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—
- 5. Distribution of Funds for Core Programs
Describe the methods and factors the State will use in distributing funds under the core programs in accordance with the provisions authorizing such distributions.
- 5. Distribution of Funds for Core Programs
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
III. b. 5. B. i. Describe the methods and factors the eligible agency will use to distribute title II funds.
Current Narrative:
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) AEI office is the State’s Eligible Agency for oversight of funding provided through the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act grant. AEI is responsible for administering funds to eligible providers and monitoring grantee use of those funds. For 2024-2027, AEI will provide funding to eligible providers at the local level for the provision of adult education and family literacy services as a component of the Colorado talent development system through a competitive request for application (RFA) process. The competitive grant process for local adult education and family literacy providers will follow the requirements outlined in 34 CFR 463 subpart C. The request for applications opened in February of 2024 and will conclude before July of 2024. Funds from this competition will be available for a four-year grant cycle. After the initial year of this multi-year adult education grant award (PY2024), the AEI Office requires sub-recipients to apply for the renewal of funding through a non-competitive grant continuation for the following program year.
Applicants can apply for funding in any of the following areas:
- Adult education and literacy
- Workplace adult education and literacy activities
- Family literacy activities
- English language acquisition activities
- Integrated English literacy and civics education
- Workforce preparation activities
- Integrated education and training
- Workforce preparation activities
- Integrated education and training
As described in the RFA eligible individual means an individual (1) who has attained 16 years of age and who is not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law (CRS 22.33.104) and (2) who 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.
To be awarded WIOA Title II funds in Colorado, applicants must be an eligible provider as defined by WIOA and they must be able to demonstrate past effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy activities before being considered an eligible applicant. Data which demonstrate the applicant’s effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy services include evidence of eligible individuals’ academics gains (reading, writing, mathematics, English language acquisition, and other subject areas relevant to the services outlined in the RFA), employment, attainment of secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and transition to postsecondary education and workforce training.
The RFA requires applicants to address General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) requirements as well as the thirteen statutory considerations AEI must consider when awarding WIOA Title II funds. To fund eligible providers, a rubric is utilized to score the RFA. Review teams utilize a Likert Scale to score the quality of each response, scoring applications individually before meeting to score the applications via a consensus score as a review team. Reviewers provide notes or commentary to justify the score, provide brief details of what the applicant omitted or missed, and brief descriptions of anything notable about the applicant’s responses. Additionally, the AEI Office reviews funding requests and proposed service delivery areas to ensure that services are being provided in all Local Workforce Development Areas. Applicants may apply for all of the funding allocation to a Local Workforce Development Area or a portion of the funds available in each LWDA they intend to serve. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Office of Adult Education Initiatives (AEI) will ensure direct and equitable access to grants and contracts and will use the same grant or contract process for all eligible providers in the state. All applicants follow a detailed request for applications, and each application is evaluated by a team of trained reviewers after proving demonstrated effectiveness. AEI will conduct data validation and desk, virtual and on-site monitoring as needed and in accordance with materials approved by the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.
Information from the annual Colorado Talent Pipeline Report will also be shared with adult education providers to assist them in aligning programming with the evolving occupations and occupational clusters relevant to Colorado’s context.
SPECIAL RULE
As outlined in the definition of family literacy activities (WIOA Section 203(9), children of eligible individuals may participate in AEFLA-funded family literacy activities. WIOA Section 203(4)(B) explains that an eligible individual is not required to be enrolled in secondary school under State law. Per C.R.S. §22-33-104, every child under the age of 17 shall attend public school for at least a certain number of hours defined in statute during each school year unless an exception has been provided under state law. AEI has outlined the following exceptions in which a 16 year-old may attend AEFLA-funded services:
- Condition of probation (C.R.S. §18-1.3-204(2.3))
- Condition of parole (C.R.S. §19-2-207 and C.R.S. §19-2-1002(1))
- In custody of court or law enforcement authorities (C.R.S. §22-33-104(2)(f))