WIOA, Title II: AEFLA FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below are based on inquiries to the Adult Education Office regarding the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) Program. If you have additional questions, please submit them in writing to adulteducation@cde.ca.gov by September 15, 2022.

General Questions

1. Where can I access information regarding the WIOA, Title II: AEFLA RFA?
   
   The RFA was posted on August 1, 2022. You can find the RFA and more information on Request for Applications. Further details are listed in the timeline on pages 10 and 11 of the Word document.
   
   
2. Is there another way to get the PIN after that original screen? In the event that it is lost or forgotten?
   
   The PIN was included in the confirmation email. For technical support, please contact Adult Ed Support at the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN). Support is also available by telephone at 916-228-2580, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
   
   
3. Can more than one person in the agency enter data into the portal?  Would each have their own PIN number?
   
   While not recommended, more than one person can enter data. The last person to click the save button will overwrite earlier data. Only one PIN is allowed per applying agency.
   
   
4. My institution is interested in applying for the WIOA, Title II: AEFLA grant. What is the total amount available? Is there a per-applicant limit?
   
   AEFLA is a variable pay-for-performance reimbursable grant. You can find the total available amount and the allocation formula in the Funding Profile.
   
   
5. How is the reimbursement rate per participant calculated? Is it per hour, per student?
   
   The California AEFLA grant is a pay-for-performance reimbursable grant. Documented student academic and transition outcomes are used to determine funding. For further information, see the Grant Reimbursement section of the RFA.
   
   
6. The first page of the WIOA Applicant Eligibility data entry information screen asks for Agency Name. Should we put the name of our school district or our adult school?
   
   Applicants should use the name of the agency that would be receiving the grant funds. In the case of an local education agency (LEA), this would generally be a school district.
   
   
7. We had technical difficulties getting registered for the webinar. Can we get the recording and slides, please?
   
   The WIOA, Title II: AEFLA RFA 2023–27 August 22, 2022 Recorded Webinar .
   
   
8. If our adult education program is applying only for WIOA Section 231 funds, do I need to address Consideration #12?
   
   Only those applying for Section 243 Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) funds will be asked to complete Consideration 12.
   
   
9. How would consortium payment points be allocated, to individual agencies based on their performance, or to the consortium as a whole?
   
   Please reference the Consortium Fiscal Agent section of the RFA for information on consortium fiscal agent responsibilities and allocation of funds.
   
   
10. Is this RFA for agencies that have already been funded?
    
    The WIOA, Title: AEFLA RFA is a competitive grant open to previously funded and not previously funded eligible providers.
    
    
11. If our English as a Second language (ESL) courses are housed under our Non-Credit program, would we submit for Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES) reimbursement as well as WIOA, Title II? Or will we only be allowed to submit for one of the funding sources?
    
    WIOA, Title II: AEFLA funding is supplemental and intended to enhance and expand existing ESL/ Adult Basic Education /Adult Secondary Education programs. Questions regarding community college noncredit FTES reimbursement and allowability should be sent to the Chancellor’s Office as they are the State agency that oversees community college noncredit FTES disbursement.
    
    
12. Regarding Prompt E in Consideration 1: Needs Assessment, what do you mean by barriers?
    
    Prompt C of Consideration 1 asks you to describe the demographics of the local geographic area, including ethnic and racial makeup, number of individuals who are English language learners, etc. Prompt E asks you to describe the ways your agency has addressed barriers faced by the populations described in C. For example, you might describe the efforts your agency has taken to help those most in need of literacy services, those who are unemployed, those on public assistance, etc.
    
    
13. Are all Section 243 IELCE participants required to be co-enrolled in workforce training?
    
    While Section 243 IELCE programs must include workforce training, not all IELCE students need to be enrolled in workforce training. However, English language learners in an IELCE Program must have the opportunity to be co-enrolled in a class or program that offers workforce training within their career pathway.
    
    
14. We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB)/ America's Job Center of California (AJCC) system, but we do not have consistent ways of tracking and reporting referrals or co-enrollment between the two systems. Are there plans for the CDE to collaborate with Employment Development Department of California (EDD) at the state level to share co-enrollment data across the two systems? For example, via a “fuzzy match” between TOPSpro® Enterprise and CalJobs^SM.
    
    The CDE and EDD continue to work together and have launched some pilots to bring TOPSpro® Enterprise and CalJOBS^SM together. We will keep grantees updated on any further developments.
    
    
15. Will contributing AEFLA funds to the AJCC be a requirement if a grantee is not co-located in an AJCC?
    
    WIOA, Title II grantees are required to enter into an MOU with their AJCC partners. All one-stop partner programs must also contribute to the infrastructure costs and certain additional costs of the one-stop delivery system based on their proportionate use, as required by 34 CFR 463.700, 463.720, and 463.760. When grantees are not co-located in an AJCC and cannot calculate proportionate use, it may be sufficient to meet the shared services requirement through a referral system, a shared customer base, and/or other shared services. WIOA, Title II funds used to pay for infrastructure costs must be from the five percent local administrative cost limit authorized by Title II of WIOA. The funds may also include non-Federal resources such as cash, in-kind or third-party contributions. Amounts contributed for infrastructure costs must be allowable and based on proportionate use of the one-stop centers and relative benefits received by the partner program, and must be consistent with 2 CFR Part 200, including the Federal costs principles, which require that all costs must be allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the program; and all other applicable legal requirements.

Demonstrated Effectiveness Questions

1. Our data does not look good because of Coronavirus Disease (Covid) and the lack of testing and decrease in enrollment as a result of Covid. How will this affect us moving forward to the current application process? Does the data have to reflect two consecutive years of school enrollment?
   
   Demonstrated effectiveness requires all eligible applicants to select and submit two years of data within the last four Program Years (2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22). The years do not need to be consecutive.

2. We were awarded WIOA, Title II: AEFLA funds in the 2020—22 grant cycle, so we are now considered previously funded under AEFLA. However, we do not have Core Follow-up Outcome Measures for the years before we received the grant.  How should we note that the data was not available?
   
   Applicants previously funded under AEFLA should report data from TOPSpro Enterprise (TE). Applicants not previously funded under AEFLA may use other data sources, which must be verifiable by the California Department of Education. Similarly, applicants previously funded under AEFLA who do not have TE data for a selected year may use other data sources for that year. In these cases, applicants should complete the Transitioned Outcomes Table instead of the Core Follow-up Outcomes Measures.

3. Can we use different years for the different program areas we are applying for? For example, Adult Secondary Education (ASE) from one year and English as a Second Language (ESL)/English Learner (EL) Civics from another year?
   
   No, the two years selected must include data from all applicable program areas.

4. Our agency was funded via 225 and 231. Can we choose different years for our 225 and 231 programs? Should we add the totals for 225 and 231 together?
   
   For the demonstrated effectiveness tables, combine data from Section 225 and Section 231 programs for each selected year.

5. On the demonstrated effectiveness table, the breakdown of student levels does not match National Reporting System (NRS) Table 4. There is no Adult ASE High or Low listed on NRS Table 4. Where can we locate that information?
   
   ASE Low (9–10) and ASE High (11–12) are referred to as Adult Basic Education (ABE) Level 5 and ABE Level 6 respectively on NRS Table 4.

6. Do we add the columns labeled “Number Who Achieved at Least One Educational Functioning Level (EFL) Gain” AND “Number Who Attained a Secondary School Diploma or Its Equivalent” on NRS Table 4 to get the “Average Percentage of Students Who Achieved at Least One EFL Gain”?
   
   No, include only the “Number Who Achieved at Least One Educational Functioning Level Gain.”

7. Where can I find the "Number of Students Enrolled with 12 or More Hours of Instruction" in the Payment Point Summary?
   
   The “Number of Students Enrolled With 12 or More Hours of Instruction” is located in the column labeled “Total Number of Enrollees Overall” on the Payment Point Summary Report.

8. Where can I find the “Number of Students Enrolled with 12 or More Hours of Instruction” in Table 4?
   
   The “Number of Students Enrolled With 12 or More Hours of Instruction” is located in the column labeled “Number of Participants” on NRS Table 4.

9. Where do l locate the data for High School Diploma (HSD) and High School Equivalency (HSE) to submit in the Demonstrated Effectiveness Data Tables?
   
   For previously funded AEFLA agencies, the HSD and HSE outcomes are located in the row labeled “Adult Secondary Education” in the Payment Point Summary Report.

10. What should I do if there are HSE and HSD outcomes in the English as a Second language (ESL) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) row?
    
    For previously funded AEFLA agencies, use only data located in the row labeled “Adult Secondary Education” in the Payment Point Summary Report. Do not use data from other rows.

11. For the HSD and HSE Certificate rows of the Demonstrated Effectiveness Data Tables, should I break down the “Number of Students Enrolled With 12 or More Hours of Instruction” by HSD and HSE Certificate?
    
    No, use the “Total Number of Enrollees Overall” in ASE from the Payment Point Summary Report to complete the “Number of Students Enrolled With 12 or More Hours of Instruction” for both the HSD and the HSE Certificate rows. For example, if the Payment Point Summary Report indicates that 100 students are enrolled in Adult Secondary Education, then enter 100 for the number of students enrolled in HSD and 100 for the number of students enrolled in HSE Certificate.

12. We are a community college that only recently has begun offering noncredit courses. Since we have almost no data to show demonstrated effectiveness, should we not even apply for a WIOA grant?  We were hoping WIOA funds can help us expand our noncredit offerings. Is WIOA only for schools who have established noncredit programs?
    
    According to the WIOA regulations, an eligible provider must establish that it has demonstrated effectiveness through performance data on its record of improving the skills of eligible individuals, particularly those who have low levels of literacy. For further information, see the Demonstrated Effectiveness section of the RFA.