Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Programs
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the following as it pertains to adult education and literacy programs and activities under title II of WIOA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).
c. Corrections Education and other Education of Institutionalized Individuals
Describe how the eligible agency will, using the considerations specified in section 231(e) of WIOA and in accordance with 34 CFR 463 subpart C, fund eligible providers to establish or operate programs that provide any of the following correctional educational programs identified in section 225 of WIOA:
- Adult education and literacy activities;
- Special education, as determined by the eligible agency;
- Secondary school credit;
- Integrated education and training;
- Career pathways;
- Concurrent enrollment;
- Peer tutoring; and
- Transition to re-entry initiatives and other post release services with the goal of reducing recidivism.
Each eligible agency using funds provided under Programs for Corrections Education and Other Institutionalized Individuals to carry out a program for criminal offenders within a correctional institution must give priority to serving individuals who are likely to leave the correctional institution within 5 years of participation in the program.
Current Narrative:
The MPWS’s correctional adult education program for institutionalized individuals has been operating successfully for over 20 years. As section 225 of WIOA prescribes, the MPWS uses up to 20% of its AEFLA instructional allocation for the cost of adult educational programs for criminal offenders in correctional institutions and other institutionalized individuals. Corrections adult education programs include classrooms in prisons, jails, reformatories, work farms, detention centers, halfway houses, community-based rehabilitation centers, or any other similar institution designed for the confinement or rehabilitation of criminal offenders.
AEL providers for justice-involved individuals must apply through Missouri’s competitive bid process, as described in section b. above. Corrections Education applicants must provide a detailed narrative addressing how they will meet each of the 13 considerations, in addition to priority of service, support of transition to reentry initiatives, and connection to post-release services. All applications are evaluated using the same rubric and scoring criteria.
The IFB includes the expectation that providers will deliver the following services to offenders based on need and situational feasibility:
- Adult education and literacy activities (AEL);
- Special Education as determined by the eligible agency
- Integrated education and training (IET)
- Career pathways
- Concurrent Enrollment
- Peer tutoring when feasible
- Transition to re-entry initiatives and other post-release services to reduce recidivism.
The MPWS funds correctional educational programs that prioritize serving individuals likely to leave the correctional institution within five years. State law requires all offenders without a high school diploma or high school equivalency to earn an HSE or exhibit continuous, honest, good-faith academic success to be eligible for parole. DOC employs approaches to offender educational services that increase educational levels and provide skills for self-sufficiency to reduce the recidivism rate.
The MPWS offers corrections adult education and literacy activities through DOC and other local service providers, including HSE preparation. These activities focus on improvement in servicing literacy students, improving language skills in NRS levels, preparing for the HSE, and preparing offenders to reenter society as productive citizens. The MPWS provides correctional IET through the Employability Skills program, which delivers workforce training, and life skills that help offenders acclimate to their community upon reentry. Corrections AEL programs offer a curriculum in job preparation (resume building, interview preparation), workforce skills, and family life skills concurrently with the adult education curriculum, which includes instruction in reading, writing, speaking, and mathematics. Curriculum materials provide real-life contexts and align with CCR standards. Where situationally feasible, instruction may include peer tutoring.
The MPWS serves justice-involved individuals with disabilities using special education instructional strategies linked to the student’s learning styles. DOC and AEL programs provide accommodations, including signers or interpreters, tutors for one-on-one instruction, adaptations such as color overlays, and large key calculators. Justice-involved Missourians receive accommodations per official guidelines when completing NRS-approved skill assessments and the High School Equivalency exam.
The MPWS connects incarcerated adult students to career pathways through several options. Integrating AEL services concurrently with workforce preparation activities serves to prepare students for the workforce upon their release. Additionally, DOC offers opportunities for post-secondary education, including self-pay and study with an accredited college. DOC also provides some eligible individuals with post-secondary access and vocational classes free of charge based on DOC criteria. The MPWS offers students opportunities to build skills through these career pathway options through workforce training and education. These skills assist with obtaining and retaining employment and in reducing recidivism.