nova-logo-final2

AEBG Annual Plan: 2018-19 61 Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

Adult Education Block Grant : Annual Plan : 2018-19 Produced: Jan 16, 2019, 9:08 PM UTC Nancy Miller

61 Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
In preparation for the new three year adult education plan, Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium (SCAEC) members participated in a strategic planning session and a Stakeholder’s Meeting in order to solicit information about how to best serve shared constituents. This was necessary, as the firestorm that engulfed the community in October 2017 has changed priorities for many agencies. Housing, food and job insecurity due to the loss of over 5,300 homes, 700 non-residential buildings and 600 businesses has stretched the resources of local agencies and has impacted student retention and completion. The fires also impacted employment for construction and trades that must be addressed for the county to recover emotionally and economically. Keeping this in mind, the Oversight established some broad long-term (3-year) goals, as well as short-term goals for the current academic year. Our long-term goals include: 1. Expand or deepen partnerships with Community Based Organizations, School Districts, and local governments to better serve students in closer proximity to home 2. Develop and implement non-credit and adult school online course offerings for high school diploma/equivalency, ESL, and Career Education 3. Facilitate collaboration and articulation between SCOE and Petaluma Adult School with SRJC to increase matriculation to post-secondary education and non-credit certificate completion 4. Align sequencing of adult school computer instruction with SRJC to increase non-credit certificate completion 5. Expand construction and trades related training options through the development, approval and implementation of new courses and certificate programs to meet Rebuild Sonoma County efforts 6. Identify and implement continuing professional development for faculty, staff and administrators of adult education and non-credit programs aligned with the seven program areas 7. Establish a deeper connection with north bay and bay area consortiums to increase awareness of opportunities for students throughout the region and provide a greater support network of resources to our consortium partners The SCAEC is a direct-funded partnership. Each agency has allocated funding based on the services their agency provides and in keeping with the overall Regional Plan for Adult Education. To this end, the Oversight Committee identified nine key areas of focus for the 2018/19 academic year: 1. Maintain and support ESL, HSD/HSE, and family literacy programs 2. Expand Workforce Preparation and Career Education industry area offerings to align with regional workforce need 3. Establish and utilize Community Pro software to connect agencies to provide wrap-around services 4. Recruit and hire qualified testing technicians to assist with data collection through the CASAS pre and post testing process 5. Regularly schedule Outreach Specialists at existing education/resource centers to assist students with work/school transitions 6. Develop a process to continue to collect data on gaps in service provision, and provide an updated needs assessment by June 2019 7. Provide professional development, as well as resource information, to instructors on barriers to student engagement, retention and completion that include, but are not limited to the following topics: housing, food and transportation insecurity; child and elderly care; addiction and mental health issues; and domestic abuse 8. Establish a north county hub with space to possibly include a family resource center The Oversight Committee also reflected upon the accomplishments of the SCAEC for the 2017/18 academic year: 1. Petaluma Adult School expanded the HSD program into Sonoma Valley and Santa Rosa with over sixty high school graduates. 2. SCOE implemented the Intro to Construction course in Santa Rosa and Sonoma to immediately address training needs for construction workers post-fires. One hundred students have completed the fifty-hour course. 3. Strengthened partnerships with La Luz and Job Link to provide wrap-around services to students in the Construction courses. 4. Established a multi-media presence for SCAEC using several social media platforms, print materials and radio advertising. 5. Established the SCAEC website in August 2017 (English/Spanish) to provide general information a
Regional Planning Overview
The Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium started community engagement for the updated three-year plan in May 2018. Community engagement will consist of a series of Stakeholder meetings that will both bring all potential partners to the table in one room, as well as provide forums for subgroups to discuss in more detail the specifics of what is needed/required for each service provision area under the Adult Education Programs funding legislation. Community engagement will occur for the next six to eight months, then the focus will switch to the Oversight Committee to take the input and formalize it into a comprehensive three year plan. The first strategic planning meeting of the Oversight Committee took place in June 2018, where the year one plan was discussed, as well as how we would go about developing the three-year plan. In addition, we have nurtured critical relationships with the Workforce Development Board and the Economic Development Board, which have provided data and feedback on training and support service gaps in the community that could potentially be addressed through Adult Education partnerships. We are using local Economic Development state of Sonoma County reports that were updated after the wildfires in October 2017 to respond to changing needs for the local workforce and address lingering holes in employment training for our community. We will also better engage our Office of Institutional Research regarding student retention and completion data, particularly in comparison to like Consortium and Colleges. The main difference in how we are forecasting for the second regional plan is that we have financial data to understand what we can afford to offer or address each year of the plan, and build in more efficiencies to sustain current programs.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Gap 1: High School Diploma/Equivalency Sonoma County still has thirteen percent of the population who does not have a high school diploma according to CDE and Economic Development data. Petaluma Adult School is the single provider of high school diploma courses for the county. Located in the southern-most part of the county, these courses are not accessible for residents of central and northern Sonoma County. Expanding services into these areas will provide greater access and flexibility for students. In addition, SRJC provides HSE preparation programs in both English and Spanish. These courses have been run as open labs, but the college will be transitioning to a managed enrollment model to promote student retention in short-term courses, as well as accelerate learning and HSE achievement.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Specific data regarding graduation rates was gathered using the California Department of Education DataQuest tool and state of Sonoma County reports created by the Sonoma County Economic Development Department. During the initial needs assessment done to create the original three-year plan, Stakeholders identified a greater need for high school diploma courses located in areas other than Petaluma within Sonoma County. And while there were many opportunities to take high school equivalency preparation courses or self-study, less than twenty percent of students who started in Open Lab programs attended regularly or reported passing HSE tests, according to records kept by the SRJC College Skills Department. The non-credit ESL Department at SRJC adopted a managed enrollment model for several of their High Beginning and Low Intermediate ESL courses, which increased the frequency of instructional delivery (4 days/week) while shortening the number of weeks the course was in session ( decrease from 17.5 to 8). Attendance and academic gains increased in the managed enrollment sections as compared to the Open Entry-Open Exit sections.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students enrolled in the program, the number of students who regularly attend class, the number of students making academic gains while enrolled in HSD/HSE programs, and the number of students receiving HSE or HSE certifications.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Gap 2: Construction and Trades Employment Due to the recent fires in northern California, there is a need to train and employ at least 3,000 more workers in this industry area. SRJC, in conjunction with the Economic Development Board is planning to build a regional construction/trades training and employment center on the Petaluma campus of SRJC to address the lack of training facilities in Sonoma County and to bring a consistent training program to the area to address employment needs. Currently the Sonoma County Office of Education is the single provider of programming for construction trades. The agency ran five sections of construction during the 2018 calendar year, training 125 participants. The Consortium needs to expand capacity and variety of training by increasing the number of sections offered during the year and diversifying the types of programs offered. Now that the non-credit construction and landscaping certificates have been approved, SRJC will offer eight new courses for the certificates to supplement the construction training program offered through SCOE.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
According to the California LMI, there is a gap of about 3,600 trained workers annually in all jobs related to construction and the trades in the North Bay region. This was indicated prior to the Tubbs and Atlas fires in 2017. From 2012-2017 Construction and Trade workers was the fastest growing industry sector in Sonoma County with 44.3% growth. In addition, a post-fire economic recovery analysis indicated that the region will need to build in excess of 7,000 residential structures to replace homes lost in the fires and build enough housing to maintain local economic stability and growth. From 2012-2017, the County of Sonoma/City of Santa Rosa had only permitted construction for 250 residential dwellings per year, according to Planning Department documents. This is also the number one initiative in the Strategic Sonoma Action Plan adopted by the County of Sonoma in 2018.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students enrolled in construction/landscaping courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students achieving industry certifications, and the number of students who receive non-credit certificates. We will also track employment for students who complete the single Construction course through SCOE and the short term career training certificates through SRJC.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Gap 3: Small Business Development Small businesses make up close to ninety percent of commerce in Sonoma County according to the 2017 Economic Development Report. With a growing immigrant population, small business and entrepreneurship is the main avenue to economic growth and stability. Working with several Community Based Organizations and the Economic Development Board, students will learn how to plan for and operate a successful small business, while gaining access to local start-up funding. SRJC is the single provider of courses in Small Business Development. The courses are offered in English and Spanish. The Consortium plans to rotate where the courses are offered to provide greater access to non-credit programming for residents who cannot enroll in credit based programs at the college for a variety of reasons.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Sonoma County 2017 Economic Development Report, Strategic Sonoma Action Plan 2018 priority clusters and economic diversification.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students enrolled in small business development and management courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students who receive non-credit certificates, and the number of students who receive additional small business support services through the Economic Development Department, or partner financial institutions in the area of microloans, small business mentoring, joining local chambers of commerce, etc.

Regional Need #4

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Gap 4: Computer Skills Most school districts have transitioned to online registration and student information reporting. While data regarding computer access and familiarity was not available, local school districts indicate a need to train families in the use of computers and software to engage with their child’s school and district. In addition, most businesses rely on workers with computer skills to engage with the public, track inventory and transactions, and complete common workplace tasks. The Consortium has developed two non-credit certificates for computer literacy for students to gain skills that will allow them to participate in the educational environment as well as seek jobs or promotional opportunities that require competency in computer operations. Currently, all three service providers offer computer courses in a limited capacity. SRJC has the most offerings with nine courses and three non-credit certificates. Locations for the programs rotate through the county to provide greater access for residents. Students have indicated more interest in the program with the advent of non-credit skill certificates.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Computer skills training gaps were identified by K-12 partner district staff and faculty who noticed a lack of participation in planning and reporting processes under LCFF, and difficulty with some parents registering their children for school using an online only system.
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students enrolled in computer literacy courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students who receive non-credit certificates, and the number of students who transition from single course non-credit programs into the non-credit certificate programs. The Consortium may receive anecdotal information regarding parent engagement in school systems through computer based access.

Regional Need #5

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
According to a 2017 report on Hispanic Demographic Trends in Sonoma County, the Hispanic population is growing in Sonoma County to 26.3% of the county’s population as of 2015. While lower than the State average of 38.8%, Sonoma County has the largest Hispanic population in the North Bay region. Of this population, 20% said that they either did not speak English at all, or did not speak English well. At the same time, Hispanic enrollment in the K-12 school districts in Sonoma County doubled since 2000, to 44%. The gaps in student achievement in third grade reading proficiency indicate the need for parents and grandparents to have access to programs for English literacy to assist their children in succeeding in school. Only 30% of Hispanic students met or exceeded the reading standard for third grade, while their White counterparts had 60% of participants meet or exceed the standards. It is imperative that we keep non-credit ESL programs located throughout Sonoma County, many at elementary schools, to support immigrants in their acquisition of English language, not just to support academic success for the next generation, but to have more access to living wage jobs and promotional opportunities in the community.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Economic Development Board Hispanic Demographic Trends Report for 2017
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Effectiveness will be measured by the number of students enrolled in non-credit ESL courses, the number of completers in each course, the number of students making literacy gains in CASAS testing, and the number of students who transition from non-credit programs into credit coursework. The Consortium may receive anecdotal information regarding parent engagement in school systems through member reporting.

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Retain and expand access to High School Diploma/Equivalency and ESL courses. The Consortium plans to retain offerings in ESL and HSD/HSE throughout Sonoma County. The HSD/HSE program expanded in 2017/18 with two new satellite locations for the Petaluma Adult School diploma program, so it is imperative to ensure that local school districts and partner agencies know about the locations of the services and refer students to the programs. Expanded awareness of programs through social media platforms and partner meetings is one strategy for stabilization. The other is to work directly with local school districts to transition students who are at risk of not completing the traditional high school path into the adult education diploma program to increase chances of obtaining a diploma. The other is to offer IET programming that will combine HSD/E or ESL courses with a career training program so that students can learn in a contextualized fashion while preparing to enter the local workforce.
Strategy #2
Expand Partnerships with Business and Industry, as well as Community Based Organizations to support Construction and Building Trades Training Programs. Program expansion is needed for construction programs, but that will require decreasing offerings in other areas due to funding caps. The construction program currently runs in two locations. We plan to expand the type of courses offered and the number of locations for the programs. There has been some difficulty hiring qualified instructors for the programs, as most of the local contractors are engaged in rebuilding Sonoma County efforts. Consortium staff is working with local agencies to recruit and hire instructors for the various specialty areas in trades and construction.
Strategy #3
Diversify program offerings for Introductory Career Skills. SRJC has received approval for 85 courses and 20 certificates for the non-credit adult education department over the past fifteen months. Many of the new certificate programs were created for high need employment areas in health care, hospitality, construction/trades and child care. At this time, the programs must be rotated each semester, rather than having all of the programs offered at one time, due to budget reductions at the college. SRJC hopes to increase capacity over the next few years.
Strategy #4
Utilize Data to Inform Instructional Practice, Student Support and Program Development. Now that the Consortium has hired a Data and Accountability Manager, we are receiving regular reports on student enrollment, retention, completion, literacy gains, employment, etc. We would like to use this information along with demographic and economic reports to update the Oversight Committee members, Department Chairs, Faculty, and Managers of the impact of Adult Education programs and services in the community and the opportunities to be developed to fill gaps in services through a change in practice or the creation of new programming.

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Informational Sessions: SRJC, through the Outreach Specialists and Non-credit Counselors, will provide information to students in Petaluma Adult School, Sonoma County Office of Education, and SRJC Adult Education, ESL and College Skills courses information regarding credit programs into which non-credit students can transfer to continue their education. Programs will include, but are not limited to ESL, high school equivalency, career education, and other workforce development courses. Informational sessions will include how to apply to and enroll in credit courses, financial aid, scholarships, how post-secondary education credentials improve employment opportunities and school tours.
Strategy #2
ESL transition courses: An ESL transition course at SRJC that prepares students for the rigors of college level coursework has been developed and implemented to support students through the transition to credit and transfer-level courses.
Strategy #3
Articulation agreements between Consortium service provider agencies will be developed and implemented to encourage students to complete all coursework associated with non-credit career certificates, in order to transition to credit level coursework and certificates.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
The consortium has implemented contextualized basic skills courses in English and math that are part of career certificates in workplace preparation, construction, landscaping, small business development, hospitality and restaurant services. Students in these courses are CASAS tested to measure competency gains.
Strategy #2
Both ESL and College Skills departments at SRJC have implemented or will implement managed enrollment courses to accelerate student completion of basic skills in English language acquisition and other general education requirements to pass high school equivalency examinations. Managed enrollment shortens the amount of time it takes to complete a regular preparation course (17.5 weeks down to 8 weeks).
Strategy #3
SCOE Basic construction courses are offered in a variety of course lengths from 3 weeks to 12 weeks to complete the sixty hour course. Students are then encouraged to complete the additional sequence of courses for the career certificate at the SRJC.

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
The Sonoma County Consortium will provide specialized training for areas of critical need in contextualized course development and integrated curriculum for all consortium instructors. Training will be provided by SRJC instructors and other consultants.
Strategy #2
Regional trainings offered through the adult education programs TAP will be utilized to inform and train instructors and classified personnel on AEP data and accountability requirements and program development for the consortium.
Strategy #3
Faculty and classified staff will attend national conferences such as COABE, NCWE, CCCAOE, and other state or national organizations that provide training and support to adult education service providers.
Strategy #4
SRJC has developed a career certificate that will provide training and assistance to industry professionals that desire to become adult education instructors. There are five required courses and three electives to train potential instructors in adult education populations, instructional pedagogy, and other requirements related to teaching in adult education programs.

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
The Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium actively works with the local Workforce Development Board and Job Link organization to provide programs and services to WIOA eligible clients. This includes career training, workforce preparation, intensive English language for the workplace training, and other services provided through the Job Link network.
Strategy #2
SRJC is actively working with the Economic Development Board, the Sonoma County chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the North Coast Builders Exchange, and the Sonoma County CTE Foundation to implement a comprehensive construction, building trades, and landscaping training programs to support Rebuild Sonoma County efforts after the 2017 wildfires. Programs will include multiple methods of construction such as pre-fabrication, using green products, photovoltaic panel installation, HVAC, water/wastewater technician, Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing, and pre-apprenticeship programs. This also includes an EDA/FEMA grant to build a construction training and employment facility on the Petaluma campus of SRJC for use by all consortium members, with a built-in transition from non-credit ot credit and integrated ESL/HSE programs.
Strategy #3
The SCAEC is actively working with the credit Career Education and Economic Development Department to develop Strong Workforce program opportunities in Construction/Landscaping, Culinary/Hospitality, and Small Business Development as defined in the post-fire Recovery Plan developed by the Economic Development Board.
Strategy #4
SRJC is working with the Economic Development Board on a grant opportunity that will provide free computers and low-cost internet to students who complete certificates in computer literacy. We will also be working with local CBO's such as Corazon Healdsburg to identify eligible participant and support them through program completion. This proposal also includes staffing an open computer lab to provide more access to adult education students at strategic locations throughout the county.
Strategy #5
The SCAEC is developing a relationship with the Sonoma County Human Services Department to provide better access to adult education resources for clients receiving services through the county. This includes the formerly incarcerated population.

Fiscal Management

A narrative justifying how the planned allocations are consistent with the annual adult education plan which is based on your AEBG 3-year plan.
Each service providing agency of the Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium has vetted their assigned programs through the Oversight Committee to ensure that programs and expenditures for the programs are consistent with the adopted budget for Regional Consortium. The annual plan for 18-19 is a continuation of the original three year plan adopted by the Consortium in 2015.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2018-19.
All carryover funding will be expended in accordance with the original plan for the funds, which matches the annual and three year plans adopted for the Sonoma County Adult Education Consortium for years 2015 through 2019.

Certification

Petaluma Joint Union High School District, Member Representative

Approved by Nancy Emanuele

2019-01-16

Santa Rosa City Schools, Member Representative

Approved by Nancy Miller

2019-01-16

Sonoma County CCD, Member Representative

Approved by Jessica Pardoe

2019-01-14

Sonoma County Office of Education, Member Representative

Approved by Jeanine Thibeau

2019-01-09

Sonoma Valley Unified School District, Member Representative

Approved by Sydney Smith

2019-01-11

Windsor Unified School District, Member Representative

Approved by Nancy Miller

2019-01-16