Pace Professional Development Webinars

Tools for Targeting TABE 11/12

Pace has designed learning systems that ensure TABE® success for over 40 years, through multiple generations of the TABE assessments. Join this workshop to explore instructional and assessment strategies that promote efficient TABE score gains.

This session is designed for basic education service providers using TABE 11/12 results for placement, tracking and reporting, or individualized instruction and those looking for effective resources for improving TABE scores. Attendees will receive free sample lessons from the Pace curriculum, aligned to TABE 11/12 objectives in reading, language, and math. Attendees will learn about: differences between 9/10 and 11/12 objectives by test level; the Individual Diagnostic Profile; effective instructional material for teaching with TABE and tailoring instruction to ensure mastery of TABE objectives; “mini measures,” an assessment strategy for validating skills mastery and predicting TABE progress; and effective communication of test results and involving students in the remediation process.

TABE® is copyright 2022 by Data Recognition Corporation (DRC).

Inmates Teaching Inmates – Developing and Enhancing Soft Skills in a Prison Setting

Offenders who develop strong soft skills in prison have a better chance at reducing their sentence, succeeding in re-entry, and gaining meaningful employment. An effective soft skills program requires careful selection and focus on the needed skills, adaptable resources, specific teaching methods, consistent assessment, and individualized feedback and encouragement. In a correctional setting, inmate facilitators can help extend soft skills programs outside the classroom. Inmate facilitators can also help correctional educators relate lessons in soft skills to other inmate learners. This workshop will focus on the five-year evolution of a Pace Life Skills Program at Folsom State Prison— a leisure-time activity that boasts a waiting list of over 200 inmates! Join Pace to learn about teaching and evaluating soft skills in a correctional setting and explore the latest work of the inmate Life Skills Facilitators at Folsom.

Efficient, Effective Strategies for Middle-Level Learners

About 59% of adult education students function between 4th and 9th grade. In order to have efficient success with these “middle-level” learners, programs need systems and methods designed to individualize instruction and assessment, ensure fluency of basic skills competencies before advancement, and communicate progress clearly. Students in the middle levels (4th-9th; TABE M/D) require effective feedback that develops student independence, self-pacing skills, and confidence, to equip them for consistent success in preparation for high school equivalency.

Basic skills fluency still matters most in adult basic education. Service providers can take steps at NRS levels 3 and 4 to ensure consistent progress toward readiness to prepare for high school equivalency. Join this workshop to learn about competency-focused strategies for ensuring quick, consistent gains in the middle-levels (4.0-8.9), reducing learning plateaus and reteaching, boosting and motivation and student independence, and improving overall learning gains and outcomes.

• What is the difference between mastery and fluency?
• How does basic skills fluency impact performance at higher Depth of Knowledge (DoK) levels?
• What are the unique needs of the “middle-level” adult learner?
• How can “competency-based controls” affect long-term student and program outcomes?

This workshop is designed for teachers, program coordinators, and administrators working with adult students from NRS 3-6 (4th grade – HSE).

Tools for Soft Skills Evaluation in Adult Basic Education

Explore different approaches to soft skills evaluation and assessment in basic education programs. This session will focus on defining which soft skills to teach and assess, and selecting the best combination of methods and tools to evaluate and document learning needs and soft skill acquisition on a personalized basis. This session is designed for adult basic education service providers and those who have attended our previous session, “How to Teach Soft Skills in Basic Education.”

• What are the types of assessments available to measure soft skills?
• How do available instruments align with my goals for my program?
• What are some of the issues to consider about assessment tools: cognitive measures, self-reports, and performance measures?
• How do I use ongoing performance observation for program adjustment, individualized feedback/planning, and meaningful documentation?

How to Teach Soft Skills

Soft skills impacts important aspects of a productive, happy life – relationships, employment prospects, learning success, and many others. Effective soft skills instruction in basic education programs requires adaptable resources, consistent evaluation, and individualized feedback and planning. Join Dr. Susan McKee, educational psychologist, to learn simple but effective strategies for soft skills development and explore Pace Learning Systems’ Life Skills 25 curriculum.

• Learn why soft skills are just as important as academic credentials and technical skills for entry-level employment.
• Explore simple but effective steps for teaching soft skills concepts in any basic education course.
• Learn strategies for supporting long-term soft skills development.
• Review Pace Learning’s soft skills curriculum, Life Skills 25

Testing and Troubleshooting with TABE

TABE is a powerful diagnostic tool which can directly affect student and program outcomes, both positively and negatively. Join this session to increase your working knowledge of the TABE assessments, learn to interpret test scores to best inform instruction, and explore instructional and assessment strategies that promote efficient TABE score gains. This session is designed for basic education service providers using TABE results for placement, tracking and reporting, or individualized instruction.

• Learn how to communicate the importance of accurate assessment
• Learn how to communicate test results to adult learners in ways that will impact motivation and follow-up outcomes
• Explore tools and methods for “mini-measure” assessments in between scheduled TABE testing sessions
• Learn how to evaluate “suspect” or unreliable test scores
• Using personalized diagnostic feedback to impact instruction

TABE® is copyright 2022 by Data Recognition Corporation (DRC).