Unlocking the Door to Employment Co-Presenters: Dr. Sharon Mullen, Principal Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center Jale Ramsey, Education Support Services Coordinator Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center

We Believe There is no issue more important to Virginians with Disabilities than having the right to work, earn a good wage and live in the community with other citizens

It’s A Fact In recent months the Labor Department reported that the nation’s unemployment rate was at 9.3% but for people with disabilities the rate was 16.9%

Beating the Odds Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center is continuously seeking strategies to give our clients an edge in today’s competitive job market One strategy that we believe does this is giving our clients the opportunity to achieve at least the Bronze Level Career Readiness Certificate while they are at WWRC

Show of Hands How many are familiar with the following terms: WorkKeys? Career Readiness Certificate? Aztec Learning System?

WorkKeys

WorkKeys WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop and retain a high- performance workforce Http://www.act.org/workeys/ Students are given 55 minutes for each test. Reading for Information is a 33 item assessment Locating Information is a 38 item assessment Applied Math is a 33 item assessment.

WorkKeys Components Job Profiling: Identifies the skills required for a job Assessment: Shows the current skill levels of students or job applicants Training: Helps individuals and employers correct skill gaps Http://www.act.org/workeys/

Job Profiling

More than 18,000 job titles, ranging from white-collar professional to blue-collar technical positions have been profiled by WorkKeys-authorized job profilers. Extensive research has been done on these jobs to identify the essential skills and skill levels for employee selection, hiring, and training. Assist employers in knowing and understanding the qualifications needed for the jobs they have available and matching applicant skills to those jobs. Assist employees in helping them to attain jobs that match their skills.

Making the Connection - Skills to Jobs 73 14% Gold/Platinum Possess skills for approx. 25-30% of jobs 204 39% Silver Possess skills for approx. 60-65% of jobs 159 31% Bronze Possess skills for approx. 85% of jobs

Assessments

In order to determine if a career seeker possesses those profiled skills at the desired levels, a set of valid and reliable assessments were developed Assessments are 100% compliant with: Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The assessments test workplace skills by using situations and scenarios that occur in the workplace Questions are less academic and more problem-solving situations that occur everyday in the workplace With the job profile in hand, the employer now knows what skills are needed for a certain position Http://www.crc.virginia.gov/Home/About 21st Century Job Skills Preparing students for jobs that currently do not exist. Employers report that potential employees lack the skills they need in writing skills, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. WorkKeys testing can address all three deficit areas. Excellent measure of abilities in Problem solving and critical thinking skills, as you will see later in this presentation.

Career Readiness Certificate Assessments The are several assessments in the WorkKeys Testing Program, but the ones we will be talking about today are: Career Readiness Certificate Assessments Reading for Information Locating Information Applied Math

Training

Training The key to talent development KeyTrain Curriculum Career Ready 101 Aztec Learning System We are all after the same solution: Identify skills needed for the job, assess a career seeker’s skill level and provide the training needed to close any gaps

WorkKeys Provides Employers – A complete solution for employee selection and development Career Seekers – The first step to prepare for education, training, or a career Educators – Helps to ensure that individuals are ready for work – and for life Http://www.act.org/workeys/

Employers

WorkKeys Helps Employers To hire qualified workers To compare worker’s skill level with job requirements To reduce turnover rates To lower the cost of remedial training and lost efficiency To increase return on investment for training dollars To strengthen America’s overall workforce

Employers in Virginia Virginia Workforce Council has endorsed and promoted the CRC since 2002 when they began discussion of a transferable and transportable skills credential will be developed that can both identify qualified employees and be used in career planning at all levels .

Employer Comments... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri9gI7_dKJg&feature=related Patti Deitos, Inova Health System…400-500/day down to 100/day resulting in a 1.6 million dollar savings in 6 months. Show what 400 applications look like and what 100 applications look like. Mike Lindsey, Site Manager Contentental, Newport News. CRC show that an employee has the ability to learn and to learn quickly. Scott Miller, Canon, describes a transition to higher tech jobs. Career Readiness Certifications helps us to understand the skills of our workforce and the best fit based upon employee capabilities.

Career Seekers

WorkKeys Helps Employees By verifying to employers that the career seeker has the basic job skills to fill that position even if they possess only a high school diploma or GED By verifying that the career seeker can handle tasks that are common and vital in today’s workplaces such as finding information, reading instructions and directions, and working with figures

Educators

WorkKeys Helps Educators To identify and address any gaps that may exist between skills required in today’s workplace and those exhibited by students To address the basics of reading, applied mathematics and locating information that are essential to living independently and securing employment

Career Readiness Certificate

Career Readiness Certificate An assessment based credential that is: A component of Governor Warner’s (D) Education for a Lifetime Initiative Endorsed by Governors Kaine (D) and McDonnell (R) A national standard based upon 21st Century Job Skills A portable credential that validates employment skills for employers Aligns with the Virginia Workforce Council Initiative 21st Century Job Skills Preparing students for jobs that currently do not exist. Employers report that potential employees lack the skills they need in writing skills, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. WorkKeys testing can address all three deficit areas. Excellent measure of abilities in Problem solving and critical thinking skills, as you will see later in this presentation.

Why do we Need a Career Readiness Certificate? Virginia businesses now compete in a global marketplace To do this, they must hire the most capable and productive employees Businesses must be sure that their hiring criteria are valid instruments for assessing workplace skills Individuals who seek employment must effectively communicate to employers the skills they have to offer The CRC serves both the needs of the employer and career seekers Http://www.crc.virginia.gov/Home/About 21st Century Job Skills Preparing students for jobs that currently do not exist. Employers report that potential employees lack the skills they need in writing skills, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. WorkKeys testing can address all three deficit areas. Excellent measure of abilities in Problem solving and critical thinking skills, as you will see later in this presentation.

Governor McDonnell’s Statement http://www.crc.virginia.gov/

Levels of Career Readiness Certificates Bronze Level Silver Level Gold Level Platinum Level When I explain testing results I tell our students to think of the Olympic metal podium. Gold metal is earned by the person who exhibits the greatest skill in the sport. Silver metal is earned by the person who exhibits the next greatest level of skill in the sport. Bronze metal is earned by the person who exhibits the next greatest level of skill in the sport. On a national level there is a Career Readiness Level above Gold Platinum. Platinum is not awarded as a Career Readiness Level in the State of Virginia. Several students have earned a Platinum Level Certificate. I advise and encourage them to order a National Career Readiness Certificate if they test at a Platinum Level. The cost is $16.00 and is ordered online.

Aztec Learning System

What Were We Looking For WorkKeys provides good training programs such as KeyTrain, however, we were looking for a more flexible format to customize learning and assessment, based on the individual needs of our diverse population The Aztec Learning System proved to do just that for us The Aztec Program is the starting point for all instruction used to prepare students for WorkKeys testing.

Aztec Learning System An educational software program designed to teach real life academic and workforce skills Interactive Age appropriate Pre-tests, provides remediation, and post-tests Keeps data on individual students for educational decision making. Addresses diverse learning styles and literacy levels The Aztec Program is the starting point for all instruction used to prepare students for WorkKeys testing.

Series Aligned to WorkKeys Assessments This product helps our students build the fundamental competencies for certification through WorkKeys The Aztec Program is the starting point for all instruction used to prepare students for WorkKeys testing.

To Date WWRC has tested 516 students since September 25, 2008!! 436 WWRC students have earned a Career Readiness Certificate. 85% Pass Rate!

Outcomes for WWRC Students 75% rehabilitation rate for WWRC students who have a Career Readiness certificate!!! 26 Do we have any field counselors in our audience? Could you explain what a code 26 is?

What does the Career Readiness Certification Process look like at WWRC?

The CRC process is available to our students in the Life Skills Transitional Program (LSTP) and Vocational Training Services. LSTP students typically work on the Aztec program for 2-6 weeks to prepare for testing with an additional week spent on paper and pencil prep. We try to keep our Vocational Training students prep time to about 4 weeks. Our vocational training students are typically a little bit more mature and their study skills are a little more advanced. We also want to minimize the time they spend outside their Vocational Training Program.

Further Remediation as needed Career Readiness Certification Each student’s achievement level is tested using the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE)  Students utilize the Aztec Learning System to pre-test, remediate, and post-test work force related academic skills. Students are selected to sit for the WorkKeys test based upon TABE results, results from the Aztec pre-test and post-tests, performance on paper and pencil WorkKeys test preparation, and CRC Lab Coordinator’s observation of student focus and ability to perform independently within specified time frames. WorkKeys test Further Remediation as needed Re-tested as needed Career Readiness Certification Some students will only need to take the WorkKeys test one time. Some students will re-take one test subject to increase their level of certification.

WWRC has recently added additional resources to give our students additional preparation and confidence in taking WorkKeys tests (paper and pencil prep)

Now is the Time to Ask……

…a Jobseeker Who Has Not Earned a Career Readiness Certificate? Are You Smarter Than … …a Jobseeker Who Has Not Earned a Career Readiness Certificate?

Bronze Level Volunteers (2)

Reading for Information Bronze  Workplace Skills: Reading for Inforation (Career Readiness Preparation). McGaw rHill Publishing Contemporary, 2011. Print.

Workplace Skills: Reading for Information (Career Readiness Preparation) . McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print.

Workplace Skills Applied Mathematics (Career Readiness Preparation, correlated to Workplace Skills). McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print. Bronze  Applied Math

Workplace Skills Applied Mathematics (Career Readiness Preparation, correlated to Workplace Skills). McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print.

What skill sets did the our volunteers use?

Silver Level Volunteers (2)

Reading for Information Silver  Workplace Skills: Reading for Information (Career Readiness Preparation) . McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print.

Workplace Skills: Reading for Information (Career Readiness Preparation). McGraw Hill Publishing Contemporary, 2011. Print.

Locating Information Silver  Workplace Skills: Locating Information. McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print. Locating Information Silver 

Workplace Skills: Locating Information. McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011 Workplace Skills: Locating Information. McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print.

What skill sets did the our volunteers use?

Gold Level Volunteers (2)

Locating Information Gold  Workplace Skills: Locating Information. McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print. Locating Information Gold 

Workplace Skills: Locating Information. McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011 Workplace Skills: Locating Information. McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print.

Workplace Skills Applied Mathematics (Career Readiness Preparation, correlated to Workplace Skills). McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print. Gold  Applied Math

Workplace Skills Applied Mathematics (Career Readiness Preparation, correlated to Workplace Skills). McGraw Hill Contemporary, 2011. Print.

What skill sets did the our volunteers use?

Lessons Learned…

People who possess varying disabilities can be successful in earning a Career Readiness Certificate.

CRC Outcomes by Disability Category 93% 92% 84% 77% 47% Pass rate for each disability category

Why are students with disabilities successful in earning a CRC?

We are assisting our students in being more successful by… Computer Based Testing Model - our students are of the technology generation – they are not as efficient with taking paper and pencil testing as they are with computer based testing. Most students attending/graduating from HS have SOL testing experience via computer. Efficient Test Preparation - the students test prep consists of Aztec Software for approximately six weeks, and then paper and pencil prep for the last 1-2 weeks. Instant Reporting - through using a computer based testing model we are able to access instant reports for our students and immediately begin remediation work based upon the scored report and the student’s immediate self evaluation on what things were most difficult for them.

Accommodations… Cannot accommodate reading the test aloud with the computer based model. But, can provide an extended time accommodation for testing with computer based testing. Although we primarily use computer based testing, we can and will use paper and pencil testing if needed to accommodate for individual student need. Read Aloud Accommodation may be helpful in math, but not in Reading for Information or Locating Information.

Test score improvement based upon data driven decision making!

Over the past 1 ½ years we have started analyzing the data we have collected… Utilizing testing data from WorkKeys since 2009 and merging that data with TABE testing results, we now know that approximately 90% of the students who have successfully earned at least a Bronze Career Readiness Certificate had a 5th grade level equivalency in Reading on the TABE test. Flesch Kincaid Reading Level analysis on the sample questions we examined in today’s testing experience indicated that the testing question content was at a mid 6th grade reading level. This is based upon questions taken from our Workplace Skills Career Readiness Preparation Resources, not analysis of WorkKeys testing questions. We have objective data to help us make decisions about testing through standardized results, but we still take into consideration post test result from Aztec, utilization of time, the need for accommodations, and students level of focus under stringent testing conditions.

Testing Sequence…. Reading for Information –this is the test that our student demonstrated the most success with. (33 questions/55 minutes)  Locating Information – we give this as the second test because it is the test our students experienced the least success with. (38 questions/55 minutes) Applied Math- we give this last because it appeared to be the 2nd most difficult test for our students. (33 questions/55 minutes)

Things to Ponder… You can adjust your remediation and testing practices by the time you have available with your students. You might want to think about instructing for each content area, then follow up with testing in each content area. We are limited to 6-7 week test prep and testing time frame. So, we need to do preparation and testing on 3 content areas at a time to allow for re-testing while the student is at WWRC.

What do our students have to say about earning a Career Readiness Certificate?

Questions and Answers

Sharon Mullen-WWRC Principal sharon.mullen@wwrc.virginia.gov Jale Ramsey-Education Support Services Coordinator jale.ramsey@wwrc.virginia.gov