Located in:
- III. Operational Planning Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the State operating systems and policies that will support the implementation of the State strategy described in section II Strategic Elements. This includes—
- 6. Program Data
- A. Data Alignment and Integration
Describe the plans of the lead State agencies with responsibility for the administration of the core programs, along with the State Board, to align and integrate available workforce and education data systems for the core programs, unemployment insurance programs, and education through postsecondary education, and to the extent possible, the Combined State Plan partner programs included in this plan. The description of the State’s plan for integrating data systems should include the State’s goals for achieving integration and any progress to date.
- A. Data Alignment and Integration
- 6. Program Data
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
III. b. 6. A. i. Describe the State’s plans to make the management information systems for the core programs interoperable to maximize the efficient exchange of common data elements to support assessment and evaluation
Current Narrative:
Idaho maintains a federated data systems approach with core WIOA programs, consistent with the development of Idaho’s statewide longitudinal data system housing primarily educational data and incorporating a limited scope of workforce data by way of participant wage matching. These systems are currently designed to assist agencies in meeting their individual state and federal reporting requirements for program participants and allow analysis of individual wage outcomes through a manual process.
Idaho was recently awarded a Workforce Data Quality Initiative grant, engaging core WIOA programs to coalesce data sets, based upon the WIOA Joint Performance Report template, for the purposes of program evaluations, outcomes reporting, and predictive analysis. Building upon the existing State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS), the grant will allow for data exchange between disparate MISs while maintaining appropriate data security and compliance requirements.
With the implementation of WIOA, Idaho’s core WIOA programs have been working to update data elements within each agency’s MIS, consistent with the WIOA Joint Performance Report Template and corresponding PIRL elements. Core program partners have come together to establish a shared data validation policy which incorporates procedures unique to each agency’s program design.
IDOL’s IdahoWorks houses multiple workforce programs longitudinal datasets, including case management data for multiple programs (WIOA Titles I, III [Wagner-Peyser, Employment Services (ES)], and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)), and employment and wage records (inclusive of Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage and benefits data). Developed and administered by America’s Job Link Alliance (AJLA), IdahoWorks is a web-based, all-in-one labor exchange, reporting and case management solution - a data warehouse and multi-program management information system that collects program participants’ data.
The Office of the State Board of Education (OSBE) houses all K-20 data in the SLDS, with case management systems maintained at the agency level, for example, the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (IDVR) and its sister agency, the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ICBVI). Through the SLDS, OSBE serves as a larger data conduit for public K-20 education (from kindergarten through post-graduate), Idaho Career & Technical Education (ICTE), and IDVR. Under Idaho’s federated SLDS, each agency retains control of the personal information in its records and safeguards the data according to its own needs and requirements.
While the SLDS is a significant accomplishment, the ability to collect and combine certain Participant Individual Record Level (PIRL) elements to meet joint federal reporting requirements between WIOA Title programs has been missing. Additionally, the reporting tools capable of automatically coalescing the state data and preparing it for direct upload into the federal Workforce Integrated Performance System (WIPS) does not currently exist in Idaho.
Embedded in the WDQI project’s design to meet federal reporting objectives is the access to comprehensive Eligible Training Provider data, another federal reporting requirement of WIOA. The plan of the WDQI project’s proposed platform extends the automation of data exchange and reporting to address both public and private providers, which contrasts with the state’s current SLDS limitation to public postsecondary providers, lacking a means of reliably calculating performance of proprietary schools or training programs. A thorough assessment of the state’s training providers to ascertain their impact on Idaho’s workforce and economy includes all public and private, educational and training sources.