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Announcement of Funding Opportunity RFP Proposal # GC21-004

Title: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title II and Welfare Education Program Funding

Legislative Authority

Public Law 113-128; Education Law §207 & Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2002

Purpose of Grant

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to provide adult education and literacy services to assist out-of-school youth and adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency and assist these individuals in the completion of a secondary school education. There are four types of competition: 1) Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services, 2) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE), 3) Corrections Education and Other Institutionalized Education Programs and 4) Literacy Zones.

Project Period

Successful applicants will be funded for July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2027

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants may include: (A) a local educational agency; (B) a community-based organization or faith-based organization; (C) a volunteer literacy organization; (D) an institution of higher education; (E) a public or private nonprofit agency; (F) a library; (G) a public housing authority; (H) a nonprofit institution that is not described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (G) and has the ability to provide adult education and literacy activities to eligible individuals. (I) a consortium or coalition of the agencies, organizations, institutions, libraries, or authorities described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (H); and (J) a partnership between an employer and an entity described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (I). Only agencies whose application demonstrates effectiveness exhibited on Attachment 3 or have included their New York State (NYS) National Reporting System (NRS) Report Card demonstrating their performance will be scored. Any program placed under corrective action by New York State Education Department (NYSED) for FY2018/19 is not eligible to apply WIOA funds.

Amount of Funding

$ 44,918,244 WIOA Title 2 and $ 1,843,000 WEP, for a total of $46,761,244 annually

Size of the awards varies by type. Applicants should submit budget requests for costs that are reasonable and necessary to effectively

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implement their proposed projects. Awards will be made subject to availability of funding by the U.S. Department of Education and New York State. The NYSED reserves the right to reject all proposals received or cancel this RFP if it is in the best interest of the NYSED Awards will be divided between four program areas:

• $ 25,930,981 for Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services • $ 11,324,378 for Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education • $ 3,519,255 for Corrections Education; • $ 5,986,630 for Literacy Zones

Final figures will be updated with the 2021-2022 WIOA Title 2 award is received from the U.S. Education Department.

Application Due Date and Mailing Address

Submit 1 original and 2 copies postmarked by March 30, 2021. Attn: Marisa Boomhower New York State Education Department ACCES-Adult Education Programs and Policy 89 Washington Avenue Room 460 EBA Albany, New York 12234 Please email a copy in Word format only to: WIOARFP@nysed.gov

Questions and Answers

All questions must be submitted via E-Mail to WIOARFP@nysed.gov by 12/22/2020. A complete list of all Questions and Answers will be posted to ACCES procurement webpage no later than 01/12/2021.

Pre-qualification Requirement

Proposals received from nonprofit applicants that are not Prequalified in the Grants Gateway by 5:00 PM on the proposal due date of 03/21/2021 cannot be evaluated. Such proposals will be disqualified from further consideration. Please see the “Prequalification Requirement” section for additional information.

Non-Mandatory Notice of Intent

The Notice of Intent (NOI) is not a requirement for submitting a complete application by the application date; however, NYSED strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process. A non-profit applicant’s NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of their prequalification materials. The notice of intent is a simple email notice stating your organization’s (use the legal name) intent to submit an application for this grant. Please also include your organization’s NYS Vendor ID. The due date is March 19, 2021. Please send the NOI to WIOARFP@nysed.gov

NYSED Designated Contacts

Program: Marisa Boomhower Fiscal: Lucas Rodriguez M/WBE: Brian Hackett WIOARFP@nysed.gov

mailto:WIOARFP@nysed.govmailto:WIOARFP@nysed.govhttp://www.acces.nysed.gov/procurementmailto:WIOARFP@nysed.govmailto:WIOARFP@nysed.gov

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The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, military, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, carrier status, disability, genetic predisposition, sexual orientation and criminal record in its recruitment, educational programs, services, and activities. NYSED has adopted a web accessibility policy, and publications designed for distribution can be made available in an accessible format upon request. Inquiries regarding this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Office of Human Resources Management, Room 528 EB, Education Building, Albany, New York 12234.

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Table of Contents

Announcement of Funding Opportunity………………………….…………… P.1

General Program Guidelines for All Program Areas………………………… P.5

Eligible Participants……………………………………………………………….. P.8

Funding Amounts………………………………………………………………….. P.13

Program Area 1: Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services……………P.15

Submission Instructions Program/Method of Award Program Area 1……P. 25

Program Area 2: Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education ……. P. 35

Submission Instructions Program/Method of Award Program Area 2 …..P.43

Program Area 3: Corrections Education & Other Institutionalized Education Programs ……………………………………………………………………...........P.53

Submission Instructions Program/ Method of Award Program Area 3 … P.61

Program Area 4: Literacy Zone………………………………………………… P.70

Submission Instructions Program/ Method of Award Program Area 4…. P.79

NYSED Requirements and Guidance for all 4 Areas …………………….....P.89

Grant Application…………………………………………………………………..P.114

Grant Application Checklist Areas 1-3 ………………………………………. P.116

Grant Application Checklist Areas 4- Lit Zones ……………………………. P.125

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Title: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title II and Welfare Education Program Funding

General Program Guidelines for All Program Areas

Programs receiving funds under this RFP shall operate in accordance with the following guidelines developed by NYSED for adult education programs. On July 22, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovations Opportunity Act (WIOA), which replaces the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The funds will be used to provide adult education and literacy activities to assist out-of-school youth and adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency and assist these individuals in the completion of a secondary school education. Adult Education and Literacy activities include: adult education, literacy, High School Equivalency preparation, English language acquisition, Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education, workforce preparation activities and Integrated Education and Training. The funding will support partnerships among the Federal government, States and localities to provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and literacy activities which:

1. Assist out-of-school youth and adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency;

2. Assist out-of-school youth and adults who are parents or family members to obtain the education and skills that are necessary to becoming full partners in the educational development of their children and lead to sustainable improvements in the economic opportunities for their family;

3. Assist out-of-school youth and adults in attaining a secondary school diploma, including HSE preparation, and in the transition to postsecondary education, apprenticeship programs, training, and

4. Assist immigrants and other individuals who are English Language Learners in improving their reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills in English and math skills and acquiring an understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom, and the responsibilities of citizenship

Please Note the Following are New York State Imposed Requirements and Policies:

• Foreign Language Education: Education in a language other than English will not be supported as a stand-alone service. Basic education in another language can only be supported if integrated into English Language Acquisition classes to achieve English language educational gains.

• Bilingual Education: NYSED WIOA Title II funding may not be used to fund bilingual education. The primary language used throughout these services must be English.

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• Training: Consistent with WIOA’s priority for coordination with education, training, employers, and social service providers to promote career pathways (consideration 10), NYSED strongly encourages that training costs be provided by workforce development sources such as WIOA Title 1, community college FTE, employer funds for Integrated Education and Training (IET) or Integrated English Language and Civics Education (IEL/CE) program. Applicants will need to explicitly identify the training component and funds being used to support the training components.

• Consortium: A proposal from a consortium of agencies may include several agencies and organizations, which combine to provide comprehensive services. However, the proposal must clarify the roles, responsibilities and operating practices of each agency and the lead fiscal agency must provide at least 50 percent of the instructional program. If an agency is included in the partnership/consortium application, that agency may NOT also apply as an individual applicant in the same program area funding competition.

• Institutions of Higher Education: This definition is clarified to include Education Opportunity Centers, SUNY, and CUNY research foundations.

• Eligibility for NYS Welfare Education Program (WEP) funding: WEP funding is only available to NYS School Districts and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

• Assessments: NYS has approved TABE 11/12 and BEST Plus 2.0, and BEST Literacy 1.0. The Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) is currently approved for High School Equivalency (these assessments are subject to change in NYSED policy).

• Optional Programming Available: WIOA Title II funding supports the National External Diploma Program (NEDP), more information about NEDP can be found at CASAS website. Fast Track Math instruction may also be included in instructional offerings.

• NYS Department of Labor JobZone: All adult literacy students must be enrolled in JobZone.

• Apprenticeship Program: Can be included as eligible training component. When used in the following four program areas, the term “literacy” means an individual’s ability to read, write, speak in English, and compute and solve math problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society. WIOA Title II:

• Focuses on adult education, literacy, and English language services leading to

postsecondary education and employment. This includes participant eligibility for those out-of-school youth and adults who have a high school diploma or the equivalent but whose academic skills are at or below National Reporting System (NRS) Level 6 as evidenced on the Test of Adult Basic Education 11/12 (TABE) assessment in either Math or Reading.

http://www.casas.org/nedp

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• Makes development of career pathway strategies a function of the State and Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDB) and a permissible activity under all parts of the Act.

• Requires all funded programs to meet federal and state workforce development branding requirements as outlined at the USDOL’s website. Section 121(e)(4) of WIOA requires each career center and their partners to use the “American Job Center network” or “A Proud Partner of the American Job Center network” common identifier on all products, programs, activities, services, electronic resources, facilities, related property and new materials.

• Supports Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IEL/CE).

• Requires that all instruction include workforce preparation activities. • Requires that participants, with the exception of individuals enrolled in

corrections education, be tracked for employment and wage information in the second quarter after exit and employment in the fourth quarter after exit. Social Security Numbers (SSNs) collected from participants will be used to track these measures; those participants without Social Security Numbers will be tracked manually through surveys and entered into the data management information system.

• WIOA requires that employment data from the Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) database will be accessed by matching SSNs of participants to yield employment and wage data. All participants served with no SSN or legal work visa will be counted in the performance denominator for the awardee and must be tracked manually for employment and wage information in the second quarter after exit and employment in the fourth quarter after exit.

• Requires applicants to demonstrate the effectiveness of their past performance in adult literacy education. Those currently funded under NYSED WIOA will use report card data, (from FY2018/19) and those who are new applicants for WIOA funding must translate their performance into NYSED performance metrics using Attachment 3. Only agencies whose application demonstrates effectiveness exhibited on Attachment 3 or have included their NYS NRS Report Card demonstrating effective performance may be eligible for WIOA funds. Any program placed under corrective action by NYSED for FY2018/19 is not eligible to apply.

• Requires adoption of the federal College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards for Adult Education. NYSED implemented these standards and requires all instruction under each Program Area of the RFP to be aligned to these rigorous academic content standards. The CCR Standards and additional information on the implementation of these standards can be found on the Teaching to the Core website.

https://www.doleta.gov/wioa/FAQs.cfmhttp://www.teachingtothecoreny.org/

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• Asks applicants to identify “next step” opportunities as part of a career pathway. NYSED has completed Career Pathway toolkits that are accessible to all applicants. More information can be found at the Collect EdNY website In addition, all applicants must attest that they are providing equal opportunity for participants with barriers to participate in programs and services, using Attachment 6 GEPA Attestation Form.

• Separate applications are required for each LWDB area as per allocations listed in Attachment 1. Applications for each LWDB area will be scored and awarded separately. Programs are not required to provide service in all the counties of an LWDB area.

Eligible Participants Eligible participants are youth and adults, 16 years of age and older, and not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under New York state law, and who: • do not have a U.S. secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, or lack

the level of reading, writing, or computation skills expected of a high school graduate (even if they already possess a high school diploma) as shown on an NYSED and NRS approved assessment, Participants who possess a high school credential must score at or below NRS ABE Level 6 on the TABE 11/12, in order to be eligible for services, and/or

• require English Language Acquisition services (including services for those with diplomas or degrees from a country outside of the United States) as indicated by an NYSED approved assessment for NRS. These participants are unable to speak, read, or write proficiently in English.

Thirteen Federal Required Considerations for Funding In awarding grants and contracts, NYSED will consider: 1. the degree to which the eligible provider is responsive to:

a. regional needs as identified in the Local Workforce Development Plan; b. serving individuals in the community who are identified in the Local Workforce

Development Plan as most in need of adult education, literacy services, including individuals

i. who have low levels of literacy skills; or ii. who are English language learners;

2. the ability of the eligible provider to serve eligible individuals with disabilities, including those with learning disabilities;

3. past effectiveness of the eligible provider in improving the literacy of eligible individuals, to meet State-adjusted levels of performance for the primary indicators of performance especially with respect to eligible individuals who have low levels of literacy;

http://www.collectedny.org/

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4. the extent to which the eligible provider demonstrates alignment between proposed activities and services and the strategy and goals of the Local Workforce Development Plan, as well as the activities and services of the one-stop partners;

5. whether the eligible provider’s program a. has sufficient intensity and quality, and is based on the most rigorous research

available so that participants achieve substantial learning gains; and b. uses instructional practices that include the essential components of reading

instruction; 6. whether the eligible provider’s activities, including reading, writing, speaking,

mathematics, and English language acquisition instruction delivered by the eligible provider, are based on the best practices derived from the most rigorous research available and appropriate, including scientifically valid research and effective educational practice;

7. whether the eligible provider’s activities use technology, services, and delivery systems in a manner sufficient to increase the amount and quality of learning and overall improved performance;

8. whether the eligible provider’s activities provide learning in context, including integrated education and training, so that a participant acquires the skills needed to transition to and complete postsecondary education and training programs, obtain and advance in employment leading to economic self-sufficiency, and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship;

9. whether the eligible provider’s activities are delivered by well-trained instructors, case managers, and administrators who meet the minimum qualifications required by NYSED, and who meet the 14-hour professional development RAEN professional development requirement (see Professional Development below).

10. whether the eligible provider’s activities coordinate with other available education, apprenticeship programs, training, and social service resources in the community by establishing strong links for the development of career pathways. Coordination efforts may include but are not limited to the following community service providers: • elementary schools and secondary schools, • postsecondary educational institutions, • institutions of higher education, • local workforce investment boards, • one-stop centers, • job training and apprenticeship programs, • social service agencies, • business, • industry, • labor organizations, • community-based organizations, • nonprofit organizations, • intermediaries

11. whether the eligible provider’s activities offer flexible schedules and coordination with Federal, State, and local support services (such as child care, transportation,

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mental health services, and career planning) that are necessary to enable individuals, including individuals with disabilities or other special needs, to attend and complete programs;

12. whether the eligible provider maintains high quality data in the Adult Student Information System and Technical Support (ASISTS) database and enters data according to NYSED requirements in order for NYSED to report measurable participant outcomes and to monitor program performance; and

13. whether the local areas in which the eligible provider is located have a demonstrated need for additional English language acquisition programs and civics education programs.

These considerations are built into the scoring rubrics. Workforce Preparation Activities All instruction must integrate workforce preparation activities. Workforce preparation activities are 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; skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of apprenticeship certification, postsecondary education or training, or employment; and other employability skills that increase an individual’s preparation for the workforce. Professional Development NYSED funds seven (7) Regional Adult Education Network (RAEN) centers throughout the State that provide technical assistance and professional development to adult literacy and adult Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs funded by NYSED. The goal of the RAEN is to improve the quality of federal and state funded adult literacy programs and to assist programs in meeting or exceeding statewide benchmarks of the National Reporting System. • All full time and/or part-time paid staff (this includes administrators, case managers,,

teachers, clerical staff, and data staff) must attend a minimum of fourteen (14) hours of professional development per fiscal year provided on behalf of NYSED through the RAEN. This professional development includes the NYSED College and Career Readiness training.

• Each eligible provider must submit a professional development plan that describes the projected content area of training and number of hours for each administrator, teacher, counselor, case manager, and data staff position related to this program.

• Program managers and administrators must attend program manager meetings and/or webinars held by NYSED/RAEN.

Case Management and Dedicated Points of Contact for Referral All funded programs will be expected to provide expanded case management according to the ratio outlined in each Program Area. Case Managers will provide information and

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support to participants to access benefits and transition to postsecondary study or training. All case managers must attend required NYSED training provided through the RAEN annually. The Case Management training will contribute towards the required 14 hours of RAEN professional development.

1. For those participants seeking a NYS High School Equivalency diploma, case managers will help participants understand the multiple pathways to the NYS High School Equivalency diploma and access “next step” services, instruction, training, and apprenticeship programming.

2. Case managers will also help participants access activities and services provided throughout the local workforce development system, including programs and services that are provided through Career Centers and NYS Department of Labor, ACCES-VR, the NYS Commission for the Blind, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funded through the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

3. Each funded program should identify one or more individuals who will serve as points of contact for workforce development referrals to Career Centers and workforce partners in their Local Workforce Development areas. These contacts should be identified in Attachment 5.

Requirements for Adult Secondary Education (ASE)/High School Equivalency (HSE) Preparation Programs

Every participant enrolled in an adult secondary education program shall earn satisfactory scores on the NYSED approved High School Equivalency (HSE) vendor’s readiness test or any other NYSED approved instrument before being referred to the NYS HSE test or other NYSED approved alternative assessment for HSE. The HSE readiness scores must be recorded in ASISTS. Any screening, referral, and reporting policies set by NYSED for pathways to a NYS HSE diploma must be followed. • HSE preparation programs must submit a properly completed and signed Test

Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) Test Authorization Form (T-TAF) that is generated directly from ASISTS for each participant formally referred to the HSE test indicating that the program is officially referring the individual to take the test. The T-TAF generated from ASISTS will include the preparation programs five-digit NYSED HSE preparation program code. A sample of the T-TAF is found on the NYSED ACCES website.

• The National External Diploma Program® (NEDP) is an approved pathway to the NYSED HSE diploma. The NEDP is a flexible, self-directed web-based program where the reading, writing, math, and workforce readiness skills of participants are assessed through a series of competencies. For more information on NEDP see NYSED ACCES Adult Education website. WIOA Title II funding may be used to support the costs of the NEDP. Programs interested in offering this pathway to the HSE diploma must commit to completing ALL requirements before the program may be offered.

• HSE preparation programs should have a strong partnership with the local SUNY or CUNY community college, or other post-secondary training institutions and establish referral arrangements that support postsecondary transition.

http://www.acces.nysed.gov/common/acces/files/hse/attachmentt.pdfhttp://www.acces.nysed.gov/aepp/national-external-diploma-program

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• HSE preparation programs should also have a strong partnership with workforce training and apprenticeship programs in the Local Workforce Development area. Every LWDB maintains a list of approved eligible training providers.

Technology and Digital Literacy

The use of technology in providing and enhancing the educational process is necessary to prepare learners for the workforce. In addition, NYSED requires that participants have minimum digital literacy and computer skills necessary to take the computer-based format of the HSE test. Teachers will assist adult learners with online learning, communication, collaboration and the use of a variety of digital resources: • Programs will provide computers with high speed internet access along with

production and instructional software to ensure that participants have the resources available to assist them in becoming digitally literate and ready to enter the workforce.

• Programs without access to high speed Internet and maintenance of computers must explain how they will overcome these barriers and provide instruction in digital literacy.

• Programs will provide support and release time for teachers and administrators to obtain training for technology skills through their regional RAEN center. Agencies will employ advances in technology to streamline administrative processes, store information, and support the teaching/learning process.

• Teachers and administrators are expected to have technology skills including keyboarding and word processing, and have the ability to find, use, analyze, and evaluate information on the internet to assist learners.

• Teachers and case managers are expected to utilize the NYSED/CUNY CareerKits found at Collect EdNY website

• Programs will prepare participants to be successful in computer-based testing and computer usage in the workforce.

Regional Networking and Interagency Coordination

Successful applicants will participate in local networking activities to coordinate programs and services with other providers within their Local Workforce Development Areas and will: • Attend HSE and Apprenticeship networking meetings and/or webinars conducted by

their Regional Adult Education Network (RAEN), the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB), and NYS Department of Labor;

• Develop linkages and coordinate program planning with the local New York State Career Center System;

• Develop a coordinated strategy with other literacy providers and workforce partners to meet the literacy needs in the Local Workforce Development Area;

• Support the local New York State Career Center System through the provision of literacy assessment as a core service.

• Establish a single point of contact for workforce referrals to Career Centers and workforce partner programs and activities on Attachment 5.

https://www.labor.ny.gov/workforcenypartners/PDFs/wib-instruction-guide-3-30-12.pdfhttp://www.collectedny.org/

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Funding Amounts Federal and State funds in the amount of $46,761,243 annually is available through this RFP for direct instructional programs in adult literacy. These funds may also cover support services such as case management and guidance, which complement the instructional programs offered by the applicant agency. These funds cannot be used to supplant other federal, State, or local funds expended for adult education and family literacy programs and services. Funds available for each of the competitions: Program Area 1 Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services

and/or Integrated Education and Training (IET) See Attachment 1 for Local Workforce Development Area Allocations

$25,930,981

Program Area 2 Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IEL/CE)

$11,324,378

New York City - $ 6,794,627 Individual Awards Capped at $400K Rest of State - $ 4,529,751 Individual Awards Capped at $300K

Program Area 3 Corrections Education and Other Institutionalized Education Programs

$3,519,255

There is a $250,000 cap for individual applications.

Program Area 4 Literacy Zones (including WEP)* Cap for Lit Zones $ 125,000 Maximum of 3 Literacy Zone per applicant (representing 3 different census tracts). Maximum of 4 Literacy Zones for the Big 5 School Districts of New York City, Yonkers City School District, Syracuse City School District, Rochester City School District, and Buffalo City School District (representing 4 different census tracts).

$ 5,986,630

Total Annual Funding $46,761,244 Unspent funds under Program Area 1 (Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services), will be reallocated to Program Area 4 (Literacy Zones). Any reduction in federal or State funding will result in a proportionate reduction to awards from this RFP competition. *NYS Welfare Education Program is only available to New York State public school districts and BOCES.

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If new or additional federal funds become available, and NYSED chooses to distribute this funding to applicants of this current RFP, NYSED will allocate those funds according to the specific funding streams (Section 225 Corrections Education: Section 243 Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education) with the remaining funds allocated to Program Area 1 and Literacy Zones. If additional state Welfare Education Program funds become available, they will be allocated to Literacy Zones at school districts or BOCES. NYSED will first fund applicants that were partially funded and continue down the rank ordered scoring list of passing applications to fully fund those programs in each respective competition. If funds remain after all eligible partially funded proposals have been awarded either a grant or grant contract, the remaining funds will be added to the amount available for distribution under the Program Area 4 Literacy Zone competition.

• Should In accordance to the method stated above, NYSED will allocate the funds in this order by: Making whole any funded programs that have received a partial award;

• Approving awards, in rank order, for eligible applicants who received passing scores, but who did not rank high enough to receive the initial funding; and

• Allocating additional funds among already awarded programs. Maximum request amounts will be established by distributing funding proportionally (based on total annual budget) to those currently funded projects.

Such plan will be subject to review and approval by the Office of the State Comptroller. A decrease in funding for any subsequent funding year will result in a proportional reduction to all funded projects based on total annual budget.

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Title: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Title II and Welfare Education Program Funding 2022-2027- Program Area 1: ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND LITERACY

SERVICES Application Guidance

Description of Program Program Area 1: ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND LITERACY SERVICES WIOA Title II funds support Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services including Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and/or English Language Acquisition (ELA) programs and Integrated Education and Training. Funding will be allocated to Local Workforce Development Board areas (LWDB) based on the area’s percentage of the State’s adult population who are under-educated and lack a high school diploma or equivalency and the area’s percentage of the State’s adult population who speak English “less than very well”, and populations reported as in poverty according to the U.S. Census’ 2010 American Community Survey. A minimum of $100,000 has been allocated for each Local Workforce Development Board Area. Specific allocations by LWDB are outlined in Attachment 1. Eligible participants are youth and adults, 16 years of age and older, and not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under New York state law, and who: 1. do not have a U.S. secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, or lack

the level of reading, writing, or computation skills expected of a high school graduate (even if they already possess a high school diploma) as shown on an NYSED and NRS approved assessment, Participants who possess a high school credential must score at or below NRS ABE Level 6 on the TABE 11/12, in order to be eligible for services, and/or

2. require English Language Acquisition services (including services for those with diplomas or degrees from a country outside of the United States) as indicated by an NYSED approved assessment for NRS. These participants are unable to speak, read, or write proficiently in English.

Instructional Program Areas The following instructional areas are supported under Program Area 1: 1. Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult Secondary Education (ASE)

• Refers to an instructional program below the postsecondary level (NRS Level 6 or below score on the TABE 11/12 in either reading or math) that increases an individual’s ability to transition to postsecondary education, apprenticeship programming and training, including career pathways.

• Refers to an instructional program that integrates reading, writing, and math skills associated with the ten career pathways identified through the NYSED/CUNY

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CareerKits. Awardees must focus on those industry sectors most in demand within the scope of the LWDB area. More information on the NYSED/CUNY CareerKits can be found at the Collect EdNY website.

• Refers to the National External Diploma Program (NEDP). NEDP is a competency-based program leading to a NYS High School Equivalency Diploma. The National External Diploma Program may be made available for this cohort of students. NYSED has implemented new guidelines regarding students enrolled in NEDP. Accountability for student performance under NEDP will be reported under the NRS. More information on NEDP can be found at the NEDP website.

• Refers to Fast Track Instructional Strategies. NYSED has identified promising Fast Track HSE strategies that can be supported under WIOA Program Areas 1 & 3. The following list of strategies are intended to identify and support instruction focused on HSE preparation, especially math (more information about Fast Track programming can be found in Attachment 7):

o Outreach to TASC testing centers to recruit eligible participants who do not succeed on the math TASC subtest to focus on math: Customized flyers disseminated to test examinees at TASC

testing centers; Network with NYS TASC Test centers to offer services to

examinees that are not successful on any TASC subset; o Short-term instruction options:

Fast Track Math GRASP packets (paper or electronic) utilizing NYSED/CUNY’s eight (8) HSE math modules for students choosing to learn from a distance education model. The eight (8) modules are divided into Part I and Part II sections for a total of sixteen (16) sections.

Six (6) hour intense math instruction sessions made available evenings and Saturdays;

Two (2) x Two (2) sessions where two (2) sub test areas of instruction (one (1) math and one (1) other sub area) will be offered;

Test taking skills and strategies, including reduction of test anxiety;

Computer based testing skills and strategies as an option; Community outreach campaigns; Other customized Fast Track strategies designed by program

staff (with prior NYSED approval) • Programs must demonstrate the ability to provide intense case management

services to adults included in this initiative • The National External Diploma Program may be made available for this

cohort of students. NYSED has implemented new guidelines regarding students enrolled in NEDP. Accountability for student performance under NEDP will be reported under the NRS. More information on NEDP can be found at the NEDP website.

http://www.collectedny.org/http://www.acces.nysed.gov/hse/high-school-equivalency-hse

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2. English Language Acquisition (ELA) • Refers to an instructional program designed to help eligible individuals who are

English Language Learners (ELL) achieve competence in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension of the English language.

• Requires English Language Acquisition (ELA) services (including services for those participants with diplomas or degrees from a country outside of the US) as indicated by an NYSED approved assessment for NRS.

• Requires that the instructional program leads to: i. attainment of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent; and ii. transition to postsecondary education1 and training, including

apprenticeship programming; or employment. Can be a combination of all three areas, ABE, ASE, and ESL or any combination of the three. 3. Integrated Education and Training (IET)

Refers to a program which provides adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific in demand occupation or occupational cluster for the purpose of education and career advancement. Program Area 1 will support IET programs for ABE, ASE, or ELL individuals.

Integrated Education and Training instruction must include the following program

elements: • Workforce preparation activities that 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; skills necessary for successful transition into and completion of postsecondary education or training, or employment; and other employability skills that increase an individual’s preparation for the workforce; career pathway instruction is a required component for participants in an IET program. The program must include the NYSED/CUNY CareerKits which address each of ten industry sectors and integrates reading, writing, research, and math skills. Awardees will be expected to integrate these academic features into their instructional component. In addition, applicants must identify the two most relevant Career Pathways that represent demand industries where participants may successfully attain employment in their LWDB area. Information on the NYSED/CUNY Careerkits can be found on the Collect EdNY website

1 *Postsecondary Education – refers to training and education at an institution of higher education that provides not less than a two-year program of instruction that is acceptable for credit toward a bachelor’s degree, a tribally controlled college or university, or a non-profit educational institution offering certificate or apprenticeship programs at the postsecondary level including BOCES and school districts. Postsecondary education providers must be from the LWDB list (every LWDB maintains a list of locally approved training providers).

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• The training component must be clearly identified and must lead to a credential in a demand industry where participants completing the program will be eligible for employment in their local community. All training and credentialing programs must be approved by NYSED.

• Apprenticeship programs could either be an integral part of an IET or be a next step referral along a career pathway. Information on apprenticeship programs can be found on the NYSDOL website.

• Service delivery that accelerates participants' educational and training outcomes through curricula and instruction that is both concurrent and contextualized and uses occupationally relevant materials;2

• Adult education partnership development with a postsecondary education and/or training provider to develop and deliver IET curriculum and delivery models based on identified employer needs;

• Leverage existing workforce development and/or private funding to support the Career and Technical Education (CTE) or workforce training component of the IET program. Consistent with WIOA’s priority for coordination with education, training, employers, and social service providers to promote career pathways (consideration 10), NYSED strongly encourages that training costs be provided by workforce development sources such as WIOA Title I, Employment Preparation Education (EPE) state aid, SUNY Full Time Equivalent (FTE) aid, apprenticeship programs, employer or private funding;

• Training must be shown to be in a high demand occupation, either by being listed as an in-demand occupation on the DOL website or justifying that employer demand exists for an occupation not listed on the website. The training must lead to an industry-recognized credential approved by NYSED under WIOA guidelines. See Attachment 9 IEL/CE

• Participant attainment of one or more industry-recognized credentials. See Attachment 9 IEL/CE;

• Partnerships with one or more employers to support program development and evaluation;

• Solicit employer input into the curriculum and program design to ensure the training prepares participants to obtain employment in high demand industries and

• Collaboration with regional workforce partners and New York State Career Center System (American Job Centers) to help address challenges and connect participants to employment opportunities.

Case Management Requirement for Program Area 1 The minimum FTE calculation for Program Area 1 is one full time Case Manager for every 200 participants served annually. Case management should provide referrals to address participants’ specific needs including, but not limited to, employment, training and apprenticeship programming, access to benefits, physical and mental health, legal services, financial services, and housing. Case managers are expected to help all

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students register for Job Zone Case managers must attend NYSED training through their regional RAEN. JobZone training is also attained through the RAEN centers.

Allowable Expenditures Funds provided through this RFP shall in no way duplicate reimbursement or other funding provided by the NYSED, or any other federal, State, or local government entity. Funds cannot be used to supplant other federal, State or locally funded programs. Fiscal guidance can be found at NYSED Grants Finance website for assigning proposed costs to appropriate categories. Grant funds are intended for direct services to individuals. The reasonable costs of appropriate support services, such as educational counseling and case management, to supplement the applicant’s instructional program are allowable. The following are allowable expenditures and are considered as instructional activities under this RFP:

• Instruction • Assessment, tracking and documenting participant outcomes • Regional networking with others in the Local Workforce Development area • Curriculum development incorporating NYSED College and Career Readiness

standards • Coordination and planning for integrated family literacy components • Case management • Instructional technology • Computers, laptops, software, Internet access • Materials and supplies, and • Administration and supervision of instruction.

Examples of non-allowable expenditures include:

• WIOA Title II funds cannot be used to support the training portion of an IET or IEL/CE program

• Advertising for purposes other than the recruitment of participants into the program or public relations for other than reporting progress

• Promotional items and memorabilia, except as identified above as allowable advertising

• Meetings relating to fund-raising • Expenditures on general purpose equipment, e.g. office furnishings, air

conditioning, reproduction and printing equipment • Participant travel • Capital improvements which add permanent value • Alcoholic beverages • Audits

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Budget (FS-10) Applicants must submit an FS-10 budget with this application for the initial 12-month project period project period of July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. The 12-month budget will be reviewed and scored. The applicant must complete the FS-10 Budget Form. Budgeted costs must comply with applicable State and federal laws and regulations and the Department’s Fiscal Guidelines. These guidelines, as well as the FS-10 form, are available online at the Grants Finance website. The FS-10 must bear the original signature of the Chief School/Administrative Officer. Information about the categories of expenditures and general information on allowable costs, applicable cost principles and administrative regulations are available in the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants. The budget should be reasonable and appropriate to cover program expenses. For more information, visit the Grants Finance website Reporting and Monitoring

Grantees must submit an annual National Reporting System (NRS) performance report at the end of each grant period but no later than August 15th of each year of the grant (The U.S. Department of Education may change this required date). The performance report should demonstrate that substantial progress has been made toward meeting the project goals and the program performance indicators. Additional information about the annual performance report will be made available to grantees by SED after grant awards are made. Grantees that do not demonstrate adequate performance may be discontinued. Information on the NRS may be found on the NRS web page.

Monitoring and Program Accountability

The National Reporting System (NRS) is the accountability system for all funded providers under this grant. It addresses the accountability requirements set by New York State. Programs applying to the grant must commit to following NRS policy and procedures. ASISTS is the mandatory reporting tool that all programs must use as a condition of funding. Should one agency apply as the lead with a consortium of other members, only one ASISTS account will be created to support the lead consortium agency. All other consortium members must use the same lead account to record data.

All awardees will be required to submit a quarterly report through the online SED Monitoring tool housed on NYSED’s Business Portal. The SED Monitoring System captures the status and performance objectives of the awarded contract. Each performance report must demonstrate that substantial progress has been made toward meeting the project goals, measurable outcomes and deliverables, as indicated in the work plan and/or timeline. The performance report should provide an overview of what was proposed for the year and what actually happened, including the lessons learned during the process.

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Data Reporting

Program participant and attendance data is required to be entered monthly into ASISTS. All data must be entered by the end of the month following the month in which attendance occurred per chart below.

Participant and Attendance data from

Must be entered into ASISTS no later than

July August 31st August September 30th September October 31st October November 30th November December 31st December January 31st January February 28th February March 31st March April 30th April May 31st May June 30th June July 31st

All participants, regardless of employment status at entry, must be tracked for employment performance indicators. This includes those participants who are employed at entry, unemployed at entry, those not in the labor force, and those seeking employment. New York participates in NYSDOL’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) data matching process. This process requires the participant’s Social Security Number (SSN). Participants enrolled without an SSN must be tracked manually with documentation log including the date, time, and response from contact, see Attachment 8. Manual surveying of the students with no SSN recorded will occur in the second quarter after the exit date and again in the fourth quarter after the student exit date. In addition, wage information must be collected from the student in the second quarter after the student exit date. All manual survey information collected must be entered into ASISTS. Programs applying must describe clearly the process the program will use to collect and report Social Security Numbers and to keep them secure. All participants who do not report a SSN will be counted in the performance denominator for the program and will need to be manually surveyed to count as a possible positive outcome for NRS employment measures. Measurable Skill Gain (MSG) will be counted when participants demonstrate the advancement of at least one Educational Functioning Level (EFL). Measurable Skill Gain will be counted when:

• Comparing the participant’s initial lowest Educational Functioning Level, as measured by an NYSED approved pre-test, with the participant’s educational functioning level, as measured by an NYSED approved post-

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test in the lowest score area. Post testing must be done within the time constraints set by NYSED.

• An MSG is also reported for participants who achieve a NYS High School Equivalency diploma.

Corrective Action Plan (CAP) NYSED issues a Program Evaluation Report for each funded program. The annual Program Evaluation Report will identify whether the agency has met the New York State annual benchmarks for NRS outcome measures (see Chart 3). These are aggregate benchmarks that are set annually by NYSED based upon aggregate data collected and analyzed by NYSED. Programs that do not meet these New York State annual benchmarks will be required to undertake a formal Corrective Action Planning process (CAP).

o Once the Corrective Action Plan process is initiated, NYSED staff will conduct virtual calls/webinars that include the local program staff identified by the adult education director, the NRS accountability director under contract with NYSED, and the program’s RAEN director to track progress toward meeting the New York State annual benchmarks.

o NYSED has negotiated core performance targets with the US Department of Education. All program participants must have the goal of advancing an educational functioning level or obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent.

• The 2022-2023 New York State’s targets for the National Reporting System (NRS) follow on Chart 3. Agencies funded under this grant are, at a minimum, expected to achieve the targets related to their instructional program.

Continuous Evaluation Process (CEP) As part of the comprehensive Corrective Action Plan (CAP), there is a Continuous Evaluation Process (CEP) under which programs and NYSED must identify quarterly progress milestones on key indicators, such as Measurable Skill Gain, that lead to meeting the New York State annual benchmarks. NYSED staff, the RAEN director, and the NRS accountability director will conduct a quarterly review to determine whether approved quarterly milestones have been met for each agency in Corrective Action. Failure to meet the quarterly progress milestones for any three consecutive quarters will result in the termination of the grant at the end of that program year. Both the CAP process and CEP will be reported and tracked through the accountability website at: http://www.adult-education-accountability.org for each program funded through this grant.

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Demonstrated Effectiveness An eligible provider applying for Program Areas 1must demonstrate effectiveness by providing performance data on its record of improving the skills of eligible participants, particularly eligible participants who have low levels of literacy, in the content domains of reading, writing, math, English Language Acquisition, and other subject areas relevant to the services contained in NYSED’s application for funds. 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, or training. There are two ways in which an eligible provider may meet this requirement: 1. Submission of an NYSED NRS Report Card for the period FY2018/2019 (if a currently funded NYSED adult literacy program was placed under Corrective Action based on performance measures from FY2018/2019, the program is not eligible for any WIOA funding). or

2. Submission of a completed Demonstrated Effectiveness Conversion Chart (Attachment 3). NYSED reserves the right to review an applicant’s calculations. The applicant will describe the process that will be used to adhere to the monthly and quarterly NRS data deadlines for data entered in the Adult Student Information System and Technical Support (ASISTS) including the collection, tracking and reporting of participant and program data. Performance Accountability The National Reporting System (NRS) is the accountability system for all WIOA Title II funded adult education programs. The Adult Student Information System and Technical Support (ASISTS) is the mandatory reporting system that all programs must use as a condition of funding. 1. Programs must use ASISTS to record all data associated with participants, classes,

personnel, attendance, assessments, and tracking outcomes regardless of the extent of services or length of time served. Programs must also comply with National Reporting System (NRS) requirements for adult education programs.

2. Programs must have trained staff and must use ASISTS (training is made available through the RAEN center)

3. Programs must follow NYSED’s assessment policy regarding pre- and post-testing. (see Attachment 2 for more information).

4. Programs must collect and track data through ASISTS using case management training and outcome indicators set and approved by NYSED.

5. Programs must ask all participants for their SSNs. No other types of federal or state numbers are usable in the data match system. These numbers will be used for participant data matching with the NYS Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) database. Employment and median wage earnings will be tracked electronically per WIOA specifications in the second and fourth quarter after the participant exits. For those participants who do not report an SSN, the program is

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responsible for manually surveying the participant for employment and wage information in the second quarter after exit and employment in the fourth quarter after exit. A manual survey is consisted of a direct contact (either phone contact, face to face contact, personal message via social media, email, letter, postcards, etc.) with students who have exited the program based on the timeline for follow up outcomes: second quarter after exit and fourth quarter after exit.

6. At intake, programs are required to collect and report demographic and personal information from their participants. NYSED provides a standard intake form, the Individual Student Record Form (ISRF). This form must be completed annually. WIOA Title II guidelines for local program accountability have changed significantly from previous legislation and continues to evolve. Attachment 2 provides the most current summary of data collection and reporting responsibilities mandated under WIOA Title II. Programs must engage in a continuous improvement process which includes the compilation of a Program Improvement Team (PIT) that will meet regularly to review program data and process to recommend steps toward improvement. See Attachment 2 for more information on the PIT.

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Submission Instructions and Method of Award for Program Area 1

Please adhere to the following instructions in order to ensure that your entire application is reviewed. Required Signature(s) The original signature of the Chief School Administrator/Chief Executive Officer must appear on the Application Cover Page. Number of Copies Please submit one original and two (2) copies of the complete proposal to the following address:

ACCES-Adult Education Programs and Policy Attention: WIOA and WEP

New York State Education Department 89 Washington Avenue Room 460 EBA

Albany, New York 12234

Please email a copy in Word format only to: WIOARFP@nysed.gov Postmark Date Applicants are responsible for making sure the application package is complete. Applications must be postmarked by March 30, 2021. Checklist Please use the Application Checklist for EACH Program Area being submitted to ensure that you send a complete application package. Incomplete applications will not be considered for review. Page Limits and Standards: You must limit the project narrative to no more than ten (10) pages and use the following standards:

• A page is 8.5” x 11” (on one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides). Charts/tables are not required to adhere to this standard.

• Single space all text in the application narrative; double space between titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, figures, and graphs.

• Use a Times Roman or Arial font in a 12-point size • Only the first ten (10) pages of an application narrative or the equivalent of

the page limit will be read and reviewed. • Information must be organized by the specific application narrative

sections. The applicant should ensure that all pertinent information that should be considered by the reviewer in evaluating that area is included in the text that follows the specific heading. Information found in the abstract

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or other supplemental materials will not be reviewed and may result in a lower score.

The Budget Narrative must be limited to no more than two (2) pages and follow the same standards as the project narrative. FS-10 Budget Form and Narrative

A FS-10 (3/15) Budget Form and Narrative (two page maximum) must be submitted for the first year of the project. The FS-10 (3/15) budget can be accessed here. The budget must include a budget narrative addressing each expenditure proposed in the budget. The narrative should also identify whether expenditures are considered instructional according to the guidelines in Allowable Expenditures in this RFP. Budgets that meet the programmatic objectives proposed in the Proposal Narrative but have more expenditures for instructional costs will receive higher ratings. General guidance information about the expenditure categories, allowable costs, applicable federal cost principles and administrative regulations are available in the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants and A Guide to Grants Administration and Implementation Resources. For specific information regarding allowable and non-allowable activities for this program see Allowable Expenditures in this Request for Proposal. The costs of consortium partners that are not the lead applicant fiscal agent should be reported in Purchased Services and explained in the narrative. Each FS-10 and the related narrative document should include the applicant name and the title of the competition. Payee Information Form/NYSED Substitute W-9 Form The Payee Information Form is a packet containing the Payee Information Form itself and an accompanying NYSED Substitute W-9. The NYSED Substitute W-9 may or may not be needed from your agency. Please follow the specific instructions provided with the form. The Payee Information Form is used to establish the identity of the applicant organization and enables it to receive federal (and/or State) funds through the NYSED. An on-line version of the packet is available. An applicant may submit only one proposal for Program Area 1 - Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services. Review of WIOA Title II Applications by Local Workforce Development Boards The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires that Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDB) review WIOA Title II applications for funding under this RFP to determine how well the applications align with local workforce plans for the workforce system to serve adult education students who have low literacy skills or are English Language Learners. NYSED, working closely with the NYS Department of Labor and Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) directors, has developed a process for LWDBs to review

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and provide input to potential applicants to ensure that applications are aligned with the local workforce plan and priorities.

1. LWDB priorities that relate to Title II applicants will be clearly outlined in the local plan. Local plans can be found on the NYS Department of Labor website.

Each local plan will: • provide a description of the local board’s strategic vision and goals for

preparing an educated and skilled workforce, specifically addressing priorities and strategies for serving out-of-school youth and adults who have low literacy skills, are English Language Learners, or lack a high school diploma or the equivalent.

• provide a description of how the local board will facilitate access to services provided through the NYS Career Center system for Title II participants with barriers to employment.

• identify how the local board will facilitate the development of career pathways and co-enrollment in academic and training programs.

• provide a description of how the local board will work with the entities that carryout out WIOA Title II programs.

2. The WIOA Title II LWDB Application Review Form (Attachment 4) should be used to

demonstrate alignment between the applicant’s WIOA Title II proposal and the strategy and goals of the LWDB plan:

• The applicant completes Section 1 of Attachment 4 summarizing the alignment to

the LWDB plan. • The applicant agency submits all Attachment 4 forms to the LWDB for review. • The LWDB assesses alignment using Section 2 of Attachment 4 and advises the

applicant on how well the application aligns with the local plan as appropriate by completing the form and sharing their recommendations.

• When recommendations are made, the applicant completes Section 3 of Attachment 4 to demonstrate how the proposed application has been revised to take into account LWDB recommendations.

A separate Attachment 4 must be completed for each Program Area for which the applicant is seeking funding including each Literacy Zone application.

3. The timeline for the LWDB review is as follows: • WIOA Title II applicant must submit Attachment 4, WIOA Title II LWDB

Application Review Form, with Section 1 completed for review by LWDB by 01/26/2021.

• LWDB must review and return Attachment 4 with completed Section 2 to the applicant by 03/09/2021.

• Applicant must revise their WIOA Title II application(s) as needed and submit a completed Attachment 4 for each Program Area of the RFP with the application by 03/30/2021. If the LWDB has recommended revisions, the applicant must

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complete Section 3 of Attachment 4 demonstrating how LWDB recommendations have been addressed in the final application submitted to NYSED.

Separate applications are required for each Program Area. • Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services

Each proposal must include the following: • Application Cover Page • If applicant is a Consortium, signed letters of agreement between the partner

agency and the fiscal agent that specifically outlines all services each partner agrees to provide and includes a dollar amount for the value of the service.

• Payee Information Form (if applicable) • Abstract • Application Checklist • Proposal Narrative (maximum 10-page limit) • PROGRAM AREA 1 Program Component Worksheet • PROGRAM AREA 1 Program Information Form (PIF) 2018-19 • Attachment 3 Demonstrated Effectiveness Conversion Chart or NYSED NYS

Report Card for FY 2018/2019 • Attachment 4 WIOA Title II LWDB Application Review Form • Attachment 5 Point of Contact for Career Center and Workforce Partner

Referrals • Budget Narrative (maximum two-page limit) • MWBE compliance documents • Attachment 6 GEPA Attestation • Statement of General Assurances Signed

Program Area 1: Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services Proposal Narrative (80 points) Applicants must address all aspects of the application by providing a comprehensive description of the proposed project. Be clear, precise and adhere to the following required format. The narrative will be reviewed in accordance with the following points and according to the Proposal Narrative Rubric. Abstract (no points) Provide a concise one-page summary that describes the entire proposal. This summary gives the reviewer a quick overview of the proposed program, its goals and evaluation criteria. NOTE: No points are awarded for this section nor is the abstract part of the 10 page limit. Required information stated here, but not elsewhere in the application, may result in points not being awarded to the proposal.

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1. Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) Review (2 points) • Submit the completed Attachment 4 WIOA Title II LWDB Application Review Form. • Describe how the proposal demonstrates alignment between proposed activities and

services and the strategy and goals of the LWDB, as well as the activities and services of the NYS Career Center System partners. Describe how the plan promotes concurrent enrollment in programs and activities under Title 1, as appropriate. Make any adjustments made necessary by the Title I review process.

2. Population to be Served (5 points) All participants proposed to be served by the applicant must meet WIOA Title II eligibility requirements for eligible participants stated in the RFP.

• Describe and quantify the target populations and their literacy and employment needs within the LWDB area, including whether the local area has a demonstrated need for additional English Language Acquisition programs.

• Explain the intention to serve those target populations most in need of services including: English Language Learners; those who have low levels of literacy skills; and eligible individuals with disabilities and learning disabilities.

• Submit a completed Program Area 1 Program Component Worksheet. 3. Project Description (total 35 points) Describe your proposed adult basic education and literacy services program

including instructional services (20 points) • How the program will provide instructional services to participants in each

program area indicated on the PROGRAM AREA 1 Program Component Worksheet to achieve performance targets.

• Using PROGRAM AREA 1 Performance Information Form (PIF) 2022-23, how the program is of sufficient intensity and offers flexible schedules to accommodate participant’s needs.

• How the program coordinates with Federal, State and local support services (such as child care, transportation, mental health services, and career planning) that are necessary to enable individuals, including individuals with disabilities or other special needs, to attend and complete programs.

• How the program will ascertain that every participant is registered through the NYSDOL JobZone site.

• How the program will help eligible students achieve competence in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension of the English language and that leads to attainment of a high school diploma or its equivalent and to the transition to postsecondary education, apprenticeship, and training or employment.

• How the program will utilize NYSED’s official Individual Student Record Form (ISRF) to collect and record individual participant data and use the supplemental form when necessary.

• How case management will be provided to participants to achieve performance targets and support transition to other education program levels including transition to postsecondary education/training.

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• Case management services must meet the ratio of one full time case manager for every 200 participants served on an annual daily attendance.

Describe your best Practices, Contextualization, and Academic Rigor (15 points)

• How the program will incorporate into instruction best practices derived from the most rigorous research available, including scientifically valid research and effective educational practice. These best practices should include the essential components of reading and math instruction.

• How the program integrates workforce preparation activities into instructional services.

• How the program integrates career exploration using the NYSED/CUNY CareerKits.

• Assurance that each class offered meets a minimum of 6 hours per week. • How the program provides learning in context and if applicable, including

through Integrated Education and Training, so that an individual acquires the skills needed to transition to and complete postsecondary education and training programs, and obtain and advance in employment leading to economic self-sufficiency, and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This includes making cooperative arrangements with other agencies or educational institutions.

• How the program intends to utilize the NYSED adopted federal College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards for Adult Education.

• Note: for Integrated Education and Training instruction the application must include the required elements described on 6-7 and clearly identify the following:

1. The postsecondary education and/or training provider/s. This includes apprenticeship programs where appropriate.

2. The specific occupation or occupational sector that will inform the IET project.

3. One or more industry-recognized credentials that participants will attain through the occupational training and will be reviewed and approved by NYSED.

4. One or more employers that will support program development, design and evaluation to ensure the training prepared participants to obtain employment in high demand industries that have the potential to pay a self-sufficient wage.

5. The existing workforce development funding and/or private funding that will support the Career and Technical Education training component.

4. Professional Development (11 points)

• Describe how the program activities are delivered by well-trained instructors, case managers, and administrators.

• Provide a detailed Professional Development Plan for the required fourteen (14) hours of professional development for the administrative, instructional, and case management staff identifying:

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• The administrative, instructional, and case management staff trainings and/or conferences (hours associated) related to the program area(s) and professional development (hours associated) provided by the RAEN. (Note that this should include clerical staff who are managing data or administering assessments.)

• Explain how the program will support professional development for teachers and administrators with financial resources and release time.

• Identify the titles of program managers and other staff who will attend program managers meetings and/or webinars held by ACCES-AEPP through the RAEN and NYSDOL.

5. Performance Accountability (15 points)

• The effectiveness of adult education instruction is demonstrated through submission of the NYS NRS Report Card from FY2019, if currently funded by ACCES for WIOA Title II, EPE, or WEP. Those applicants that are not currently funded by ACCES, are new applicants, or ALE funded in FY2019 must submit a Demonstrated Effectiveness Conversion Chart (Attachment 3).

• Describe the process that the program will use to adhere to the reporting requirements and month/quarterly data entry in ASISTS is clearly described, including the collection, tracking and reporting of participant and program data.

• How the program tracks participants to ascertain if they have obtained employment or entered postsecondary education, an apprenticeship program, or training.

• How the program will conduct the intake process, including assessment practices and ADA program requirements.

• Describe clearly the process the program will use to collect and report Social Security Numbers and to keep them secure.

• All participants without a SSN, will be counted in the performance denominator for the program and will need to be manually tracked to count as a positive outcome for NRS performance. For students who do not provide a Social Security Number (SSN), describe the process for tracking employment in the second and fourth quarter after exit. Describe how wage information will be tracked in the second quarter after exit.

• Describe the program’s Continuous Improvement Process that the applicant will use to increase program performance and identify staff positions and their functions on the Program Improvement Committee (PIC) described in Attachment 2.

• Describe how program staff will be engaged to adopt strategies based upon recommendations made by the PIC in order to meet NYS/NRS benchmarks and targets with the populations being served.

6. Technology and Digital Literacy (5 points) • Describe how teachers incorporate technology within instruction. • Describe how administrators and teachers prepare participants to be successful

in computer based testing and using computers in the workforce. • Describe how the program will provide computer equipment, network, Internet

access, software and maintenance for participants and staff.

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• Describe how the program will effectively use technology, services and delivery systems, in a manner sufficient to increase the amount and quality of learning and how such technology, services and systems lead to improved performance.

7. Regional Networking and Interagency Coordination (7 points) • Describe the networking and coordination activities with the local NYSDOL

Career Center to provide job placement and support services to participants, including providing literacy assessment as a core service.

• Describe the networking and partnerships to coordinate services with other educational providers and workforce partners in the Local Workforce Development Board area including other available education, training, and social service resources in the community, such as by establishing strong links with elementary schools and secondary schools, postsecondary educational institutions, institutions of higher education, local workforce investment boards, American Job Centers, job training and apprenticeship programs, and social service agencies, business, industry, labor organizations, community-based organizations, and nonprofit organizations for the development of career pathways.

• Describe the efforts that will be made to network and coordinate with local employers.

• Commit to attend HSE and Apprenticeship networking meetings conducted by the respective RAEN and the NYS Department of Labor.

• The applicant identified point(s) of contact for Career Center and Workforce Partner Referrals.

8. Form FS-10 Budget and Narrative (20 points)

Using the Form FS-10 Budget Form, provide an itemized budget and brief narrative of how the requested funds will be used for the first year of the project

• The FS-10 Budget, Budget Category and Narrative are based on allowable expenditures, which are identified, justified and reasonable. Budgeted items must be reasonable in cost and necessary for the project in order to receive the maximum points. SED staff will eliminate any unallowable or unreasonable items in the budget. Grantees will not be allowed to substitute new items for those that have been eliminated.

• Instructional costs, without adjustments, are at least 80% of budget total, and other costs, including indirect costs, without adjustment, are no more than 20% of budget total.

• The program funds case management according to the following minimum FTE calculation: 1 full time Case Manager for every 200 participants served. Case management should provide referrals to address participants’ specific needs including, but not limited to, employment, training, access to benefits, and housing.

• The Program Budget section should:

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o demonstrate sustainability and describe how the proposed expenditures will be used to support the project activities and contribute to the program goals.

o reflect an understanding of the actual costs of operation of the program when fully implemented.

o describe how costs are reasonable and necessary to support the project activities and goals.

o describe how the expenditures and activities are supplemental to and do not supplant or duplicate services currently provided.

The costs of consortium partners that are not the lead applicant/ fiscal agent should be reported in Purchased Services and explained in the narrative and the FS-10 form. Budgeted items must be reasonable in cost and necessary for the project in order to receive the maximum points. SED staff will eliminate any unallowable or unreasonable items in the budget. Grantees will not be allowed to substitute new items for those that have been eliminated.

Budgeted costs must comply with applicable State and federal laws and regulations and the Department’s Fiscal Guidelines. These guidelines, as well as the FS-10 form, are available online on the Grants Finance website. The FS-10 must bear the original signature of the Chief School/Administrative Officer. Information about the categories of expenditures and general information on allowable costs, applicable cost principles and administrative regulations are available in the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants. Method of Award Only agencies whose application demonstrates effectiveness exhibited on Attachment 3 or have included their NYS NRS Report Card demonstrating their performance will be scored. Any program placed under corrective action by NYSED for FY2018/19 is not eligible to apply WIOA funds. In order to be considered for funding, proposals must receive a minimum score of sixty (60) points. The applications will be reviewed and independently rated by two reviewers. A third review will be performed if there is a difference of at least 15 points between the two scores. In cases where a third review is necessary, the two closest scores in numeric value will be added and averaged to obtain the final average score. If the third reviewer’s score is equal to the average of the two original scores, the third reviewer’s score will become the final score.

http://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafehttp://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafe/guidance/guidelines.html

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In the event of a tie score in Program Area 1, the higher Project Description score will be used as a tie breaker. In the event that the Project Description is a tie score, Performance Accountability will be used for the final score. Proposed budgets will be reviewed and items deemed inappropriate, unallowable or inconsistent with project or program activities will be eliminated. These revisions will result in a lower rating score on the budget section of the evaluation rubric. Program Area 1: Adult Basic Education and Literacy Services Proposals submitted will be sorted according to the LWDB Area indicated on the application cover sheet. The application will be reviewed and ranked with the LWDB Area according to the points system described in Program Area 1, of the Application Narrative Requirements and Evaluation Rubrics For Grant Awards in Programs Areas 1-3. Awards will be made to the highest-ranked proposals in each LWDB Area until the funds allocated are insufficient to fully fund the next ranked proposal with a passing score. The next ranked applicant that received a passing score but could not be funded in full within the LWDB Area will be offered partial funding within the same Local Workforce Development area. If funds remain after all eligible proposals have been awarded within any given LWDB Area, the remaining funds will be added to the amount available for distribution under the Literacy Zone competition.

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Program Area 2: INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS EDUCATION (IEL/CE)

Application Guidance

Description of Program Program Area 2: INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS EDUCATION (IEL/CE) Eligible participants are youth and adults, 16 years of age and older, and not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under New York state law, and who:

• do not have a U.S. secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, or lack the level of reading, writing, or computation skills expected of a high school graduate (even if they already possess a high school diploma) as shown on an NYSED and NRS approved assessment, Participants who possess a high school credential must score at or below NRS ABE Level 6 on the TABE 11/12, in order to be eligible for services, and/or

• require English Language Acquisition services (including services for those with diplomas or degrees from a country outside of the United States) as indicated by an NYSED approved assessment for NRS. These participants are unable to speak, read, or write proficiently in English.

Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IEL/CE) refers to education services provided to English language learners who are adults, including professionals with degrees and credentials in their native countries, that enables such adults 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 must include:

• contextualized instruction in literacy and English language acquisition and instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation,

• literacy classes and training classes must run concurrently within the same time frame identified in the application,

• and must include workforce training leading to an industry recognized credential approved by NYSED under the guidance of WIOA/OCTAE. Only the academic component of IEL/CE is eligible for WIOA Title II funding. WIOA Title II cannot fund the training component for IEL/CE or for IET.

• IEL/CE funds will support agencies that prepare out-of-school youth and adults who are English language learners and place such adults in unsubsidized employment in demand industries and occupations that lead to economic self-sufficiency. Programs must show that training is in a demand occupation by identifying that the training is listed on the LWDB approved eligible training provider list or the training can be justified clearly showing that it is in demand from local employers. Every LWDB maintains a list of approved eligible training providers (ETPL). These can be found at the NYSDOL website. In addition to this criteria, NYSED, under federal guidelines,

https://applications.labor.ny.gov/ETPL/

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must approve the training credential. For more information please refer to Attachment 9 IEL/CE.

• Career pathway instruction is a necessary component for participants in an IEL/CE program. NYSED has developed the NYSED/CUNY CareerKits that address each of ten industry sectors and integrates reading, writing, research, and math skills. Awardees of IEL/CE funds will be expected to integrate these aca