Enacted in 1998, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) established a performance accountability system with the purpose of assessing the "…effectiveness of States and local areas in achieving continuous improvement of workforce investment activities."  The Evaluation of the WIA Performance Measurement System provides a comprehensive picture of the accountability system and examines the intended and unintended consequences of the system for participant selection and service design and delivery.  The survey report, based on a survey of WIA local areas conducted in 2004, provides descriptive information about the full range of areas’ policies and practices related to performance accountability, including what performance goals and measures have been established and what tools are used for purposes of performance management.  The report also examines how policies and practices relating to performance accountability affect decisions about what types of customers are served and with what services and outcomes.  The final report includes a discussion of elements of the performance measurement system, how those elements are communicated to those who operate the system, and how the service design and delivery under WIA is influenced by the performance measurement system.  Additionally, the report incorporates changes made to the performance measurement system after implementation of the common measures proposed by the Office of Management and Budget.

To view the final report, please access the following link: http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/keyword.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_resultDetails&pub_id=2409&mp=y