As a result of the ReThink VR Performance initiative, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) committed to establishing a workgroup of Federal and State representatives with data or program expertise to identify how to use data to best tell the story of the success of the VR program and identify areas for continued evaluation. The workgroup is also charged with developing and distributing tools and information that State VR agencies may use to help assess VR program performance using data that is already being collected. RSA is pleased to announce the establishment of the RehabData Workgroup.
The Workgroup will:
- Analyze VR data in the context of its relationship to WIOA performance measures, other VR program measures, and success of the VR program;
- Develop tools/metrics that State VR agencies may use to gauge performance and to help make the data user friendly and relevant to all VR professionals; and
- Assist RSA in identifying what data RSA can provide, on a regular basis, to all State VR agencies to help assess and inform decisions related to service delivery and performance of the VR program.
The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB) assisted RSA with selecting the following Workgroup members:
- Rachel Anderson, WINTAC (randerson@ndi-inc.org)
- Bill Colombo, Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MI-G) (colombob@michigan.gov)
- Scott Dennis, Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services (MD-C) (scott.dennis@maryland.gov)
- Natasha Jerde, Minnesota State Services for the Blind (MN-B) (natasha.jerde@state.mn.us)
- Adam Leonard, Texas Workforce Commission (adam.leonard@twc.state.tx.us)
- Kristen Mackey, Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration (AZ-C) (kmackey@azdes.gov)
RSA is represented on the Workgroup by:
- Suzanne Mitchell (suzanne.mitchell@ed.gov)
- Chris Pope (christopher.pope@ed.gov)
The Workgroup convened just before the CSAVR/NCSAB Fall 2019 Conferences and has met several times over the past two months to develop priorities and a workplan. The Workgroup will meet in person in February of 2020 to identify meaningful data measures that best tell the story and capture the vision and performance of the VR program. It also plans to share a few projects with the field in the months leading up to the CSAVR/NCSAB Spring 2020 Conferences. The Workgroup’s first project will pertain to Measurable Skill Gains data reported in Program Years 2017 and 2018. There will be opportunities for State VR agencies and other stakeholders to provide feedback on the Workgroup’s projects before and during the upcoming conferences, especially related to defining successful performance and measures the Workgroup identifies as valuable.