Literacy and Numeracy Gains Webinar

1. Literacy and Numeracy Gains Webinar February 3, 2011 9:00 am - 11:00 am

2. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Agenda • Purpose • Introduction • Improvement • Literacy and Numeracy Gains • Assessment Tools • Positive Outcome • Calculation • ASSET Screens • Questions and Answers

3. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Purpose DWD is proving this technical assistance webinar for WDBs that failed the Literacy and Numeracy Gain performance measure. The webinar will provide information that will help WDBs improve this measure for Program Year 2010. In June 2010, DWD provided this same webinar and encouraged WDBs to check in ASSET if the correct data was provided in the required fields. We remind you again today that case managers and other staff working with out-of-school youth check and see if the correct data is in ASSET, so you will not fail again.

4. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Introduction An individual who has been determined eligible for the WIATitle I Youth Program and has received a WIA funded program element/service is a participant and will be counted in the WIA Title I Youth Common Measures. Common measures are an integral part of DOL/ETA’s accountability system and one of the tools used to evaluate success.

5. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Items that need to be addressed to improve the Literacy and Numeracy Gains measure: • Pre and post-test data was not entered into ASSET; • Not using approved assessment tool for out-of-school youth; and • Assessment numeric score was not entered into ASSET.

6. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Literacy and Numeracy Gains What is this measure? Of those out-of-school youth who are basic skills deficient: the number of youth participants who increase one or more educational functioning levels divided by the number of participants who have completed one year in the program, (i.e., one year from the date of first service) plus the number of participants who exit before completing a one year in the program. Only common measure that is not exit-based.

7. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Who is included this Measure? Out of school, basic skills deficient youth ages 14 – 21 who: • Date of first youth service on or after July 1, 2005; • Taken one of the required assessments and have been found to be basic skills deficient; (Includes youth with disabilities) • Exit program before they have completed one full year; • Completed a year (from date of first service) in the program; • Completed a second or subsequent full year in the program; and • Continue to be basic skills deficient after post-tests have been administered.

8. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Who is Excluded in this Measure? • Youth in school on the date of first youth service (in-school youth); • Youth in design framework activities only; • Out-of-school youth who are not basic skills deficient; • Youth who have documented exclusion at exit; • Youth who have documented exclusion in the first, second, or third quarters after exit; • Youth who exit WIA prior to completing a second or subsequent full year of participation; • Youth who remain in program for more than three consecutive years excluded after third full year; and • Youth who achieve proficiency (reading or math at 9.0 and above) during program participation.

9. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Assessment Tools All out-of-school youth must be assessed in reading and math. WDBs are required to use one of the following assessment tools when assessing out-of-school youth. (Adult Basic Education) • Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS); www.casas.org • Test of Basic Adult Education (TABE) Forms 9 & 10 www.ctb.com • Wonderlic General Assessment of Instructional Needs (GAIN) www.wonderlic.com

10. Literacy and Numeracy Gain • WorkKeys www.act.org/workkeys; or • Massachusetts Adult Proficiency Test (MAPT). www.sabes.org/assessment/mapt.htm

11. Literacy and Numeracy Gain If an out-of-school youth has English as a Second Language (ESL) WDBs are required to use one of the following assessment tools: • Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Plus www.cal.org/bestplus • Best Literacy www.cal.org/bestliteracy • Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) www.casas.org • Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE) Complete Language Assessment System-English (CLAS-E) www.ctb.com

12. Literacy and Numeracy Gain About These Assessments • Pre-testing must occur within 60 days of the first youth program service; may use pre-test from up to six months prior to date of first youth service; • Same standardized assessment tool must be used for pre- and post-testing; • Youth should be post-tested by the end of one year of participation and compared to pre-test results obtained during initial assessment; • Youth should be post-tested and included in the measure at the completion of the 2nd year if they complete two years in the program; and • If youth continues to be basic skills deficient after the first 12 months of participation, they should continue to receive training in literacy and/or numeracy skills.

13. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Key factors contributing to a Positive Outcome: • Ensure all out-of-school youth who are basic skills deficient are in a program that provides sufficient academic advancement; • Provide supports to help participants remain engaged in educational services and advance one educational functioning level; • Pre-test at registration or within 60 days following the date of first service; • Ensure timely testing within one year of youth’s first service;

14. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Key factors contributing to a Positive Outcome continued… • May use scores from assessments within six months of the youth’s first day of service; and • Provide reasonable accommodations for youth with disabilities.

15. Literacy and Numeracy Gain How Does the Youth Achieve a Positive Outcome? • Increase to the next functioning level in reading or math on the post-test. For example, an individual is placed in the Beginning Basic Education level in math and the Low Intermediate Basic Education level in reading at pre-testing (refer to the Educational Functioning Levels at www.nrsweb.org). The individual achieves an educational gain if they place in either the third ABE level in math or the fourth ABE level in reading at post-testing.

16. Literacy and Numeracy Gain If an individual remains basic skills deficient after taking the post test and remains in the program, local boards should continue to provide the individual with basic skills training. If an individual, through the first year of program Participation, advances beyond the threshold for basic skills deficiency, the individual is no longer subject to the Literacy and Numeracy Gains Measure.

17. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Calculation: Of those out-of-school youth who are basic skills deficient… Number of youth participants who increase one or more educational functioning levels divided by Number of youth participants who have completed one year in the program (i.e., one year from the date of first youth program service) plus the number of youth participants who exit before completing one year in the program.

18. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Calculation Example: Of out-of-school basic skills deficient youth: 68 youth who advance one educational functioning level _______________________________________________ 100 youth completers + 22 program drop-outs = 122 Performance = 55.7%

19. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Critical ASSET Fields: • Manage Programs, Title 1 Youth Tab: • Report Basic Skills Deficient. • Report Meets WIA Out-of-School Youth Criteria (on date of first youth service). Note: Both of these fields must be reported “Yes” 2. Manage Services: • Report Youth Service. Note: Youth must have at least one service other than Design Framework Individual Service Strategy and/or Design Framework Assessment to establish the participation date. The fund source for the service must be WIA Title 1B Youth.

20. Literacy and Numeracy Gains • Manage Assessments Test Scores: Youth Literacy and Numeracy • Select “Add Test” • Identify Test Category and complete all required fields on the Pre-test Overview Tab. • If more than one Educational Functioning Level was tested, check the next box and complete all required fields. Note: For 3b you must enter the grade level and the numeric score for the reading and math results. For example: Grade Level Reading Score 8.0 – Numeric Score for Reading 550 and the Grade Level Math Score 7.5 – and Numeric Score for Math – 545

21. Literacy and Numeracy Gain 4. Manage Assessments Test Scores: Youth Literacy and Numeracy • Select Post-test Year One Tab. • Report Post-test Scores.

22. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Questions and Answers • How is the measure being tracked in ASSET? Performance is not tracked in ASSET, but the fields that are used to calculate performance have been in ASSET for over four years. Literacy and Numeracy information is tracked in the Youth Test Scores page, under Test Scores – Youth Literacy and Numeracy area in Manage Assessment. • What are the time frames for the measure? Literacy and Numeracy covers each of the first three years, following the Date of First Service (WIA Title 1B Youth Participation). Performance outcomes are determined on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of first service.

23. Literacy and Numeracy Gain 3. If a youth was enrolled prior to 7/1/05 are they “grandfathered” into the Common Measures now that we are accountable for those measures? No, once a youth is in the (7) original core performance measures they stay in them until they exit. If the youth is exited and then re-enrolled after July 1, 2005, they will be in common measures. 4. What do we do with (7) original core performance measures? You still need to enter the data in ASSET.

24. Literacy and Numeracy Gain 5. Explain the literacy and numeracy gains warning report and how it is supposed to be used. Matt Mita 6. Explain how literacy and numeracy gains anniversary dates work. You have one year from the date of first service to achieve an educational functioning level gain. For example, if a youth receives their first service on January 1, 2011 you have until December 31, 2011 to achieve an educational functioning gain.

25. Literacy and Numeracy Gain 7. Youth receives first service on January 12, 2010 and is determined to be in the measure. If they are post tested on October 15, 2010 and attain the next educational functioning level, but remains basic skills deficient. They have met the first year, but they continue to be in the measure in year two. Does the case manager now have until January 11, 2012 to attain the next educational functioning level for the second year or until October 14, 2011? Case manager has until January 11, 2012.

26. Literacy and Numeracy Gain Resources: • WIA Youth Common Measures Technical Assistance Guide; • WIA Policy Update 10-03: Youth Literacy and Numeracy Gains; • U.S. DOL TEGL 17-05, Attachment A and B; and • U.S. DOL TEGL 17-05, Change 2.

27. Contact Information Scott Fromader Department of Workforce Development 201 East Washington Ave., Room E100 Madison, WI 53702 scott.fromader@dwd.wisconsin.gov 608 261 – 4863 608 267 – 0330 (fax)