“Our students generally have been
out of school for a year or two. Some of them have less
than 20 of the 220 credits needed to graduate from high
school. Some are on probation. Many have had problems with
drugs, alcohol, or family abuse. We’re the last step
for them,” says John Felice, assistant director of
the program.
“We prepare our students vocationally
and get them ready for the GED,” Felice says. “To
do that, we use the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education)
to get a handle on what a student’s achievement level
is and how well they can be expected to do on the GED. Then
we put them on PassKey to eliminate the deficiencies.”
| “We
never have to use behavioral interventions in the computer
lab. We simply don’t have problems there.” |
Between August 2001 and June 2002, approximately
60 students worked eight hours per week on the PassKey reading
and math programs. Before PassKey, the average score on
the TABE was between 5th and 6th grade. After working on
PassKey, the students’ average score was above the
10th grade level in both math and reading.
Of the 60 students in the program, 20
students passed the GED immediately, 19 students need to
pass only one or two more tests, and the remainder will
return for further instruction. “The correlations
to state and national tests are great,” Felice says,
“and PassKey allows us to custom-tailor a program
for every student.”
PassKey helps Mission Trails focus on
success. "We've used it for years, and it's available campus-wide
for enhancement, enrichment, as a tutorial, and a learning
system for the GED. Our computer lab is staffed by a teacher
and counselor who are dedicated to the students, the technology,
and the system. PassKey is a great adjunct to their teaching.
What's interesting is that we never have to use behavioral
interventions in the lab. We simply don't have problems
there."
