Supporting 1st Generation College Students

College and Career Readiness, HSE
All the Difference (POV)

We work hard to help our students build their academic skills and develop the content knowledge they need to earn their HSE diplomas, but there are many other factors that can make or break our students as they attempt to successfully cross the divide into college coursework and degrees. For graduating high school seniors who are the first in their families to go to college, being successful in college can be extremely difficult because of academic, social and financial pressures. For adult students, after they struggle to get their high school equivalency diploma, a college degree can seem impossible. It is important that they see people like themselves struggle and pick themselves up as they work through college. Our students need to see resilience at work and prepare themselves for some of the same challenges. Continue reading Supporting 1st Generation College Students →

CUNY Webinar: Exploring the Science Item Specifications

HSE, Science
webinar recording

In June of 2016, DRC CTB released item specifications documents for each of the five tests on the TASC exam. The documents define the content and format of the test for item writers, but they also give teachers more specific information about what is being tested than we have had before. In a July 11th webinar hosted by the CUNY Adult Literacy/HSE Program, panelists discussed a standard in life science in order to explore how the item specifications work. Goals of the webinar included increasing understanding of the item specifications documents and, specifically, the content standard on cellular division and differentiation (p. 51), while exploring ideas on teaching these science topics. Continue reading CUNY Webinar: Exploring the Science Item Specifications →

Bring Math and Student Thinking Alive in the Adult Ed Classroom

ABE, HSE, Math, Pre-HSE, , , , , , , ,
MathMemos

One of the most common questions we hear from math teachers is “Where can I find good problems for my students?”. There are more than a dozen sites reviewed on CollectEdNY that answer that question but we are really excited to share MathMemos which, like CollectEdNY, is entirely focused on adult education math teachers and students. Continue reading Bring Math and Student Thinking Alive in the Adult Ed Classroom →

Credly Give credit where credit is due

Micro-Credentials Using Digital Badges from Credly

Technology, , ,
Credly

In adult education, the main credentials available to students are often quite far off from where the student begins with us.  Whether it is a High School Equivalency Diploma, Citizenship or mastery of TOEFL, the tests these credentials require are difficult and require many hours of work in and outside of class.  This is where the idea of micro-credentialing comes in.  Much like Girl Scout badges, micro-credentials mark achievements along the way to the larger credential.  A micro-credential may be associated with mastery of a skill, time spent on a skill or task, or some other achievement. A common way to indicate a micro-credential is through the use of digital badges, an online image that is a “validated indicator of accomplishment.”   Continue reading Micro-Credentials Using Digital Badges from Credly →

CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework for Social Studies, Science and Math

College and Career Readiness, HSE, Math, Pre-HSE, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Writing
CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework

The CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework provides direction, structure and materials for teaching math, science and social studies (integrated with reading and writing) in the new era of HSE instruction. The complete framework is available for free download. We invite you to share your experiences using it with your students. Continue reading CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework for Social Studies, Science and Math →