We are pleased to announce the addition of Massachusetts to the STAR Network of partner states. Massachusetts joins us as our 19th state implementing evidence-based reading instruction to intermediate level adult learners. Massachusetts will begin their training in February. We are very excited to welcome Massachusetts to the STAR family! Please check back in December to learn more about Massachusetts and their STAR initiative. For more information about STAR’s partner states, please visit the "Partner States" link on the STAR Tool Kit.

STAR TRAINER DIARIES
Reflections of a Trainer Certification Candidate – Insights and Lessons Learned from Cindy Heimbach, State Trainer for Mississippi

As the first group of STAR trainer certification candidates prepares to complete their year long process, the STAR Gazer wanted to touch base with a trainer who has completed certification for an inside look at the process, the challenges, the benefits and most of all, any advice for current candidates. The STAR Gazer reached out to Cindy Heimbach who teaches ABE in Mississippi for the Grenada School District. She and her three colleagues started their certification journey in January 2008.

Here are Cindy’s thoughts on a year that, by her account, went by too quickly but that ultimately made her a better teacher, trainer, and administrator.

Cindy identified the coaching she received as one of the biggest benefits of the STAR Certification process. Her coach helped Mississippi’s trainers identify topics and resources to include in their own training programs and pointed out areas for improvement. Cindy noted, "I wouldn’t have done as well without the coach."

Cindy also praised the experience she gained through the technical assistance portion of delivering STAR training and emphasized its role in strengthening her ability to assist others evaluate their situations and develop solutions. Delivering technical assistance gave her the understanding that helping someone means identifying problems and meeting their own challenges. Cindy recognized that she was someone who liked to fix problems for people and this experience has helped her grow in this area. She noted that "telling people how to do things doesn’t give them ownership of it" and "what works in my setting may not work in their setting."

Overall, Cindy found that training made her more effective in her own classroom. It helped her with her own implementation, as strategies have become more second nature. She stated, "Going through the training has helped me identify areas of improvement. As I train, it makes me a better teacher."

STAR certification training provides a wealth of information through various training modules; however they do take time to complete. Time was a challenge for Cindy, both in creating realistic personal timelines as well as giving herself enough time to complete particular modules. For Cindy, the Video Observation module, which requires trainers to record pieces of their training proved to be the biggest challenge. Instead of waiting until the end of training, Cindy advises candidates to continuously view their video footage throughout their training.

Despite the challenges associated with the Video Observation module, Cindy benefited by being able to see herself in action. Based on what she saw on video, Cindy was able to assess her strengths and weaknesses and improve her performance as a trainer. "The video observation footage has made me a better trainer," she acknowledged.

Cindy has been "eating and breathing STAR" for nearly a year. When asked what type of advice she would give candidates going through the process, she offered the following words of wisdom:

STAR SPOTLIGHT
Minnesota Shares Success Stories from the Field

The Minnesota STAR Project launched its second year of implementation this Fall. Combined STAR 2009 and 2010 participation includes 16 STAR programs with the potential for over 30 STAR sites and 71 STAR-trained state leaders, administrators, and teachers. As Marn Frank, Minnesota’s STAR Project Lead, wrote in their STAR newsletter, "This is only the "STARt"– there will be many more!" Thanks to Minnesota for sharing some inspirational moments with the STAR Network.

At a Booster training in October, the following success stories were collected. The purposes of this collection were to: (1) re-energize STAR 2009 participants and (2) inform state leaders and other ABE providers about the project’s success.

• Approximately 90% of students participating in STAR classes increased their TABE Reading scores.
• Eight of 11 students participating in a spring STAR class made gains – some very significant – on TABE Reading.
• A GED prep student raised his reading level from about 6.0 to 12.9 GE during three months of a STAR class and passed three out of five GED tests with 500+.
• Ten of 11 students participating in a six week summer STAR class increased their oral and silent reading rates.
• A pilot STAR class averaged seven to eight students; this fall, 12-18 students are consistently attending and space is becoming an issue!
• Many students reported "loving" vocabulary instruction. They asked for more words, recognized more words outside of class, are more able to help their children with reading homework, and are more successful in GED prep classes.
• A student with identified alphabetic and fluency needs has shown a huge change in attitude and cooperation due to explicit and direct STAR instruction.
• A student in a correctional setting became very motivated to work on her identified fluency and comprehension needs. After three months of STAR class, she said, "I am a better reader and thinker" and went on to complete her GED.