LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The U.S. Education Department (ED) is encouraging community colleges to tap federal assistance that is designed to help students who don’t have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
The Higher Education Act’s Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) provisions are an underused tool to help get adults without a high school diploma on a path to access federal student aid. Colleges interested in tapping ATB will have to become familiar with new ED regulations on the program. New guidance on those regs will come out soon, prior to July 1, when the regs kick in, said Erin Burg, a community college program specialist at ED, during a session at AACC 2024.
Berg noted the program serves an option to create of pool of eligible workers to help rapidly meet local workforce demands.
Three options
To qualify for student aid under ATB, students have three options:
- Test Alternative: Passing an independently administered ATB test approved by ED, such as Accuplacer.
- Credit Alternative: Completing at least six credit hours or 225 clock hours that are applicable toward a Title IV-eligible degree or certificate offered by the postsecondary institution.
- State-Process Alternative: Completing a state process approved by the department.
Through this, a state-level body — such as the governor’s office or community and technical college board–has the state act on its behalf to ask ED to approve a list of designated colleges to provide an ATB path. Currently, six states have this option: Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin.
Career path requirement
Since 2015, ATB students must enroll in an eligible career pathway program (ECPP) while also being enabled to complete their high school credential in order to receive Title IV aid, which is why ATB is sometimes called “dual enrollment for adults,” Berg said.
So what qualifies as an ECPP? According to a slide presentation by Berg, the program must combine rigorous and high-quality education, training and other services that:
- Align with the skill needs of industries in the learner’s state or region.
- Prepare an individual success in a range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including registered apprenticeships.
- Include counseling to support an individual in achieving the person’s education and career goals.
- Include education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
- Organize education, training and other services to meet the particular needs of an individual in a way that accelerates the learner’s educational and career advancement to the extent practicable.
- Enable an individual to attain a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and at least one recognized postsecondary credential.
- Help an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
New regs
New regulations will update ATB in two main areas: ECPP definition and documentation requirements, and the State Process application and reporting requirements, Berg said.
Here are some key aspects of the new regs pertaining to career pathways:
- Colleges will need to show that their ECPPs meet new documentation standards.
- A school that does not yet offer an ECPP for ATB must have its first ECPP approved by ED before offering it or any other ECPP via ATB.
- A college that already offers an ECPP with ATB will need to have one of its ATB ECPPs approved by ED.
- In addition, all schools will need to attest that any other ECPPs they offer for ATB meet the documentation standards outlined in the regulations.
Additional information on ATB requirements for ECPPs are available in an ED Dear Colleague Letter.
Details on the state process
Much of the ATB session focused on the State Process, since it has new elements. For example, for a state to have a State Process approved by ED, the state must submit the following information:
- List of every postsecondary institution in the state that will participate in the State Process.
- Provide a brief overview of the requirements that participating institutions must meet to offer ATB through the State Process.
- Provide a brief overview of student eligibility criteria for participation in the State Process.
- Certify (include a statement) that all ECPPs in which a student can enroll and receive Title IV aid meet the documentation requirements.
Berg said that the initial State Process application must include a certification that the withdrawal rate for each postsecondary institution listed for the first time on a state’s application does not exceed 33%. It also must certify that the state will enroll no more than the greater of 25 students or 1% of enrollment at each participating institution during the initial two-year approval. This cap would not apply to subsequent periods of approval or prevent the colleges from enrolling additional ATB students using the credit or test alternatives.
Which ATB option or options a college may likely use often comes down to resources. If a college has a program that aligns itself to easily do the test alternative, that may be the faster and simpler option, Berg said. If a college has funding to help students earn the six credits — such as a local employer kicking in funds — that may be easier option. For colleges with limited resources, the State Process may provide the best “bang for the buck” to get learners about quickly.
Examples from the field
Berg noted that many community and technical colleges have developed integrated, contextualized programs, such as I-BEST and Integrated Education and Training programs (IETs), which successfully support ATB students to completion. In the I-BEST programs, basic skills instruction is contextualized into the career and technical content, with adult education and technical instructors co-planning and co-teaching, which allows students to achieve their education and employment goals faster, she said.
During the question-and-answer part of the panel discussion, several attendees expressed interest in the program but noted they hadn’t previously participated because they either were not aware of ATB or they found the process too cumbersome and needed guidance. For example, colleges’ student aid officers often weren’t clear on the documentation requirement for career pathways.
But a focus on finding a potential pool or workers for available local jobs — coupled with new guidance to clarify documentation for the program — may bring aboard more colleges.
