<p> Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report</p><p>2 Program Year 2016–2017</p><p>3 Executive Summary 4 In 2014–2017, the first three years of the Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) program following 5 the transition from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to the Texas Workforce Commission 6 (TWC), TWC has worked diligently to reshape the face of adult education in Texas, build quality 7 and quantity of program services, and integrate AEL services into the core mission of the agency. 8 9 In Program Year 2016–2017 (PY’16–’17), TWC continued to see tremendous growth in statewide 10 offerings of and enrollments in Career Pathways models, and in Integrated Education and 11 Training (IET) in particular. These models provided IET services for over 6,000 participants and 12 provided workplace literacy for over 50 employers. 13 14 TWC implemented a wide variety of state leadership projects, which has led to building capacity 15 for IET, providing innovative opportunities for distance learning, and fostering robust and 16 comprehensive staff development for the 34 AEL grantees and 21 special project grantees across 17 the state. 18 State Leadership Funds, AEFLA, Section 223 19 20 Alignment of Adult Education and Literacy Activities with Other One-Stop Required 21 Partners 22 23 TWC continues to use State Leadership Funds to support activities that position the statewide 24 system for not only continuous improvement across program outcomes but also for innovation in 25 new directions related to full system integration with core programs and postsecondary education 26 and training. </p><p>27 Accelerate Texas 28 TWC is implementing its third round of Accelerate Texas projects. These projects support IET 29 models that accept customers who would otherwise not meet academic admission requirements 30 for college-level workforce training. Training is provided concurrently with intensive and 31 contextualized AEL and workforce preparation activities. Projects include objectives related to 32 IET model sustainability based on the use of local and other resources, and grantees have 33 identified sources of collaboration and leveraged funds to support awarded projects such as 34 employer or industry partnership contributions, Local Workforce Development Boards’ (Boards) 35 services and funds, and aid from local, state, federal and private resources. Each Accelerate Texas 36 project requires collaboration with Boards and other partners regarding local and regional labor 37 markets, credentialing demands, and wage information. 38 39 Ten projects have been funded since the project’s inception in 2015, and as of June 30, 2017, 989 40 participants had been served, with an additional 750 contracted to be served through 2018. 41 Occupations for which training has been provided include certified nursing assistant; medical 42 assistant; phlebotomist; pharmacy technician; community health worker; dental assistant; medical 43 insurance technician; electrocardiogram technician; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 1 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 technician; electrician; welder; machinist; machine shop assistant; oil and gas drilling technician, 2 floor hand, and roundabout; industrial mechanic; warehousing technician; supply chain manager; 3 building and property maintenance manager; pipefitter; general maintenance technician; 4 commercial truck driver; medical administrative assistant; office administrative assistant; 5 accounting clerk; paralegal; and drafting technician.</p><p>6 Texas Adult Completion and Skills Initiative 7 The Texas Adult Completion and Skills Initiative (TACSI), first funded in the 2014–2015 fiscal 8 year, provides services to individuals who are from 16 to 25 years old, are out-of-school, and do 9 not have a high school diploma or a GED. Grantees provided a comprehensive plan to help 10 individuals earn either a high school diploma through a partner dropout-recovery organization or a 11 high-school-equivalency diploma through an AEL provider. Grantees also were required to help 12 participants to enter college training for high-demand occupations that result in credentials 13 recognized by employers. TACSI includes college and career transitional support and 14 employment services to help participants find employment after program completion. This project 15 was particularly effective in that it combines Title II funds with Title I statewide activity funds to 16 be able to provide education and training services to high-school-equivalency students and 17 dropout-recovery students. TACSI served 434 participants.</p><p>18 Site-Based Workplace Literacy Projects 19 TWC funded 10 site-based workplace literacy projects to develop foundational basic skills and 20 literacy and technical skills to employees, something critical to the health of the Texas workforce 21 and competitiveness of employers. Grantees were required to work with employers and employer 22 organizations as well as their Boards to identify the need for workplace literacy skills for 23 employees. These projects served 1,381 participants across Texas. 24 25 Establishment or Operation of a High-Quality Professional Development Programs </p><p>26 The TRAIN PD Consortium 27 Texas A&M University operates Training, Resource, and Innovation Network Professional 28 Development (TRAIN PD), a statewide professional development effort across the following five 29 institutes: Literacy, Distance Learning and Technology Integration, Stakeholder Integration, 30 Program Management, and Career Pathways. Through the alignment of PD through these 31 institutes and the inclusion of national experts in these fields, TRAIN PD has built a professional 32 development system that compares with other state educational PD systems with respect to its 33 responsiveness to policy shifts and local program needs. In PY’16–’17, TRAIN PD provided 670 34 professional development events. </p><p>35 Learning Management System for Professional Development Support 36 The PD learning management system provides flexible PD options for local program staff to earn 37 required professional development hours. In PY’16–’17, 3,980 staff members—94 percent of the 38 4,229 staff members—completed online professional development curricula. </p><p>39 Local Funding for Professional Development 40 To support local professional development, state leadership funding is provided directly to local 41 programs to make it possible for their employees to attend professional development events and 42 for the programs to contract trainers through the contract trainer database. The contract trainer 43 database provides a resource for programs to find experts on various training topics to augment </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 2 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 development of local program staff. In PY’16–’17, local grantees provided 2,000 professional 2 development events to their staffs.</p><p>3 Professional Development Support for Community-Based Literacy Network 4 TWC contracted with Literacy Texas, the statewide literacy volunteer-training and advocacy 5 nonprofit organization, to provide professional development to nonprofit and community-based 6 organizations. Literacy Texas is an AEL organization whose primary participants are tutors, 7 instructors, program administrative staff, and trainers of nonprofit adult education providers in 8 Texas. Much of the training that Literacy Texas provides has supported service alignment across 9 workforce, education, and nonprofit support service organizations. Through this contract, services 10 were provided to 569 individuals in one statewide event and six regional events that comprised 86 11 individual training sessions. 12 13 Provision of Technical Assistance to Funded Eligible Providers 14 TWC staff continues to use strategic evaluation and monitoring processes that allow staff to 15 provide just-in-time technical assistance that uses best practices developed across TWC’s 16 divisions. Regular evaluation of program performance data as well as analysis of type and 17 frequency of technical assistance requests allows TWC staff to develop strategic responses to 18 technical assistance needs. Several state leadership projects augment the state technical assistance 19 efforts.</p><p>20 TRAIN PD Consortium 21 The TRAIN PD Consortium, described above, supports the development and dissemination of 22 instructional and programmatic practices based on rigorous or scientifically valid research 23 available through a statewide professional development efforts. As part of these efforts, the 24 project has significant focus on supporting the expansion of educational technology and distance 25 learning. </p><p>26 Career Pathways Mentor Initiative 27 The Career Pathways Mentor Initiative supports the role of providers as one-stop partners and the 28 development of methods to support student access to employment, education, and training 29 services by pairing providers with entities that have built strong IET programs in coordination 30 with workforce partners through involvement in Accelerate Texas over the past six years. 31 32 The first career pathways mentor initiative grant award funded a statewide consortium led by 33 Houston Community College. Through the grant, mentee organizations received dedicated 34 support to build their IET models. Additionally, several statewide career pathways events were 35 held, and a database of replicable resources was built. 36 37 A new grant was awarded to Amarillo College during PY’16–’17. Mentee providers have been 38 selected for the Peer Mentor Network to receive support, to include needs analysis, site visits, and 39 institutes</p><p>40 Distance Learning Mentor Initiative 41 Two grantees were selected for this initiative to mentor a total of 8 providers to utilize and expand 42 distance learning in their programs. Activities included direct mentoring, sharing of best 43 practices, and a large distance learning summit, which was opened to all grantees, not just 44 mentees. The mentees increased distance learning services over 300% between 2014-2017</p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 3 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 State Role in the Provision of Technical Assistance 2 Technical assistance for AEL grantees is provided daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly 3 by state program staff. </p><p>4 Daily and Weekly 5 TWC program staff is in regular communication with the AEL grantees. Each technical assistance 6 event is entered into a database that captures the details of the technical assistance provided, 7 including category, contents, and start and end dates. This information is used to inform the 8 regular biweekly AEL calls, which include all AEL grantees as well as subrecipients and Boards. 9 During these calls, AEL staff members cover critical issues, answer questions, make 10 announcements, and allow time for questions from the grantees. These calls have proven 11 invaluable in keeping grantees informed. 12 13 Staff monitors program data at least every two weeks to check for anomalies that may indicate a 14 large-scale misunderstanding in the field related to program implementation. For instance, staff 15 might notice that some service types are being coded in a way that does not align with the types of 16 participants who are receiving those services. This misalignment would indicate that a 17 misunderstanding exists regarding the service or the coding of those services. Depending on the 18 nature of the issue, staff would develop guidance and a method for delivery through phone calls, 19 during the biweekly call, or through a webinar.</p><p>20 Monthly 21 Each month, as a part of the AEL department’s Rapid Process Improvement dashboard, staff 22 reviews the technical assistance provided during the previous month to establish trends and to 23 determine whether a correlation exists between the technical assistance provided and the quality 24 of program performance. This analysis helps the department find ways to be more proactive about 25 certain topics and develop new processes. 26 27 Another key activity each month is the Monthly Performance Report (MPR) meeting. During the 28 MPR meeting, program staff, contract staff, finance staff, and division leadership discuss 29 performance trends, issues, and potential corrective action. The meetings result in plans to be 30 carried out and reported on at the next MPR meeting. 31 32 Finally, program staff has a dedicated call with each grantee each month. This call has a standard 33 agenda that comprises discussing key areas of concern, including performance and finances; 34 dispensing new information; and providing clarity on programmatic issues about which staff is to 35 report during the next MPR meeting.</p><p>36 Quarterly 37 In addition to the activities that occur monthly, staff presents performance results to TWC’s three- 38 member Commission during the quarterly performance work session. This work session keeps the 39 Commissioners apprised of areas of concern, helps staff to better understand TWC’s priorities, 40 and furthers technical assistance efforts. 41 42 Depending on the type and amount of new information to be shared, TWC AEL staff holds 43 statewide meetings two or three times per year. The most recent of these events, which was held 44 at the end of PY’16–’17, focused primarily on accountability changes. Staff has worked to make 45 these events as interactive as possible to ensure maximum benefit for the participants.</p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 4 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 2 Staff also offers webinars on a variety of topics throughout the year. Since the Workforce 3 Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) became effective, staff has provided these webinars 4 more frequently than in the past because of the increase in the amount of information. Webinars 5 are recorded and transcribed so that local programs can access them later and so that program staff 6 can refer to them when answering questions about a topic. </p><p>7 Yearly 8 Every year, during the final MPR meeting for that program year, staff determines which programs 9 require performance-related corrective action. The Technical Assistance Plan (TAP) requires 10 programs to analyze their weaknesses and performance challenges and to propose remedial 11 actions as well as benchmarks. While TAPs can be issued at any time for performance- or 12 compliance-related issues, and particularly in cases where issues require immediate action, staff 13 generally uses data trends to make recommendations for year-end TAPs. 14 15 Local program staff members are required to complete a Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) 16 every year and submit the plan to TWC. The CIP includes specific programmatic and financial 17 challenges, steps the program will take to address those challenges, and professional development 18 requirements to address those challenges. TRAIN PD is engaged in this process to ensure 19 programs have access to the appropriate PD, and its staff members, the PD specialists, work with 20 each grantee to make professional development recommendations and assist in planning. </p><p>21 Monitoring and Evaluating the Quality and Improvement of Adult Education Activities 22 TWC staff uses multiple strategies to monitor and evaluate the activities being provided across the 23 state.</p><p>24 Subrecipient Monitoring 25 TWC AEL staff relies heavily on TWC’s Subrecipient Monitoring (SRM) department to ensure 26 that providers are compliant and are serving as good stewards of federal funds. Grantees for on- 27 site reviews are selected annually based on a robust risk analysis that includes both objective 28 criteria and input from the AEL department. All AEL grantees are monitored either in-person or 29 through a desk review, with all programs receiving on-site monitoring once every three years. 30 31 While on-site, SRM staff reviews expenditures and records management (including eligibility 32 documentation) and conducts staff interviews to confirm that internal processes for participant intake, 33 screening, and placement comply with TWC’s AEL policy. SRM staff identifies records in 34 the Texas Educating Adults Management System (TEAMS), which is the AEL information- 35 management system, to compare with on-site records, including student test scores, student 36 attendance records, and staff professional development hours. 37 38 The results of SRM reviews enrich the targeted technical assistance to local projects. 39 Additionally, AEL staff conducts sessions at AEL’s quarterly business meetings to discuss 40 common issues, findings, and best practices to encourage peer-to-peer support. </p><p>41 Performance Quality Improvement Awards 42 Each year at its annual conference, TWC recognizes AEL grantees that have achieved outstanding 43 results in a variety of topics. Grantees are selected either through a nomination process or through 44 objective data analysis, and topics include high school equivalency achievement, integration with </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 5 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 the local workforce development system, integration with community colleges, and employer 2 engagement. Grantees that are recognized in these awards are required to share their successful 3 practices across the state. 4 5 Methods of sharing best practices for past awardees have included hosting small regional 6 conferences, presenting at statewide conferences and trainings, hosting site visits from other 7 grantees, and writing about successful practices for statewide publications.</p><p>8 Large-Scale Evaluation Project 9 TWC AEL staff is currently working with the TWC Division of Operational Insight on a large- 10 scale evaluation process that will analyze the effectiveness of professional development activities 11 as they relate to programmatic outcomes. This project is in the initial planning stages, with 12 additional development taking place in the coming months. 13 14 Other Permissible State Leadership Activities 15 TWC AEL provides several types of support for its grantees and for the eligible adult education 16 population throughout the state. Among them are the Ability to Benefit program, the Distance 17 Learning Call Center, TWC’s involvement with the Volunteers in Service to America program, 18 and Texas Connector mapping tool. These initiatives are described below.</p><p>19 Ability to Benefit 20 Awarded in late Program Year 2015–2016 (PY’15–’16), the two grantees selected for this 21 initiative will build strategies and best practices to be disseminated statewide for Ability to 22 Benefit models in community colleges. The Ability to Benefit provision in federal financial aid 23 allows individuals without a high school diploma or equivalency to be enrolled in and receive 24 federal Pell Grant benefits, if the individuals are participating in a career pathways program. In 25 addition to building strategies, grantees for this project will serve students. During PY’16–’17, 26 110 participants were served in this pilot project, with an additional 40–50 expected to be served 27 in PY’17–’18. </p><p>28 Distance Learning Call Center 29 The Distance Learning Call Center provides just-in-time math-support to adult education 30 participants through a combination of telephone conversation, screen-sharing, and virtual white 31 board. The Distance Learning Call Center was designed to provide short (20–30 minutes) tutoring 32 sessions on specific math questions. However, in its first year, TWC has found that these sessions 33 are, on average, over an hour, with many returning participants. 34 35 The software used by StudentNest, the grantee providing services under this project, allows 36 participants to revisit previous tutoring sessions; capture video, images, and text; and share 37 visuals. Because the project had a slow start, analysis of participant success rates is still in the 38 early planning stages. Data from the end months of PY’16–’17 have shown increased usage, 39 which means we will have a sample size sufficient to determine the effectiveness of the system. 40 TWC has sought ways to more easily track participants who use the call center so that data can be 41 provided to the local programs to improve instruction. </p><p>42 Volunteers in Service to America 43 TWC contracted with One-Star, a nonprofit organization that serves as the state agency for the 44 AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program to provide a </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 6 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 VISTA volunteer to selected programs to help build partnerships and expand service capacity. 2 Initial VISTA selection and placement process began in fall 2016, and placement for a second 3 cohort of VISTAs is currently underway. Programs that use a VISTA volunteer have shown 4 improvements in the recruitment efforts of program participants. </p><p>5 Texas Connector 6 Beginning in PY’15–’16, TWC provided Texas Connector licenses to its grantees to support 7 alignment of services for participants. Texas Connector is an online interactive mapping tool that 8 provides a snapshot of social service needs and resources to allow funders, local and state 9 government leaders, researchers, and the nonprofit community to meet Texas’ growing needs. 10 Texas Connector bridges the information gap between nonprofits and the underserved 11 communities of Texas. 12 Performance Data Analysis 13 14 Implementation of WIOA Performance 15 TWC has embraced the core indicators of performance under WIOA, especially the new methods 16 of measuring progress, Measurable Skill Gains (MSG), which provide a more optimistic view of 17 the potential of AEL participants. 18 19 However, as with any new policy, the rollout of MSG has had challenges, as TWC is still working 20 to align its AEL information management system with the new measures, not only to capture new 21 data but also to provide grantees with robust management tools to analyze their performance. 22 23 A Reimagined System 24 Since the transfer of the AEL program to TWC in 2013, TWC has worked to redefine adult 25 education and literacy in Texas as a comprehensive workforce development program. The 26 program’s strategic plan includes a milestone performance measure of 20,000 students in career 27 pathways programs by 2020. This commitment positioned grantees that were contracted under 28 TWC in 2014 ahead of much of the nation in areas such as IET, Board integration, and AEL- 29 participant postsecondary credential achievement. Since 2014, TWC has seen a 437 percent 30 increase in participants enrolled in IET programs and a 573 percent increase in participants 31 enrolled in all types of career pathways programs, including IET, Workplace Literacy, and 32 English for Internationally Trained Professionals programs. 33 34 In addition to seeing over 10 percent of its participant population enrolled in career pathways 35 programs, TWC also has seen strong integration within the one-stop system, with approximately 36 20 percent of AEL participants being coenrolled in some form of one-stop service. 37 38 39 Figure 1: Career Pathways Implementation in Texas Since 2013 40</p><p>41 Measurable Skill Gains 42 TWC has struggled to meet MSG; however, it should be noted that TWC AEL saw improvement 43 in eight out of 11 functioning levels in addition to improvement in overall gains from PY’15’–16. 44 Additionally, performance in Adult Basic Education levels 4 and 5 are above the performance in 45 2015. </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 7 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 2 3 Figure 2: Educational Functioning Level by Pretest and Posttest Only 4 5 Three MSG types are measured. While TWC historically has measured one new MSG type, 6 achievement of a high school equivalency, two other MSG types—exit and entry into 7 postsecondary education within the program year and successful passage of an exam that is 8 required for an occupation (a trial measure)—are new measures that have been built into the data 9 management system for collection in PY’17–’18. 10 11 Given its strong engagement in IET, TWC anticipates that local programs will take full advantage 12 of the opportunity to report participant outcomes by using the MSG method, which reduces the 13 often burdensome requirement of testing a participant by using an assessment approved by the 14 National Reporting System (NRS), which is an outcome-based assessment. NRS-approved 15 assessments often do not assess the education outcomes of participants who have developed 16 motivation for and skills in a technical area. 17 18 Transition to postsecondary education has increased since 2014. While the data do not account for 19 program exit and entry into postsecondary education in the program year, TWC believes that 20 strong enrollments in programs designed to transition participants from AEL and into 21 postsecondary education will serve TWC well in this measure. 22 23 24 Figure 3: Enrollment in Transitions Models and Transition to Postsecondary Education</p><p>25 Performance Improvement 26 TWC has recently begun a more holistic analysis of challenges related to pretest and posttest 27 gains. As mentioned previously, a core piece of the transition of the AEL program to TWC was a 28 shift in the mission of the program itself, which can be demonstrated through performance in 29 innovative models. Although these models have been difficult to build, the grantees have worked 30 diligently to build and develop these models to benefit the participants. 31 32 A key objective for PY’17–’18 is to improve quality in service delivery and outcomes in areas 33 where Texas has struggled. This objective can be seen in new requirements and monitoring 34 related to program implementation as well as in work being done to roll out new MSG options to 35 the grantees. TWC AEL is committed to working with grantees to plan the best outcome for 36 participants from the moment they walk in the door by helping grantees to think through each 37 participant’s progress from start to finish. 38 39 Additionally, TWC is implementing several focus groups across the state to further dissect 40 challenges related to pretest and posttest gain. Although participant retention continues to be a 41 challenge, in some instances, clear instructional challenges can be identified, and those issues can 42 be analyzed and then remediated at the instructor level. Data analysis also has highlighted the 43 importance of intensity of service delivery—that is, classes offered more frequently, which leads 44 to higher retention. However, while a tremendous effort has been made in retention efforts, there 45 is only limited improvement across the state in this area. 46</p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 8 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 TWC hopes that further analysis of local program challenges will reveal areas where added 2 policy, rules, and/or statewide technical assistance might help increase educational functioning 3 level gains of participants. 4 5 Integration with One-Stop Partners 6 TWC AEL grantees served as the one-stop providers under renewal contracts that were executed 7 July 1, 2017; those grantees will serve as the one-stop providers under contracts awarded after the 8 procurement being held in PY’17–’18. These contracts include assurances as required by TWC’s 9 one-year procurement extension, approved October 4, 2016. 10 TWC has briefed AEL providers about requirements and processes related to Board plans, 11 memoranda of understanding, and infrastructure costs. Following the release of Joint One-Stop 12 Infrastructure Funding Guidance, TWC issued local guidance. Previous workforce integration 13 efforts by TWC and funded through AEL state leadership funds have proven to be a good 14 investment to support system integration. 15 16 TWC conducts phone calls with its Boards regarding infrastructure agreements, and in 2017, it 17 formed a work group including AEL grantees to raise issues and challenges related to 18 infrastructure costs. Infrastructure costs have also been a regular topic of the AEL grantee 19 biweekly phone call. 20 21 Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program (IELCE) (AEFLA Section 243) TWC 22 grants awarded in 2014 contained requirements for English Literacy (EL) Civics. TWC 23 incorporated new requirements for IELCE into its existing contracts in 2016 for all 34 of its AEL 24 grantees.</p><p>25 Alignment with the Workforce System 26 Although TWC staff was concerned about the incorporation of IET into EL Civics services, field 27 staff and program providers met the challenge, and in PY’16–’17 (the first year of 28 implementation), all 34 AEL grantees were implementing IELCE in some form, serving 2,294 29 participants. 30 31 As outlined in TWC’s AEL Letter 04-16, “Implementing Integrated Education and Training and 32 English Literacy and Civics Education,” policy guidance issued in PY’16–’17, all IELCE 33 programs must meet the requirements outlined in the law, including the requirements that they: 34  be designed to prepare adult English language learners (ELL) and place them in 35 unsubsidized employment in existing and emerging in-demand industry sectors or targeted 36 occupations that lead to economic self-sufficiency; and 37  integrate with Board and Workforce Solutions Office functions to carry out the activities of 38 the program. 39 40 Local grantees took a variety of approaches in carrying out the requirements of IELCE, including 41 building new versions of existing IET programs that were tailored toward the EL Civics 42 population, and building new models.</p><p>43 Successes 44 One training approach that has resulted in considerable success is one that provides an IET in 45 entrepreneurship. Several AEL grantees found that some of their English as a Second Language </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 9 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 (ESL) population were running businesses, or wanted to run a business. With the help of Boards 2 and a partnering postsecondary institution, these grantees formalized an entrepreneurship training 3 that provides the basics of running a business and building a business plan. Some individuals who 4 have completed this training have opened successful businesses. 5 6 Other trainings that have proven to be successful for this model are those in health care and the 7 construction trades. Health care in particular needs employees who speak English and Spanish, 8 and English and Vietnamese. Additionally, in many areas of Texas, individuals with language and 9 culture competence from another country are particularly in demand for employment. TWC has 10 relied on internal AEL program expertise from staff members who have successfully implemented 11 IET models for ELLs and on expertise from Board staff to target occupations that are well suited 12 for this population.</p><p>13 Concerns and Challenges 14 One area of concern about IELCE is that some participants who find employment might not be 15 counted in the wage-match because of the employment type (for example, those who start their 16 own businesses). TWC plans to develop supplemental reporting capabilities so that the outcomes 17 for these participants can be captured. 18 Another challenge that TWC has faced is the limitations of ESL assessment for high-level ESL 19 learners. While low-level ESL learners have been the primary participants in EL Civics, the 20 incorporation of IET meant that a population with higher-level ESL skills entered these programs, 21 and many of those participants had “topped out” on traditional NRS-approved ESL assessments. 22 TWC worked with the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education to modify its policy with 23 respect to assessing ESL participants. TWC also built flexibility into guidance for local programs 24 to adequately assess participants for inclusion in NRS reporting while still appropriately assessing 25 and placing them into coursework designed for their success. 26 Adult Education Standards 27 28 In 2015, TWC contracted with Texas State University (TSU) to lead the standards revision 29 project. TSU coordinated input from a spectrum of subject matter experts, including 30 representatives from K–12 Education, Developmental Education, Adult Education, Texas 31 industries, and postsecondary institutions. The draft of the Texas AEL Content Standards was 32 submitted to TWC on June 28, 2016. 33 34 The revised AEL Content Standards are ambitious. They have the potential to push participants to 35 reach new levels, and they are more closely aligned with the heightened expectations of the new 36 high school equivalency assessments and with the needs of participants transitioning to and 37 through postsecondary education. The standards align with the Texas College and Career 38 Readiness Standards, End-of-Course Exams for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic 39 Readiness (STAAR) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Texas Certificate of High 40 School Equivalency, and Texas Success Initiative. 41 42 Beginning in 2017, TWC contracted with Literacy Texas to facilitate the addition of industry 43 expectations into the standards. This includes panels of industry experts to align standards to the 44 Healthcare Science, Advanced Manufacturing, Construction and Extraction and Transportation, 45 Distribution, Logistics industries and will be completed by May, 2018. By incorporating entry- 46 level employment expectations into its standards, TWC establishes that AEL programs are </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 10 of 11 Texas Adult Education and Literacy End of Year Report </p><p>1 intended to support the preparation for and transition to training and employment in high-demand 2 occupations. 3 4 Programs for Corrections Education and the Education of Other Institutionalized 5 Individuals 6 7 Individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system and incarcerated present a 8 distinctive set of challenges in terms of AEL and transitioning into employment. In the cohort data 9 from 2012 and 2013, the rate of recidivism for Texas was 21.31 percent (n=10,180) for the 2012 10 cohort and 21.04 percent (n=8,949) for the 2013 cohort. 11 12 An offender’s first release during the fiscal year was used as the study case for both adult and 13 juvenile populations. Included in the study are offenders discharged and those released to parole 14 supervision. Juvenile cohorts include individuals released from Texas Juvenile Justice Department 15 state residential facilities, juveniles starting Juvenile Probation Department supervision, and 16 juveniles released from local secure residential facilities. 17 18 In PY’16–’17, TWC served a total of 2,029 participants who were involved in corrections and 19 incarceration. TWC will continue to follow these participants as well as participants reported in 20 PY’15 (2,209 participants) to determine the recidivism of AEL participants. </p><p>Notebook_12.14.17 Page 11 of 11</p>