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Plan: Kansas PYs 2016-2017
Combined Plan C

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: III. b. 4. D.

Published
Located in:
  • III. Operational Planning Elements
    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that support 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—

III. b. 4. D. Evaluation

Describe how the state will conduct evaluations and research projects on activities under WIOA core programs; how such projects will be coordinated with, and designed in conjunction with, State and local boards and with State agencies responsible for the administration of all respective core programs; and, further, how the projects will be coordinated with the evaluations provided for by the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education under WIOA.

Current Narrative:

The Kansas State Plan Management Team (SPMT), comprised of senior leadership of each core program, recognizes the value of evaluation and research functions, particularly in the context of continuous improvement of the workforce development system. (Please refer to Section II(b)(4) of this Combined Plan / Strategic Elements/State Vision and Goals / Assessment for a more detailed description of continuous improvement plans and strategies.)

Kansas will encourage collaboration and explore opportunities for innovation through its Continuous Improvement Council. [See Section II(b)(4) for more information on the Continuous Improvement Council.] Of particular interest for this Council in the first two years of this Plan will be further study of self-sufficiency indicators. Research will focus on best practices related to indicators of self-reliance, reduced reliance on public benefits, sustainable family supporting wages, and livable wages. Return on investment is another area of interest that will be researched with Adult Education leading a collaborative effort among all partners.

The SPMT, each core program, and the KANSASWORKS State Board review performance measures at least once a quarter as part of program evaluation functions. Such measures are lead indicators related to quality, effectiveness and continuous program improvement.

Other evaluation and research functions implemented through core programs include:

  • Implementing evidence-based employment practices for people with disabilities and ongoing fidelity research into the effectiveness of these practices.
  • Using federal and state technical assistance resources, to the extent they are available, for evaluation and research functions.
  • Using a research-to-practice approach by leveraging knowledge transfer from national resources including technical assistance centers funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center) with funding from the US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, the National Skills Coalition, and other similar organizations that disseminate research-based information on improving service delivery.
  • Dissemination of information concerning research-based best practices for service delivery, alignment, and policy development.

Finally, Kansas will further explore opportunities for collaborative evaluation and research functions within the scope of available resources. Such efforts will be designed and coordinated with the SPMT, core programs and their cognizant state agencies, and relevant boards.

Kansas assures that its evaluation and research functions will be coordinated with the evaluations provided by the U.S. Secretary of Labor and the U.S. Secretary of Education under WIOA. More information is needed from federal officials regarding their evaluation protocols before this strategy can be further defined.