5.3.1 Educational Needs Assessment

The educational needs assessment is used to determine if the W-2 applicant or participant needs, or would benefit from, education and training activities including:

A course of study meeting the high school graduation equivalency standards established under Wis. Stat. s. 115.29 (4);

Technical college courses;

Educational courses that provide an employment skill;

English as a second language (ESL) courses;

Adult basic education courses, including but not limited to: literacy skills, remedial math, or reading courses; or

Employer−sponsored training.

The W-2 Wisconsin Works agency is required to conduct an educational needs assessment with all new W-2 applicants and must reassess the participant for education and training needs before making a change in W-2 placement Within the W-2 program, an individual may be placed in up to one of fourteen W-2 placement types, all of which are identified by a CARES W-2 placement code (in parentheses): At Risk Pregnancy (ARP); Custodial Parent of an Infant (CMC); Case Management Denied (CMD); Case Management Follow-up (CMF); Case Management Follow-up Plus (CMF+); Case Management Job-Ready (CMJ); Case Management Minor Parent (CMM); Case Management Noncustodial Parent (CMN); Case Management Pregnant Women (CMP); Case Management Underemployed (CMU); Community Service Job (CSJ); Custodial Parent Trial Employment Match Program (TMP); Noncustodial Parent Trial Employment Match Program (TNP); Stipends for Noncustodial Parents (TSP); and W-2 Transition (W-2 T) . The assessment must:

Identify the applicant or participant’s current educational levels.

Agencies must use a standardized educational assessment tool to determine educational levels if the FEP determines an educational needs assessment is needed. TABE Test of Adult Basic Education , BEST Basic English Skills Test , and TABE/CLAS-E Tests of Adult Basic Education/Complete Language Assessment System-English are standardized educational assessment tools supported in WWP Wisconsin Work Programs .

The FEP must never delay eligibility determination and placement because completion of a standardized educational needs assessment tool is pending. If necessary to ensure timely placement, the FEP must use the best information available from the WWP Education History and Post-Secondary Education pages to fulfill the educational needs assessment requirement at application and inform the initial placement decision and EP.

In some cases, the self-reported information gathered through the WWP Informal Assessment Driver Flow may not be enough to determine current educational levels. When completion of a standardized educational needs assessment tool is necessary to determine or confirm an individual’s current educational levels, the tool must be scheduled and documented in WWP within 30 days of placement. See 6.4 for information on assignment of activities in WWP.

For an individual who has demonstrated reading and math skills through attainment of post-secondary education, a standardized educational assessment tool is not necessary.

Postsecondary education includes completion of any coursework or education beyond high school such as a:

Continuing education certificate;

Associate degree; or

Baccalaureate degree.

If a standardized assessment tool, such as TABE or BEST, has been completed within the prior six months, the agency may use the results of that assessment to determine the individual's current educational level.

Determine the individual's education and training needs.

In making this determination, the FEP Financial and Employment Planner must consider the following:

The information gathered about the individual's current educational levels. The FEP must document this information: On the appropriate WWP Wisconsin Work Programs Informal Assessment pages (Education History, Post-Secondary Education); On the WWP Test Scores Application; and In PIN comments.

The level of education and training necessary to obtain full-time employment in the local labor market. The Department of Workforce Development maintains a website with Wisconsin labor market information . From this website you can link to many useful resources.

See 8.4.1 for a list of education and training resources that can help provide information on in-demand occupations in Wisconsin, required training and experience, and available training and education program.

The individual’s program employment goals.

Program employment goals are shorter-term employment goals that can be achieved through participation in the W-2 program and are part of the EP. (See 6.1.1 )

If the FEP determines that the individual is eligible for W-2 and needs or would benefit from education or training activities, including a course of study meeting the high school graduation equivalency standards established under Wis. Stat. s. 115.29 (4), the education and training activities must be included in the individual’s EP. See 8.3 for additional information on education and training activities.

E XAMPLE : Holly is found nonfinancially and financially eligible for W-2. During the WWP Informal Assessment, Holly explained that she has not completed high school. Holly also tells the FEP she has had several brief jobs as a short-order cook and her long-term employment goal is to become a manager of a restaurant. The FEP determines that a CSJ Community Service Job placement would be best for Holly. Holly's initial EP includes activity hours for completing a TABE testing. After completing the first week, she is assigned to 30 hours per week at a work experience site that combines food preparation experience with culinary skills training, and eight hours per week of tutoring to prepare her for her GED General Education Diploma .

If the applicant or participant refuses to complete an educational needs assessment, such as the TABE Test of Adult Basic Education , and there is no other information available as to the individual’s current math and reading comprehension level, the W-2 agency may proceed to work with the individual as though there are no literacy or numeracy barriers.