Policy Chapters and Sections

Assessment Process and Requirements

Chapter: 4 Section: 4
Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Expiration Date: Continuing
Published Date: 7/24/2026 3:00:33 PM
Status: Current
Version: 14

Tags: Basic Skills Deficiency, Eligibility, Assessment, Eligibility

  1. Assessments are an important part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I services because they allow Career Planners to collect information in a one-on-one setting about a customer’s interests, skill levels (including literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency), aptitudes, abilities (including skills gaps), challenges, and supportive service needs. Assessments also capture information such as work history, educational attainment, income, and family status, which supports early conversations about career services and training needs.
  2. Assessments are used to support career exploration, training decisions, and employment placement, and they establish a baseline that allows progress and outcomes to be measured over time.
  3. The assessment process may include a combination of methods, such as intake conversations and informal observations made during the in-person Getting Started Assessment (GSA), as well as career planning discussions and formal assessment tools while developing the Universal Career Plan (UCP). Using both informal and formal approaches provides a more complete understanding of customer needs.
  4. Assessment results help guide the development of a UCP. These plans connect customer goals with appropriate services and support successful employment outcomes.
  5. In Illinois, assessment conversations are structured through prompts and tabs within the Illinois Workforce Development System (IWDS) 2.0. These prompts gather information about a customer’s work experience, career goals, education level, and household situation, including income, financial stability, housing status, and family needs.
    1. The assessment conversation also serves as a barrier screening by addressing areas such as criminal background, transportation and childcare access, digital literacy, and disability.
    2. These Career Planner-led conversations complement assessment tool results by capturing details about customers’ personal and family circumstances that influence career goals.