Tips for Developing Outcomes Projections for Strong Workforce Program Funding

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Cuthbert Washington
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Tips for Developing Outcomes Projections for Strong Workforce Program Funding For both the local and region share of the Strong Workforce Program funding, colleges will need to set projections for

1 Tips for Developing Outcomes Projections for Strong Workforce Program Funding For both the local and region share of the Strong Workforce Program funding, colleges will need to set projections for the performance of each program. This document offers tips on the outcomes projection process. LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program Tab All Strong Workforce Program metrics have been pre-populated on the new LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program tab. Colleges and regions should not compile this information on their own. In addition to providing results for the past five years, the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program tab provides regional and statewide benchmarking information. Data in the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program tab is drawn from the information that colleges upload to the Chancellor s Office for MIS reporting, the Chancellor s Office match to the state wage file, and the CTE Outcomes Survey. Getting Support Each college has been assigned a CTE Data Unlocked Expert, who will provide ten hours of free consulting support to examine LaunchBoard data and develop benchmarks. STRONG WORKFORCE PROGRAM METRICS Program size Enrollments Completion Students who earn a degree or certificate Students who transfer to a four-year institution Employment Employment rate at the second and fourth fiscal quarters after students exit the California community college system Proportion of exiters in a job closely related to their field of study Earnings Earnings in the second fiscal quarter after students exit the California community college system Percent change in earnings Proportion of students who attained the regional living wage Version 1 September 30, 2016 page 1

2 Selecting Program Codes In the Local Share Reporting Template, colleges will need to indicate a program code for each program that will receive funding. Data is displayed in the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program tab using these same codes. However, because Taxonomy of Program (TOP) codes may not align directly with college programs, and TOP code selection may vary by college when setting regional goals, colleges can indicate the program code in several ways: Priority Sector: the college can select a priority sector, which includes many possible TOP codes associated with related programs, such as Health TOP 4: the college can select a sub-discipline, such as Nursing TOP 6: the college can select a specific field, such as Licensed Vocational Nurse All: the college can select the all programs option if it plans to devote funding to collegewide services In the funding template, if the college intends to create a new program, it should indicate New as the program code designation. However, in order to view benchmarking data, the college may want to examine outcomes for other similar programs in the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program tab. Caveats to Assigning Program Codes When reviewing data in the LaunchBoard, colleges may note that there are errors or inconsistencies in TOP code assignments that impact the figures displayed. Support is available from CTE Data Unlocked Experts to determine the cause of coding issues, particularly in identifying which codes have been assigned to specific courses and awards. In 2017, the Chancellor s Office, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, and CTE Data Unlocked will begin a faculty-led code alignment process that will support code review and change recommendations. However, local and regional share templates will be due before code clean-up efforts can be completed and implemented in statewide data systems such as MIS and the Curriculum Inventory. In future years, once changes to codes have been approved and uploaded into statewide data systems, colleges will have the opportunity to re-set their projections based on updated information. For the first funding cycle, colleges should use the guidelines below if they discover data issues. Code doesn t align with program content Sometimes the TOP code description on record (see 2012 revision) does not align with the title of the program or the content of the courses, but the college has consistently assigned the required courses to a specific code. If this is the case, select the TOP code that identifies the desired courses and/or awards and make a note in the Reporting Template that explains the choice of code(s). Interdisciplinary programs Some interdisciplinary programs transcend specific TOP codes, even at the highest level (TOP 2). In this case, select the related Priority Sector that matches the program most closely. Version 1 September 30, 2016 page 2

3 Assignment of codes to both TOP 4 and TOP 6 Many colleges use TOP 4 codes to denote awards, but assign TOP 6 codes for courses. If this is the case, colleges should choose the TOP 4 code that aligns with program awards, even though this may pull additional awards and unrelated courses into the calculation. Inclusion of extraneous courses or multiple programs In some cases, the best available TOP code will include unrelated courses or capture multiple related programs. Colleges should set projections based on the best available code or priority sector, even though it will not be a pure representation of the selected program. Lack of data Some programs are so small that data cannot be displayed in the LaunchBoard. This is particularly the case for employment and earnings metrics, because at least ten students must be found in the wage file for data to display. If college programs are currently serving a small number of students or have not yet started a program, they can establish projections based on comparisons with other, similar programs at their college or nearby colleges. Version 1 September 30, 2016 page 3

4 Selecting Metrics All colleges are required to set projections for the enrollment metric. Colleges seeking to improve student outcomes should select additional metrics that apply to the investment. When determining which metrics to include in the Local Share Reporting Template, there are several considerations to consider. Completion Measures Colleges can count all types of completions including credit and noncredit, locally-issued and Chancellor s Office approved certificates, associate degrees, and applied baccalaureate degrees. However, your college will need to report locally-issued certificates through the annual MIS upload to the Chancellor s Office for these figures to display in the LaunchBoard. Note: completion and transfer metrics may be less relevant when programs are focused on shortterm training for skills-builder students. Employment Measures Second and fourth quarter employment rates are based on the state wage file, and are derived by matching students social security numbers in data sets held by the Chancellor s Office and the Employment Development Department. While the state wage file is the most comprehensive data source available, it may not include some employers or sectors such as the federal government, the military, the self-employed, out-of-state employers, and those paid through the cash economy. If the program being funded through the Strong Workforce Program trains people towards these types of employment, these metrics will not have comprehensive data. If many students are missing from the state wage file, or if a program is seeking to better align with industry needs, it may be more appropriate to use the metric for students in jobs closely related to their field of study. This information comes from the CTE Outcomes Survey, which captures information on all former students who took 9+ CTE units, regardless of their status in the state wage file. However, if your college does not elect to participate in the statewide survey, this information will not be available through the LaunchBoard. Earnings Measures There are three possible measures under earnings, all of which are drawn from the state wage file, and thus are subject to the same caveats described above. Colleges may select second quarter earnings as a way to set goals related to bottom-line outcomes for student salaries. Change in earnings can be an effective way to show the improvement in earnings, particularly when serving students who were previously under-employed or who are being trained for low-wage but vital occupations (such as childcare). Attainment of the regional living wage can be used to demonstrate progress toward getting students into jobs paying sustainable salaries. Version 1 September 30, 2016 page 4

5 Establishing Projections Colleges are expected to set outcomes projections for all of its selected metrics for , , and The projections should provide a realistic assessment of how much the college expects to move the needle for the metrics it has selected, with the goal of striving for significant improvement by the end of the three years. Accessing Data on Strong Workforce Program Metrics The LaunchBoard includes a Strong Workforce Program tab, which shows college and regional outcomes on each of the metrics, and encompass both credit and noncredit offerings. 1. The LaunchBoard requires a password. If you do not already have a password, request one at: 2. Open your web browser to the LaunchBoard Strong Workforce Program Tab: 3. From the drop down menus, select: College or Region: [select desired college or region] Program or Sector: [select desired TOP code or Priority Sector] Academic Year: [select desired year] 4. Then click View. Version 1 September 30, 2016 page 5

6 In addition to showing results for selected programs in the selected year, the tab will include data to support the development of outcomes projections, including: Historical trends for the college or region Comparison to the regional median Comparison to the statewide median Comparison to the highest result in the state Data Availability Enrollment and completion data will always lag by 6 months to address the time needed for colleges to upload information to the Chancellor s Office. Transfer data will always lag by two years to address the time needed to determine that students were enrolled in a four-year institution after leaving community college. Employment and earnings data will always lag by two years to address the time needed to certify that students are no longer enrolled at any community college and the time required to match student and employment records or to complete the CTE Employment Outcomes Survey. Because the CTE Outcomes Survey has historically been a locally-funded resource, data may not be available for all years at all colleges. If the data is not available for a specific year, you can either select an earlier year or click on the + sign to see historical trends with the most recent available information. The year associated with each metric represents the year in which students were last enrolled in the community college system. Version 1 September 30, 2016 page 6

AB104 Adult Education Block Grant. Performance Year:

AB104 Adult Education Block Grant Performance Year: 2015-2016 Funding source: AB104, Section 39, Article 9 Version 1 Release: October 9, 2015 Reporting & Submission Process Required Funding Recipient Content