Narrative Report | National Reporting System

State Leadership Funds (Adult education and family literacy act Section 223 (AEFLA))

Describe how the State has used funds made available under section 223 (State Leadership activities) for each the following:

AEFLA Section 223(1)(a)

Alignment of adult education and literacy activities with other one-stop required partners to implement the strategies in the Unified or Combined State Plan as described in section 223(1)(a)

Alignment with One-Stop Partners

The Executive Director, Office of Adult Education (OAE) served on the state-level Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (KWIB). There are 10 Local Workforce Development Areas (LWDAs) and designated regions across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Local providers are encouraged to serve on, support, and participate in the Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) for their designated region. Representation on these boards allowed the Office of Adult Education under the Department of Workforce Development, to align office priorities with state and local decision-making processes to better serve working age Kentuckians.

In PY21, 36 local provider staff which consisted of College and Career Navigators (CCNs) and instructors provided services at one-stop centers. CCNs were present at the one-stop centers and assisted with creating and maintaining a Career Pathway Plan for each client. The State CCN Senior Coordinator oversees the CCNs and the Career Pathway process. The CCNs and instructors use the information provided by the one-stop center and LWDBs to connect clients to applicable employment, education, and training resources.

In PY21, the OAE worked to integrate state staff and the LPNs into the Kentucky Integrated Business Engagement System (KIBES), a web-based system, which will allow OAE and the LPN to share business engagements and referrals to benefit employers and adult education students. The intent moving forward is to coordinate with the Office of Employer and Apprenticeship Services (OEAS) quarterly to align its work and referral processes in KIBES to create synchronization and efficiency across the process.

AEFLA Section 223(1)(b)

Establishment or operation of a high-quality professional development programs as described in section 223(1)(b)

Professional Development Programs

OAE provided five professional learning courses focused on essential components of reading. The courses emphasized GED-aligned, Corrections-friendly reading instructional resources and strategies as well as improving adult learners’ listening skills to enhance comprehension. Student diagnostic report data was analyzed and leveraged to improve student outcomes.

Additionally, OAE launched the first statewide Blackboard-based mathematics distance learning pilot in PY21. Five local providers participated in three Spring 2022 cohorts. The course was aligned to all GED High Impact Indicators (HII) for Mathematics and included formative and summative assessments for each GED HII-aligned module. 16 participating local instructors and program directors and 84 students participated in the pilot. 15 students earned their GEDs by the conclusion of the project. The intent is to use the course as a model for future OAE-initiated instructional initiatives.

At the conclusion of PY21, OAE hosted a statewide KYAE Education Summit for WIOA partners and stakeholders. The event focused on creating better understanding of Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Workplace Literacy (WPL) models of instruction.

In PY21, programming for OAE’s primary IET, GED+Plus, ended in the Fall semester of 2021 due to a low completion rate. Out of 223 IET participants, only 5.56% achieved post-secondary transcripts. By utilizing LINCS IET training materials, meeting with OCTAE and other states (OH, IN, VA), and participating in targeted training from World Ed, OAE developed an IET/WPL planning tool and application process for the Local Provider Network.

AEFLA Section 223(1)(c)

Provision of technical assistance to funded eligible providers as described in section 223(1)(c)

Provision of Technical Assistance

OAE provided technical assistance in the use of technology to expand flexible learning options for program participants in support of achieving measurable learner outcomes. Instructional staff received training on digital curricula and reporting features to track learner progress and inform instruction. OAE offered seven options of digital curricula to KYAE providers and learners, covering all NRS levels and in support of learners’ various goals (academic skills practice, GED®, workplace English, civics, etc.) These digital curricula were utilized to create blended learning opportunities with flexible service delivery to remove barriers to participation.

To address gaps in digital literacy skills and access, OAE trained sixty-two College & Career Navigators to serve as digital navigators to support student digital access. OAE offered six professional learning electives to support digital literacy skill development and instructional strategies for technology-enhanced learning.

Finally, OAE offered technical assistance to providers on procedures for ensuring accurate data entry and utilizing the reporting features of the KAERS data system to monitor learner attendance and progress. OAE collaborated with providers to create customized database queries to specifically inform their work with participants.

AEFLA Section 223(1)(d)

Monitoring and evaluation of the quality and improvement of adult education activities as described in section 223(1)(d)

Monitoring and Evaluation

Pursuant to the local provider’s contract with OAE for the provision of adult education services, local providers were required to operate a program in compliance with the KYAE Professional Learning Requirements for all provider roles. Staff who deliver adult education services and are not paid are still subject to KYAE Professional Learning Requirements.

Per the PY21 KYSU Implementation Guidelines, page 90, “Should the provider fail to meet this requirement, a Notice of Noncompliance will be placed in the program file and will be considered in any evaluation of the program’s performance.”

At the conclusion of PY21, 14 of the 27 local providers were fully compliant with professional learning requirements with no stipulations. The remaining 13 were compliant with the stipulation that new instructors hired near the conclusion of PY21 must complete all required new instructor courses in PY22.

AEFLA Section 223(a)(2)

As applicable, describe how the State has used funds for additional permissible activities described in section 223(a)(2)

Additional Permissible Activities

OAE sponsored a large group COABE membership for all staff in PY21. This large group membership allowed staff to benefit from national models and promising practices shared via the COABE website, email blasts, webinars, and electronic journals. Further, programs who earned performance funding based on previous year’s performance were eligible to use that funding to attend OAE-approved state and national conferences.

Additionally, OAE utilized the professional learning community concept which consisted of 12 coaches who provided instructional support to all 27 local providers. Program Directors, Assistant Directors, and experienced Instructors working 500+ hours/year were guided by coaches as they used research-based protocols to analyze performance data and identify opportunities for instructional improvements. Coaches also disseminated instructional best practices across the local provider network. These, and other resources, are shared in periodic newsletters called, KYAE PL Updates.

Performance Data Analysis

Describe how the adult education program performed in the overall assessment of core programs based on the core indicators of performance. Discuss how the assessment was used to improve quality and effectiveness of the funded eligible providers and any plans to further increase performance in future reporting years.

Process

The Office of Adult Education utilized two primary methods to analyze ongoing data trends for each local provider by service area as it relates to in program year performance indications (MSG and State-specific performance indicators: enrollment and GED Attainment). Weekly and monthly reports illustrated overall statewide performance trends in enrollment, GED attainment, and MSG rate, with comparison data from previous years. State Performance Rankings were released monthly to capture progress across the network. In addition to quarterly desktop audits, in which a sample of data entry was monitored and verified for ⅓ of fiscal agents, OAE periodically ran reports such as “Level 99”, “Participants by Age”, and others as deemed necessary. OAE identified outliers in the data set to resolve anomalies.

In addition, the OAE is in the process of addressing the challenges associated with the remaining US ED performance indicators (Employment-2^nd/4^th Quarter after exit; Median Earnings-2^nd Quarter after exit; and Credential Attainment). Success has been difficult to achieve, however, courses of action and processes are being analyzed to set the conditions for greater success in the future. Notwithstanding the effects of the pandemic, Kentucky saw a significant decrease in the employment after exist rate, the median earnings, and the credential rate. The Way Ahead is to enhance the technical assistance and monitoring process as a component of the newly established Monitoring and Compliance Attestation Tool to focus on the full spectrum of US ED performance indicators and student outcomes as opposed to the previous focus on GED Attainment exclusively. The OAE has significantly modified the approach to training and engagements with the local provider network/sub-recipients to ensure that Sections 202 and 203 of WIOA, 2014 are clearly understand in support of the service delivery across the full spectrum of the definition of adult education and family literacy.

Results

OAE established state performance targets for each Fiscal Agent utilizing ACS data of individuals with less than a high school diploma. The negotiated MSG rate was 51.4%. KYAE Local Providers finished Program Year 2021 with an MSG rate of 46.67%. Fourteen of the twenty-seven Local Providers met the negotiated MSG rate. Seven programs achieved 50% of their enrollment goal, and eleven Local Providers reached 50% or higher of their GED goal. Multiple variables to include the impact of the pandemic contributed to the decreased performance across the state. OAE provided targeted support to the larger providers to
reverse this trend. Below is a table representing data from the largest local provider. Performance Year 2021 concluded with Kentucky failing to achieve the negotiated rates for employment, median earnings, and credential attainment. Employment-2^nd Quarter was 42.96%; Employment-4^th Quarter was 29.74%; Median Earnings-2^nd Quarter was $3,870.60; and Credential Attainment was 20.83%.

Analysis

Statewide performance increased in PY21 due to a rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, a return to services in state and local correctional facilities and increases from Integrated Education & Training and Workplace Literacy programming.

At both state and local levels, KYAE experienced a significant turnover and a need for intensive staff development with the loss of veteran educators and the hiring of 75 new instructors across the state in the program year.

The impact of the pandemic was significant in Kentucky consistent with challenges experienced across the nation, however, the pandemic does not address the totality of the issues in Kentucky as it relates to service delivery and performance. A new leadership philosophy has been adopted in Kentucky that focuses on US ED requirements and success across all five performance indicators vice a mindset of exclusively emphasizing GED Attainment.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID and the onboarding of new staff, the opportunity for Online Proctored GED (OP GED) testing impacted opportunities and brought some successes. According to GED Analytics, 16.8% of all tests were online proctored, demonstrating an increase of 13.68% from the previous program year.

To set the conditions for greater levels of service delivery and performance, the OAE negotiated with US DOE, OCTAE to amend the following performance goals for Program Year 2022 to the following levels:

ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KENTUCKY)

Performance Negotiations Table:

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS	PY 2022/FY 2023 Expected Level	PY 2022/ FY 2023 Negotiated Level
Employment Rate (Q2)	45.00%	39.2%
Employment Rate (Q4)	44%	41.2%
Median Earnings	$4,125.00	$4,000.00
Credential Attainment Rate	48.00%	38.6%
Measurable Skill Gains (MSG)	51.4%	45.2%

PY 2022/FY 2023 HSE Attainment Goal and Total Enrollment of Participants:

HSE Attainment Goal	3,600
Total Enrollment of Participants	20,000

Action

OAE’s monitoring and evaluation of these goals consist of: Quarterly Performance Check-ins, Desktop Audits, and On-Site Compliance Visits. KYAE has implemented additional accountability processes by requiring the LPN to adhere to KYAE operational calendars and contingency plans.

In alignment with 2 CFR 200.332 (e)(1) KYAE addressed local program performance issues immediately by focusing on the bottom ⅓ of the state rankings to provide Technical Assistance. This consisted of making site visits to those providers to identify areas of improvement and provide technical assistance. Desk Audits were conducted, and Quarterly Performance Check-Ins were completed. Providers also had the opportunity to request TA and virtual meetings were conducted with program directors to provide feedback to increase performance.

Integration with One-stop Partners

Describe how the State eligible agency, as the entity responsible for meeting one-stop requirements under 34 CFR part 463, subpart J, carries out or delegates its required one-stop roles to eligible providers. Describe the applicable career services that are provided in the one-stop system. Describe how infrastructure costs are supported through State and local options.

The Office of Adult Education is committed to building community-benefiting bridges that will increase customer access to education and workforce development services. Local Provider Networks provided services to the one-stop centers within their local workforce services areas. Kentucky used the Local Funding Mechanism (LFM) to provide partners with the most flexibility in how they can leverage their resources and come to consensus on the infrastructure budget and partner contributions.

The Office of Adult Education has delegated the authority to the local providers to negotiate MOUs in some instances across the 10 Local Workforce Areas in Kentucky. Currently there are 10 Comprehensive Kentucky Career Centers (KCC)/One-Stops that the Education and Labor Cabinet (ELC) has designated as locations where all WIOA partners will dedicate personnel to meet the needs of Kentuckians across all titles of WIOA. Based on this model, the ELC negotiates MOUs and IFAs as it relates to shared costs and the metrics associated with determining those costs for the 10 Comprehensive KCCs. Currently the ELC does not coordinate with affiliate KCCs and thus local providers, under the direction of the OAE, have been given limited authority to begin discussions with One-Stops under local (city/county) control as a bridging strategy until the full ELC plan is socialized across the WIOA network and approved by ELC leadership.

Pursuant to WIOA Section 121(b)(1)(A), each local provider is required to enter into a MOU to include Partner Service Commitment (PSC) with their designated local Workforce Development Area (LWDA). To the extent possible based on the type of KCC and volume of citizen traffic, the PSC outlines the services provided by local providers either on-site where applicable or at an adult education center through the referral process. The career services provided either independently or jointly with other WIOA partners based on the totality of the circumstances in the LWDA include the below:

Outreach, intake, and orientation information
Initial assessment of skill levels, including literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency, as well as aptitudes, abilities, and supportive service needs
Referrals to and coordination
Provision of performance information and program cost information on eligible providers of education, training, and workforce services by program and type of provider
Provision of information on availability of supportive services or assistance and appropriate referrals (including childcare; child support; medical or child health assistance available through the State’s Medicaid program and CHIP; SNAP benefits; EITC; assistance under TANF, and other supportive services and transportation).

The OAE State staff track the services provided in support of adult learner needs and the mitigation of barriers. The Outreach and Strategic Partnerships Branch provides intake and orientation information as well as referrals to and coordination of activities across the local provider network and within the WIOA network through the College & Career Navigator Career Pathway Plan.

In PY21, the presence of adult education staff in one-stop centers allowed for clients to have inclusive and convenient services and a connected support staff helping them attain their educational and professional goals. Onsite instructors and CCNs were available for intake and Career Pathway Plan completion with clients. The CCN Career Pathway Plans served as a method to track students’ educational and professional goals and needs for services to overcome nonacademic barriers. The CCN State Coordinator oversaw the CCN process and provided training and support across the LPN. Additionally, activity logs were used to capture CCN activities in relation to student outcomes.

In PY21, students who spent more than two hours with a Navigator had the highest GED attainment rates, highest postsecondary enrollment rates, and highest in-state employment rates.
In PY21, GED attainment rates were 14.6% for students who spent fewer than one hour with a Navigator, 21.4% for those who spent 1-2 hours with a Navigator, and 23.3% for those who spent more than two hours with a Navigator.
In PY21, postsecondary enrollment rates were 5% for students who spent fewer than one hour with a Navigator, 6.3% for those who spent 1-2 hours with a Navigator, and 8.1% for those who spent more than two hours with a Navigator.
In PY21, in-state employment rates were 50.9% for students who spent fewer than one hour with a Navigator, 52.5% for those who spent 1-2 hours with a Navigator, and 56% for those who spent more than two hours with a Navigator.

Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education

Describe how the state is using funds under Section 243 to support the following activities under the IELCE program:

IELCE Funds and grants

Describe when your State held a competition [the latest competition] for IELCE program funds and the number of grants awarded by your State to support IELCE programs.

Kentucky most recently conducted a competitive Request for Applications in March 2022 for the 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2025 Grant Cycle. As a result of the competition, three Adult Education eligible applicants were awarded IELCE funding under section 243: Bluegrass Community and Technical College; Jefferson County Public Schools; and Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Training activity

Describe your State efforts in meeting the requirement to provide IELCE services in combination with integrated education and training activities;

In PY21, IELCE programs served 1,352 English Language Learner students (ELLs), attaining 444 measurable skill gains (MSGs). No IELCE program completed Integrated Education and Training programs with ELLs in PY21, however, all IELCE program students had access to integrated education and training opportunities through program partnerships with providers across the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS).

Kentucky identified the need to address challenges associated with the implementation, execution, and monitoring of IELCE programs. Mitigation strategies were developed to address identified issues and to develop a Way Ahead for IELCE programs. The OAE established a coordinated training and support process which included offering statewide professional development for implementing IETs at its Education Summit in May 2022. Further, intense IET-specific training and IELCE guidance will be conducted with IELCE program directors in the first half of PY22 with quarterly follow-ups thereafter.

The increased statewide awareness of IET and Workplace Literacy (WPL) programs highlighted at the KYAE Education Summit has resulted in a statewide IET/WPL Planning Tool that explicitly requires identification of local employer, trainer, and workforce development partners. This tool is submitted for approval to an IET Review Team that reviews IELCE submissions as well as ABE submissions. Further, the tool requires identification of funding sources for each program, necessitating IELCE programs to account for their section 243 funds specifically for IETs.

IELCE Section 243(c)(1)

Describe how the State is progressing towards program goals of preparing and placing IELCE program participants in unsubsidized employment in in-demand industries and occupations that lead to economic self-sufficiency as described in section 243(c)(1) and discuss any performance results, challenges, and lessons learned from implementing those program goals; and

IELCE programs continue to forge partnerships addressing regional workforce development through collaboration with other WIOA partners and stakeholders to meet the needs of both program participants and employers such as Amazon. The OAE is coordinating with other Department of Workforce Development offices to enhance efforts to provide education, training and employment opportunities to participants who do not meet postsecondary admissions requirements and or career-credential criteria. In PY22, the OAE will explore a partnership with the Kentucky Office of Refugees to assist recent immigrants with attaining English and workplace literacy skills.

IELCE Section 243(c)(2)

Describe how the State is progressing towards program goals of ensuring that IELCE program activities are integrated with the local workforce development system and its functions as described in section 243(c)(2) and discuss any performance results, challenges, and lessons learned from implementing those program goals.

Kentucky Career Centers continue to make referrals to IELCE programs, as do other community partners such as Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Those partnerships are vital to KYAE efforts to better align program activities with local workforce boards’ priorities to prepare immigrants for the workforce and a new culture. Several opportunities for growth have been identified specifically related to collaborating with local workforce boards and referral efforts among WIOA partners.

Adult Education Standards

If your State has adopted new challenging K-12 standards under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, describe how your Adult Education content standards are aligned with those K-12 standards.

OAE continued to use the Instructional Framework Series as the common instructional foundation for the agency. Mathematics, Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA), and English Language Proficiency (ELP) Instructional Frameworks were constructed to provide a common instructional basis and alignment to the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). The frameworks contain common color coding to signify the type and percentage of standards-based content at each TABE level. The frameworks are enhanced with hyperlinks to instructional objects that were updated in PY21. Further, in PY21 emphasis was placed on aligning with Kentucky’s Interdisciplinary Literacy Practices.

In PY21, OAE designed and added nine new Science and Math HyperDoc Lesson Plans to the KYAE Digital Lesson Bank to ensure alignment with the state’s adoption of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards for Mathematical Practice.

Alignment with standards was further emphasized by OAE via a seven-part series of technical assistance sessions. These sessions launched the KYAE Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Workplace Literacy Project (WPL) Planning Tool. The planning tool requires all programs to align new IET projects to Advanced Career and Technical Education Career Clusters, NCES 2020 CIP/Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Crosswalk and Searchable CIP Database, Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky Career Pathways Program of Studies 2022-2023, and KYAE Employability Standards.

All Program Directors, Assistant Program Directors, and experienced Instructors working 500+ hours per year were required to participate in provider-based professional learning communities. Each professional learning community produced a product aligned to specific needs of adult learners. 44% (12 of 27) launched new fast track models as their PY21 professional learning community products; 26% (7 of 27) focused on improving digital literacy of staff and students; 19% (5 of 27) developed program-created digital instructional resources including new sets of HyperDoc lesson plans; and 11% (3 of 27) launched new student tracking, case management, and customer relationship management processes to improve coordination of instruction and student support.

Optional – Describe implementation efforts, challenges, and any lessons learned

Alignment with standards was further emphasized by OAE via a seven-part series of technical assistance sessions. These sessions launched the KYAE Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Workplace Literacy Project (WPL) Planning Tool. The planning tool requires all programs to align new IET projects to Advanced Career and Technical Education Career Clusters, NCES 2020 CIP/Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Crosswalk and Searchable CIP Database, Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky Career Pathways Program of Studies 2022-2023, and KYAE Employability Standards.

All Program Directors, Assistant Program Directors, and experienced Instructors working 500+ hours per year were required to participate in provider-based professional learning communities. Each professional learning community produced a product aligned to specific needs of adult learners. 44% (12 of 27) launched new fast track models as their PY21 professional learning community products; 26% (7 of 27) focused on improving digital literacy of staff and students; 19% (5 of 27) developed program-created digital instructional resources including new sets of HyperDoc lesson plans; and 11% (3 of 27) launched new student tracking, case management, and customer relationship management processes to improve coordination of instruction and student support.

Programs for Corrections Education (AEFLA Section 225)

What was the relative rate of recidivism for criminal offenders served? Please describe the methods and factors used in calculating the rate for this reporting period.

The relative rate of recidivism for criminal offenders served in Kentucky is 29.17% (per KY DOC 2021 Annual Report, pg. 32) which is measured every two years. The following methods and factors were used in calculating the rate for this reporting period:

Recidivism is measured by criminal acts that resulted in rearrest, reconviction, or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a two-year period following the participant’s release. The recidivism rate for the population served under KRS Chapter 533 will be measured by: (a) The number of defendants assessed who did not meet the eligibility requirements for the program following the clinical assessment; (b) The specific offenses charged for each defendant and the classification of offenses charged; (c) The percentage of defendants participating in the program who successfully completed the program; (d) The percentage of defendants discharged from the program for noncompliance; and (e) The percentage of defendants who are arrested, convicted and incarcerated within six (6) months, one (1) year, and two (2) years of successful completion of the program.

In PY21, Corrections instruction was not consistent due to intermittent lockdowns. OAE facilitated three Corrections-focused Professional Learning elective courses titled, Corrections Instructional Strategies for Improved Student Outcomes. The courses emphasized social emotional, growth mindset, reading, vocabulary, mathematical operations, algebraic reasoning instructional strategies, and deepening understanding of Corrections-specific instructional technology including Online Proctored GED (OP GED) and Brainchild Study Buddies. A combined total of 31 participants (KY DOC Instructional Supervisors, KY DOC Instructors, and experienced KYAE Corrections Instructors) completed the cohorts.

Additionally, in PY21, KYAE served 1,455 participants in 68 local correctional facilities. During this period of participation, 835 participants earned an MSG; 341 participants earned an MSG through making a level gain; and 432 earned an MSG through obtaining their GED. Further, in PY22, OAE will work with the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) to assess data collected and track the recidivism rate for program participants. The data collected will be shared with WIOA core partners to strengthen partnerships and guide processes and policies for Corrections education.

Narrative Report for Kentucky 2021