1. Top 10 TAACCCT Performance Reporting Questions: Countdown to Success
Kristen Milstead
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
Maria Fieth
Colorado for Healthcare Education Online (CHEO)
Pueblo Community College
Question countdown to most commonly asked.

2. Performance Reporting Q&A
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3. Question #10
If I don’t have all of the data when it is time to report, what happens and should I do?

4. Response to Question #10
Make a note in the “Additional Comments” section of your report
Close your report on time
Contact your FPO when information is available
Request the report for the appropriate year or quarter be unlocked
No penalty for late data
Make a note in the “Additional Comments” section of your report
Close you report on time
Contact your FPO when information is available
Request the report for the appropriate year or quarter be unlocked
No penalty for late data

5. Question #9
What should I be reporting on my annual report– annual or cumulative data?

6. Response to Question #9 Report annual data
What has occurred during the year since you last reported
Read OMB package instructions as cumulative for the year, not for the grant period to date
Thermometer report will provide a running total of your cumulative outcomes to date
-Provides an accurate picture of B.3
-OMB instructions are ambiguous– for the year, cumulative--
-*Note issues with thermometers; all will be up as soon as possible

7. Question #8
What counts in outcomes B.5 and B.5a regarding credit hours?
B.5 – Total Number of Credit Hours Completed
B.5a - Total Number of Students Completing Credit Hours

8. Response to Question #8
Credit hours that are weighted in calculating the students’ grade-point averages
Non-credit hours do not count
TAACCCT-funded credit hours only
Can develop a new C.10 measure to capture non-credit outcomes specific to your institution
Additional Comments section if outcome targets are affected
-Non-credit hours do not count because no credit is granted for these courses, they cannot be weighted with other courses taken.
-Total number of credit hours completed by participants in grant-funded certificate and degree programs
-prepositional phrase describing the credit hours (not participants)
-Having a low number of credit hours reported isn’t necessarily viewed unfavorably– taken into account with the the type of credentials offered, the number of students receiving the credentials, and the number of credit hours the grantee projected would be earned by students.
 ***
This is consistent with the guidance that has already been provided by DOL.  In the pre-recorded orientation Webinar on the Annual Performance Report posted on April 12, 2012 to the Community of Practice (applicable to all four rounds) at   and as posted in a special link on Workforce3one for each subsequent round in the Orientation Series calendars for each round (calendars are posted on the Community of Practice in the Welcome to TAACCCT! Link), the speaker describes the definition and specifically states, “please enter only credit hours for these students that are completed in grant-funded projects.” 

9. Question #7
When can I count a participant as having entered employment (B.8)?

10. Response to Question #7 Can’t be employed when they enroll
Must be a completer and an exiter
Can enter employment anytime after completing the program up to the last day of the quarter after exit
B.8 Total Number Employed After Program of Study Completion
-The definition states that cannot be incumbent workers (or employed at enrollment)
-They must have completed
-They also must have exited
Window for when they can enter employment and be counted.
-The day after they complete a program and the last day of the quarter after they exit.

11. -The graphic shows the relationship of completing and exit to one another and timing for counting someone as having entered employment.
-The stars represent an area on the timeline where someone can begin employment and potentially be counted as having entered employment.
-Two timelines: completion and exit at the same time; completion first and exit later.
-In both, employment must begin after completion, but not necessarily before exit– but it can.
-However it must occur before the first quarter ends, and the person must be employed during that quarter.
-So if the person starts employment before they exit, as long as they are still employed, they can be counted.

12. Question #6
Can I count someone both as having gone on to further education (B.7) and having entered employment (B.8)?

13. Response to Question #6 No.
Count them in outcome corresponding to the event that occurred first in time during the reporting year
Both are considered “exit points” for tracking purposes
From this point, you are only collecting follow-up measures as appropriate
They are exit points, meaning, where did the participant “end up” at which point you are no longer tracking them?
Once the participant has left the institution for any reason, which can he or she be counted in, if either?
-For example, let’s say you have a participant who completes a program and gets a job right then but then leaves the institution to start on a continuing program somewhere else. Once they exit the institution, if they are still employed, you would count them in B.8, Total Number Employed After Program of Study Completion (because they got a job first)

14. Question #5
What counts as an exit and if someone exits and re-enrolls can I count them as a participant (B.1) again?

15. Response to Question #5
Exit: No longer enrolled at the institution in any program of study and can include formal withdrawal, expulsion, graduation and other reasons
Students who exit the institution (including for other reasons) cannot be considered a new participant
B.1 defines participants as unique
Refer to OMB Annual and Quarterly Program Reporting Forms and Instructions, B.8 – Total Number Employed in Further Education After Program of Study Completion
DOL does not define “other reasons.” Your institution should develop a policy around what those other reasons might consist of based on other policies at the institution and be consistent with all TAACCCT participants.
-Summer break?
-unique
However you define “other reasons,” make sure you treat all participants the same.

16. Question #4
What does “industry-recognized” mean when it comes to the outcomes on credentials (B.6, B.6 a,b,c)?
B.6 – Total Number of Earned Degrees/Certificates
B.6a/b/c Total Number of Students Earning Three Different Types

17. Response to Question #4 Refer to TEGL 15-10, Attachment 2
“Developed, offered or endorsed by a nationally-recognized industry association or organization”
“Sought or accepted by companies within the industry sector for purposes of hiring and recruitment”
Must be occupation-specific
Examples of credentials that do not count: National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC), OSHA -10 certificates
Attachment 2 indicates they should be able to get a job with this credential alone;
It should be a credential that stands on its own– something that if that individual left, they could take it to an employer and become employed in a particular field of study

18. Question #3
If an incumbent worker gets a job in the field in which he or she received a credential or goes from part-time to full time work, can he or she be counted as having entered employment (in B.8)?

19. Response to Question #3 No.
B.10 – Definition of incumbent worker – “employed at enrollment”
B.8 – “Of the total number of participants who were not incumbent workers…”
No… Most of the outcome measures are designed to collect information about individuals who were not employed when they enrolled.
Refer to OMB Annual and Quarterly Program Reporting Forms and Instructions
The answer to this question lies in the definition of B.8 (and also in B.10)
B.10 – Total Number of Those Employed at Enrollment Who Received a Wage Increase Post-Enrollment
B.8 – Total Number Employed After Program of Study Completion
B.10 – Definition of incumbent worker – employed at enrollment
B.8 – “Of the total number of participants who were not incumbent workers…”

20. Follow-Up to Question #3
Report progress of incumbent workers in B.10 (Total Number of Those Employed at Enrollment Who Received a Wage Increase Post-Enrollment)
Can develop a new C.10 measure to capture additional incumbent worker outcomes specific to your institution
There is a special data element just for incumbent workers in Table 1 of the APR, Line B.10,
-which requests data on incumbent workers who receive a wage increase post-enrollment.
-While enrolled or after he or she has left the program
-Whether he or she completed the program or not.
-An increase at the same job or in a different job.
-Underemployed
-Who move into training-related employment
-Who move from contingent employment to more regular employment
-From part-time to full-time work, may experience a wage increase.
These employment changes could occur for an incumbent worker, and would be captured in B.10.

21. Question #2
When do I count someone as having completed a TAACCCT program (B.2)?

22. Response to Question #2
Definition of a program of study/program for reporting purposes:
1st certificate/degree is attained = completer
This holds true even if he or she is enrolled in a career ladder or stackable credentials program of study
…as your institution may have defined it
Describe ladder (don’t need to wait until they get all the way to the top to count them)

23. Question #1 Who counts as a TAACCCT participant (B.1)?
Most asked question in TAACCCT history….
The details of who is a participant are very nuanced. I’m going to go through them with you, but it can be a little tricky to apply sometimes when you’re looking at the details at your institution.
So in a moment, I’m going to roleplay a few scenarios with one of our grantees that I get asked about to help you think through the types of questions you may want to ask yourself as you are wondering who to count in your Annual Performance Report as a participant.
So let’s take a look at the response first.

24. *Must be a unique participant (i.e. not previously counted)
Response to Question #1
Refer to “What is a Participant” Flow Chart, FAQ #5
Must be enrolled in a grant-funded program or a course that is part of such a program
Must lead to an industry-recognized credential
Course must be required of all students to complete the program
Must stay beyond standard add/drop period
Must be in your Statement of Work
*Must be a unique participant (i.e. not previously counted)
Two tracks – course or a program (enrollment roster – declaration of major, etc.) (grant-funded)
Program must lead to an industry recognized credential
One that gets people stuck: course in the curriculum that everyone has to take in order to get the credential
For students enrolled in courses: ADD/DROP period
Listed in the statement of work? (Interesting one…)
YES!
(Remember though… don’t count them again if they have exited… they also have to be unique)

26. *BONUS QUESTION
If a student is enrolled in a course in which grant equipment or classroom space is being used (and the course meets the other requirements), is that student considered a participant?

27. Response to Bonus Question
Yes (maybe)
Outcome designed to measure the impact of TAACCCT
May need a grant modification
May also be a cost allocation question
Contact your FPO
By definition, come full circle, the students are in a grant-funded course and are being impacted by TAACCCT
If other requirements are met
Without the equipment, space, whatever, the students would not be taking the course…
Full impact of TAACCCT– if there are students using the TAACCCT-funded resources (and meet all other criteria), this should be in your Statement of Work.
-May need a grant modification but may also be a situation where it is a cost allocation
-CONTACT YOUR FPO

28. SUPER BONUS QUESTION
What can I do if I hit a wall and need help???

29. Help! Get on the phone with your FPO, your first point of contact!
TAACCCT mailbox:
Performance Reporting resources:

31. Let’s Roleplay!