WIA Incentive Grant Activities
July 2007
Missouri Earns Incentive Grant Funds for Innovative Projects
The Department of Labor announced in 2007 Missouri was one of nine states qualified to receive a share of the $16.3 million available for incentive grant awards under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) section 503.
The award funds are contributed by the Department of Education from appropriations for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. The funds are available for states to use through June 30, 2009, to support innovative workforce development and education activities authorized by the Acts.
In order to qualify for a grant award, a state must have exceeded performance levels agreed to by the Secretaries, Governor, and State Education Officer for outcomes in the WIA Title I, Perkins Act, and AEFLA. States are encouraged to plan activities that promote cooperation and collaboration among the agencies administering WIA Title I, AEFLA and the Perkins Acts. Congress intended for these funds to be used for activities that are innovative, comprehensive and coordinated, and targeted to improving system performance. Missouri will apply its $1,627,297 incentive grant award toward activities in the following areas:
- AEL Continuous Program Improvement
- Transition to TABE 9/10 and CASAS
- Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) Program
- ACES Technology Enhancements
- Postsecondary Transition/Placement Programs
- Supplemental Literacy Program
- CASE Model for Agricultural Science Education
- Web-based Career Management System Development
- Sector Competency Work in Two Targeted Clusters
- Work Readiness Preparation and Certification
- Regional Capacity Building using WIRED-like Framework
- Expand Lifelong Learning Account Demonstration
- Career Planning Materials, Outreach and Partnerships
- Career and Technical Education Performance/Funding Study
- Missouri P-20 Council: Aligning Education with Economic Development
Activity
Summary
- #1 Continuous Program Improvement
Funds will be provided to local AEL programs to identify best practices and processes from high achieving states, test their effectiveness in Missouri on grants to local programs, and implement proven practices statewide.
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- #2 Transition to TABE 9/10 and CASAS STAR
Adult Education programs currently use TABE 7/8. Funds will be used to upgrade all programs to TABE 9/10. In addition, the CASAS test will be used for all non-English speaking students.
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- #3 STAR Reading Program
Funds will be used to train local AEL programs in the STAR initiative. The Star Reading program is an OVAE special project initiative, The Student Achievement in Reading (STAR), was created to assist states and local programs in making systemic and instructional changes required to improve reading achievement of intermediate-level adult learners (4.0-8.9). Studies indicate this is the most difficult educational level for adults to show progress. STAR will provide teachers and administrators with innovative Web-based tools that translate reading research into practice and high quality training and technical assistance to build capacity for reading reform.
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- #4 ACES Enhancement
The state is currently in process of enhancing its AEL ACES student data program. This program is used for reporting to the National Reporting System (NRS). Funds from the incentive grant will be used to upgrade this system to access GED results. This enhancement will aid programs in analyzing data and developing instructional improvement strategies to improve student and program performance.
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- #5 Postsecondary Transition/Placement
This activity will expand the number local AEL programs offering postsecondary transition services. Experts in the field of adult transitions will work with Missouri AEL, such at the National College Transition Network in focusing the approach and strategies taken to increase postsecondary success to adults. Marketing tools will be designed to assist local programs in promoting the service.
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- #6 Additional Supplemental Literacy Funds
Incentive funds will be used to expand services and support for literacy projects operated by AEL Programs that are targeted to low functioning adults. The funds will also allow for the development of a systematic process of transitioning students into the intermediate functioning levels for further educational advancement (see STAR Program, Activity 3).
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- #7 Agriculture Education Curriculum Project
Missouri will join with the National Council for Agricultural Education in the development of a new agricultural education program designed to address the technological and scientific workforce needs for teaching and learning agricultural science. The curriculum and teacher course materials will be similar to those developed by Project Lead The Way (PLTW) for secondary engineering education.
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- #8 MissouriConnections.org
Over the past two years, three states (Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas) have partnered in a one-of-a-kind collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive Web-based system that serves the needs of students from grades 5-16 in their respective states with the tasks of career awareness and extensive career exploration by means of the 16 career clusters, and career preparation. These states have shared development costs to create the infrastructure for these comprehensive systems, now operational in all three states, so that students (and the schools they attend) may have access to these services without fee from school, home, or any other place where Internet connectivity exists. The goal of the Missouri Career Management System, Missouri Connections is to become a high quality Web-based system that promotes life-long learning, career awareness, exploration, and planning, and provides pertinent information for decision-making. Further development of the system will assist in obtaining an educated and well-trained workforce for Missouri.
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- #9 Sector Competency Work for Targeted DED Clusters
The Department of Economic Development (DED) has identified eight industry clusters where Missouri shows a competitive advantage. The eight industries are: Agribusiness, Energy, Transportation/Logistics, Homeland Security-Defense, Automotive, Information Technology, Life Sciences, and Financial Services. DED industry specialists will seek development and expansion opportunities, as well as form beneficial relationships with Missouri businesses in related fields.
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- #10 Work Readiness Preparation and Certification
The goal of this activity is to target resources for communities to develop or expand a work readiness pilot program as envisioned by Senate Bill 894. This 2006 legislation called for a ready to work certificate that would be a voluntary endorsement to a high school diploma. Local school districts will work with employers, Workforce Investment Boards, Chambers of Commerce and other stakeholder groups to establish a “demand-driven” system. Pilot sites will be established using an advisory committee to guide the design and development of the program, and monitor the success. There may be multiple models implemented to pilot different approaches, based on local needs and availability of resources.
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- #11 Regional Capacity Building Using WIRE Like Framework
The funds would be used to conduct Regional Planning and asset mapping using the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) framework in select areas of the state. The goal of the proposed project is to improve coordination between partners to better meet client needs. As Local Workforce Investment Areas (LWIAs) develop local plans and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), it will be critical to begin to think about all the assets available within the context of an economic region. This regional approach will assist in developing improvements toward the economic drivers that are most influential.
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- #12 Expansion of LILAs to Another Region
Lifelong learning Accounts or LILAs are accounts for adults similar to 529 college saving plans. LILAs are currently under development in the Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas areas as part o the KC WIRED program. Under a LILA the employee and employer jointly contribute to the account which can be used by the employee for education and training.
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- #13 Career Development Resources, Outreach and Partnership
Four projects are underway to enhance career planning and development: 1) Career Planning Materials for Counselors, 2) Career Cluster Video, 3) Career and Education Outreach Campaign, and 4) Collaborative Partnership.
1) A major function of a school’s comprehensive guidance program is individual planning which focuses on assisting students with the development of meaningful personal plans of study. An updated toolkit, developed around career paths and career clusters will be developed in a combined electronic and print format. It will be a valuable resource for students, teachers, counselors and parents in the individual planning process and the development of these personal plans of study.
2) A 10-20 minute, high quality introductory video about career clusters targeted to middle school and high school students will be a helpful tool statewide for use in the classroom and in streaming video. This resource would be available in Missouri through schools and on the Web. If adequate funding or resources are available, a supplemental structure for providing virtual mentors by career clusters may also be explored and developed.
3) A collaborative team of state agencies concerned with education and workforce development will develop an outreach strategy to inform and build awareness among the public, particularly students and potential students, of targeted careers, educational and industry trends, and workforce development priorities.
4) The beginning of a renewed partnership has already begun between the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Career Education and the Department of Economic Development, Division of Workforce Development and the Missouri Economic Research & Information Center. A series of exploratory meetings and proposed development of a mission and strategic plan for a collaborative partnership for enhancing career development will benefit the state and its citizens.
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#14 Career and Technical Education Performance/Funding Study
A study will be conducted to identify the “influencers” of local program performance and success. The project will include a thorough analysis of needed resources to support learning. The project will also include a study of program impact, effectiveness of resources, and "return on investment." Measures that could be used in this study are linked to the common concepts used to evaluate career education programs. Specific focus will be directed to the system of performance measures and allocation of resources for career and technical education programs. Among these are data which are intended to measure how program resources are being used.
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- #15 Missouri P-20 Council: Aligning Education with Economic Development
The Council is responsible for forging greater collaborative efforts among state departments responsible for K-12, higher education, and economic development. Such efforts will result in improved teaching and learning, and greater alignment from one educational level to the next as well as from education into the workforce. The Missouri P-20 Council’s statutory charge is to create a more efficient and effective education and training system that more adequately prepares emerging and current workers for the workforce challenges of 21st century. Funding would be used to support staffing and development of the Council in its first year of operation. Plans are underway to raise funds from private and philanthropic sources to sustain the Council after these funds are exhausted.
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