A study examined whether the state and federal performance standards for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs have influenced Service Delivery Area (SDA) and service provider decisions about program design and implementation practices in ways that have affected the clients served, the types of services provided, and the costs of the services. Only a few SDAs appeared to give priority to their performance goals at the expense of other program objectives. A great deal of variation was found in the way states have chosen to use their authority to establish JTPA performance standard policies and to set priorities for the types of clients served. States that established target groups for JTPA programs did influence SDAs to enroll more hard-to-serve clients. There was no evidence to suggest that federal standards for the entered employment rate and wage rate for adults generally had unintended effects on clients or services. On the other hand, federal cost standards did have a number of unintended effects and were the least comparably measured of all federal performance measures. (This report includes general recommendations for national, state, and local policies and specific performance management recommendations pertaining to six areas. Thirty-five data tables are included.) (MN)