Nassau BOCES Adult Learning Center Earns Winning Report Card

The Nassau BOCES Adult Learning Center has been named one of the highest-rated adult education programs of its kind in New York State.

The center received a “highly proficient” rating on the Adult Career and Continuing Education Services (ACCES) Report Card for the 2010-11 year. The rating, from the New York State Education Department (NYSED), distinguishes the Nassau BOCES Adult Learning Center as the only center on Long Island with an enrollment of 1,700 students to receive the honored status.

“Thanks to our Adult Learning Center, thousands of students are now ready for a better life in the United States and Nassau County, as are their families,” said Ms. Gene Silverman, executive director, Nassau BOCES Department of Regional Schools and Instructional Programs. “What a tremendous impact for the future, for them and for us.”

The rating comes as the result of a three-year plan that is the brainchild of Nassau BOCES’ Adult Learning Center Principal Dr. Marc A. Bertrand, who along with Assistant Principal April E. Perry, implemented a total quality management operational system.

“The entire program underwent a significant redesign and we are overwhelmed with the results,” said Bertrand. “The faculty and staff were supportive, especially after seeing a rise in our student success rates. More importantly, they understand we must continue to excel.”

The annual report card evaluates adult education programs throughout the state in the following four areas: educational gains, follow-up outcomes, goal setting, and survey response rate. NYSED and ACCES assess these categories based on statewide performance averages of adult education programs.

The district scored a 61 percent passing rate on the educational gains evaluation component, which is the primary indicator for receiving a “highly proficient” rating. The score is 15 percent higher than the NYSED benchmark of 46 percent.

The Nassau BOCES Adult Learning Center serves 1,700 students each year, and offers course in GED, ESL, United States citizenship test preparation, computer literacy through computer-assisted learning, English reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and math and job-readiness skills.

Visit www.adultednassau.org for a complete list of courses, or call 516-622-5623 for more information.