NRS Follow-up Outcome Changes Effective July 1, 2012

Terminology Cohort – A group – AKA “The Pot” Exit Quarter – The quarter when instruction ends, the learner terminates or has not received instruction for 90 days, and is not scheduled to receive further instruction

Terminology Employed – Learners who work as paid employees, work at their own business or farm, or – who work 15 hours or more per week as unpaid workers at a farm or business operated by a member of their family. – Also included are learners who are not currently working but who have jobs or businesses from which they are temporarily absent.

Terminology Unemployed – Not employed; – are seeking employment; – make specific efforts to find a job; AND – are currently available for work

Terminology Not in the Labor Force – Those who are neither employed nor unemployed are considered not in the labor force, e.g. persons who are not working and are not available for work. – Examples are housewives, disabled or retired persons and seasonal workers.

Terminology NRS Employment Status – Employed – Unemployed – Not in Labor Force Collected at Program Entry (or beginning of new year for returning students) – Static Does not change when student’s employment changes

Terminology GOALS versus MEASURES

New Entered Employment Cohort Entered employment. – States will report this measure for ALL learners who are unemployed and in the labor force when they entered the program and who exit during the program year.

New Retained Employment Cohort States will report this measure for learners who were not employed at time of entry and in the labor force, who enter employment by the first quarter after exit quarter; and ALL learners employed at entry who exit during the program year. Members from the Entered Employment Cohort that Got a Job All Learners Employed at Time of Entry Retained Employment Cohort

New Obtain Secondary Credential (GED) Cohort States will report this measure for ALL learners: – who take all GED tests – who exit during the program year.

New Postsecondary Education or Training Cohort States will report this measure for learners: – who earned a secondary credential while enrolled, or – who had a secondary credential at entry, or – who are enrolled in a class specifically designed for transition to postsecondary education or training, – who exit during the program year. – In addition, reporting period for this measure is extended to two years (see below).

Multiple Cohorts Possible Learners may be in multiple cohorts. Example: An unemployed learner obtains a GED. She passes the GED tests, gets a job, and exits the program. – Entered employment cohort – Retained employment cohort (since he got a job) – GED cohort – PSE/Training cohort (achieved GED while enrolled)

New Student and Teacher Measures Students’ highest educational level or degree attained. – States will report for each student the highest level of U.S. or non-us based schooling or degree attained. Teacher experience and certification. – States will report the number of years of teaching experience and credentials attained for each teacher.

Changes in Reporting Periods PSE/Training – The time period for reporting the entry into postsecondary measure has been extended to two years. Under the new requirements, the reporting period for this measure will be from the time the learner exits to the end of the following program year. For example, for students entering in FY 2013, the reporting period will extend through the end of FY 2014 (i.e., June 30, 2014). Other Measures – The reporting periods for collecting the other follow-up measures, entered and retained employment and attainment of secondary credential, are unchanged.

Reporting on Entered Employment Outcome Definition – Learner enters employment by the end of the first quarter after the program exit quarter. – A job obtained while the student is enrolled can be counted and is reported if the student is still employed in the first quarter after exit from the program. Larger cohort increases importance of SSN collection. Survey method required for students not available for match. Will need MIS tools to manage survey sub-cohort and survey results.

Reporting on Retained Employment Outcome Definition – Learner remains employed in the third quarter after exit quarter. – Remember – includes successful members from Entered Employment cohort. Larger cohort increases importance of SSN collection. Survey method required for students not available for match. Will need MIS tools to manage survey sub-cohort and survey results.

Reporting on GED Outcome Definition – The learner obtains certification of attaining passing scores on GED tests. – Must pass all five tests – Foreign language GED acceptable Retains existing data match criteria – SSN preferred – Can match on Name/DOB combination Will need MIS tools to manage cohort selection.

Reporting on PSE/Training Outcome Definition – Learner enrolls in a postsecondary educational or occupational skills training program that does not duplicate other services or training received, regardless of whether the prior services or training were completed. Retains existing data match criteria – SSN preferred – Can match on Name/DOB combination Survey method required for students not available for match. Will need MIS tools to manage cohort selection and survey results.

Reporting on Student Education Level/Degree Education in U.S. or abroad (unduplicated) Report lists grade levels – Use years for non-US education – Use in-country definition for secondary credential Status Measure – Collection will be integrated into MIS Student Report – No verification required

Reporting on Teacher Certification Teacher Measure #1: Total Years of Teaching Experience. – Report the total number of years a teacher has taught in a school setting. – Paid Full and Part-time teachers only. No reporting on volunteers. Teacher Measure #2: Teacher Certification – Adult Ed credential or degree – K-12 Certification – Special Education Certification – Paid teachers only – ABECP Certificate does not apply Data collection and reporting method to be developed.

Student Goal Setting Student Goals Still Matter! – Local staff should continue to set goals with students – Goal setting is an essential component of good program and instruction but…. – Students goals will no longer be used as a way to identify students for the NRS follow-up measures Student Status Measure #5: Learner Goals for Attending – Unchanged in NRS Guidelines May still need to collect and report goals Requested clarification from AIR

Importance of Exiting Students All follow-up measures are dependant on student exit status. Need timely survey follow-up – Contact information changes Do not categorically exit all students at end of year.

Importance of Status on Continuing Students Employment Status may have changed Contact information may have changed Education status may have changed Secondary Credential status may have changed

Resources NRS on the web – Special section devoted to 2012 changes – NRS Guidelines – This PowerPoint – tings/Directors_Meeting_March_2012.html tings/Directors_Meeting_March_2012.html