'Excellent Service to Students'
A graduate collects his High School Equivalency diploma during a HopeWorks ceremony last year. (Tom Stolarick / Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
Tennessee Adult Education Program Is Most Improved in U.S.
By Karen Grigsby
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Just months after Tennessee began offering more ways for adults to earn their high school diploma, new rankings show the state’s adult education program is the most improved in the nation.
Out of 57 U.S. states and territories, Tennessee rose 20 spots over the previous year, according to data released in February from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), part of the U.S. Department of Education.
The leap — from 44th to 24th — was the largest in the country.
Jay Baker, Assistant Commissioner of Tennessee’s Adult Education division, said he’s “thrilled” with the news.
“Our motto for years has been ‘Excellent Service to Students.’ And what this rising to the top of the fastest-improving list means is that our programs are taking that seriously,” he said.
“I love being able to put numbers to that concept instead of just saying ‘Let’s do good work.’ Here’s the proof that we’re doing that excellent service.”
More Tennessee Students Are Finding Success
OCTAE ranks adult education programs based on their students’ measurable skill gains, or MSGs.
Students can achieve an MSG in a host of ways, such as by improving their math or literacy skills, reaching a work-based training milestone, or earning their High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma.
Adult education providers record this data, and the state submits it to the federal government every fall in a series of reports.
The most recent data, which covers the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, shows that 54% of students in Tennessee’s adult education program achieved an MSG. The previous year, only 37% did.
The latest numbers propel Tennessee from the first quartile to the third quartile and mark the first time the state has landed in the top 25 since at least 2016, when OCTAE changed its format for collecting data.
With Tennessee serving up to 20,000 adult learners each year, that means thousands more students are improving their educational skills in a measurable way.
“It used to be that you had a good chance of coming to our program and not getting anything out of it. And that’s terrible. That is a state director’s worst nightmare,” Baker said. “Now we can confidently say you have a really good chance that you will get something positive out of this, that you will show measurable growth in some area if you participate in our program.”
A graduate collects her High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma during a HopeWorks ceremony last year. (Tom Stolarick / Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
New Pathways Is Already Making an Impact
Adult education leaders attribute Tennessee’s improvement in large part to the New Pathways program.
Launched in April 2024, New Pathways provides adult learners more options for earning their HSE diploma.
Tennessee is now the only state to offer five test options. Most states offer just one or two. Students can mix and match tests to pass the five subjects needed for their HSE diploma.
The program has been a game changer for students, particularly those in rural counties who can now take some of the exams in their classroom instead of driving a half-hour or more to a testing center.
Not only does earning a diploma count as a measurable skill gain, but for the first time, so does passing a subtest. With more adult learners taking and passing subtests because of New Pathways, Tennessee’s jump in the OCTAE rankings isn’t a complete surprise.
Still, adult education leaders are quick to credit the state’s success to dedicated teachers and determined students.
“Ultimately, it goes back to those folks in the field who are doing the work and the students,” said Alex Beene, Assistant Administrator with the Adult Education division. “It has motivated the students to come back.”
A Dream Two Decades in the Making
Jennifer Pace has worked with several students who have come back to the classroom and realized their dreams of earning a diploma thanks to New Pathways.
Pace is the Program Coordinator for TCAT Knoxville Adult Education, which serves students in Anderson, Blount, Cocke, Knox, Loudon, Sevier, and Union counties.
One of Pace’s longtime students spent 20 years working toward her HSE diploma. Years ago, when the GED was the only test that Tennessee offered, she passed all the subjects but one, social studies. Then when Tennessee moved to the HiSET test, she passed all of the subjects except reading.
“She was so close,” Pace said. “She just could not make that jump.”
Pace ran into the woman in Walmart a couple of months ago and persuaded her to try again using New Pathways. By combining sections she passed on the TABE and HiSET exams, she met all the requirements and received her diploma.
Another student whom Pace started working with in 2016 spent 25 years trying to earn her HSE diploma. She also recently used New Pathways, graduated, and is now enrolled in college.
“It’s just amazing what happens when they get that little bit of success,” Pace said. “They feel confident. Then they can move on.”
Using Data to Improve Outcomes
State adult education employees pore over data such as the OCTAE rankings year-round. They use it to reach out to providers like Pace and show them where and how to find students who may be facing barriers and need help.
For instance, the data might show a large county has fewer students or graduates than its much smaller neighbor. Adult education leaders can then work with that program to find out why and offer resources and support.
“Through that data I can see the holes of where we can perform better and not necessarily like, ‘Hey, let’s go teach a teacher to teach,’ ” said Crystal Haring, a Systems and Analytics Specialist with Tennessee’s Adult Education division. “We might not need to teach a teacher to teach. We might need a better location that’s not in an elementary school.”
Haring and her colleagues also use the data to promote New Pathways to providers that might be underutilizing it. Before New Pathways, students were spending 40 hours on average in the classroom before earning their diploma, Haring said. Now it’s just 16 hours.
Pace said her program is thinking beyond diplomas by placing a bigger emphasis on workforce skills and creating curricula that align with employer needs.
“When people are coming into our program, they’re not just getting their diploma and we’re saying ‘Hooray!’ and you’re gone. We’re saying, ‘Hooray! Now what’s next?”
New Pathways
Tennessee is the only state to offer five exam options for adult learners seeking their High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma.
The TABE exam is offered to students immediately after entry into an adult education program. Students can take up to three sections that count toward HSE diploma attainment. Students can retake the TABE after 40 hours of class time.
With the HiSET exam, students can take up to five sections that count toward their HSE diploma. Students can attempt a section on the HiSET exam up to three times in a calendar year.
The GED exam includes four sections. Adult learners can attempt a section on the GED test up to three times before having to wait 60 days between retakes.
ACT WorkKeys is offered at several non-adult education sites in Tennessee, such as high schools and American Job Centers. Employers also may use it to assess a new hire or prospective employee. Students can take two sections for HSE diploma attainment. They can retake ACT WorkKeys as often as needed.
CASAS GOALS tests students’ reading and math proficiency. Students can retake CASAS GOALS after 40 hours of class time.
FOCUS is a publication of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.