Attachment B: Common Measures for Job Training and Employment Programs

ADULT PROGRAMS
Measures	Definition	Methodology	Data Set	Comment
Entered Employment	Percentage employed in the 1st quarter after program exit.	Numerator: Of those who are not employed at registration, the number of adults who have entered employment by the end of the 1st quarter after exit. [1] Denominator: Of those who are not employed at registration, the number of adults who exit during the quarter. [2]	Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wage Records
Retention	Percentage of those employed in the 1st quarter after program exit that were still employed in the 2nd and 3rd quarter after program exit.	Numerator: Of those who are employed in the 1st quarter after exit, the number of adults who are employed in the 2nd and 3rd quarter after exit. [3] Denominator: Those who are employed in the 1st quarter after exit. [4]	UI Wage Records	All agencies will move toward using UI Wage Records. However, agencies currently using survey data will measure retention at the 1st and 3rd quarters only until they adopt UI wage records as their data set.
Earnings Increase	Percentage change in earnings: (i) pre-registration to post-program; and (ii) 1st quarter after exit to 3rd quarter after exit.	Numerator 1: Participants' earnings 1st quarter after program exit minus participant's earnings 2 quarters prior to registration. Numerator 2: Participants' earnings 3rd quarter after program exit minus participant's earnings 1st quarter after program exit. [5] Denominator 1: Participants' earnings 2 quarters prior to registration. Denominator 2: Participants' earnings 1st quarter after program exit. [6]	UI Wage Records	All agencies will move toward using UI Wage Records. However, agencies currently using survey data will measure earnings change at one point only (either pr-enrollment to 1st quarter after placement or 1st to 3rd quarter) until they adopt UI wage records as their data.
Efficiency	Annual cost per participant.	Numerator: Appropriation level. [7] Denominator: Number of participants. [8]	Administrative records	Federal resources: both mandatory and discretionary. Budget authority will be used for discretionary programs. Outlays will be used for mandatory programs.
YOUTH AND LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMS
Measures	Definition	Methodology	Data Set	Comment
Placement in Employment or Education	Entered employment or enrolled in education and/or training 1st quarter after program exit.	Numerator: Of those who are not in education or employed at registration, the number of participants who have entered employment, the military or enrolled in postsecondary education and/or advanced training/occupation skills training by the end of the 1st quarter after exit. [9] Denominator: Of those who are not in education or employed at registration, the number of participants who exit during the quarter.	Administrative records and UI Wage Records
Attainment of a Degree or Certificate by Participants	Percentage of participants that earned a diploma, GED or certificate.	Numerator: Of those who are enrolled in education, the number of participants who attain a diploma, GED or certificate. [10] Denominator: Those who are enrolled in education.	Administrative records	Certificate is defined as a credential awarded by an agency, educational institution, organization or association to an individual upon completion of an organized program of study in recognition of the individual's attainment of industry-recognized, nationally-validated technical or occupational skill standards. Such skill attainment is measured using a valid and reliable assessment.
Literacy and Numeracy Gains	Attainment of literacy and numeracy skills by participants.	Measures the increase in literacy and numeracy skills of participants through a common assessment tool administered at program registration and regular intervals thereafter.	Standard assessment instrument	This measure applies to all participants in youth programs with the exception of ED's Vocational Education, Secondary students. Also, for English as a Second Language students, this measure includes English.
Efficiency	Annual cost per participant.	Numerator: Appropriation level. Denominator: Number of participants.	Administrative records	Federal resources: both mandatory and discretionary. Budget authority will be used for discretionary programs. Outlays will be used for mandatory programs.

Footnotes:
[1] For the TANF program, the Entered Employment numerator is "Of those who receive TANF cash assistance in a quarter, the number who became employed in that quarter after being unemployed in the previous quarter."
[2] For the TANF program, the Entered Employment denominator is "The total number of unemployed TANF cash assistance recipients from the "previous quarter" identified in the numerator."
[3] For the TANF program, the Retention in Employment numerator is "Of those who received TANF cash assistance and are employed in a quarter (Q-a), the number of adults who were employed one (Q-b) and two quarters (Q-c) later (regardless of TANF assistance status)."
[4] For the TANF program, the Retention in Employment denominator is "The number of participants employed in Q-a."
[5] For the TANF program, Earnings Increase Numerator 1 is "For those who received TANF cash assistance and who had earnings from employment in Q-a, their earnings in Q-a minus their earnings two quarters prior to being determined eligible for TANF cash assistance." Earnings Increase Numerator 2 is "For those who received TANF cash assistance and who had earnings from employment in Q-a, their earnings in Q-c minus their earnings in Q-a."
[6] For the TANF program, Earnings Increase Denominator 1 is "TANF cash assistance recipients' earnings two quarters prior to being determined eligible for TANF cash assistance." Earnings Increase Denominator 2 is "TANF cash assistance recipients' earnings in Q-a. "
[7] For the TANF program, the Efficiency numerator is "Total federal TANF and State Maintenance of Effort expenditures, as reported by the states, on work-related activities/expenses, transportation, and a proportional amount on administration and systems."
[8] For the TANF program, the Efficiency denominator is "Number of adults receiving TANF."
[9] "Not in Education" includes those participants who have completed high school or its equivalent and have not yet entered post-secondary education.
[10] In the case of DOL programs, attainment of a degree/certificate will be determined within the one-year follow-up period that exists for those programs. In the case of ED programs, the completion rates for secondary and postsecondary vocational education are calculated by each State using a methodology and time period it determines.

General Notes:
A. The Adult Ed program includes participants with both employment and educational outcomes. As a result, the program will be measured under the Adult measures; however, the Department may opt to use the "Attainment" and "Literacy/Numeracy" measures from the Lifelong Learning measures in addition.
B. The Voc ED program for Post-Sec. students includes participants with both employment and educational outcomes. As a result, the program will be measured under the Adult measures; however, the Department may opt to use the "Attainment" measure from the Lifelong Learning measures in addition.
C. VA's Voc. Rehab. Program follows-up on cases for 60 days after placement before closing the case and declaring rehabilitated status. To be consistent with other programs in the job training common measures, VA will use the date of employment as the program exit point.
D. Education's VocRehab: an employment outcome is defined as competitive employment (at least the minimum wage) in the integrated labor market, and other outcomes as determined by the secretary, which include homemakers/unpaid family workers.
E. Tribal programs will move toward use of UI wage records. In the mean time, there may be some reliance on administrative records as tribes make the shift to UI wage records.
F. Where UI Wage Records are cited as the data set, UI records are either the sole source of data or the source against which administrative records must be verified.
G. All programs will need to use a unique client identifier that can calculate the unduplicated count of program participation but it will not specify what that identifier is.