State Leadership Funds (Adult education and family literacy act Section 223 (AEFLA))
AEFLA Section 223(1)(a)
Kansas strives to align Adult Education with one-stop partners. Much implementation occurs at the local level, with programs coordinating with workforce, Rehabilitation Services, and others. At the state level, the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) and the Kansas Department of Commerce jointly sponsor the annual Workforce Innovation (WIOA) Conference. This event brings together Adult Education, Career Technical Education, vocational rehabilitation, businesses and industries, government agencies, and other partners to share strategies and hold discussions on collaboratively improving educational opportunities and workforce talent pipelines in Kansas. After the cancelation in 2020 due to COVID-19, the WIOA Conference was able to return to in-person in fall 2021. Organizers continue to solicit feedback for improving the conference each year, ensuring there are professional development opportunities relevant for all partners.
Career pathways are a major focus for both educational institutions and business partners as Kansas, like most of the nation, faces worker shortages in multiple sectors. Accelerating Opportunity: Kansas (AO-K) is an Integrated Education and Training (IET) initiative designed to assist students in increasing math, reading, writing, or English language skills; obtaining a secondary diploma; earning occupational credentials in high-demand fields; and moving into jobs with self-sustaining wages. AO-K is based on the I-BEST model from Washington state, with students enrolled simultaneously in Adult Education and postsecondary Career Technical Education (CTE) courses. In PY2021, institutions in Kansas had over 100 approved pathways, a list that is continuously reviewed and revised. At the AO-K Summit in May 2022, an updated application for pathway approval was released, along with an AO-K Handbook detailing the requirements and functions of entities engaging in AO-K. During program year 2021, despite the lingering effects of the pandemic, which forced some programs to pause due to closures or staff shortages, Kansas had 239 participants enrolled in AO-K pathways. Because only a small minority (5.4%) of these participants were English Learners (ELs), the state is prioritizing outreach to these students and encouraging programs to develop methods of supporting ELs in AO-K pathways. At the end of PY2021, KBOR began seeking a new hire to serve as the state AO-K coordinator, which will enable increased training, support, and tracking for programs participating in AO-K and will also help build pathways at more institutions across Kansas.
To further support partnerships between Adult Education and Career Technical Education, KBOR offers a competitive braided funding grant opportunity with AEFLA and Perkins. The Integrating Adult Basic Education with Career Technical Education (Integrating Academics) grant focuses on partnerships between ABE and CTE, with grantees developing activities to enhance student learning, retention, and completion in career pathways. In PY2021, three agencies were awarded grants that were designed to develop or expand AO-K pathways or other IET activities. With increased focus on collaboration among ABE and CTE and the statewide push to assist students in meeting both educational and career goals, more agencies have applied for the Integrating Academics grant in PY2022, with seven grants already awarded.
AEFLA Section 223(1)(b)
The state provides and facilitates relevant professional development opportunities to Adult Education across Kansas. Local programs receive a dedicated allocation for professional development and may apply for additional funds to support training opportunities. Instructors engage with College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) training in self-paced courses hosted online through the learning management system (LMS) developed in partnership with Wichita State University, in addition to the recently created Becoming an Adult Educator course, an introduction to andragogy and the teaching of adults. Through the same portal, all staff are able to share and access resources on a variety of topics, including links to state-created training videos. For PY2022, KBOR added a review of state policies to the LMS, required of all local program directors and available to all local staff.
Many opportunities are available for no-cost professional development, including the monthly leadership meetings hosted virtually or in-person by the state and attended by all programs. During these meetings, information is disseminated and topics of current interest are discussed; data reviews and training for the Adult Education Student Information System (AESIS), the information management system used in Kansas are provided; and technical assistance with budgets and reports is made available. Local staff regularly review National Reporting System (NRS) policies and practices with training available through NRS and are encouraged to access courses and webinars through LINCS and the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), which are available free of charge.
Programs are also encouraged to use professional development funds to attend relevant national conferences, including COABE, GED, Correctional Education Association, and more. All programs send one or more representatives to the state conference hosted by the Kansas Adult Education Association (KAEA). KBOR also facilitates STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR) training and, for PY2022, has added Reading Horizons training as another option for an evidence-based reading curriculum. The state further assists local programs in coordinating technical assistance and professional development opportunities with vendors used in Kansas, including Burlington English, Aztec, and Essential Education.
In addition to required professional development activities for program leaders and instructors, KBOR planned to expand requirements for PY2022, including having representatives from all programs attend national Adult Education conferences and designating the number of hours of professional development all staff must have within a program year. Programs will be incentivized to meet these goals as part of the performance-based funding formula.
AEFLA Section 223(1)(c)
The annual summer Program Leaders Meeting (PLM) is the most intensive of the PLMs held throughout the year. This two-day event, scheduled near the start of the new program year, brings together leadership from every program across Kansas to share information, review policies, and set the tone for the coming year. For summer 2022, topics included data reviews and the introduction of Program Portraits, a new tool developed by KBOR to give all programs a picture of the state as a whole and of local program performance in enrollment, outcomes, and demographics. Updates and expectations for high-school-equivalency diplomas and staff professional development were discussed. Significant time was allotted to AESIS, performance outcomes, quality measures, and policies; fiscal responsibility and sound financial practices were also covered. Programs had the opportunity to share strategies and best practices in cohorts, and the state introduced a new marketing partner that will be working with Kansas to develop better outreach and recruitment tools.
In the spring, KBOR hosts an all-day PLM, required for all local directors, as a precursor to the KAEA Conference, an event that returned to in-person in April 2022. The topics and structure of the KAEA PLM are similar to the summer PLM, with the state providing updates, assistance, and direction, while local directors have the opportunity to share and discuss challenges and successes. Other mandatory PLMs were held virtually in September, October, November, January, February, March, and May as quick, focused technical assistance addressing relevant and timely subjects.
New local directors are provided with 1:1 assistance by being paired with a more experienced director. This veteran leader can share best practices and be another source of support for the new director. Mentoring meetings are held monthly, at minimum, and generally more frequently. Mentorships have proven especially effective in offering perspective and building relationships, with mentors and mentees often continuing to correspond regularly even after the official period of mentoring is concluded. In addition, in PY2021 KBOR met quarterly with directors in their first or second year. This virtual forum was an opportunity for the state to provide extra training and assistance and for new directors to ask questions, share experiences, and receive guidance for next steps
AEFLA Section 223(1)(d)
KBOR is committed to monitoring at least 20 percent of local programs each program year, which is performed with an on-site or virtual visit. Face-to-face monitoring is preferred, which was able to occur in the second half of PY2021, while virtual visits were conducted in the first half of the year due to travel restrictions. Local programs are monitored in multiple areas, including program activities, performance outcomes, data collection, professional development, and integration with one-stop partners. Monitoring results are discussed with local program directors and shared with the head of the sponsoring institution, with any findings required to be addressed within 60 days. For PY2022, KBOR has further refined the monitoring instrument and process for more complete information and improved internal communication and workflow.
KBOR conducts an annual risk assessment for all programs, measuring actions and outcomes that place programs at increased risk of noncompliance. This matrix was updated in PY2021 with four assessment levels: negligible risk, potential risk, moderate risk, and high risk. Programs identified as potential or moderate risk will be engaged in interventions from the state and may be subject to a Program Improvement Plan, which includes more technical assistance and increased monitoring and is tailored to the needs of the individual program, with state and local staff collaborating to develop goals, measures of success, and interim progress checks. Any programs assessed as a high risk are immediately required to engage in a Program Improvement Plan, or, if appropriate, KBOR will explore other remedies for noncompliance as described in the Code of Federal Regulations.
In addition to these formal monitoring methods, KBOR takes multiple opportunities throughout the program year to assess program quality and performance. Data accuracy, compliance, and outcomes were reviewed at least quarterly, with monthly checks scheduled in PY2022. Funding and spending for each program was evaluated semiannually, with more frequent reviews conducted for programs indicating fiscal challenges. Each month, progress in required professional development activities is reviewed and communicated to programs. For PY2022, plans are being developed for more regular and structured financial evaluations, on top of the dedicated and intensive fiscal audits performed by the KBOR Finance Office. KBOR has also instituted regular informal follow-ups with programs to discuss their goals and progress in PY2022
AEFLA Section 223(a)(2)
N/A
Performance Data Analysis
Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic, which particularly impacted coordination of services with corrections and employer partners, Kansas increased performance or remained steady in multiple core indicators. Employment (Second Quarter After Exit) saw an increase from 58% in PY2020 to 60.4% in PY2021, while Employment (Fourth Quarter After Exit), at 52.9% in PY2021, was within half a percent of the 53.3% from PY2020.
The increase in participants finding and retaining employment, combined with rising wages in most areas of Kansas and the increased commitment of local programs to complete follow-up surveys among exited participants, resulted in a significant increase in Median Earnings, from $5510.41 in PY2020 to $5874.08 in PY2021.
For the second year in a row, the Credential Attainment core indicator was the hardest hit, decreasing from 35.5% in PY2020 to 33.3% in PY2021. The majority of exiting participants indicated employment goals were higher priority at the time than educational goals. This decrease was also partially fueled by two-year institutions in Kansas, with which Adult Education programs work closely, struggling to staff sufficient in-demand courses, along with the aforementioned challenges in collaborating with workforce partners that would support participants transitioning into and continuing in postsecondary education.
Measurable Skill Gains (MSGs) remained virtually the same, with 58.8% in PY2020 and 58.6% in PY2021. With Kansas Adult Education also struggling to fill staff positions, the posttesting rate dipped very slightly (from 70.5% to 70.2%), with a correlating slight decrease in total MSGs. The overall GED® pass rate remained high at 83% in PY2021, above the national average of 76%. To help address the teacher shortage in the state, Kansas launched a pilot program in PY2021 called Cross-TREK (Cross-Teaching Remote Education in Kansas) that brings together students from multiple locations from different areas of the state with an instructor at another site. Synchronous virtual classes give these learners access to high-quality, standards-aligned instruction, while supplemental assignments are completed online on the student’s own time. The pilot served ESL students from two programs, 66.7% of whom made an educational functioning level gain of one or more levels. In PY2022, Cross-TREK added a Math class for students working on diploma completion and is continuing to offer an ESL class, which concluded in December 2022 with 82% of participants achieving EFL gains.
Total enrollment in PY2021 increased by 20.6% over PY2020, from 4324 to 5213, with an accompanying increase of 20.3% in high-school-equivalency diplomas earned. English Language Learners (ELLs) contributed to the greatest growth in enrollment, up 47.9%. Adult Secondary Education (ASE) participants decreased by 12.9%, while Adult Basic Education (ABE) participants saw a modest 6.4% increase. Adult Education programs continue to reach participants with barriers, populations that need more services and support to achieve outcomes.
In addition to the quarterly data analysis completed by each local program and the state, in PY2021, Kansas introduced an extra measure of performance: a quarterly evaluation of each program’s progress toward goals, which encouraged celebration of incremental successes and increased efforts to areas of greatest need. At the end of the program year, the state published “Program Portraits,” a presentation of two years of data for each program and for Kansas as a whole, available to all Adult Education providers to facilitate cross-program discussion, with program leaders sharing strategies for success and seeking advice for underperforming areas.
As determined by needs assessments, outreach and recruitment strategies were a major focus of professional development in PY2021, with a statewide initiative to launch standard marketing tools begun in spring 2022. The Kansas Adult Education Association (KAEA) is the lead on the project to create and disseminate these marketing tools for all programs to use. Another major concern in Kansas is the statewide shortage of Adult Education instructors. KBOR considered methods of expanding the talent pool, such as moderating state degree requirements while developing strategies to ensure high-quality instruction is maintained, with new guidelines being implemented in PY2022.
The state believes increased communication, clarity, and focus on core indicators among local programs will help drive growth in performance. Each program must annually submit a Continuation Funding Application (CFA), which is reviewed by state staff and used, along with the risk assessment, as grounds for continuing funding in the next year of the grant cycle or instituting interventions or remedies for potential noncompliance. In PY2021, KBOR met individually with each program to discuss the CFA, gain greater clarification regarding the program’s goals for the next year, and set times for interim progress checks throughout PY2022.
When negotiating PY2022 performance targets with local programs, the state included the sponsoring institution’s leadership to ensure awareness and support of Adult Education goals. For PY2022, the state has added another data analysis tool: intense and detailed reviews of data between state and local staff, covering 25% of programs each quarter. These discussions provide opportunity for adjustments and more strategic deployment of resources. The state continues to provide or facilitate professional development and technical assistance as needed, including more in-depth explanations of the core indicators and training for providing short-term focused secondary diploma completion classes, among other professional development.
Integration with One-stop Partners
As the entity responsible for meeting one-stop requirements under 34 CFR part 463, subpart J, the Kansas Board of Regents has delegated many of its required one-stop roles to the local providers in each area. Each of the five local workforce areas has a negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Adult Education providers in the area, which includes an Infrastructure Funding Agreement (IFA) under the local funding model. These MOUs are shared with KBOR annually or, in the case of multi-year agreements, when MOUs are updated. Because of the geographic diversity in Kansas, which is mirrored in the makeup of the workforce regions, each area’s negotiations and agreements are distinct and designed to best serve students and workers in that area. All areas have a Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) that meets regularly, with an Adult Education representative on each LWDB.
All Adult Education centers provide outreach, intake, and orientation services, including initial skills assessments and, as applicable, assessment of progress in math, reading, listening, and/or language skills. Skills assessments are conducted using the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) 11/12 or the TABE Comprehensive Language Assessment System – English (CLAS-E). These assessments can be conducted at one of the Adult Education locations, at partner locations, or remotely.
Partners engage in cross-recruitment and referrals, with those who are co-located escorting eligible participants to meet with partners who can offer services for other needs. All area MOUs, including for partners who are not co-located, include a written referral process, which generally includes the initial contact and follow up. During the Adult Education intake and orientation process, students are informed of services available through other partners, and the majority of programs invite partners to orientation sessions to speak about their services and meet with students who request more information.
Local areas set their own schedules, with most convening quarterly and some as often as monthly. One Adult Education representative sits on each board, with that representative taking responsibility for communicating with fellow Adult Education directors in the region and bringing any of their concerns, questions, or ideas to the board. These meetings are an opportunity for each partner to provide updates or give presentations, share information about current services, note recent and upcoming changes, and maintain strong working relationships among the agency representatives.
Area partnerships allow for increased services to co-enrolled participants, such as the partnership between one local Adult Education program and the area workforce agency that shared the costs for Integrated Education and Training (IET) classes for ESL students. Other programs partner with the area workforce agency to provide mock interviews for participants, while others offer job fairs, resume-writing workshops, and additional events to benefit participants of multiple one-stop entities.
KBOR has a close relationship with the workforce and actively participates on the KansasWorks State Board. State coordinators for WIOA Titles I, II, III, and IV collaborate and communicate regularly, and KBOR representation contributes to multiple committees. The High School Equivalency State Administrator partners with regional workforce centers, meeting face-to-face, when possible, with staff and potential students to share information and resources.
Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education
IELCE Funds and grants
The most recent IELCE competition occurred concurrently with Kansas’s section 231 competition. The competition took place in the 2017-2018 program year, and five-year grants were awarded to seven IELCE providers: Butler Community College, Dodge City Community College, Garden City Community College, Johnson County Community College, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Seward County Community College, and WSU Tech.
Training activity
The pandemic continued to impact programs in PY2021, resulting in some partnerships pausing or collaborating only intermittently throughout the year. However, Kansas IELCE programs still worked to provide IELCE services in combination with Integrated Education and Training (IET) activities for eligible participants.
Healthcare pathways lead to careers that are in extremely high demand in Kansas. Multiple local programs offer IET classes for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Certified Medication Aide (CMA). Another high-demand career is transportation, with classes offered for Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Other IET activities include preparation for careers in construction, manufacturing, and Industrial Machine Mechanic.
In addition, several programs provide bridge classes or short-term boot camps to help IELCE participants transition into further training in their career pathway. Workforce partnerships and scholarships funded by donors help defray costs for students. Transition Coaches or Career Navigators work with IELCE participants in developing workplace skills, such as interviewing, resume-writing, punctuality, collaboration, and other soft skills.
Many programs use software to support IELCE participants by practicing vocabulary, language, and other skills relevant to specific career goals. One program has a mobile Future Maker Lab with hands-on introductions to multiple career pathways for IELCE participants starting their educational journey.
The state continues to explore innovations in IELCE which will benefit local programs and learners. In PY2021, the end-of-year reporting template was updated to streamline information flow; based on feedback from programs, the template has been further updated for PY2022. Kansas is beginning a new initiative to assist individuals with professional degrees from their home countries to enter that career in the United States. IELCE programs are encouraged to share best practices with other programs and partners, including a panel presenting at the WIOA Conference in October 2022.
IELCE Section 243(c)(1)
Kansas began to reenergize the Accelerating Opportunity: Kansas (AO-K) initiative with the first-ever AO-K Summit in spring 2022. AO-K is a form of Integrated Education and Training with career pathways in high-demand/high-wage fields. Pathway partnerships struggled during the pandemic but continue to be an important focus for the state. AO-K participants exit the program with increased skills and an occupational certificate relevant to their desired careers.
IELCE programs provide participants with information about high-growth industries and professions, along with assistance in finding currently open positions in the field. Workforce partners hold career fairs and meet with participants individually for personalized guidance. Several IELCE programs have a dedicated Career Navigator on staff to further assist participants in setting and progressing toward career goals. Curriculum in IET courses integrates community support partners and regional employers. Academic skills are intertwined with job skills from in-demand occupations in the state. If students need further assistance finding a job in their chosen career, programs make referrals to KansasWorks, which can provide intensive one-on-one support.
Acting on feedback and requests from local directors, KBOR instituted more technical assistance for IELCE programs in PY2021. These quarterly virtual meetings allow the state to explain policies in depth and to lead discussions, while local programs can ask questions and request additional informational resources. Programs also share best practices that can be duplicated across Kansas.
A major challenge for programs is the pull for students between education and the workforce. With unemployment rates plunging below two percent in many areas of Kansas, many students prioritize working more hours, which leaves little, if any, time to attend school. Short-term credentials have a better retention rate than those that take a year or more to complete, and when programs are able to partner with employers, students tend to have better outcomes. While pressure on the workforce meant many employers suspended educational activities or did not offer incentives such as time off work, toward the end of PY2021 and into PY2022, more employers have begun to partner with Adult Education again. Kansas programs continue to reach out to local businesses and to identify high-demand short-term credentials and potential internships that will assist students in a career pathway.
IELCE Section 243(c)(2)
IELCE programs have strong partnerships with area workforce representatives of KansasWorks. Participants are referred between the two agencies, and in many locations, Adult Education coordinates workforce preparation activities through KansasWorks. Workforce staff provide training, mock interviews, job search assistance, and individual career services.
IELCE programs also partner with other community organizations and employers. Many programs have emphasized the benefit of being actively involved with their Local Workforce Development Boards or have expressed the intention to increase communication with the board, both to connect with partners whose clients need Adult Education services and to learn more about the workforce needs of the local area.
Programs that have co-located staff with other one-stop partners are cross-trained to identify participants that may be eligible for or in need of partner services. Even in programs that are not co-located, dedicated Student Success staff or Career Navigators are trained as workforce representatives and provide certain workforce services, such as résumé building and job search assistance. These staff members are also equipped to make and receive referrals to one-stop partners and to other community agencies, including bus systems, food banks, and postsecondary financial aid and admissions offices.
Adult Education Standards
The Kansas State Department of Education reviews assessed standards every five years, with subject areas staggered. Current adoption dates range from 2017 to 2020. Kansas Adult Education uses the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), a subset of the Common Core State Standards adopted by the Kansas Department of Education for K-12 students.
Kansas Adult Education provides professional development opportunities and technical assistance to local programs to ensure the delivery of standards-based instruction. New Adult Education instructors complete online CCRS training, which includes an overview of instructional theory and best practices for classroom implementation of standards. Curriculum developed for Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), English Language Acquisition (ELA), and Integrated Education and Training (IET) must demonstrate alignment with the CCRS.
Programs for Corrections Education (AEFLA Section 225)
In Kansas, the average recidivism rate for all offenders is approximately 36%. Adult Education participants who have been released generally show a much lower recidivism rate, which is calculated per program year and defined as the percentage of students who were released and reincarcerated on a new court commitment. The Kansas Board of Regents is working on an updated data-sharing agreement with the Kansas Department of Corrections which should allow for greater precision and detail in reporting this information.
KBOR found 204 Adult Education participants from PY2019 had been released. Of these, 28 reoffended, for a recidivism rate of 13.7%. A total of 98 participants from PY2020 were released, with 9 (9.2%) reoffending. For PY2021, 68 participants were released and 6 reoffended, for a recidivism rate of 8.8%.
Six Adult Education providers serve individuals in state correctional facilities. Two providers also offer services in county jails. These services include secondary-diploma preparation with GED® or the Kansas Pathway to Career, an alternate pathway to a high-school-equivalency diploma; English language acquisition; reading and numeracy skills; digital literacy; Integrated Education and Training; and transition to postsecondary education. Career Navigators provided by the facilities assist students in exploring possible careers, practicing job skills, and accessing training and education needed for a future career.
In PY2021, the Kansas High School Equivalency State Administrator launched a “3 of 4” campaign, targeting individuals who had successfully completed three out of the four GED® tests, with the goal to assist these students in finishing the final test and earning a diploma. This initiative has been duplicated in multiple states, with the work done in Kansas used as a template. Of the over 900 individuals identified across the state, 17.6% have completed the final test and earned a diploma thanks to the campaign. Of those completers, 32% were Corrections testers.