ADULT PROMISE:
ALLI BELL
THREE ARROWS UP CONSULTING
DESIGN TEMPLATE
NOVEMBER 2019
SHEEO ADULT PROMISE: DESIGN TEMPLATE
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© 2019 by the State Higher Education Executive Ocers Association (SHEEO)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................3
The Power of a Promise: Implications and Importance of Adult Promise Programs.......................... 4
Design Checklist ....................................................................................................................................................5
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................17
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© 2019 by the State Higher Education Executive Ocers Association (SHEEO)
INTRODUCTION
Since 2016, the State Higher Education Executive Ocers Association (SHEEO), with generous
support from Lumina Foundation, has been working with states to explore establishing “promise-
type” aid programs for adult students (adult promise programs).
The pilot phase of SHEEO’s adult promise work included five states. SHEEO is currently working
with 15 states to implement adult promise programs through 2020. These states include Arizona,
California, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington.
Adult promise programs are programs that:
This design template is intended for states, regions, localities, and institutions that are interested in
developing promise programs for adult learners. It provides a checklist for those designing adult
promise programs and includes examples and specific items to consider as those programs are
being designed. The information and concepts presented here should also be useful for those
looking to improve adult learner success in postsecondary education outside of the promise
program framework. This design template is intended to be used alongside the resources available
on SHEEO’s Adult Promise website.
Although this document focuses on state levers and strategies for designing adult promise
programs, these programs can be implemented by and require buy-in from a wide variety of
stakeholders. With this in mind, we have oered a streamlined document that can easily be
translated and adapted for a variety of audiences and uses. When using this design template, it
is important to acknowledge that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to developing these
programs. Each state, region, locality, and institution is dierent, and context matters. To that
end, we urge you to consider this design template as a series of helpful suggestions and topics to
consider, rather than a step-by-step playbook.
We hope the suggestions, guidance, and information in this design template help those developing
adult promise programs.
• Promote a simple, transparent message that postsecondary
education is aordable for adult learners.
• Make a financial commitment to adult students through
leveraging aid from all available sources. Commit to fill in
the gaps where needed to cover tuition and fees.
• Establish and support programs and services that are
tailored to the unique needs of adult students and will help
them succeed in postsecondary education.
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THE POWER OF A PROMISE
IMPLICATIONS AND IMPORTANCE OF ADULT
PROMISE PROGRAMS
SUMMARY
Read the full white paper
SHEEO began work on its adult promise project in 2016 to help address the gap between the
need to reengage and improve postsecondary outcomes for students over 25 years of age
and the interest among policymakers at the time in creating promise programs for traditional-
age students. This gap existed even though adult students make up nearly 40 percent of the
undergraduate population and are a critical group for states looking to meet their educational
attainment and economic goals. Since SHEEO first began this work, that gap has started to narrow,
and momentum for adult promise programs has increased.
Although there are many dierent examples of adult promise programs, each unique to a state’s
context and needs, these programs have three common characteristics.
There is a simple, transparent message that postsecondary education
is aordable for adult learners.
A financial commitment is made to eligible participants, leveraging
aid from all available sources. This commitment includes filling in the
gaps as needed to cover tuition and fees.
Support programs and services are provided to help adult students
succeed in postsecondary education.
Adult promise programs have the potential to increase adult student enrollment and retention.
However, careful design and messaging are critical to the success of these programs, which are
not without criticism. Most of the criticism argues that while promise programs are politically
powerful, they are often not the most eective nor economically ecient means for helping
disadvantaged students with the most financial need. And a promise made is not always a promise
kept. In other words, any promise program must be funded suciently to meet its commitments.
Even with their challenges, the political feasibility of adult promise programs means they will
continue to be developed. Through intentional program design, these programs can promote
equity and provide the supports and services that adults need to help them succeed.
The 43 states
1
with ambitious postsecondary attainment goals will need to close equity gaps and
increase the number of adults with a postsecondary credential to achieve those goals. An adult
promise program can be a framework to align, leverage, and support existing and new eorts to
increase adult student success.
1. https://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/aiming-for-equity-a-new-resolution-for-statewide-degree-attainment-goals
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DESIGN CHECKLIST
States and others looking to develop adult promise programs can use the following design
checklist to ensure that they have thought through the major considerations. The items in this
checklist are not intended to necessarily be completed sequentially. On the following pages, we
present more detail for each item on this checklist, including:
Survey landscape and need, conduct policy audits (Page 6)
Before designing an adult promise program, states must first understand, and be
able to describe, the need and context unique to their state.
Engage stakeholders and earn their buy-in (Page 6)
Buy-in from a wide variety of stakeholders is critical for the success of adult
promise programs.
Program Design
• Program parameters (Page 9)
• Financial resources (Page 10)
– State-based financial aid
– Institutional aid and tuition waivers
– Emergency financial aid
– Employer-based aid
– Debt forgiveness
– Childcare
– Integration of other government benefits and aid programs
• Supports for student success (Page 12)
– Mentoring
– Navigators
– Credit for prior learning
– Degree maps
– Structured scheduling
– Availability of evening and online courses
– Alternative instructional delivery
– Extended hours for support services
Develop strategy and outreach for reengaging adult learners (Page 13)
Estimate program costs (Page 14)
Establish program evaluation strategy (Page 15)
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SURVEY LANDSCAPE AND NEED
A critical first step for states setting up an adult promise pilot program is to review, understand, and
establish the landscape with respect to the adult population. State SHEEO agencies can do so by
analyzing data from internal and external sources and reviewing past eorts and initiatives to serve
adult students. A survey of the landscape should:
Review existing data sources to measure the magnitude of need
and build support for adult promise programs
States must understand the needs and opportunities to serve adult students. Reviewing existing
national and state data sets can help identify where supports are most needed and how resources
can be most eectively used. This information can be used to help create stakeholder buy-in and
a sense of urgency to meet degree attainment challenges.
States can look to a number of data sources to begin their survey of the landscape.
Lumina Foundation’s A Stronger Nation provides national and state-level
postsecondary attainment data pulled from the American Community Survey. A
Stronger Nation provides national, state, and county-level degree attainment data
for people ages 25-64. It also provides degree attainment data by race and ethnicity
for people ages 25-64 at the national and state levels.
States can also use data from the National Student Clearinghouse, Complete College
America, and the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) to glean information
about how well colleges are serving students and what kinds of supports are available
to students. Finally, states should look to their own longitudinal data systems.
Analyze existing policies
States should conduct a policy review to see whether or not state and institutional policies are
aligned with the needs of adult students. For example, is a state’s financial aid program limited
to full-time students only? If so, can it be altered to provide aid to part-time students since
adult students may need to attend part time due to work and family commitments? As another
example, will institutional policies regarding outstanding debt or unpaid fees deter adult students
from returning to complete their credentials? If so, can a debt-forgiveness or forbearance policy
be implemented to eliminate this barrier?
Review past eorts
A review of past eorts and programs intended to improve adult student completion rates
can help states to understand which strategies have been successful and which have not. States
should seek to learn all they can from past eorts and use these lessons to strengthen the
design of future eorts.
Establish benchmarks
Benchmarks for evaluation should be established and based on the demographics of each
state’s population and institutions. States should also work to establish common measures
across their programs. To establish a baseline, a state might start with current students in a
comparable population (e.g., adults over 25 with some prior credit before enrolling at their
current institution). How many students are in this population? Are certain demographics
over- or underrepresented? Use credit completion, graduation rates, and cost-per-credential for
those students as baselines from which to assess the pilot program.
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DATA SOURCES FOR LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS
MEASURING THE MAGNITUDE OF NEED
American Community Survey State population-level education level
and attainment
www.census.gov/programs
Lumina’s A Stronger Nation
state reports
Attainment by age and race/ethnicity strongernation.luminafoundation.org
National Student Clearinghouse Student migration and completion out of state www.nscresearchcenter.org
Complete College America data set Progress and success metrics for adult students www.completecollege.org
State-level data systems Detailed information on student population N/A
UNDERSTANDING POLICY ALIGNMENT
SHEEO’s Strong Foundations Capabilities and weaknesses of state data systems www.sheeo.org
CLASP’s Benefits Access
for College Completion
Interactions between government benefits www.clasp.org
NASFAA's Student Aid Perspectives Interactions between government benefits www.nasfaa.org
Education Commission of the States State policy scans, state-federal partnerships,
financial aid redesign
www.ecs.org
REVIEWING PAST EFFORTS
State or governing board policies Review policies for alignment with adult
student needs
Various
WICHE's Non-traditional No More Determining the "ready adult" population www.wiche.edu/ntnm
IHEP's Project Win-Win and
Degrees When Due
Awarding retroactive degrees and capturing
near completers
www.ihep.org/research
Competency-Based Education
Network (CBEN)
Examples of practices to more eectively serve
adult students
www.cbenetwork.org
Past eorts in appropriate states Understanding lessons learned from past eorts
to serve adult students
N/A
ASSESSING PILOT SITES
Lumina’s A Stronger Nation
state reports
Attainment by county strongernation.luminafoundation.org
IPEDS Institutional
Characteristics survey
Availability of services for nontraditional
students per institution
www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter
ESTABLISHING BENCHMARKS
State-level data systems Detailed information on student population
and success
N/A
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ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS AND EARN THEIR BUY-IN
Strong adult promise programs, regardless of the specifics of their design and structure, will need
the buy-in and support of a wide variety of stakeholders. This will include state policymakers,
institutional and system leadership, and the general public. There are two main essential reasons
to involve stakeholders. First, engaging a wide variety of stakeholders can ensure that the program
design is strong and will address the needs of both the state and the students it intends to benefit.
Second, engaging stakeholders is an eective way to earn their support, without which programs
will tend to falter and fizzle.
Some considerations for states:
Engage a broad cross section of stakeholders throughout the process of exploration,
development, and implementation of adult promise programs. These stakeholders include:
At institutions
• Adults students
• Student aairs sta
• Academic aairs sta
• Financial aid administrators
• Faculty
In the state government
• Higher education sta
• Key legislators
• Governor’s sta
• Education agencies
• Social service agencies
In the private sector
• Chambers of commerce
• Local foundations
• Business/industry
representatives
• Advocacy organizations
Depending on the specific circumstances of the state and the goals of the program, there
may be other types of stakeholders who should be engaged in conversations around adult
promise programs.
Provide clear and concise information about the state’s adult student population, including
disaggregation of demographic information, in addition to workforce development circumstances.
Every state is unique and has a distinct set of challenges, opportunities, needs, and concerns.
Emphasize philanthropic support for states committed to increasing degree attainment. Adult
promise program development eorts will be strengthened through the illustration of support
from the philanthropic community that includes businesses and well-regarded local foundations.
Advance programs that serve the unique needs of the state and its citizens. States have varying
needs, interests, and priorities in addition to diversity among their citizens. There are best practices
and systems for determining what’s in the best interest of states, but one size does not fit all.
Advancing a program that best fits the state will encourage stakeholder buy-in.
Establish a sense of urgency for the adult promise program. For most states, reaching adult
students is crucial to achieving educational and economic attainment goals, and without a sense
of urgency, a sense of urgency, transformative change is unlikely to happen.
2
2. Kotter, J.P. (2007). Leading change: Why transformation eorts fail. Harvard Business Review, January 2007.
Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2007/01/leading-change-why-transformation-eorts-fail. Only available by subscription.
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PROGRAM DESIGN
There are several dierent considerations when it comes to designing an adult promise program.
These fall into three main categories:
1. Program parameters;
2. Financial resources; and
3. Student supports.
SET PROGRAM PARAMETERS
For transparency and clarity, adult promise programs need to have clear parameters in terms
of student and institutional eligibility. This is especially true as these programs will rely on
limited funds.
Student eligibility parameters should be clear descriptions of who is eligible for the program and
what they need to do to maintain eligibility. The specific student characteristics and behaviors that
states might consider are in the table below.
OPTIONS PROS CONS
AGE
All independent students
(determined by FAFSA)
Proxy for most students with
nontraditional circumstances
Many younger, independent students are
still eligible for state aid programs geared
to traditional students.
25-49
Easy to collect data on
the 25-49 population
(standard metric)
May be too broad. Is a 25-year-old facing
the same concerns as a 40-year-old?
25+
Provides opportunities
for adults of all ages
Limited ROI and workforce value for older
adults in the upper range
INCOME
No limits
Inclusive, easy message
to market/promote
Significant cost where it might not be
necessary
Portion above Pell
(i.e., 150%, 200%)
Supports more students with
low income
Cost is higher than a stricter income limit
Eligible for Pell based on
income
Limits pilot tuition and
fees costs significantly
Excludes middle class families, working
students, those with exhausted Pell
PRIOR
CREDIT
No prior credit required
More equitable for students
regardless of past
Cost
Require prior credit
(e.g., 1 semester, 1 year,
75% of degree)
Prior personal interest
and commitment, states may
have had prior
financial investment
Excludes students without the resources
to attend any college
TIME OFF
If requiring prior credit,
include time-o limitations
(e.g., 1 to 5 years)
Necessary for some college
no degree population;
previous investment
May encourage current students to stop
out in order to qualify
ACADEMIC
ABILITY
No limitation Increases access Lower retention, higher cost per degree
Require passing score
on placement exams
Focuses funding on students
who are academically
capable
Excludes remedial students and those
who have been out of school for a while
Prior postsecondary work
GPA 2.5/3.0 or above
Works for students who
have prior credit, ensures
academic capability
Barrier for students with extenuating
circumstances, incompatible for students
with no prior credit
SPECIAL
POPULATIONS
Target certain populations
(military, unemployed,
receiving benefits)
Focuses help for a specific
population of interest
Challenges with outreach and making
progress toward attainment goals
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Institutional eligibility parameters should clearly describe which institutions participate in the
program. Is it all public institutions? Only two-year institutions? Specific, named institutions? It is
important to be clear about which institutions are eligible so there is no confusion for potential
program participants.
OPTIONS PROS CONS
INSTITUTIONAL
SECTOR
No limits on institution type Higher degrees are also needed for
the workforce, includes four-year
stop-outs, makes clear adult success is
a priority of higher education system
Complex admissions, eligibility
questions for transfer students
Two-year institutions only Lower cost, easy admission process Low graduation rates, excludes many
stop-outs, causes under-matching
ADDITIONAL
COURSES
Certificate programs Including certificates helps meet
attainment targets and many are tied
to workforce needs
May not provide long-term ROI
for students
Remediation, non-degree Removes entry barriers for many
students
Cost, low completion rate, longer
time to ultimate degree or certificate
INTENSITY
No requirements for intensity Very inclusive May increase the time it takes to
earn credential
Term-based credit
requirement (e.g., at least 6
credits or 12 credits)
Higher intensity correlates with higher
retention and graduation rates
May overload working students
or students with family obligations
Year-long credit requirement
(i.e., summer enrollment or
24 credits per year)
Increases student choice and flexibility
while maintaining progress
May exclude students who cannot
remain enrolled through the summer
AREA
OF FOCUS
No limits on major Allows greater flexibility for varied job
opportunities, serves more students
Weakens connection between funding
and fulfilling workforce needs
Limit to high demand majors
for workforce or STEM fields
Clear and definable incentive and
goals, potential connections with
workforce
Prerequisites create barriers,
other degrees are important for
economic vitality
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
One of the major components of any adult promise program is the financial resources it commits
to adult students. States should leverage as many dierent financial aid sources as possible in their
adult promise programs. Potential financial resources available include:
• State-based financial aid. Existing state financial aid programs may be used
to fund adult promise programs. States should engage in conversations about
which state financial aid resources will be available to students. Additionally,
states should ensure that their financial aid programs are inclusive of
adult learners.
• Institutional aid and tuition waivers. In addition to state financial aid, institutions
can use their aid sources to provide financial assistance to adults, even outside
of statewide initiatives. For example, Purdue University oers Span Plan, an aid
program targeted at adult students.
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• Emergency financial aid. Setting aside resources for one-time, sudden,
unexpected expenses that would otherwise cause adult students to stop out
can increase student success. Many institutions are oering some type of
emergency aid program. See, for example, Cal State Los Angeles’ program.
In addition to encouraging emergency aid programs, states can help
communicate the availability of such funds.
• Employer-based aid. Many employers across the nation are oering tuition
reimbursement and other types of financial aid to their employees. Return on
investment for these types of programs is high,
3
and states could leverage these
types of partnerships in adult promise programs. Several examples of successful
employer partnerships that provide tuition reimbursement or other types of aid
to students can be found here.
• Debt forgiveness. Outstanding debt may be a large factor in the reluctance of
adults with some college but no degree to attempt college again. This barrier
goes beyond student loan debt and could include fees and charges such as
parking tickets or outstanding registration fees from their previous experience
on a college campus. Participating institutions in an adult promise program
should be strongly encouraged (if not required) to forgive minor campus debts
and provide counseling about refinancing/restructuring options for student
loans and/or other more substantial debts in order to support a student’s return.
Wayne State University’s Warrior Way Back program is an excellent example
of a creative debt forgiveness program which allows returning students to
have their outstanding institutional debt forgiven as they successfully complete
coursework over a three-semester time frame.
• Childcare. Childcare is a barrier to postsecondary success for adult students
in two ways. First, childcare is expensive, and the financial burden makes it
dicult to work toward a credential. Second, children in a daycare setting often
become sick, requiring their parent to “drop everything” and remove the child
from care. This reality means that employers and higher education institutions
must be flexible to accommodate the parent’s needs; however, most are not.
States designing an adult promise pilot program should diligently work to
address the needs of adult students with dependent children.
• Integration of other government benefits and aid programs. The promise
of free tuition and fees will go a long way toward making college aordable
for adult students. Still, there are other costs associated with attending
college, such as housing, food, and transportation. States can leverage other
financial resources available, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
to help low-income adults better aord college.
3. Lumina has done a series of reports on this, available here: https://www.luminafoundation.org/employer-engagement
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SUPPORTS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
A number of specific student supports have been eective at increasing student persistence and
success. Many of these have been integrated into states’ adult promise programs and have proven
successful for reengaging adults and ensuring their success.
• Mentoring. Adult students are likely to have had less experience with higher
education, or enough time will have passed since their prior attempt that they
will return to a dierent and unfamiliar environment. As Indiana discovered
during the design phase of their adult promise program, many adults with some
college but no degree are frustrated from their prior attempt. A good mentor
can help students address their frustration and concern while they move
through their chosen program(s).
• Navigators. As a more intensive way to provide mentoring, some programs have
established navigators to help students succeed. For example, adult learners
who reenroll in one of the four participating Minnesota State colleges that
participate in MN Reconnect are provided navigators to help them overcome
barriers such as managing academic and career planning, scheduling, tutoring,
and accessing emergency financial assistance. These navigators are education
professionals and provide intensive, one-on-one guidance.
• Coaching. Similar to mentors and navigators, coaches can help students
throughout the process of applying, reenrolling, and completing their
degree. The coaching relationship provides a structured way to help students
throughout their education. Many states have taken an innovative approach
to provide coaching to students—outside of advising services at institutions
themselves. For example, in Idaho, adult learners in underserved rural counties
can access such services at community libraries.
• Credit for prior learning. Credit for prior learning, such as through prior learning
assessment (PLA), awards college credit for past experiences relevant to the
student’s field of study. There are several types of PLAs, including exams,
portfolios, and credit equivalencies (see, for example, ACE-CREDIT). When
these credits are applied toward a degree (rather than simply elective credit),
credit for prior learning can help reduce a student’s time to degree.
• Degree maps. An adult promise program should enable participants to choose
their certificate or degree programs and develop degree maps that lay out
the courses and sequencing of the entire program of study. The resulting
transparency and clarity help students understand what to expect and plan out
their course of action, resulting in better outcomes.
• Structured scheduling. Block schedules and year-round enrollment help
adult students plan more eectively and balance their coursework with life
commitments.
• Alternative instructional delivery. Another way to provide flexibility and reduce
the time it takes for adult students to complete their degree programs is
to utilize alternative instructional delivery methods. For example, classes
taken through blended instructional delivery or in back-to-back blocks and,
potentially, on nights or weekends would reduce transportation time to and
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from the campus. Given that many adult students will be a number of years
out from an academic setting, the likelihood of remediation is high, and
placing these students into modified remediation programs can reduce the
time it takes to be ready for college-level work. The opportunity to take classes
online may provide additional flexibility for adult students and enable them
to do coursework when they have available time (e.g., after their children have
gone to bed).
• Extended hours for support services. Adult students may benefit from block-
scheduled courses delivered during evening hours or on weekends. Such a
schedule allows students to balance their course work with employment hours
and also reduces the amount of time spent commuting to and from campus.
However, the benefit of such a schedule is lost if students have to come to
campus during normal business hours to meet with an advisor or to pay a
bill, for example. Institutions participating in an adult promise program should
ensure that the hours that student services, advising, financial aid, and other
administrative oces are open align with these students’ schedules.
DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR REENGAGING ADULT LEARNERS
For an adult promise program to be successful, states must find eligible adults and get them to
enroll in the program. This involves marketing and outreach to eligible adults and addressing the
lack of accessible data on these potential students.
Much of the prior work geared toward improving the success of adult students in postsecondary
education has focused on the subpopulation with some college but no degree. With this population,
there may be institution-level data available that can be used to contact these potential students
and encourage them to return to postsecondary education; however, contact information from
a student’s prior enrollment is often not up-to-date. Prior state eorts to reconnect with these
potential students often have hit roadblocks.
STATE EXAMPLE: COMPLETE 2 COMPETE
In 2017, Mississippi launched Complete 2 Compete (C2C), a statewide eort to encourage
adults who have some college but no degree complete their college education. All of
Mississippi’s eight public universities and 15 community colleges participate. In designing
their program, Mississippi relied on the lessons and best practices of other state adult
reengagement programs. Adults apply to the program, are connected with a coach who
guides them through the process of requesting transcripts and maximizing credits, and
eventually either enroll to earn remaining credits or are awarded a degree if they are eligible.
For those who need to enroll to earn additional credits, there is a C2C grant to help make
college more aordable. To date, 1,291 degrees have been awarded through C2C and
1,090 students are currently enrolled.
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For the broader adult population without a degree, targeted outreach is even more dicult.
States that decide to focus an adult promise pilot program toward all adults without a credential
(regardless of prior credit) are likely to have minimal data available from which to target outreach.
In lieu of contact information, these states may need to rely on public service campaigns and
social media platforms to promote the opportunity. It is critical that the message of the public
service campaign is eective and targeted in a manner that resonates with those adults without a
postsecondary credential.
STATE EXAMPLE: YOU CAN. GO BACK.
Indiana’s “You Can. Go Back.” campaign began in early 2016 with a series of core messages
meant to encourage adult students to go back to college. These messages came from
Indiana’s work with focus groups, where they learned that adults with some college but
no degree did want to graduate in order to make more money, have opportunities for
advancement, realize personal goals, and provide a better life for their families. However,
lack of time, work and family commitments, lack of money, and indebtedness contributed to
their hesitation to return to college. Further, focus group participants indicated they were
negatively impacted by their past experiences and were reluctant to try again and the
adults who did want to return were confused and did not know where to go to get started.
ESTIMATE PROGRAM COSTS
Estimating the costs of an adult promise program requires considering many moving parts.
The student and institution eligibility parameters will have the largest impact, but existing state
grant programs, the income distribution of the population, and tuition costs will also impact the
bottom line. While additional program components, like mentoring and childcare, may add to
the program cost, the initial cost estimation should focus on costs associated with the “promise”
scholarship component (tuition, fees, emergency fund, etc.). In addition, states should consider
selecting institutions that already have many supports, like mentoring, flexible scheduling and
prior learning assessment, in place.
In estimating the costs of the program, states should consider which institutions students are likely
to attend, their enrollment intensity, the income distribution of students, costs associated with
attending college, student costs that could be covered by federal financial aid, reasonable student
contribution, and other sources of revenue that could be leveraged.
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CONSIDERATION FOR STATES: HOW MUCH CAN A STUDENT
REASONABLY CONTRIBUTE?
In an adult promise program, there can be a reasonable student contribution expectation.
The student’s portion of the cost of attendance should not be more than they can be
expected to contribute from working a reasonable number of hours while enrolled at an
institution. The following questions can help determine what that number is:
1. How many hours can adult students work each week?
2. What is the take-home pay for a minimum wage earner in the state?
3. What is a reasonable cost of living in the state?
4. Can students reasonably pay for their cost of living with the monthly
income calculated above, or will they need additional funding?
ESTABLISH PROGRAM EVALUATION STRATEGIES
To continue to keep support for adult promise programs, and to illuminate potential areas for
improvement in such programs, states should have an evaluation strategy for their programs.
Evaluation of adult promise programs should address four broad policy questions:
1. Are students in the program progressing at higher rates than students in the
baseline group?
2. Are program participants completing credentials with value? While there is
widespread interest in identifying “high quality” or “high value” credentials, a
national consensus definition of those terms has yet to emerge. States should
determine how to define “credentials of value” in their particular context.
Considerations might include:
– Do the credentials produced align with state economic
development priorities?
– Are graduates of the promise program more likely to gain
and retain employment than those in the baseline group?
– Are students’ wages higher after participation in the program
than before participation? Are their wage outcomes higher than
those of the baseline group? Are their wages higher than adults
who do not enroll in college?
3. Is the promise program benefitting underserved students? Promise programs
should be evaluated with an “equity” lens. States should examine how progress
and completion rates within the program vary by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and
income status, and determine if the promise program ameliorates any previously
existing achievement gaps. Additionally, states should evaluate whether students
at all levels of preparation (not just those who are most prepared or nearest
completion upon entry) benefit from the program.
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4. What is the return on investment for the program? States should track their
financial investments in the program and compare costs per credential for
program participants with those of the baseline group. Is the per capita cost
of the program lower than the per capita cost of support programs for
adults who are not in college?
While the vast majority of these evaluation questions can be addressed using existing state
unit record systems, states should consider whether a robust evaluation of the pilot will
require implementing additional data collection or partnering with other agencies. These eorts
might include:
• Qualitative assessment of adult students’ support needs and participants’
satisfaction with the pilot program,
• Data collection on student and academic support availability and use, and
• Data-sharing agreements with state financial aid or workforce agencies.
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CONCLUSION
This design template provides some information and action steps for states interested in designing
and implementing adult promise programs. It should be considered a starting point for states
to use as a conversation and a road map. In addition to the resources provided herein, many
resources and examples are available on the SHEEO Adult Promise website.
Every state is unique, but states are nonetheless similar in their need to ensure citizens are
educated at levels necessary to compete in a global, knowledge-based economy. Degree
attainment of its adults impacts a state’s ability to compete for business and promote overall
economic development. As organizations seek to hire employees with content expertise, they also
assert the demand for other critical skills, including problem solving, teamwork, communication,
and conflict resolution. Adult promise programs meet potential students where they are and
provide opportunities for them to pursue higher education in environments that recognize the
value of their life experiences. Adult promise programs leverage a student’s previous learning in
the process of acquiring new knowledge and skills that contribute to the growth of individuals,
families, organizations, communities, and the country.
SHEEO is privileged to work with states committed to increasing degree attainment levels while
providing opportunities to create pathways that improve the quality of people’s lives. We have a
team of policy sta dedicated to this work and eager to support your eorts throughout the adult
promise program process, including implementation and evaluation.
