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Employment Preparation Education EPE Application

Changes in the Employment Preparation Education EPE Application for Program Year 2006-07

Please note the following changes in the EPE application:

Because the total amount of EPE to be allocated is anticipated to be $78.5 million, 3.18% of the EPE allocation can be generated by persons with a high school diploma who are lacking in literacy skills (page 1). Claims for these funds in excess of this will be paid if funds remain after all claims are processed. In no event will more than 10% of an entire EPE claim be paid for students with a diploma.

All agencies are required to submit a comprehensive plan of services narrative (page 1) which was required of all agencies in 1995-96 and of new applicants since then. This is a one-time submission to update this information.

A new process for program evaluation is being implemented (page 2) that includes the use of agency report cards and Individual Technical Assistance Plans (ITAPs).

Agencies using Xenegrade are reminded that conversion to ALIES for data submission must be done at their own cost (page 2).

To enable the State Education Department to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational and distance learning program offerings, SED required last year that all agencies enter appropriate data in their ALIES or Xendirect system (page 3). This requirement continues. Agencies failing to enter these data will have funding for these components withheld in 2005-06 and funding denied in 2006-07.

The policy regarding operating programs in other districts (page 4) has been clarified by referring only to traditional programs. The application now states that distance learning providers should restrict their programs to areas already served pending a State policy regarding distance learning service areas.

All EPE funded agencies must now submit a Program Information Form (PIF) in August (page 5).

Page 8 indicates that agencies must submit additional detail to the program budget (page 24 column 3) that will enable staff to determine if proposed expenditures are allowable.

On page 9 the application states that the EPE manual is the source for guidelines regarding how students are determined to be active in distance learning programs i.e. packet vs. phone models.

Last year curricula for all occupational programs for which the agency requested approval to generate EPE aid were required to be submitted. This year we are returning to the policy of only requiring curricula for new programs to be submitted (page 10).

The program component worksheet for traditional programs (page 13) has been organized into academic and non-academic programs. The policy of not allowing stand-alone non-academic programs continues. The family literacy category has been changed to include only "family literacy PAC time" referring to EPE claimed for the component of the family literacy program in which the parent and child are together with a teacher. Hours for the adult literacy component of family literacy should be included in the appropriate academic category.

The program component worksheet for distance learning (page 14) has been organized into ABE, ASE, ESL, and non-academic programs. The "other category" has been changed to "SED approved pilots".

Appendix 2 (page 28) has been revised to include 2004-05, and 2005-06 NRS targets. Targets for 2006-07 have not yet been negotiated.

On page 22, optional information is requested regarding your agencies efforts to improve high school graduation rates through your adult education program.

School districts and BOCES may operate an Employment Preparation Education (EPE) program to provide services for persons aged 21 and above who have not received a high school diploma or its equivalent. Agencies requesting approval to operate an EPE State Aid program in 2006-2007 should complete and submit this application by May 15, 2006. Agencies may request an extension of the filing date to June 15, 2006 by calling the Adult Education and Workforce Development Team at (518) 474-8940. A written request must also be submitted.

In 1995-96 State law governing the EPE program was amended to require the submission of Comprehensive Plans of Services narrative as part of the application. Information regarding the details of the EPE program was required from all applicants. Since then, only new agencies were required to submit the required information. Because it has been over ten years since this information was requested, this information must be provided this year by all applicants. To do this, please provide the information requested on page 19. For assistance in completing the Comprehensive Plan of Services Narrative, contact your technical assistance representative listed in Appendix 3 on page 30.

Prior to the 2001-02 program year, school districts and BOCES participating in the EPE program could serve only individuals who were over 21 years of age who did not have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma issued by a state or territory of the United States. In the 2000-01 session, the New York State legislature enacted legislation authorizing the Commissioner of Education to set aside up to $2.5 million to serve individuals 21 and above who have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma but "fail to demonstrate basic educational competencies". We anticipate that the EPE allocation for 2006-07 will be $78.5 million. Because $2.5 million is 3.18% of $78.5 million, agencies may claim up to 3.18 % of their allocation for this population. Claims in excess of this will only be paid if available. This will not affect the amount of EPE aid allocated to your agency. Contact hours should be tracked separately for those with and those without a diploma or equivalency. Agencies choosing to serve these individuals will be asked to submit separate claims for those with and without a diploma or equivalency. In no instance will an agency be paid more than 10% of their total claim for individuals with a high school diploma. Individuals participating in the EPE program must be over 21 years of age regardless of diploma status:

Commissioner's Regulations define failure to "demonstrate basic educational competencies" as scoring below National Reporting System (NRS) level 5 in reading, mathematics or English as a Second Language. This means scoring at or below the following reference points: a grade level score of 8.9 or below in reading or mathematics (a scale score of 566 in reading or 565 in mathematics on the TABE 7-8 test or the TABE 9-10); or

a score of 472 or below on the BEST Plus test. This is a change from last year resulting from a change in federal policy making the top cut-off point for NRS level 4 for ESL of 472 on the BEST Plus test.

The law and regulations governing the EPE program require that the State Education Department evaluate the effectiveness of all programs receiving EPE state aid. Agencies failing to perform at an adequate level will be required to submit corrective action plans in order to continue receiving EPE state aid and may lose funding entirely. Beginning in the 2002-03 program year, all agencies receiving EPE state aid were required to gather and submit data using an automated individual student record system. Only the Adult Literacy Information and Evaluation System (ALIES) and Xenegrade systems may be used in 2006-07. Contact the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) at (212) 803-3300 for information on ALIES. Information on ALIES can also be found on the LAC web page at www.lacnyc.org. Agencies not using ALIES are reminded that it is their responsibility to submit data in a compatible format. This should be done at the agency’s cost and should not require ALIES staff to commit staff time for the conversions.

SED 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 GED or high school diploma. The individual participant can identify up to two other goals as appropriate.

In Appendix 2 are New York State’s targets for 2004–05 and 2005-06. As of this writing, targets for 2006-07 have not yet been negotiated.

SED is now implementing a program improvement process for provider agencies. SED has instituted an Individual Technical Assistance Plan (ITAP) that identifies agencies in need of improvement. Working in consort with the RAEN (Regional Adult Education Network) and staff from SED these agencies will be required to develop and implement a program improvement plan. To guide this process, SED is developing agency report cards that will place agencies in quartiles based on performance. Agency performance will be termed unacceptable, marginal, acceptable or exemplary based on placement in one of four quartiles. Four factors will be used to determine into which quartile agencies fall:

50% of the score will be based on aggregate educational gain i.e. the number of students making one or more NRS level gains divided by total enrollment.

25% of the score will be based on the four follow-up measures i.e. total students with a follow-up goal who achieved the goal upon exiting divided by the total exiters with one of the identified goals.

12.5% of the score will be based on goal setting:

Of all enrollees who are unemployed and in the labor market, 70% should have identified entering employment as a goal.

Of all enrollees with the goal of obtaining a high school or GED diploma, 50% should also have identified a goal of going to postsecondary education.

12.5% of the score will be based on achieving a 50% response rate on the survey of all students with a follow-up goal who exited the program.

Agencies with unacceptable performance may be placed under corrective action for a period of one to three years. Agencies under corrective action must improve performance to be removed from corrective action status. Agencies failing to adequately improve performance in three years will no longer receive EPE funding.

In the previous EPE application, all agencies were instructed to provide information that would allow SED to evaluate the effectiveness of distance learning and occupational educational classes offered by adult education programs in New York State. This requirement continues this year. The ALIES software allows the entry of distance learning and occupational education offerings for the purposes of program management and reporting.

To permit the above-mentioned analyses, all programs submitting data were required to ensure that the following information is entered into the ALIES or Xendirect databases:

All distance learning and occupational education offerings. They must designate these offerings as distance or occupational education by entering the appropriate information. In addition, programs must designate the programs offered such as GRASP, GED on TV, etc. Please contact ALIES or Xenegrade support if you need technical assistance on how to enter this information.

Enrollment information for above offerings.

Demographic information for students enrolled in above offerings.

Contact hours, test scores, goals and outcomes for students in above offerings.

When preparing data for NRS data submissions, funding sources that will include all distance learning and occupation education courses should be selected.

Agencies not submitting these data for the 2005-06 program year will have EPE funds withheld for these programs for the 2005-06 year and the programs will not be approved in the 2006-07 year.

In the 2005-06 program year SED established minimum requirements for program administration. These requirements continue:

$500,000 or 70,000 contact hours of EPE – Programs must have a full-time administrator (1.00 FTE)

$250,000 to $499,999 or 50,000 to 69,999 contact hours – Programs must have a .75 FTE administrator

$100,000 to $249,999 or 20,000 to 49,999 contact hours – Programs must have a .5 FTE administrator

No program should have less than a .25 FTE administrator or a administrator working less than 10 hours per week.

This administrative time should be fully dedicated to program administration without instructional or other non-administrative duties. Please complete the section on page 24 indicating administrative staff dedicated to your EPE program. Note that administrative salaries may be paid by sources other than EPE.

Because EPE state aid reimburses the school for contact hours of service already provided, it is essential that agencies document student attendance appropriately. Attendance should be documented in such a way that every hour of attendance claimed for every student can be verified. Attendance rosters must be certified by the classroom teachers. Documentation must be kept on file for audit purposes. Computerized attendance records will not suffice unless they have the same level of detail and same certification as the original classroom roster. Rounding to the nearest hour or portion of an hour is acceptable as long as rounding is done both up and down in a consistent way. Policies should also be in place regarding enrollment and absenteeism. On page 21 please describe your agency’s attendance policy and method for keeping records.

BOCES may operate traditional EPE programs in school districts within their supervisory area. Individual school districts can operate traditional programs within the boundaries of another district as long as a consortia arrangement is established.

BOCES – While BOCES can operate traditional EPE programs in school districts within their supervisory area without a written agreement, it is advisable that these programs operate with the full consent and knowledge of the superintendent of schools. SED encourages BOCES to develop written agreements with school districts detailing the services provided. Please enter on page 19 the names of all school districts in which the BOCES operates programs. Indicate if any of these programs operate through a cooperative services agreement in which the school district’s EPE rate is claimed.

School Districts - School districts that operate traditional programs within the boundaries of another district must have a signed consortia agreement between the school superintendents detailing the services provided. EPE is claimed at the lead district’s EPE rate. On page 22, enter the names of all school districts with which your district has a consortia arrangement. Copies of the signed agreements need not be submitted, but should be kept on file.

Because many questions have arisen regarding distance learning programs serving students residing in other districts, SED is developing a distance learning policy that will establish criteria for distance learning service areas. Agencies should limit services for distance learning students to the areas in which they presently serve students until that policy is developed.

Agencies operating EPE programs frequently enter into agreements with community colleges to provide remedial programs for students seeking to improve their basic skills before enrolling in credit-bearing programs. Community colleges are eligible to receive non-credit FTE funding through SUNY to support these programs. Non-credit FTE funding can support programs serving students who are under 21 with or without a high school diploma. If these remedial programs are operated by a school district or BOCES, students can be co-enrolled in both the EPE and college program. EPE "eligible" students are eligible to generate EPE State aid, and the community college can provide funding to support the non-EPE eligible students and other allowable costs. If your agency operates a program combining EPE aid and Non-Credit FTEs, please describe on page 23 the details of the arrangement. Include the name of the college, the roles and responsibilities of the two agencies, the number of students being served by FTEs and by EPE, the programs offered, the revenues expected to be generated by each source, the expected expenditures from each source, and any other details of the contractual arrangement, including administrative costs. Teachers of these programs must be employed by the school district or BOCES.

The Board of Regents has identified raising high school graduation rates as a major priority. An optional paragraph is requested on page 22 describing your agencies efforts to support increasing high school graduation rates through your adult education program.

At the time of this application’s mailing, the 2006-07 New York State budget has not been passed. The total amount of funds that will be allocated to the EPE program is unknown at the time of this writing although SED anticipates that $78.5 million will be available. Therefore, program approval for EPE State Aid will be tentative pending passage of the State budget. Any changes in EPE State Aid program requirements enacted in the State budget will be addressed through an amendment process upon enactment of the budget. Approvals for the EPE State Aid program are for the period July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. Any waivers received in the program year 2005-06 must be renewed as part of this application.

The EPE Manual is available online at www.nysed.gov/workforce/ . EPE programs should be managed in accordance with the Manual. All agency program coordinators should download this document and provide copies to appropriate staff.

All funded agencies will be required to submit a Program Information Form (PIF) in August 2006. This form reports information regarding class location, teacher’s name, course title, number of students, as well as days, dates and times the class is offered. The PIF can be found at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/aewd/ .

Submit this completed application or request an extension by May 15, 2006 to:

New York State Education Department

For technical assistance see Appendix 3

Instructions for Completing the Application

For Employment Program Education (EPE) State Aid Programs

Local school districts or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services that have been approved previously by the State Education Department to operate an EPE State Aid program are eligible to apply. Educational agencies that have not previously been approved to operate an EPE State Aid program should refer to Appendix 1 for additional requirements.

Participants who are 21 years or older who do not have a high school diploma or the equivalency issued by any state or territory of the United States can generate EPE aid.

Participants who have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma but afail to demonstrate basic educational competencies can also generate EPE aid (see page 1).

All agencies must complete and submit the sections of the application described below:

Cover Sheet: This form must be completed with an original signature of the Superintendent or Chief Administrative Officer.

Program Component Worksheet: Complete the worksheet for each program component for which the agency is requesting approval in 2006-2007. The five component worksheets found on pages 13-17 are: traditional adult education instruction, distance learning adult education instruction, high school credit courses, adult occupational education courses, and work experience.

EPE Program Components Summary Sheet: On page 18 provide the total number of projected contact hours and students for each program component for which the agency is requesting approval in 2006-07. This information should be reentered from the individual program component worksheets.

Comprehensive Plan of Services Narrative: Provide the information requested on page 19.

Attendance Policy: Include a description of your attendance policy by completing page 21. Include all of the information requested.

Programs Operated in Other Districts: List all school districts in which your agency operates an EPE program by completing page 22.

Non-Credit FTEs: If applicable, complete page 23. Include the name of any community college with which your agency has entered into an agreement to operate a program jointly funded by EPE state aid and Non-Credit FTEs. Include all of the information requested.

Budget Summary: Complete the budget summary on page 24. Include estimates of all your anticipated EPE expenditures for 2006-07. This is not a binding document (i.e. it does not prevent you from spending more or less in any budget category). It is meant to provide general information on your fiscal planning for the upcoming year. The total should equal the EPE funding you are requesting. Include information on program administration. This year, additional details regarding each budget category must be provided in sufficient detail to determine whether the costs are allowable EPE expenditures.

Statement of General Assurances: This form requires an original signature of the Superintendent or Chief Administrative Officer.

Agencies will submit an EPE Interim Report and Claim Form and a Final Claim Form.

EPE Claim Form SA 160.1 and Interim Report. This form must be submitted to the Adult Education and Workforce Development Team by February 19, 2007. The form is used to determine the EPE hours through December 31, 2006 that will be claimed for EPE aid and to project total EPE hours through June 30, 2007. This form will be available on line in the fall of 2006.

EPE Claim Form SA 160.2. This form must be submitted to the Adult Education and Workforce Development Team by September 15, 2007 to claim EPE hours through June 30, 2007. This form will also be available on line in the fall of 2006.

Agencies seeking to waive requirements of the Commissioner’s Regulations concerning class size and length of program must request a formal waiver as part of the application process. Refer to Appendix 1 (page 27).

With the exception of occupational programs, all students in programs supported by EPE aid must be enrolled in an academic program designed to result in academic gain or the attainment of a GED or high school diploma. Students in non-academic programs must be co-enrolled in an academic program designed to result in academic gain or a diploma. This means that no student should be enrolled in a stand-alone non-academic program such as Action for Personal Choice, CFLS (traditional and distance learning), Workplace Essential Skills, computer literacy, or Citizenship Home Study.

Assessment Requirement – The regulations require that all students enrolled in EPE programs be assessed. Traditional and distance learning programs must pre and post-test students. All testing must be done in person with the teacher or test administrator present. Testing instruments can not be mailed. Please see the New York State NRS Manual on line at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/aewd/ for testing guidelines.

For the 2006-07 school year, the five EPE program components are:

Traditional Adult Education Instruction – Includes the following programs:

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

General Educational Development (GED) test preparation

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Basic Education in Native Language (BENL)

Family Literacy (PAC) time

Job Club

Action for Personal Choice, and

Career, Family and Life Skills (CFLS)

Only appropriately trained staff can offer Action for Personal Choice or Career, Family and Life Skills programs. Contact the Regional Adult Education Network (RAEN) Director in your region for information on appropriate training.

Distance Learning Adult Education Instruction – Programs approved by the New York State Education Department in which students are not present in a classroom but where instruction is supervised by a teacher. Includes the following program models:

Giving Ready Adults a Study Program (GRASP)

External High School Diploma Program (EDP)

GED Connection

Career, Family and Life Skills (CFLS) Home Study

ESL Home Study

Crossroads Café

Learn to Read

Another Page

Math Basics

Citizenship Home Study

Health Promotion Home Study

Agencies offering the GED Connection and GRASP distance learning models are expected to meet or exceed the same GED pass rate as traditional classroom programs.

Agencies requesting approval for any distance learning programs for which they were not approved in the 2005-2006 school year must provide the following information:

Justification of the need for the program in the geographic area served by the school district,

a plan of operation for the program during the 2006-07 school year including as many details as possible; and

assurance that teachers for such program areas will receive specific and appropriate training before operating the program. Agencies should contact their RAEN director for information on the appropriate training.

Agencies seeking approval for distance learning programs that were previously approved must continue to meet the guidelines for operating the program as stated in the Statement of General Assurances. The Adult Education and Workforce Development Team must approve any changes in hours of service or program design. The formula for claiming contact hours for distance learning adult education programs can be found in section 300 of the EPE Manual. The EPE manual should be used as a guide regarding identifying active students in packet or telephone model programs.

High School Credit Courses – Credit bearing courses in which adults (21 years of age or over) can participate to pursue their high school diploma. A certified teacher in a classroom setting provides this instruction.

Adult Occupational Education Courses – Secondary level occupational education courses for adults of at least 100 hours in length. Districts and BOCES must identify programs by Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code (Appendix 4 - page 32) and submit curricula for SED approval. For 2005-06, curricula for all occupational programs were required to be submitted for approval so that SED records regarding approved programs would be complete and accurate. Beginning with the 2006-07 year SED will return to the policy requiring that only curricula for new occupational programs be submitted.

Work Experience Programs – Unpaid, structured and supervised appropriate work activities/tasks for a specified period of time in a public or private, profit or not-for-profit setting that enhance and support a written educational plan for the adult student. Agencies wishing to offer a work experience program for the first time in 2006-07 must submit a detailed program description and curriculum. Agencies that have previously submitted approved curricula for the work experience program do not need to resubmit these curricula. The guidelines for work experience programs are described below.

Total program hours are defined as the total hours of classroom instruction, plus the total hours of work for each individual in this component. Programs offering between 20-40 hours of classroom instruction per week, plus work, must request a waiver from the Adult Education and Workforce Development Team. Total program hours may not exceed 40 hours per week.

Supervision – All work experience components must be coordinated, supervised, or directed by an individual who meets the following qualifications and who is employed by the local school district or BOCES claiming the EPE State Aid:

For public school programs other than in New York City and Buffalo, the individual must have a valid New York State teaching certificate (Provisional or Permanent) or a New York State adult education teaching certificate.

For programs operating within New York City or Buffalo, the individual must have a New York City or Buffalo license.

Work Site Visitation – Each student must be visited by a work experience coordinator, supervisor or director on a regular basis throughout the entire work experience component. These visits should be documented in the student folder. Each student should be visited at least once a week at the work site. In addition, each student must be supervised on the job by an appropriate individual (employee, supervisor, manager, owner, etc) at the work site who will monitor the student’s progress towards specific skills and goals, and will be responsible for recording the student’s daily attendance.

In addition to the above criteria, agencies must ensure that:

All participants fall under the guidelines for generating EPE,

individual student folders are kept documenting work experience, attendance and related information such as work site visits and student progress,

the agency has a system in place to track job placements or other outcomes that may result from work experience, and;

all contact hours must be documented.

Generation of EPE Aid for Work Experience Programs – Instructional hours and work experience hours completed in work experience components which are offered as a part of traditional adult education programs may generate EPE State Aid as follows:

Classroom instruction must be provided comprising at least 30 percent of total program hours (total program hours are defined as the total number of work experience hours, plus hours of classroom instruction per week). Classroom instruction may be any traditional program or combination of traditional classroom programs approved in this application. Classroom instruction generates EPE at the full contact hour rate. Work experience generates EPE at a 50 percent contact hour rate (i.e. for every hour of work experience, one-half contact hour of EPE aid is generated). Previously approved programs using this model do not have to resubmit curricula or a program design unless there are changes proposed for 2006-07.

Note: The contact hours entered on the "Program Component Worksheet for the 2006-07 Work Experience Program" table on page 17 should include only contact hours generated by the work experience component. Contact hours generated by the classroom component should be entered on the table entitled Program Component Worksheet for Traditional Adult Education Instruction on page 13.

(Telephone No.)  (_____) ________-___________

(Fax No.)   (_____) _______-____________

(Email)_______________________________________________________________________________

(Telephone No.)   (_____)_______-_________

High school credit courses are credit-bearing courses in which adults can participate in pursuit of their high school diploma. A certified teacher in a classroom setting provides this instruction.

It is the responsibility of each school district or BOCES to comply with Commissioner’s Regulations and Education Department policy for awarding high school credit. For further information, please contact the New York State Education Department’s Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Instructional Technology at (518) 474-5922, or your representative from the Adult Education and Workforce Development Team (see Appendix 4 – page 28).

Please indicate in the following table the projected number of students to be served and contact hours.

*Enter the total on line #3 of the EPE Program Component Summary Sheet (page 18)

Summarize your agency’s overall adult education EPE program. Include all program components for which you are requesting approval and proposed locations of classes.

Describe your evaluation plan for determining the effectiveness of all program components.

Describe your staff development plans including coordination with the Regional Adult Education Network (RAEN).

Describe your student intake, assessment and evaluation procedures.

Describe your plan to coordinate programming regionally to assure maximum effectiveness and avoid duplication of services.

List teacher names and dates training took place for distance learning component models.

Provide a narrative description of your work experience component program that includes assessment, case management, attendance procedures, and post-case management (job development) activities.

The Board of Regents and Education Department have identified raising high school graduation rates as a major priority for all schools, including closing graduation gaps for Hispanic and black students. Family literacy, targeted outreach to parents of school children to build awareness about adult literacy and ESOL offerings, and staff development for parent coordinators and school staff are strategies where adult literacy can contribute to this priority. Please describe activities and plans that your agency will implement to assist in this effort.

Please complete the budget summary below. Include estimates of all your anticipated EPE expenditures for 2006-07. This is not a binding document i.e. it does not prevent you from spending more or less in any budget category. It is meant to provide general information on your fiscal planning for the upcoming year. The total should equal the EPE funding you are requesting. In the third column provide details regarding the projected costs.

The Superintendent or Chief Administrative Officer of the applying agency certifies that:

The officer signing the application is officially empowered to act on behalf of the agency.

For the Employment Preparation Education (EPE) programs, other than credit-bearing high school courses, the following program approval requirements will be met:

• a curriculum developed or approved by the State Education Department will be used,

• instruction will be individually prescribed and paced in each class,

• each professional staff member serving in the Employment Preparation Education programs will take at least five and one-half hours of staff development annually related to the development and organization of such programs for adults,

• English-speaking students will be given entrance tests in reading and mathematics to determine their approximate skill level,

• English-speaking students in need of basic skills will be provided instruction in reading, mathematics, oral and written communication and life skills,

• English-speaking students will be given standardized achievement tests which report scores in grade equivalents and which have forms for retesting at required intervals, or will be given other such instruments approved by the Commissioner of Education.

• students with limited English proficiency will be given placement tests before being placed in an appropriate level of instructional programs,

• students with limited English proficiency will be provided instruction in listening, reading, mathematics, oral and written communication, and life skills,

• students with limited English proficiency will be given achievement tests specifically designed for such students, or will be given other such instruments approved by the Commissioner of Education,

• students will not begin instruction specifically designed to prepare them for the General Educational Development tests unless they read at an 8.0 grade level as measured by a standardized reading test,

• students preparing for the General Educational Development tests will be given diagnostic tests to determine the specific instruction needed to attain the minimum score to qualify for a New York State High School Equivalency Diploma, and will be provided such instruction,

• students preparing for the General Educational Development tests will be referred to the tests when they demonstrate readiness, as indicated by an appropriate assessment,

• students with other needs will be provided appropriate instruction as determined by the Commissioner of Education,

At the time of the writing of this application, targets for 2006-07 have not been negotiated.

In addition to the core outcome measures, the NRS establishes the following secondary outcome measures that SED is requiring of all funded agencies:

The following table identifies the additional NRS outcome measures required for Family Literacy programs. Several examples of related behavioral outcomes are also included.

01. Agriculture and Business Production

02. Agricultural Sciences

03. Conservation and Renewable Natural Resources

08. Marketing Operations/Distribution

09. Communications

10. Communications Technologies

11. Computer and Information Sciences

12. Personal and Miscellaneous Services

13. Education

15. Engineering-Related Technologies

20. Vocational Home Economics

43. Protective Services

46. Construction Trades

47. Mechanics and Repairers

48. Precision Production Trades

49. Transportation and Materials Moving Workers

50. Visual and Performing Arts

51. Health Professions and Related Sciences

52. Business Management/Administrative Services