Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Program

i.    How Idaho Will Fund Eligible Providers

As the Eligible Agency administering Title II programs, the Idaho Division of Career & Technical Education awards AEFLA funds through a competitive grant application process. Please refer to section III.b.5.B.i—ii in the common-elements portion of Idaho’s Combined State Plan for more detailed information about the Title II competitive grant application process.

Eligible providers are any organizations who have ‘demonstrated effectiveness’ in providing adult education and literacy activities and may include:  local educational agencies; community-based or faith-based organizations; volunteer literacy organizations; institutions of higher education; public or private nonprofit agencies; libraries; public housing authorities; a nonprofit institution having the ability to provide adult education and literacy services to adults; and a consortium of agencies, organizations, institutions, and libraries described above.(Section 203(5))

Funds are awarded as multi-year grants on a competitive basis to eligible providers via regional competitions. All regional competitions use the same process and application materials issued by the State to ensure direct and equitable access. The competition is announced across a variety of platforms to ensure statewide participation. These platforms include local newspapers, the States’ monthly newsletter, press release, social media, and contacts with other state and local agencies and workforce partners.

The regional competitions adhere to the provisions set forth in WIOA Title II Section 231 – Grants and Contracts for Eligible Providers, and Section 232 – Local Applications. Grantees receiving funds under the initial competition are required to submit annual renewal plans and negotiate program budgets each year. By federal law, eligible providers are prohibited from using federal grant funds to supplant state or local dollars.

The State office provides technical support to local providers in aligning programs with local workforce needs and addressing existing skills gaps. Partnerships with local workforce boards, local departments of labor, and community-based organizations are fundamental to the success of Adult Education programs in Idaho. Integrated Education and Civics Education and Integrated Education and Training programs are delivered in collaboration with community partners; local programs are encouraged to build partnerships to provide wraparound support services for students in their AEFLA funded programs.

The competitive application process requires applicants to document their qualifications per each of the thirteen considerations set forth in Section 231(e). Information is collected via a State-issued Request for Grant Applications (RFGA). The information collected from each applicant in the RFGA may include, but is not limited to:

Documentation of eligibility per Section 203(5)

The state of Idaho will select a committee to screen each application to determine if it is an eligible provider of demonstrated effectiveness before the application is reviewed, scored, and considered for funding.  A meeting between the Idaho State Program Director and this committee will clarify the distinction between evaluating an application for demonstrated effectiveness and considering an eligible provider's past effectiveness in considering an application for funding. The first step for this committee is to determine the eligibility of the applicants.  Only those applicants that have demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy services is eligible to apply for AEFLA funds.  Applicants that are determined to be ineligible for funding because they were not determined to be eligible providers of demonstrated effectiveness will be notified. 

How demonstrated effectiveness is established:

1.  An eligible provider that has been funded under Title II of the Act must provide performance data required under section 116 to demonstrate past effectiveness by providing data on its record of improving the skills of eligible individuals, particularly eligible individuals who have low levels of literacy, in the content domains of reading, writing, mathematics, and English language acquisition - and other subject areas relevant to the services contained in the state's application for funds.

2.  An eligible provider must also provide information regarding its outcomes for participants related to: employment, attainment of secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and transition to postsecondary education and training.  

Eligibility will be based upon a ‘yes’/’no’ determination where:

Yes         Indicates the applicant has submitted previous two year's worth of data demonstrating effectiveness in the areas shown below and met a minimum of an overall 15% achievement on Measureable Skill Gains:

• Academic level gains in the content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and English as a Second Language
• Employment outcomes
• Attainment of Secondary School Diploma or its recognized equivalent. 
• Transitions to Post-secondary Education/Training

Applications which meet the above criteria will have demonstrated effectiveness and will pass the pre-screening process.

No          Indicates the applicant has not demonstrated effectiveness in serving eligible individuals. Grant applicant will not be forwarded to committees for considerations in funding.

Applications that meet the ‘Demonstrated Effectiveness’ requirement will be reviewed, scored and considered for funding. Applications that do not result in a determination of demonstrated effectiveness will not be further considered for funding and will be notified within two weeks of submission by letter.

 The Idaho Division of Career & Technical Education distributes funds awarded under Title II, as set forth in WIOA Section 222(a). The State distributes funds at:

1.   Not less than 82.5% of the grand funds to award grants and contracts under Section 231 (Eligible Providers) and to carry out section 225 (Programs for Correctional and Institutionalized individuals), of which not more than 20% of such amount shall be available to carry out section 225.

2.   Not more than 12.5% of the grant funds to carry out State leadership activities under section 223;  and

3.   Not more than 5% of the grant funds or $85,000, whichever is the greater, for the administrative expenses of the eligible agency (the State).

Type of Adult Education Program(s) and/or Activities to be funded, limited to those activities allowed in Title II of WIOA and set forth in this plan

Section 243 Integrated Education and Civics Education: A service approach that provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement.  In order for a program receiving funds under Title II of such activities, they must allow students to access all three components concurrently.  

Section 225 Corrections Education: Correctional programs may use funds to carry out activities as authorized under Section 225, including: 1. Adult Education and Literacy (as defined in part (b) above) 2. Special education, as determined by the eligible state agency administering the grant 3. Secondary school credit 4. Integrated education and training 5. Career pathways 6. Concurrent enrollment 7. Peer tutoring and 8. Transition to re-entry initiatives and other post-release services with the goal of reducing recidivism.

Section 231 Regional Adult Education and Literacy Programs: 

• Adult education
• Literacy;
• Workplace adult education and literacy activities;
• Family literacy activities;
• English language acquisition activities;
• Integrated English literacy and civics education;
• Workforce preparation activities; or
• Integrated education and training

Alignment with Idaho’s Combined State Plan including state strategies and goals, career pathways, and local one-stop alignment.  Strategic planning occurred between partners in the Combined State Plan.  Representatives from these programs work in close collaboration through a series of meetings and discussion organized through the Workforce Development Council and the One-Stop Committee.  AEFLA activities throughout Idaho plan career pathways that are in-demand with multiple access points and with opportunities to earn stackable credentials.  The goals and objectives for recipients of Title II funds includes creating educational and workforce access to sustainable careers.  In order to promote consistency and alignment, the Workforce Development Council reviews all approved applications and makes recommendations to alignment for all workforce and workforce preparation activities.  Ideally, IET's are a launching pad for moving students into Registered Apprenticeships for continued short-term or long-term training.  

Administrative capacity such as: organizational structure, funding streams, financial oversight, data collection and reporting, and assurances.  The state of Idaho ensures that the structure of all recipients are set up to manage each funding stream they receive with qualified accountants and fiscal managers to provide financial oversight and to manage the drawdown process and provide monthly balance ledgers to program directors.  As the state moved to a new management information system, LACES with LiteracyPro, both virtual and on-site trainings will be provided.  The new MIS will provide more accurate and up-to-date data than the prior MIS.  Therefore, FY22 will provide a baseline to provide a more in-depth qualitative and quantitative summary for reporting purposes.  

Operational capacity such as description of qualified staff and hiring processes, available locations and classroom space, community partnerships, and number of Title II-eligible students served per year.  Each provider will be required to track the qualifications of their support and instructional staffs.  The hiring processes are outlined in their agency's policies for both classified and non-classified employees.  The full time instructional staff either have a bachelor's or a master's.  Part-time staff and support staff may possess AA or AAS degrees through a master's and certifications that align with their position.  Each funded program will work with and participate on Technical Advisory Committees to connect the region's services especially the WIOA partners.  The goal is to offer seamless services with warm hand-offs of clients.  Idaho will typically serve between 5,000 and 6,000 students annually - the pandemic has cut these numbers in half.  Each provider will have sufficient classroom space for ABE, AE, IELCE/IET programs.  Additional classrooms that may be needed will be provided through local community partnerships.  

Quality of Services such as proposed class schedules, description of curriculum and alignment with state-adopted standards, and professional development/training activities.  Idaho's AEFLA programs will provide day, afternoon, evening, distance learning, and hybrid courses to accommodate the variety of learners that programs serve.  All learners will be taught using the College and Career Readiness Standards and the English Language Proficiency standards.  Curriculum is rooted in science-based researched best practices.  The state will hold professional development opportunities for new and veteran teachers to deepen their understanding and application of the standards.