Assessing Outcomes through Data Collection and Establishing Benchmarking Goals

• Metro South/West Regional Workforce Investment Board, MA
• Seattle/King County Workforce Development Council, WA
• Illinois Workforce Investment Board and Illinois Department of Employment Security, IL
• Maryland State Workforce Investment Board

Overview

The Illinois Workforce Investment Board (WIB) developed a 10-point benchmarking system to assess Illinois' workforce on an annual basis that was made public in a report released in 2002. One of the 10 points is the percentage of individuals and families at economic self-sufficiency as defined by the IL Self-Sufficiency Standard. The WIB is now in the process of releasing a second benchmarking report that also includes a self-sufficiency benchmark.
Prior to establishing the Self-Sufficiency Standard as a benchmark, the Illinois Department of Employment Security had funded the creation of an Internet-based self-sufficiency calculator to help individuals and families understand their minimum income needs. The Illinois Department of Employment Security is currently analyzing how many Illinois families fall above and below the Self-Sufficiency Standard.

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History

The WIB’s Evaluation and Accountability Committee (EAC) determined that the Illinois Self-Sufficiency Standard, which had already been calculated, was the best available measure of an individual or family’s ability to meet basic needs without public or private assistance. The Committee initially chose the Self-Sufficiency Standard because it is more inclusive, comprehensive and geographically specific than the federal poverty line. The Illinois Department of Employment Security had already funded the creation of a self-sufficiency calculator, an Internet-based tool to help individuals and families determine their minimum income needs. Given this successful investment, the EAC recommended that the WIB use the Self-Sufficiency Standard in setting goals and evaluating the success of its anti-poverty and workforce development efforts.(For more information on the Illinois self-sufficiency calculator see Promising Practice #2 Counseling Customers.)

Supporting the recommendations of the EAC, the IWIB adopted the following 10 benchmarks:

• Benchmark One: Educational Level of Working-Age Adults
• Benchmark Two: Percentage of the Adult Workforce in Education or Training
• Benchmark Three: Adult Literacy
• Benchmark Four: Percentage of High School Graduates Transitioning to Education or Workforce Training
• Benchmark Five: High School Dropout Rate
• Benchmark Six: Number of Youth Transitioning from 8th Grade to 9th Grade
• Benchmark Seven: Percentage of Individuals and Families at Economic Self-Sufficiency
• Benchmark Eight: Average Growth in Pay
• Benchmark Nine: Net Job Growth
• Benchmark Ten: Productivity per Employee

Expressing their endorsement and support of these benchmarks, the Illinois General Assembly enacted legislation requiring their use by the State WIB. The law called for the Board to implement a method for measuring the progress of the State's workforce development system using the 10 benchmarks. The law also called on the Board to identify the most significant early indicators for each benchmark, establish a mechanism to collect data and track the benchmarks, and then use the results to set goals for each benchmark to inform planning.
Since the publication of the initial report, the IL Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has been assigned to oversee the WIB and has established a task force to revisit the benchmarks to determine if data is available on an annual basis and can be compared from year-to-year and potentially with other states. The issue of measuring self-sufficiency is firmly situated within the benchmarking effort, but the data source will change. It is likely that in subsequent reports, the utility of the benchmarks as a planning tool for the IWIB will increase.

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Partners and Funding

The Illinois WIB’s adoption of the Self-Sufficiency Standard and incorporation of it into benchmarks evolved from the building of relationships among many local and state partners. The Chicago Workforce Board (CWB) initially adopted the Self-Sufficiency Standard as its self-sufficiency benchmark. Also in Chicago, a community-based organization, Women Employed (WE), initially created the Self-Sufficiency Budget Calculator with the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development. The Executive Director of Women Employed serves on both the CWB and the Illinois WIB, which greatly facilitated the partnership.

Following these activities, 12 workforce investment boards around the state requested a comparable calculator. In response, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) adapted the calculator for use by any workforce investment board statewide. IDES also funded the development of corollary materials that could be used by customers and counselors.

Following these activities , the workforce investment boards around the state requested a comparable calculator. In response, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) adapted the calculator for use by any workforce investment board statewide. IDES also funded the development of corollary materials that could be used by customers and counselors.

Challenges

The principle challenge of the benchmarking effort is to identify data sources that are reliable, annual, and comparable across states. The effort to address these challenges in Illinois is on-going. The second annual report, which is currently in draft form, adjusts the benchmarks to deal with data issues. It also proposes changes in some benchmark definitions, which will require action by the legislature.

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Keys to Successful Implementation

• A broader vision for performance evaluation that seeks to evaluate how well the workforce development system meets the needs of its state's residents and enhances the state’s economy.
• An ability to build on high-quality resources that had been created by or with community based and government partners.

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Model Materials

• Benchmark Seven: Percentage of Individuals and Families at Economic Self-Sufficiency [DOC, 600KB]
• Measuring Progress: Benchmarking Workforce Development in Illinois – 2002 Full Report [PDF, 1.73MB]
• Measuring Progress: Benchmarking Economic, Workforce and Educational Development in Central Illinois–2003 report is available at www.workforcenetwork.com/upload/
  pdf/MeasuringProgress.pdf
• Illinois Public Act #93-0331 that sets forth the ten benchmarks is available online at: www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/
  93/093-0331.htm

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