To: nla@world.std.com Subject:
NLA INFO:
New Policy Update
From: ajohnson@nifl.gov (Alice Johnson) Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998
STATES SEEK INPUT IN IMPLEMENTING NEW LITERACY LAW - November 19, 1998 -
As a result of the new Workforce Investment Act (WIA), local adult education and literacy programs, state agencies, and the general public have an important "window of opportunity" between now and January to help shape the provision of adult education and family literacy services over the next five years. The new law, which includes the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act , requires states to make key decisions over the next few months. While the new law firmly establishes requirements for some of the changes, many othersare left up to the states.
This Policy Update is designed to assist you in shaping how the new law is implemented in your state.
STATE PLANS
The new law requires each state -- under the leadership of the state director of adult education -- to develop a five-year plan for improving adult education and literacy. State plans must address a number of required areas, including an objective assessment of the literacy needs of individuals in the state and specific goals for how to improve the effectiveness of the state's adult education and literacy system. Future funding will be tied to how well the state meets its goals.
State plans are due to the Secretary of Education on April 2, 1999. At that time, states can choose to submit either 1) a comprehensive five-year plan or
2) a one-year transitional plan, with the comprehensive plan for the next four years due by April 2, 2000.
Primary responsibility for developing the plan rests with the state director of adult education, who must route it to the Governor for review and comment before sending it to the Secretary of Education. Because states must build in time for the Governor's review between now and April, most plans will be drafted by January. Most states have already started work on this, and the most important time to influence the process is between now and January.
In addition to the state needs assessment and performance goals, other required components of the plan include:
- How the state will evaluate the effectiveness of adult education and literacy activities based on specific performance measures;
- How performance measures will ensure the improvement of adult education and literacy in the state;
- How the state will develop strategies to better serve low-income students, individuals with disabilities, single parents, displaced homemakers, and individuals with multiple barriers to educational enhancement (including those with limited English proficiency);
- How adult education and literacy activities will be integrated with career development and employment and training activities;
- Steps the state will take to ensure that all eligible providers have "direct and equitable access" to federal funds through every step of the grant application process; and
- An overview of the process that will be used for ensuring public participation and comment on the plan.
Most state directors of adult education are already seeking input from the adult education and literacy field and the public in developing their plan. States will hold public hearings on the development of the plan, so one opportunity to get involved is to testify at a hearing in person or, if this is not possible, to submit written testimony. Some states, such as Wisconsin, are also posting potential ideas for the state plan on the Internet and soliciting electronic feedback. To find out about testifying in your state, or to see if drafts of your state's plan are available on the Internet, contact your state office of adult education and literacy.
KEY CHANGES IN THE LAW
New accountability system.
The law establishes a new comprehensive performance accountability system that is designed to assess states' effectiveness in achievingcontinuous improvement of adult education and literacy activities. Each state is required to provide an annual report on its progress to the Secretary of Education, who will then share it with Congress. Congress is expected to use this information in making future decisions about adult education and literacy funding. If states can make a compelling case that money invested in adult education and literacy is paying off in terms of student gains, funding could increase substantially.
In addition to being sent to Congress, statewide performance data will be shared with one-stop delivery systems to allow one-stop clients needing basic skills services to choose a provider with a good track record.
The law establishes three "core indicators of performance" that the states must measure, and allows states to add additional indicators.
The three required indicators are as follows:
1. Demonstrated improvements in reading, writing, and speaking in English; numeracy; problem-solving; English language acquisition; and other literacy skills.
2. Placement or retention in, or completion of, postsecondary education, training, unsubsidized employment, or career advancement.
3. Receipt of a high school diploma or the equivalent.
The law requires states to measure progress towards meeting the performance indicators in "an objective, quantifiable, and measurable form" and to show continuous improvement over the next five years in meeting the performance indicators. It also requires states to describe how they will measure success in achieving the performance indicators. The state director of adult education will make many of these decisions. The law requires the state director to consult with "other appropriate agencies, groups, and individuals that are involved in, or interested in, the development and implementation of [adult education and literacy] activities." If you have ideas for how the state should develop its outcomes and indicators, contact the state director of adult education.
States can include additional performance indicators in their state plans as well. These could include outcomes related to strengthening families, increasing community involvement, or other goals that are not necessarily tied to work. For example, the National Institute for Literacy's Equipped for the Future (EFF) project is laying out standards for what adults need to know and be able to do achieve broad literacy goals in the workplace, family, and community. States could choose to tie these themes and EFF's measurement tools to their performance indicators.
In addition to having input into the kinds of goals set by the state, those interested in shaping implementation can have input into statedecisions on how they will measure these outcomes and establish performance levels for each of the outcomes. Important questions that will be answered in the next few months include the following:
1. What levels of achievement should be required to show progress of individual local programs?
2. Should different levels of success be set for students who enter programs with different levels of skills or for programs serving students from different educational and economic backgrounds?
Funding considerations.
The new law establishes specific criteria for state agencies to consider in awarding grants to local programs for adult education, family, workplace, ESL, and prison literacy services. These criteria -- which include the program's past effectiveness, intensity, duration, and commitment to serving individuals most in need of literacy services -- are summarized in a checklist below.
While the law requires that these criteria be "considered," it is left up to the state to define "consider." The state agency will have to decide if the different items should all be weighed equally or prioritized in some way. It will also need to decide what, if any, other factors should be considered, and to what extent. Local programs with opinions or ideas on this should get involved now in the planning process.
Multi-year grants to local literacy programs.
The new law replaces the current system through which most state agencies award federal adult education funds annually in a competitive grant process. Under the new law, grants must be for multi-year periods (from 2-5 years). While this will create more stability andless paperwork, it will reduce the frequency with which programs canapply for public funds. Programs with opinions about whether the new grants should be for two, three, four, or five years should get involved now in expressing those opinions.
Direct and equitable access.
The law strengthens provisions that require state agencies to give all eligible providers an equal opportunity to apply for the funds. The law requires state agencies to ensure that the same grant/contract announcement and application processes are used for all eligible providers. It also requires state agencies to describe in the state plans submitted to the Secretary of Education what steps they will take to ensure that the direct and equitable access provisions are carried out. How do you think the "direct and equitable" provisions of the new law should be implemented in your state? Now is the timeto speak up!
Family literacy.
While the old Adult Education Act allowed states to use federal funds for family literacy services, the new law puts family literacy on anequal footing with adult basic education and English as a Second Language (ESL) as an allowable service. Should state plans reflect the specific inclusion of family literacy in the new law? For example, the Request For Proposals (RFPs) issued by state agencies could be modified to reflect this change. How would you like to see family literacy included in your state's plan?
Collaboration.
The law calls for more collaboration between adult education, job training, and vocational education programs, stating that state officials "shall collaborate where possible and avoid duplicating efforts in order to maximize the impact._" One of the most important things the adult education community can do is make sure it has a seat at the table of the new formal workforce investment boards established by the law. States in which the adult education and family literacycommunity effectively makes these connections will be better prepared in coming years to assist adults served by multiple systems in reaching their goals.
Conversely, other state agencies and officials interested in collaborating with the state's adult education and family literacy system should get involved in the development of these adult education and family literacy plans.
The law establishes new "workforce investment areas" that are similar to the old "service delivery areas" under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Each area will have a local workforce investment board with required representation by adult education and literacy providers. Now is the time to get involved in the decision about who in your state will represent adult education and literacy providers at these meetings. If you have recommendations or are interested in serving, contact your state director of adult education ASAP.
Special thanks to Garrett Murphy for his assistance with this Policy Update.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For a copy of the Workforce Investment Act, go to http://thomas.loc.gov or call the House Document Room at 202-226-5200 and ask for Public Law 105-220.
For more detailed summaries of the legislation, see the September 21st Policy Update the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium's
summary at http://www.naepdc.org.
To be added to the mailing list for future Policy Updates, see http://www.nifl.gov or call 202-632-1500 and choose option #1.
Checklist for Programs Seeking Federal Adult Education and Literacy Grants
The following list is designed to help programs generally assess how well they are meeting criteria that the Workforce Investment Act requires state agencies to consider in awarding grants. This list is not all-inclusive, and programs considering applying for federal adult education and literacy grants should contact their state director of adult education for specific information about grant requirements.
1. _____ To what degree has your program established measurable goals for participant outcomes?
2. _____ Can your program demonstrate its past effectiveness in improving the literacy skills of adults and families?
3. _____ What is the level of commitment of your program to serving individuals most in need of literacy services?
4. _____ Is your program of sufficient intensity and duration forparticipants to achieve substantial learning gains?
5. ______ Are educational activities built on a strong foundation of research and effective educational practice?
6. _____ Do activities use computers and other advances in technology, as appropriate?
7. _____ Do students in your program have an opportunity to learn in "real life" contexts?
8. _____ Is your program staffed by well-trained instructors, administrators, and counselors?
9. _____ Does your program offer flexible schedules and support services (such as child care and transportation)?
10. _____ Does your local community need more English as a Second Language (ESL) programs?
11. _____ Does your program coordinate its activities with other available resources in the community, including postsecondaryschools, elementary and secondary schools. One-stop centers, job training programs, and social service agencies?
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