WIOA Applicant Eligibility Information

This is the online application portal for the 2023–2027 Request for Applications (RFA), Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act for the State of California. If you have reached this page before visiting the California Department of Education’s 2023–2027 Request for Applications (RFA) website, please do so before proceeding with the online application. The deadline for submitting Applicant Eligibility has been revised to October 28, 2022.

In an effort to ensure that Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act services are provided within all local workforce development board areas in the state, as defined by WIOA Section 3(32), the Adult Education Office will be re-opening the demonstrated effectiveness eligibility screening process. Starting on the morning of Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. PDT and ending Friday, October 28, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. PDT, the online application portal (located at the bottom of this page) will be available for new applicants. Applicants that have already submitted demonstrated effectiveness data need take no further action.

Applications submitted and timestamped after 5:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, October 28, 2022 will be considered late. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the instructions on all five pages of the Eligibility Screening carefully. The page navigation is displayed on the left hand side once inside the portal and includes: Agency Information, PIN Assignment, Demonstrated Effectiveness Year One, Demonstrated Effectiveness Year Two and Review. After all of the required data have been entered, applicants should look for an attestation and a green box with the words “I Accept” on the bottom of the Review page. Accepting the required certification will display a green button with the words “Submit Application”. Applicants must click this button in order to submit their Eligibility Screening. If successful, applicants will receive a display screen with the words “Complete - Your Applicant Eligibility Information was submitted to the California Department of Education on Date/Timestamp”. If this confirmation is not displayed, applicants have not successfully submitted their application. A confirmation email will also be sent to the applicant that includes the contact information, pin and Eligibility Screening information.

Review Process

The Applicant Eligibility Information is now closed

If you have any questions contact your representative at the California Department of Education.

Applicants must receive a passing score on the following two sections before they are allowed to complete the application. Agencies who do not pass both sections may not apply for funding.

  • Is the applicant an eligible provider?
  • Has the applicant demonstrated effectiveness?

Each application will be reviewed to determine whether it meets the standard of demonstrated effectiveness. Applications that do not provide sufficient evidence of demonstrated effectiveness will be eliminated from the competition.

Eligible Provider

An organization must be considered an eligible provider to receive federal adult basic education funding. An "eligible provider" is defined as an organization that has demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult education and literacy activities. These organizations may include, but are not limited to:

  1. local education agencies;
  2. community-based or faith-based organizations;
  3. volunteer literacy organizations;
  4. institutions of higher education;
  5. public or private nonprofit agencies;
  6. libraries;
  7. public housing authorities;
  8. nonprofit institutions not described in (a) through (g) of this section that have the ability to provide adult education and literacy activities to eligible individuals;
  9. consortia or coalitions of agencies, organizations, institutions, libraries, or authorities described in (a) throught (h) of this section. (NOTE: All agencies applying as a consortium or a coalition must reside withing the boundaries of one of the 71 regional community college district service areas established under the California Adult Education Program [CAEP]);
  10. partnerships between employers and entities described (a) through (i) of this section. (WIOA, Title II, Section 203(5); 34 CFR 463.23)

Demonstrated Effectiveness

An eligible provider must establish that it has demonstrated effectiveness through performance data on its record of improving the skills of eligible individuals, particularly those who have low levels of literacy. This must be demonstrated in the following content domains:

  • reading,
  • writing,
  • mathematics,
  • English language acquisition, and
  • other subject areas relevant to the services contained in the state's application for funds.

An eligible provider must also provide information regarding its outcomes for participants related to:

  • employment,
  • attainment of secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and
  • transition to postsecondary education and training (34 CFR §463.24).

An eligible provider may meet the requirements in one of the following two ways:

  1. An eligible provider that that has been previously funded under AEFLA must provide performance data required under Section 116 to demonstrate effectiveness in areas listed above. (See Demonstrated Effectiveness Data, Table 1)
  2. An eligible provider that has not been previously funded under AEFLA must provide performance data to demonstrate effectiveness in serving basic skills deficient eligible individuals, including evidence of its success in achieving outcomes listed above (See Demonstrated Effectiveness Data, Table 2)

NOTE: For applicants applying as a consortium, each member of the consortium must provide performance data to demonstrate effectiveness.

The Applicant Eligibility Information is now closed

If you have any questions contact your representative at the California Department of Education.