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—
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
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:
As grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements become available to focus on evaluations, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners collaborate to meet the requirement of the opportunity. One example of this collaboration is the Workforce Data Quality Initiative Grant. Partners collaborated to utilize grant funds to upgrade the Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation (MVR) and Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) AWARE case management system. This upgrade focused on the collection of employer data so partners could co-report on the Effectiveness in Serving Employers common performance measure.
In 2018, a cross-departmental committee was formed to increase the number of Missourians working at a living wage and on a career pathway. This committee analyzed nearly 70 employment-involved programs, all of which have their own data systems and performance measures. Many of the committee’s recommendations align with WIOA principles and requirements. These recommendations include data sharing agreements, program outcome reporting and the creation of a comprehensive service model delivery support and referral system.
Recommendations are awaiting the governor’s cabinet approval. It has been proposed that the WIOA Steering Committee work on cabinet-approved recommendations to aid in the evaluation of WIOA partner programs.
Missouri continues to develop its State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) for exploring research opportunities. The SLDS was developed using a USDOL grant from the Workforce Data Quality Initiative. The warehouse remains functional and updated with selected data sets and is governed by an established interagency SLDS data committee.
Partner agencies continue to share performance and program effectiveness outcomes via their respective management systems as well as satisfaction survey results. A coordinated review of these results occurs through the WIOA Steering Committee on a quarterly basis, and reported by this team to the State Workforce Development Board. Through such mechanisms as the Workforce Data Quality Initiative Grant (WDQI), SLDS, and other cross-departmental committees, partners collaborate on movement toward data integration.