Setting Realistic NRS Goals--Con

Setting Realistic NRS Goals--Considerations

Setting realistic goals is key to reporting program performance. Realistic goals are those that can be accomplished within the program year.

Students may have many long range goals. The performance system requires an ANNUAL REPORT. Therefore, for the performance system, use only those goals that are attainable within the program year.

Here are some considerations for determining realistic goals.

*Goal*	*Considerations*	*For instance*
Post Secondary	Entry level at or near adult secondary Month of entry Hours of week of attendance Special learning needs	1. Mildred enrolled in April with math and reading scores at 9.0 on TABE. She works during the day and attends class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. She does not seem to have hindrances to learning except missing class occasionally to go to PTA with her kids. 2. Jacob enrolled in November with reading and math scores around 10.0. He attends the center from 8:30 til noon, Monday through Thursday.
Obtain employment	Do you have a pre-employment curriculum to integrate with basic? Is he/she connected with One-Stop or other job placement organization? Does he/she have prior work history? Does he/she know what kind of job he/she wants? Are those jobs available? What skills do they require? What is the gap between his/her skills and the job skill requirements? Entry level Month of entry Hours of week of attendance Special learning needs	1. Raleigh really wants a job. Other than doing odd jobs for his uncle, he has no job skills. His reading and math skills are at 5.1 and 6.2 respectively. He may have a learning disability. You do not have a pre-employment curriculum nor do you have a strong link with job placement services. Raleigh wants to attend evening classes. Raleigh says that his reason for enrolling is to get a really good paying job so he can become independent. 2. Jesus just arrived in the country last month, January, and has been staying with his sister. His verbal English is passable but needs work. His reading is 2.0 but his math is 8.5 without word problems. He can attend class full time—8:30 til noon Monday through Friday. Jesus worked as a laborer in El Salvador. You have a pre-employment curriculum and a good connection with the One-Stop job placement service.
Retain a job	What skills does the job require? What is the gap between his/her skills and the required job skills? Can you customize your basic skills program to job specific tasks? How much time do you have? Entry level Month of entry Hours of week of attendance Special learning needs	1. Wilma works in a textile plant that is replacing the “gears, pulleys, and levers” with jet air looms. All of the old jobs (doffer, weaver, fixer) are going away. Management has told her if she can demonstrate reading and math skills at the 10^th grade level necessary to be trained on the new looms, they would love to consider her for one of the new jobs. She has been a good employee and they want to hang on to her. She enrolled in May and has until November to reach the skill level. Her reading and math are about 8^th grade level. The plant will give her release time to come to class Monday and Thursday mornings and she wants to come Tuesday and Thursday evening on her own. 2. Palos is a fork lift driver. As a part of his job, he has to count and document the number of cases of peanuts that are on each pallet. He cannot do multiplication but has devised his own system using “sets” to determine the number of cases per pallet. Because his supervisor assumed Palos was using multiplication, he has give Palos additional responsibilities in inventory with an accompanying significant pay raise. However, now Palos must use multiplication. His math skills are basic addition and subtraction. He enrolls in October in a panic wanting to learn the skill before his boss finds out.
GED	Entry level at or near adult secondary Month of entry Hours of week of attendance Special learning needs	1. Evelyn enrolls in March. Her work schedule and family responsibilities allows her to attend only two nights or two mornings per week. Her reading and math scores are 6.5 and 8.9 respectively. She does not seem to have any special learning needs. 2. Bob brags that he will accomplish his life goal of a GED this year. At enrollment in September his reading and math scores are 3.4 and 4.7 respectively. On initial interview he reports a diagnosed learning disability--disgraphia. He works a swing shift as a security person so his schedule will be mornings two weeks and evenings two weeks.