What’s Happening with
Accuplacer Diagnostics &
My Foundations Lab?
Summer Institute 2013
What is ACCUPLACER?
 Placement test suite used by Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities (MnSCU)
 Reading Comprehension
 Sentence Skills
 Arithmetic
 Elementary Algebra
 Computer-based test
What’s the ABE Interest?
 Poor performance on
ACCUPLACER =
Developmental
Education
requirements =
High risk for not
completing
Placement Tests vs. Diagnostic Tests
 Placement Tests – 20 Questions, overall score
used to place students
 Diagnostic Tests – 40 Questions, scores in 5
content domains, each ranked:
 Proficient
 Limited Proficiency
 Needs Improvement
What is My Foundations Lab?
 Online learning platform
 Specifically designed for older teens and adults
 Content mapped specifically to ACCUPLACER
 Unique learning path for each student based on
ACCUPLACER Diagnostic test results
My Foundations Lab Reading Exercise
Pilot Project Overview
 Funding made available through Joyce Foundation
Shifting Gears Initiative for MN FastTRAC
 Open to MN FastTRAC participants and ABE programs
with college-prep classes
 MnSCU partnership required
 23 programs applied & accepted
Active Testing Sites
 AEOA (Arrowhead)
 Austin
 Robbinsdale Adult Academic
Program
 Brainerd
 Rochester
 Burnsville
 Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
 Central MN – St. Cloud
 Southwest
 Duluth
 St. Paul
 Fergus Falls & Detroit Lakes
 Glacial Lakes (Hutchinson/Willmar
area)
 Minneapolis
College-Bound ABE Students
Who are we serving?
Test Sessions & Test-Takers by Age Group
51-65
41-50
# unique test-takers
31-40
# test sessions
21-30
18-20
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Prior Education
 High School Graduates – 59%
 GED Graduates – 27%
 No HS Diploma or GED – 8%
 Still in High School – 2.5%
 Did not answer – 3.5%
Gender & Employment Status
 Female - 59%
 FT Employed – 20%
 Male - 40.5%
 PT Employed – 30%
 Did not answer - .5%
 Unemployed – 30%
 Not in labor force –
9%
 Did not answer – 11%
Racial/Ethnic Group Self-Description
 Asian, Asian American, or  Other Hispanic, Latino, or
Pacific Islander – 13%
Latin American – 8%
 American Indian – 3%
 White – 34%
 Black or African
American – 25%
 Mexican or Mexican
American – 11%
 Multicultural – 1.5%
 Other – 1.5%
 Did not answer – 3%
“What language do you know best?”
 English only – 51%
 English and another language about the same –
25%
 Another language – 22%
 Did not answer – 2%
How are they doing?
Testing Data 2012-2013
Mmm… Crunchy Numbers!
 With a partner, review the 2012-2013 testing
data.
 For each of the 4 test subjects, identify the
domains where students showed the greatest
proficiency and the least proficiency.
 Overall, in what area do our students need
the most improvement?
 Does anything in the data surprise you?
Finding Success
Promising Practices
Classroom Plus
 MFL shows best results for ABE learners in
combination with classroom instruction
 Greater intensity of service = faster results
 More examples
 More practice
 On-site lab time for those without Internet at home
Online Learning for College-Readiness
 Focus on skills required in college coursework
 Develop digital literacy skills
 Develop independent study skills
Diagnostic Testing = Individualized Learning
Test Score Counseling
“Don’t underestimate the value of sitting down for 20
minutes with your students to discuss their test results.
Have a conversation about their learning. Give them the
chance to practice their metacognitive skills. It takes
time but it’s absolutely worth it.”
Teacher – Student = Doctor – Patient
Test results need explaining!
The big question
How do we get this?
Become an MN ABE Accuplacer Test Site
 Request by the ABE Manager
 Identify $$$ - plan for purchasing units
 Receive training
Questions?