[NLA] Info: Administration considering counting only employment-related preformance outcomes for adult ed.

[David J. Rosen]

George, and others,

George E. Demetrion wrote:

 > Just a quick question.  Concerns of many will undoubtedly follow:
 >
 > Then why all the emphasis on reading and reading research in adult
 > literacy by the federal govt as reflected in the recent grant awards?
 > Why not an emphasis on contextual-based workplace literacy programs
 > instead?
 >
 > GD


The Bush Administration (like others) isn't always cohesive, and this is 
a plan -- apparently not a final plan.  I understand that the plan has 
come out of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which is part of 
the Executive Office of the President.  I do not know if the Department 
of Education, or even all the staff in the OMB, agree with this plan. 
Perhaps well-timed, persuasive arguments from the field might persuade 
them to separate out how adult education is measured from how job 
training is measured, which seems to me to be the key issue.


Note in the detail below from the OMB Website that one of the four 
performance measures is different from what was reported in the previous 
message, that it is "attainment of a certificate or degree," not "job 
retention rate." I don't know how this change occurred -- does someone 
else on the NLA know? -- but perhaps it indicates that there is room for 
change. In the text below, they say  "we are open to other possibilities."

David J. Rosen
DJRosen at theworld.com

 From  OMB Website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/mgmt-gpra/m02-06_addendum.html#h2

"Job Training and Employment Comparison Measure

Last year we reviewed nearly 50 federal job training and employment 
programs. That review showed that there was little consistency across 
programs in measuring outcomes. That review also highlighted that not 
all job training and employment programs provide the same services. Some 
programs focus on classroom or on-the-job training; others on employment 
and re-employment assistance; while still others include a combination 
of services. We also found that few serve the same target populations. 
Some programs focus on adults, some on youth and young adults, and 
others on special target populations like veterans, the disabled, or 
American Indians. Even within a particular group, certain programs may 
serve people with different economic needs. But what was clear was that 
programs did not always measure what is their primary goal—participants 
leaving their programs with a job. The purpose of this proposal is to 
develop a common performance measure that addresses the goal of getting 
a job for participants in all affected programs.

While we recognize that some agencies may not have data now, over the 
summer we will develop a framework and time line for getting the data 
for performance on the primary outcome measure of getting a job where 
those data are deficient or non-existent. Among other things, this will 
involve ensuring we are measuring the same thing (e.g., "placement" may 
be defined differently among programs), and we have common definitions 
for these measures.

Agencies proposed to be involved in this common performance measure 
initiative include the Departments of Labor (including its Workforce 
Investment Act programs for youth, adults, and dislocated workers), 
Education (including such programs as Vocational Rehabilitation, 
Vocational and Adult Education), Housing and Urban Development 
(Youthbuild), Veterans Affairs (Vocational Rehabilitation and 
Employment), and Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs programs). We are 
proposing four possible measures for program outcomes, but are open to 
other possibilities. Three are outcome measures and one is an efficiency 
measure.

Measure 1—Attainment of a job

To determine how effective programs are in meeting the outcome goal of 
job training programs—placement in a job. Agencies would report their 
methodology for measuring job attainment and the data collected by them 
or by their grantees to determine what data exists, how and when job 
placement is measured, and what proportion of participants actually exit 
the program into a job.

Measure 2—Attainment of a certificate or degree by program participants

To determine how effective programs are in meeting intermediate goals 
that can lead to better jobs and long-term earnings. Even though the 
primary outcome goal of job training and employment programs is a job, a 
significant intermediate outcome measure can be whether a program 
increases participants' skills needed to get and retain a job. We 
suggest attaining a degree or certificate as a possible common measure 
since this often is an intermediate step to another training or 
employment program before gaining a job and, as such, is a reasonable 
indicator for eventual success in the job market. As above, agencies 
would report on data now collected and available and describe the basis 
for that data.

Measure 3—Earnings gains

To determine whether programs have an effect on participants' earnings 
compared to their earnings prior to program enrollment. While job 
attainment has many benefits, having a job that doesn't pay more than 
the participant was earning before program enrollment undermines the 
programs' long-term outcome goal of improving employment and earnings. 
Agencies would report on surveys or on other program data for this outcome.

Measure 4—Total program cost per placement in a job

This efficiency measure would aggregate total annual program costs 
(something else that will need to be standardized) divided by the number 
of placements in a job or in postsecondary education."




> 
> On Fri, 06 Dec 2002 15:47:12 -0500 "David J. Rosen"
> <DJRosen at theworld.com> writes: (Snipit)
> 
> 
>>NLA Colleagues,
>>
>>The Bush administration is considering a new performance measure plan
> 
> for workforce development programs, including adult education programs
> funded under WIA Title II. If this plan were to be implemented,
> apparently education gain and other education outcomes would no longer
> count.

_______________________________________________
NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org