Narrative: b.

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), WorkReady U (WRU), is responsible for administering Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) funds to eligible providers and providing program/performance oversight to grantees. As the administrative/fiscal agency, LCTCS/WRU conducts a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) Grant Application process to provide funding to eligible local entities for the provision of adult education services as described in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014: Title II: Common Elements under Distribution of Funds.  The RFP is the statewide procurement method through which WRU identifies, assesses, and awards multi-year grants to eligible providers throughout the state for the delivery of adult education services that include academic instruction and educational services to eligible individuals.  An eligible individual, defined in WIOA, Title II, is an individual who: has attained 16 years of age; is not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law; is basic skills deficient; does not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and has not achieved an equivalent level of education; or is an English language learner with skills below the postsecondary level in need of services that increase the individual’s ability to:

• Read, write and speak English and perform mathematics or other activities necessary for the attainment of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
• Transition to postsecondary education and training; and
• Obtain employment.

The full and open competition is consistent with the standards of 34 CFR Part 463 Subpart C.  All activities funded under WIOA are authorized, approved, and administered by the LCTCS, WorkReady U.  WorkReady U ensures that all eligible providers have direct and equitable access to apply and compete for grants. The grant competition is publicized through a variety of print and electronic media throughout the state. Information is shared through the LCTCS communications office via posting on the LCTCS website and other means of available communication.

LCTCS uses the same application process for all eligible providers for sections 225, 231, and/or 243.  This ensures that all applications are evaluated using the same rubric and scoring criteria.  LCTCS ensures that all eligible providers have direct and equitable access to apply for grants. See Title I, Common Elements, (III.b.5.B.ii) Direct and Equitable Access.

As required in Section 427 of GEPA, each applicant provides a description of the agency’s process to ensure equitable access to and participation in the WIOA Title II adult education program for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs. LCTCS has approved state policies that provide for equal opportunity for all qualified persons without regard to disability in the recruitment of, admission to, accessibility to, participation in, treatment in, or employment in the programs and activities operated and sponsored by the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

WIOA, Title II defines an eligible provider as an organization that has demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy activities to eligible individuals and may include:

• A local education agency;
• A community-based or faith-based organization;
• A volunteer literacy organization;
• An institution of higher education;
• A public or private nonprofit agency;
• A library;
• A public housing authority;
• A nonprofit institution with the ability to provide adult education and literacy services;
• A consortium or coalition of agencies, organizations, institutions, libraries, or authorities described above; or
• A partnership between an employer and an entity described above.

All applications received are evaluated using the 13 considerations in WIOA section 231(e). The evaluation of each grant application involves an intense assessment of the ability of the eligible provider to comply with the expectations and statutes described within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act inclusive of (a) meeting the literacy needs of the area and (b) demonstrating past effectiveness in improving the literacy of eligible individuals, especially those individuals who have low levels of literacy, participants with disabilities; refugees, dislocated youth and foster care youth, individuals with low literacy skills, displaced homemakers, ex-offenders, individuals with cultural barriers and individuals with a variety of barriers to employment. The grant cycle is a minimum of four years, and all providers are subject to the same funding cycle: Year One - July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022; Year Two - July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023; Year Three - July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, and Year Four - July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.  Eligible providers apply to receive adult education funding for the delivery of any of the following adult education and literacy activities:

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

Federal Definitions and Allowable Services/Activities

In Louisiana, adult education consists of academic instruction and education services below the postsecondary level that increase an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak in English and perform mathematics or other activities necessary for the attainment of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and/or transition to postsecondary education and training and obtaining employment.

Literacy is defined as an individual’s ability to read, write and speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society.

Workplace adult education and literacy activities are adult education and literacy activities offered by an eligible provider in collaboration with an employer or employee organization at a workplace or an off-site location that is designed to improve the productivity of the workforce through the improvement of literacy skills.

An English-language acquisition program is designed to help eligible individuals who are English-language learners achieve competence in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension of the English language leading to the attainment of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and transition to postsecondary education and training or employment.

Integrated education and training (IET) is a service approach that provides three components simultaneously, concurrently, and contextually: (1) adult education and literacy (2) workforce preparation activities, and (3) workforce training.  The IET must be a part of a career pathway with a single set of learning objectives for a specific occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of educational and career advancement which may be any one of the approved WIOA training services defined in section 134(c)(3)(D) of the Act.

The Louisiana Career Pathway model provides a combination of rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that align with the skill needs of industries in the region.  The model prepares adults for success by organizing education, training, and other services to support their particular needs including: counseling to accomplish goals; educational training and workforce preparation that is offered simultaneously, concurrently, and contextually within a specific occupation or occupational cluster; opportunity for attaining a recognized high school equivalency credential; and entrance or advancement within a specific occupation or occupational cluster. Integrated education and training services of sufficient quality and intensity will be designed based on the most rigorous research available and successful applicants are required to provide the following services/activities:

• a minimum of two career pathway programs that provide the opportunity for students to earn college credit;
• basic skills services that are concurrently integrated and contextualized with the workforce training program of study and aligned with a single set of learning objectives and specific integrated activities;
• basic skills, workforce preparation activities, workforce training, and other services designed to accelerate the educational and career advancement of participants to the extent practicable;
• a logical progression/sequence of courses that are applicable to the target credential;
• the attainment of industry-based and/or academic credentials;
• partnerships with business and industry as well as regional economic development partners in order to meet both current and future sector needs; and
• multiple entry and exit points, flexible scheduling, alternative class times and locations, stackable and portable credentials and/or credit hours, and the innovative use of technology customized for the needs of adults.

Each funded program must demonstrate a commitment to provide appropriate wrap-around support services to students enrolled in the IET program. These services will include but are not limited to tutoring or other academic supports, college navigation support, and career planning.

Integrated English literacy and civics education (IELCE) refers to education services provided to English-language learners who are adults, including professionals with degrees and credentials in their native countries, that enables them to achieve competency in the English language and acquire the basic and more advanced skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the United States. Such services shall include instruction in literacy and English-language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation and may include workforce training. See Title II – Adult Education and Literacy Programs (d) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program.

Workforce-preparation activities include activities, programs, or services designed to help an individual acquire a combination of basic academic skills, critical thinking skills, digital literacy skills, and self-management skills including competencies in utilizing resources, using information, working with others, understanding systems, and obtaining skills necessary for a successful transition into postsecondary education, training, and/or employment.

Federal funds may be used to increase the level of non-federal funds that would be available in the absence of federal funds and, in no case, replace those non-federal funds. Federal funds must not be used for the purpose of supplanting, only for supplementing.

Louisiana is focused on performance to ensure that funds are used effectively to serve customers and produce positive results.  WRU uses a funding formula for state/federal adult education funds. The formula is designed to consider the scope of services provided in the local program and performance as compared to established benchmarks as a basis for an increase or decrease in funds. Performance benchmarks and performance standards are established with the expectation that grantees will maintain or exceed performance standards through effective service delivery and innovation.

Evaluating the RFP

The assessment of each grant application involves an intense evaluation of the ability of the eligible provider to meet the literacy needs of the area and to comply with the expectations and statutes described within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Additionally, an eligible provider must demonstrate program effectiveness by providing performance 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, English language acquisition, and other subject areas relevant to the services described in WIOA §463.24. 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.  There are two ways an eligible provider may meet the requirements:

• An applicant that has been previously funded under AEFLA, under WIOA, must submit performance data required under Section 116 to demonstrate past effectiveness.
• An applicant that has not been previously funded under AEFLA, under WIOA, must provide performance data to demonstrate its past effectiveness in serving basic skills deficient eligible individuals, including evidence of its success in achieving outcomes.

Applicants applying as a consortium must submit demonstrated effectiveness data for each member of the consortium to determine if each member is an eligible provider of demonstrated effectiveness.

Application review consists of a multi-tier process: (1) applications are pre-screen for all required components, including performance data to demonstrate effectiveness in serving eligible individuals; (2) reviewers are comprised of at least one WRU state staff, representative(s) from core partner entities, and internal/external reader(s) with adult education experience; and (3) local workforce development boards (LWDBs) review the application to determine whether the activities in the application are consistent with and align to the approved local plan and provide recommendations to promote further alignment when applicable in accordance with Section 107(d)(11)(B)(i)(I, II) of WIOA and 34 CFR §463.21(b)(1, 2). Training and technical assistance are provided to each reviewer by the WRU staff.  Each reviewer receives the local application, access to the local and regional workforce development plan, and a scoring rubric to evaluate the applications.

All applications are scored based on the applicant’s ability to comply with the expectations and statutes described within the thirteen (13) federal evaluation factors required under WIOA and described in Title II, Sec. 231 (e) listed below:

1. The ability of the eligible provider to meet the literacy and English-language needs identified for the population in the area, including individuals who have low levels of literacy skills or who are English-language learners. Particular emphasis is given to the provider’s ability to provide targeted service to individuals with barriers to employment.
2. The eligible provider’s ability to provide service to individuals with a (physical or learning) disability.
3. The eligible provider’s demonstrated effectiveness in providing literacy instruction, including its ability to meet state-adjusted levels of performance and improve the literacy levels of eligible individuals.
4. The eligible provider’s alignment with the WIOA local plan.
5. The depth, intensity, and rigor of the programs and activities offered by the eligible provider. The proposed program must incorporate instructional practices that include the essential components of reading instruction. Attention is given to the extent to which the eligible provider incorporates rigorous research for attaining substantial learning gains in the grant proposal and the development of the literacy program itself.
6. The extent to which the eligible provider’s program is based on intense research, best practices, and effective educational practice.
7. The extent to which the eligible provider demonstrates the effective use of technology for instruction to include distance education toward students’ improved performance.
8. The eligible provider’s demonstrated integration of contextualized instruction to blend literacy skills and preparation for transition to post-secondary education or entry into the workplace. Particular attention is given to activities that promote and lead to economic self-sufficiency and the ability to exercise the full rights of citizenship.
9. The qualifications and expertise of the eligible provider’s instructors, counselors, and administrative staff.  All instructors must hold, at a minimum, a post-secondary degree and participate in the WorkReady U instructor-certification program within one year of employment. The eligible provider must also demonstrate its ability and intent to provide high-quality professional development to instructors and staff toward the improvement of student performance.
10. The eligible provider’s collaboration with other available education, training, and social service resources in the community. Particularly, the eligible provider should have, or have the means to establish, meaningful partnerships with elementary schools and secondary schools, post-secondary educational institutions, institutions of higher education, local workforce investment boards, One-Stop Centers, job training programs and social service agencies, business, industry, labor organizations, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and intermediaries for the development of career pathways.
11. The flexibility of program schedules offered by the eligible provider, including coordination (when available) with federal, state, and local support services such as childcare, transportation, mental health services, and career planning.
12. The eligible provider’s management information system; the expectation will be that the eligible providers will use the state-administered designated Management Information System (MIS) for all grant-related data collection and reporting.
13. The demonstrated need within the area occupied by the eligible provider for English language acquisition programs and civics education programs.

Special Rule

LCTCS will not use any funds made available under this title for adult education and literacy activities for the purpose of supporting or providing programs, services, or activities for individuals who are under the age of 16 and are enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under state law.