Welcome and Introduction
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WIA Community Conversations on the Assessment Discussion List
February 11 – 15, 2010
Welcome and Introduction
Dear Subscribers,
I’m pleased to announce that the guest discussion with Brenda Dann-Messier begins today!
Below are a few tips to consider for a successful discussion this week. Please reply to the Assistant Secretary’s questions beginning today.
1) Given the nature of this discussion, please do not ask other list subscribers to contact Members of Congress to share their views with respect to reauthorization or appropriations. Messages interpreted to be lobbying will not be posted. To refresh on the guidelines for the Institute’s Discussion Lists, visit:
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guidelines.html
2) To post your response, either reply to the Assistant Secretary’s post, or send a new email to: assessment@nifl.gov. Reflect upon and respond to other posts for the purpose of exploring successes and challenges in Assessment.
If your testimony crosses topics (for example, reading and assessment), you might choose to divide your testimony so that the key reading aspects are posted to the Reading and Writing List and the key assessment aspects are posted to the Assessment List. Please do not cross post one testimony to multiple lists. All responses will be added to the final transcription.
3) When replying to posts:
a. Change the subject line to reflect the change in topic.
b. Delete “trailing replies” (old messages found beneath your reply to an email that is left over from previous messages and not relevant to the point you are making).
c. For quick tips on how to make an effective post, visit: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Effective_Email_Posts
4) Monitoring the Discussions: Visit the Discussion List Archives (most recent posts are at the top): http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/assessment/2010/date.html. This page is automatically updated.
Or, check out the ALE Wiki at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/WIA_Community_Conversations Some moderators are archiving the discussions on their lists in the ALE Wiki. These pages are manually updated.
5) Digest Format: If the volume of discussion list posts in your email becomes too much, one option for managing the volume is to set your subscription to “digest format.” This bundles posts into one or two emails per day. Digests are sent to you by the server when a message size threshold is met. To learn how to set your subscription to digest, visit: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Bundling_Posts_in_Digest_Format
Looking forward to reading your responses!
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
Dear Assessment List Participants,
My name is Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education. Thank you for planning time this week to participate in a virtual session of the WIA Community Conversations (http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/10WIA). I know it adds to your day to read and respond to discussion list posts, and I deeply appreciate you giving so much of your time.
This week, I ask that you discuss the successes and needs you see for adult education with respect to this discussion list’s topic. I’m hoping that you’ll be candid and honest, and that there will be an open and frank discussion on the list in this regard.
I’m here to listen, and to learn. This discussion is different from the typical discussion list guest discussions. I’m not going to react to your suggestions or answer questions. Please know, however, that what you suggest is worthwhile for the Department to consider as it forms its policy position on WIA reauthorization. Based on what I learn from the WIA Community Conversations, my hope is to be able to say what the real issues are that impact the field, our students, and our practitioners.
Additionally, I will present all conversation comments to the State Directors of Adult Education at their annual meeting in February. I will obtain their feedback as well.
If you are interested in what others are saying across the country, in addition to what you hear from this list discussion, please visit the Department of Education’s blog http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/11/workforce-investment-act-reauthorization/ . The transcripts from face-to-face sessions hosted by OVAE are linked to the blog. We will link transcripts of these discussion list sessions to the blog as well.
To start the discussion, please reply to this email with your thoughts on any of the following questions:
• What types of accountability measures are needed to successfully gauge whether adult learners are achieving their goals?
• What do you see as some of the greatest challenges with our present accountability measures? What are some innovative solutions to those challenges?
• How might WIA reauthorization support improving our present accountability measures? What are your hopes?
I look forward to hearing from you,
Brenda
Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier
Assistant Secretary
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
United States Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202
End Transcript
