Narrative: III. b. 6. A. i.

Requested Revision (this text has been altered since original submission) The State’s Approach to Program Data Integration and Interoperability (Corresponding to Section III (b)(6) of the planning guidance) California is dedicated to developing a roadmap towards greater data integration and interoperability and is researching centralized and federated methods to track, share, manage and report performance data over the medium term but is doing this in a manner that appreciates the complexity of the task at hand. As pointed out in chapter 2, California provides workforce and education services through a myriad of largely decentralized service delivery structures, including 11,000 K-12 schools, over 1,000 school districts, 1,000 charter schools, 113 community colleges (in 72 community college districts), 58 County Welfare Departments, 58 County Offices of Education, 47 Local Boards overseeing 190 One-Stops, and more than half a dozen state departments and agencies. Not all programs operating in this largely decentralized service delivery network have the same eligibility requirements, data needs, or program goals. Some of the relevant data systems are operated by local government. Some are operated by state government. All have existing case management, data-collection, and reporting legacy systems which have been designed with both their program specific needs and their client population characteristics in mind. Moreover, all these programs have existing relationships with vendors and many are party to legally binding contracts for the provision of case management, data collecting, and reporting services. Furthermore, in the absence of a federal mandate for states’ to have a comprehensive integrated intake and case management system, efforts toward interoperability among State Plan partners will necessarily rely on voluntary participation which will depend on partners seeing value for their programs in joining in such collective efforts. Given this context, the state is approaching the matter of data-sharing and the building of interoperable data systems with the following principles in mind: • Form meets function. The technological architecture for interoperable data-systems should be crafted to serve the policy objectives of the programs they are designed for and should not unduly constrain or predetermine the policy choices of program administrators and operators in a way that limits the capacity for policy innovation. • Data-sharing and data integration efforts make the most sense where there is a commonality of interest, need, or purpose and a set of shared goals. Current and future efforts to develop data-sharing agreements or, where appropriate, move towards data-integration will proceed on the basis of value-added partnership such that all partners gain something from the partnership, such as the development of an ad hoc committee comprised of Title I and III local operators and users of third party systems and the state level case management system (CalJOBS) to make informed decisions and to share information about how to move toward the possibility of further integration. • Agreements will need to recognize and take into account the varied needs of different programs and client populations, the varying privacy requirements of different programs, recognition of data-ownership by program operators, and the need to work collaboratively to craft shared solutions that serve both the programs being operated, and more importantly, the members of the public receiving services. • Any data-sharing and data integration will be developed in order to meet state and federal privacy and security standards as well as those of each participating agency.

Operating from the foregoing policy perspective, the State Board has created the “Data-Sharing and Performance Accountability Workgroup” to assist the Governor in aligning technology across core programs and One-Stop mandatory partners with the goal of improving service delivery to individuals.

Representatives from all WIOA core programs, the community college system, K-12 education, the ETP, and DSS (TANF) have all participated in the workgroup, with representatives meeting with State Board staff more than a twenty times either collectively or program to program. To date, the workgroup has done all of the following: • exchanged information about common data elements that support assessment and evaluation • exchanged information about data systems in-use and extant performance reporting processes • shared information on WIOA performance metrics, reporting requirements, regulations, and guidelines • shared information on other performance reporting requirements in state law including: o SB 1402 (T. Lieu, Chapter 361, Statutes 2012) which requires performance reporting for CCCCO Economic and Workforce Development grants operating under the DWM framework; and o AB 2148 (K. Mullin, Chapter 385, Statutes of 2014) which requires the creation of an Internet-based, annual workforce metrics dashboard that includes information on participant outcomes from community college career technical education, ETP programs, WIA and WIOA Title I Adult, Youth, Dislocated Workers, and Title II Adult Education programs, as well as Trade Adjustment Assistance, and state apprenticeship programs. • discussed challenges to implementing WIOA performance requirements • reviewed approaches to data sharing and workforce performance reporting systems, (including dashboards) in other jurisdictions • developed a forum to explore ways to integrate data systems to facilitate intake and service delivery and to track participation and performance across programs State plan partners are now beginning to map a way forward and have started to express their preferred approaches to achieving WIOA’s vision for achieving data integration and interoperability, including alternative centralized, federated, and hybrid approaches. In the coming months, the State Board will continue to convene this workgroup to plot a way forward using the principles outlined above with the goal of developing a data-sharing governance structure that facilitates compliance with federal requirements. As part of this process, the State Board is working with EDD, SBE/CDE, DOR, CCCCO and other state plan partners to develop an agreement that does the following: • secures access to, and ensures the use of, the base wage file for use in all performance reporting relevant to WIOA employment and wage performance metrics as required under proposed regulations o Core program partners have been made aware that use of the base wage file is required under the federal regulations. o Each core program will need to negotiate a data-sharing agreement with EDD to make proper use of the base wage file. • secures access to, and ensures the use of, data on credential attainment, skills gains, and degree and credential completion for use in all performance reporting relevant to human capital investment • ensures all relevant state and federal privacy requirements are met, including HIPPA and FERPA requirements, and all other relevant state and federal laws • lays the groundwork for developing, where appropriate, common intake processes and integrated or interoperable performance reporting systems where agreements are consistent with the principles outlined above. Requested Revision continued Since the submission of the State Plan in March of 2016, continued efforts in this area have included the following: • The State Board’s continued discussion with WIOA Implementation Workgroup partner agencies about how to best convene, facilitate, and broker a comprehensive data-sharing agreement that leads to an integrated and interoperable data system, both on the front end (common intake and case management) and on the back end (federated data software to produce state and federal performance reports as well as facilitate customized program evaluation using net-impact analysis). The principals of this Workgroup will meet in early June to review work conducted by State Board staff in this area. • The beginnings of a formalized stakeholder process for identifying data systems, data sharing opportunities, and solutions for developing a flexible governance structure through the operation of a federated data model. State Board staff have been briefing all the State Plan partners and various other State Government entities, including Finance and the Legislature on possible ways forward and are preparing formal MOUs to fund staffing to develop a negotiated data governance structure that will serve at the foundation of the state’s approach to integration.

o WIOA partners are expected to contribute staff with policy, performance, information technology, legal and fiscal expertise to help discuss and troubleshoot the development of an integrated and interoperable data system. o Discussion with the California Department of Technology is on-going to scope feasibility of developing a federated state level data sharing solution. The State Board will likely enter into a project management contract with CalTech to shepherd the data-sharing stakeholder process. Additionally, the State Board is working to build greater capacity for cross-system assessment of the education and workforce systems through its participation with partners EDD, CCCCO, and SBE/CDE in the State Workforce and Education Alignment Project (SWEAP) funded by the National Skills Coalition in order to receive technical assistance for the development of data tools that gives state partners and policymakers better data to assess the extent to which relevant workforce and education programs are having measurable labor market impacts for those receiving services. Data tools being developed through this project include the following: • the cross-system metrics dashboard required by AB2148 which includes WIOA title I and Title II, ETP incumbent work training, state-approved apprenticeships, community college career technical education, and Trade Adjustment Act • the community college CTE evaluation data system “LaunchBoard” which may provide the platform for a career pathway evaluator data tool that examines whether people with varying degrees of needs have access to the right programs and range of services to earn credentials and/or move into jobs • supply and demand reports required annually by SB 118 (T. Lieu, Chapter 361, Statutes 2012) that compare numbers of community college program completers to number of jobs openings in in-demand occupations To assess the quality, effectiveness and improvement of the core programs, the State Board will continue to meet with the state plan partners on a regular basis to ensure continuing collaboration and communication, overcome competing or inconsistent priorities, and check in on progress towards meeting goals.