WSIN26-18, issued September 29, 2026, tells California Local Workforce Development Areas how Program Year 2025 WIOA performance will be assessed. It points Local Areas to federal TEN 03-26, identifies the indicators and overall scores that count for PY 2025 assessment, and confirms that Effectiveness in Serving Employers will not be used to determine performance or nonperformance this year.
Source checked October 3, 2026 · CURRENT CALIFORNIA GUIDANCE · PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY · Official source ↗ · AI-assisted
WDB decision strip
| Status | Action | Primary owners | Key period | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISSUED GUIDANCE | VERIFY PY 2025 PERFORMANCE EXPOSURE | WDB Leadership + Program + Performance / Data | PY 2025 assessment | Adult · DW · Youth · Wagner-Peyser performance |
The bottom line
WSIN26-18 does not create a new performance formula. It tells Local Areas which PY 2025 measures are actually in the assessment frame and confirms that California will calculate Local Area performance in alignment with TEN 03-26. For WDBs, the practical task is to know which indicators can drive a finding of performance or nonperformance, reconcile local results against the applicable calculation rules, and avoid treating Effectiveness in Serving Employers as a scored PY 2025 assessment measure.
What changed
| Assessment item | PY 2025 treatment | WDB implication |
|---|---|---|
| Employment Rate — 2nd Quarter After Exit | Subject to performance assessment across the core programs identified in the notice. | Local Areas should treat this as an active scored outcome for PY 2025. |
| Employment Rate — 4th Quarter After Exit | Subject to performance assessment. | Exit-cohort quality and follow-up outcomes remain part of the accountability picture. |
| Median Earnings — 2nd Quarter After Exit | Subject to performance assessment. | Earnings outcomes remain an active performance signal, not only placement. |
| Credential Attainment | Individual indicator scores apply where identified, but the related Overall State Indicator Score is not used in the PY 2025 performance determination. | Boards should distinguish an individual program indicator from statewide aggregate-score treatment. |
| Measurable Skill Gains | Subject to performance assessment for the programs identified in the notice. | Active-participant progress continues to matter alongside post-exit outcomes. |
| Effectiveness in Serving Employers | Not factored into PY 2025 determinations of performance or nonperformance. | Employer-service data can remain useful operationally, but it is not a scored PY 2025 assessment measure under this notice. |
Operational considerations for WDBs
- Reconcile the scorecard before the state calculation arrives. Compare local program outcomes with the indicators identified in WSIN26-18 and TEN 03-26.
- Separate indicator scores from overall scores. The assessment rules do not treat every aggregate score the same way.
- Use WSD20-02 for the California calculation method. WSIN26-18 expressly points Local Areas back to California’s existing performance/nonperformance methodology.
- Do not over-weight the employer measure. Effectiveness in Serving Employers is not included in PY 2025 determinations of performance or nonperformance.
- Connect this notice to PY 2026-27 negotiations. PY 2025 results are backward-looking, but the pattern can help boards understand where continuous-improvement work is most useful under the next negotiated goals.
Required / local choice / good practice / watch out
| Label | How to apply it |
|---|---|
| Required | California must assess WIOA performance, and the state will calculate Local Area performance for PY 2025 in alignment with TEN 03-26 and applicable state guidance. |
| Local choice | Boards may decide how to structure internal dashboards, corrective-action monitoring, and management reviews around the scored indicators. |
| Good practice | Maintain a plain-language crosswalk showing each scored indicator, local result, negotiated target where applicable, adjusted performance result when available, and any operational response. |
| Watch out | Do not assume that every measure shown on a dashboard is included in the federal/state performance determination for PY 2025. |
Source + Trust Record
| Primary authority | EDD WSIN26-18 — WIOA Performance Accountability for Program Year 2025 |
|---|---|
| Federal companion | Workforce Wonkery — TEN 03-26 |
| Current status | ISSUED SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 |
| Source checked | October 3, 2026 |
| What we verified | EDD identifies the PY 2025 indicators and scores subject to performance assessment, states that Effectiveness in Serving Employers will not be factored into performance or nonperformance determinations, and states that California will calculate Local Area performance in alignment with TEN 03-26. |
| Important limitation | This brief summarizes the assessment frame. Local Area determinations depend on the applicable performance calculations and state/federal source records. |
Official sources control. Workforce Wonkery is AI-assisted and does not receive human legal or compliance review. This brief separates source facts from Workforce Wonkery operational interpretation.
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