Skills Tips My eyes are tired. Can’t stay focused. Take a five minute break every 20 minutes. It is very helpful to relax the mind after serious study. Stand up, stretch and reward yourself after you accomplish learning how to solve a problem, concept, etc. Everything is “running together” on the page. Try to divide the page with a half-folded piece of paper. Can’t get my notes organized. When the teacher explains how to do a math problem for example, you might want to keep a journal with one example of how to do the problem. Make notations like this: Subject: Area of a rectangle. Formula: Length times width (l x w) Example: What is the area of a rectangular garden 5 feet wide and half that long? 5 x 2.5=12.5 feet

20. Study Skills Have trouble taking notes. Divide the page into two parts by drawing a line down the middle of the page. Place the subject being studied about on the left side of the page and record key ideas relating to the subject on the right side. When the topic changes, add the new topic to the left side and continue the process. After class, you will have space to go in and record additional information on the subject. Have trouble remembering important ideas. When you have trouble remembering important ideas, create a “jingle” to help you remember. For example, with order of operations you might use: Please (Do parentheses first) Excuse (Do exponents next) My (Multiply next from left to right) Dear (Divide next from left to right) Aunt (Add next from left to right) Sally (Subtract next from left to right)

21. Study Skills Have trouble with big words When complex vocabulary gives you trouble, it is very important to try to break the word down to its root, prefixes or suffixes. Example: cardiovascular surgeon Cardio (heart) Vascular (blood vessels) Meaning: surgeon specializing with the heart and blood vessels. Also use other words in a passage to help you get the meaning. These words are called context clues. Can’t get focused on reading a long passage. Don’t comprehend what I read. Use SQ3R. SURVEY-Look over what you read first and ask yourself what is this going to be about. QUESTION-Ask yourself what you want to learn form the passage. READ-Read the passage to try to answer your questions. RECITE-Mentally put the meaning of the passage into your own words. REVIEW-Mentally review the key idea before moving on to the next passage. Can’t get my mind focused and ready to read new information. Try the KWL method to prepare the mind. Divide a sheet of paper into three parts. On it, have a K, W and L section. Under the K section, write what you KNOW about the topic already. Under the W section, write what you WANT TO LEARN about the topic. Do these two sections before reading. After you get through reading the story, write in notes under the L section for what you LEARNED.

22. For More Information Please see your local ABE instructor to discuss any questions you may have. Feel free to call your local ABE director if you need to locate additional classes in the community. Your local GED examiner will assist you with the scheduling of your GED examination. Thank you for enrolling in our program and for participating in this short orientation.