Section summary

Learning and memorizing new terms and concepts is one thing, but applying that information to real-life situations can be more difficult. Situations that happen in the everyday running of adult education programs, including data collection, often do not have clear solutions, or yes or no results. Throughout the NRS reginal training, we interspersed the presentation with example scenarios for participants to practice applying their knowledge. In this section we provide three sample adult education student profiles as well as probing questions that can help you or your staff understand how changes to WIOA and the NRS reporting tables affect data collection in your state.

Student Profiles

Profile 1: Juanita

Juanita is an immigrant to the U.S. who has worked in others’ homes for many years. She decides she wants to improve her English and try to get a better job. Juanita enrolled in ESL classes in September and tested at ESL Level 3. She attended until class ended in November, achieved a level gain, but never returned.

Questions:

• What is Juanita’s participant status? Is she a reportable individual or a participant and why? She is a participant because she achieved more than 12 contact hours.
• Which measurable skill gain (MSG) does she have? She has one EFL gain.
• Where would it be reported? Table 4, Columns D & J.
• How many periods of participation (POP) does she have and how do you know? Where would it be reported? One POP from September to November which is determined 90 days after her last attendance date. It should be reported in Table 4, Column I.

Profile 2: Tony

Tony has been working odd jobs and wants to get the technical skills required to get a steady job in a particular field. Tony enrolled in ABE Level 2 in September, but left after 10 hours. He returned in November but dropped out in December, after 40 contact hours. He returned as a participant in April, posttested in June and showed a level gain, and then exited that same month.

Questions:

• Which MSG does he have? One EFL gain, reported in Table 4, Column J.
• How many POPs does he have and where is it reported? Two POPs reported in Column I. 1) September to December and 2) April to June. These are both determined 90 days after exit.
• Can Tony’s pre-test be reused in December for placement and reporting? Why or why not? If Tony was pretested in September, his test can be reused in November for placement and reporting, according to state policy.
• Does he need to be retested in April? Why or why not? He must be retested for placement in April if his September test is beyond the retesting time set by state policy and has expired.

Profile 3: Angela

Angela never finished school and has been unemployed for several months. She decides to get her diploma in the hopes of getting into a degree program. She became a participant in ABE Level 4 in October, achieved an EFL gain, and then dropped out in December. She returned in April, passed the GED tests in June to get her secondary credential, and exited.

Questions:

• How many POPs does she have and what are the entry/exit dates? Two POPs from October to December, and April to June.
• Which MSG does she have? One EFL gain (first POP), and obtained a secondary credential (second POP).
• Where is each MSG reported? EFL is reported in Table 4, Columns D (unduplicated) and J (for the first POP). The secondary credential is reported in Table 4, Column J (duplicated).
• Which POP must be followed up on and when? Angela has two periods of participation and must be followed up for employment indicators in the second (April-June) and fourth (October- December) quarters after exit for Period 1; and must be checked second (October-December) and fourth (April-June) quarters after exit for Period 2.
• Can her posttest be used for placement in April? Why or why not? If not expired according to the publisher or state policy, Angela’s posttest in December can be used for placement in April.
• Can she be included in the median earnings calculation? If she was employed in the second quarter after exit for either or both periods, she will be included in the median wage calculation.
• Will Angela be included in the numerator or denominator for the credential indicators? She moved into the ABE Level 5 (ninth-grade equivalent or above) during the first period of participation, and began the second period of participation at that level. She is included in the credential measure denominator for both periods of participation. She received her GED in the second period of performance, but must be employed or have entered into postsecondary education within one year after exit from the second POP to count in the numerator.

Activities

Who? What When?

Using the individual adult education participant profiles, state teams identified the information that needed to be reported, when the information should be collected, and in what tables it should be reported for each scenario. Participants recorded responses on their individual handouts. Within the whole group discussion, participants discussed the correct responses, and when and where there may be multiple correct answers.

Adaptations

For use with partner agencies or local programs: This activity can be used in a similar manner with other groups. Scenarios provide good practical application of concepts and help participants understand how concepts apply to their situations. State trainers can adapt this activity to include actual scenarios encountered by their local programs to provide a more direct understanding of how to complete the tables.

World Café

A café conversation is a creative process for leading collaborative dialogue, sharing knowledge, and creating possibilities for action. In this activity, participants selected a topic they wanted to discuss and went to the respective table. Each table had about six to eight people discussing the assigned topic, and shared experiences and lessons learned for about twenty minutes. Three rounds took place where participants were able to select a different table/topic to discuss for each subsequent discussion. A short whole group debrief allowed participants to share a highlight from their conversations or ask clarifying questions.

Adaptations

For use with partner agencies or local programs: Select topics that are neither too specific nor too broad that pertain to local situations or partners when dealing with data collection issues. At the end of the rounds, address any concerns of local programs and correct any misconceptions regarding how data collection and reporting should take place.

Additional resources

• NRS Resources for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the National Reporting System (NRS) for Adult Education http://www.nrsweb.org/foundations/tables.aspx