Produced: Aug 23, 2024, 05:07 PM UTC - By Yvonne Rodriguez
2024-25
Plans & Goals
- Executive Summary
"We connect education and workforce training to create family-sustaining careers." The Tri City Adult Education Consortium is dedicated to aligning our actions with this mission. To effectively serve our communities, we are operationalizing our mission through regional collaboration and fostering community and employer partnerships.
This year, our goals are to implement a regional approach to identify educational needs, give access to support services, enhance student services, expand CTE offerings and grow partnerships. We plan to coordinate outreach, revamp orientations, and launch a regional customer relationship management system to streamline our intake process, monitor outcomes and improve data collection and sharing.
With the ELL Healthcare Pathways Grant, we can build on previous plans to align Curriculum & Instruction, add ESL Career Pathways, and improve Data Collection & Reporting measures. To reach these goals, we will renew service contracts, curate resources for students and educators that align with ESL curriculum, increase allied health VESL courses, expand employer partnerships, and improve data reporting in the Hallmark of Success platforms.
Our vision is to enhance infrastructure to fully support our mission as we plan to serve our students holistically, providing a data-driven ecosystem of support. Our region is comprised of underserved Latino and African American communities with 17.7% of Compton, 16.1% of Lynwood, and 13.4% of Paramount populations lived below the poverty line in 2018–2022, higher than 12.5% national average. An average of 72.6% of households speak a language other than English and 23.46% residents have an educational attainment level less than the 9th grade.
The new website launch led to a 90% increase in online engagement: with interest in CTE and ESL programs. Paramount Adult School and Compton College were selected for the CAEP National Briefing on High-Impact Practices to share best practices that contribute their program effectiveness. Compton Adult School (CAS) began a VESL Information Technology/ESL course with Compton College. We began a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) cohort for the first time at CAS in 15+ years; 5 of 8 received certification; 100% employed pre-cert. Of the 34 truck driving students trained, 32 received licenses and we have 77% employment rate, 100% student satisfaction rate, 87% licensure last 5 years. MC3 - Multi-Craft Core Curriculum class yielded 28 of 31 completers receiving industry certification: 26 gaining industry related employment. Paramount Adult School (PAS) has expanded its collaboration with Compton College to offer day and evening cosmetology courses. ESL courses are full and waitlisted and student services staff visit the campus to enroll students in healthcare VESL classes. Five students were recognized at graduation for completing the medical terminology and personal care attendant program. Lynwood Community Adult School earned WASC accreditation and celebrated its 70th Anniversary with staff, students, community members, and partners. ESL classes are fully enrolled, and the first cohort of 13 co-enrolled students completed the for-credit Child Development Program at Compton College. A first, CTE students joined our graduation ceremony; 15 CTE, 33 HS diploma, and 22 GED HiSET graduates. The LVN graduation and pinning ceremony featured 23 students ready to enter the workforce. Our first Engineering SolidWorks completer, who attended the self-paced program three days a week and passed the Certified SolidWorks Associate exam with a perfect score of 100%. Compton College hosted the first Tri City Day where 72 students from all campuses came together to learn about career pathways, resources, take a tour, and meet student services staff. We held a Career and Adult Ed Awards Ceremony for our CTE and noncredit completers; symbolizing the collaborative event envisioned by the Consortium in our Three-Year Plan. We offered another short-term career preparation program cohort of Careers for a Cause (C4C). This time, we integrated our ESL noncredit courses to offer the C4C instruction combined with the ESL curriculum. With 22 completers, outcomes include ESL students earning noncredit job readiness certificates, direct job placements, transitions for nontraditional students. Our EMT program has been approved, and we plan a noncredit curriculum for an ELL healthcare pathway.
Funding allocations are consistent with our Three-Year Plan, with funds allocated from the Fiscal Agent to Members based on Board approved activities/projects. Members report progress and expenditures quarterly to the Board, invoice the Fiscal Agent for the total spending amount and the Fiscal Agent releases funds in monthly distributions that coincide with the State's monthly release of funds. Allocations and carry-over funds are used for Professional Development and curriculum alignment.
- Regional Planning Overview
The Tri City Adult Education Consortium’s Three-Year plan will be implemented through collaboration and focused alignment between each Member institution. The Consortium will continue to hold regular Board meetings and study sessions and participate in a collaborative process of identifying gaps in service delivery and innovative opportunities to expand CTE programs. The Members will attend CAEP workshops, webinars, and community of practice convenings to hear and share best practices as well as stay abreast of compliance and deliverables. We will continue to assess member effectiveness through surveying the Executive Board, faculty, and staff; implement an annual SWOT analysis to further develop our strategic plans; and organize a series of regional professional development activities. In addition, we will engage our individual advisory boards to convene a regional advisory board to share best practices and industry insights that will help us customize career pathways and prepare our adult learners for academic and employment success.
From a regional approach, we review data sources and compare to the actionable areas to determine where gaps still exist and align systems/processes as appropriate. We will continue to build out a new strategy of helping learners engage in work-based learning to ease the transition into the workforce and earning stackable certificates in our CTE programs to include our ESL students and VESL courses. By utilizing a learn and earn model the Tri City Adult Education Consortium endeavors to onboard learners towards a viable future in high-demand career areas.
In addition, we will forge community and industry partnerships designed to connect student to supportive services and resource that assist in removing barriers to education and employment, thus enhancing student services. We will use a continuous improvement approach to monitor effectiveness and survey students as well as internal and external partners.
We plan to coordinate strategic marketing and outreach through print and digital media as well as utilizing our new website to seamlessly funnel students toward the most appropriate institution to meet their needs and engage our community members. This strategy will increase awareness, educational access and employable skills gains for the region. This work will also be accomplished through aligning strategic community and employer partnerships with brand recognition on our sites and contracting with an agency to provide better print-based and digital marketing to help display our newly aligned curriculum and programs highlighted within Tri City.
Enhancing our student services will begin with a revamp of student orientations, deploying student services staff to each adult school campus monthly, collaborating with our local workforce boards and creating MOUs and data sharing agreements, offering more student-centered events, and the launch a regional customer relationship management system to streamline our intake process, monitor outcomes and improve data collection and sharing between campuses and community partners.
Further, we will renew service contracts with our project manager and Professional Subject Matter Expert – Curriculum and Instruction, curate customized resources for students and educators that align with ESL curriculum, increase allied health VESL courses, expand community and employer partnerships, create platforms to highlight student success, increase student centered events throughout the region and improve data reporting in the Hallmark of Success platforms.
We will continue to collaborate as we prioritize Outreach & Recruitment, Transitions, Career Pathways, Curriculum & Instruction Alignment, Professional Development, and the solidification of the Employability skillset.
Meeting Regional Needs
Regional Need #1
- Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Tri-City Consortium enrolled 4,230 participants in the 2019-2020 school year. We used a three percent increase in metrics to determine participant growth over the next three years. As a result, we anticipated our participant number increasing to 4,632 in the 2024-2025 school year. Our Low Literacy student barrier yielded 3,787 in 2019-2020. We anticipate growing that number to 4,137 in the 2024-2025 school year. Since then, we experienced a significant decline due to the COVID 19 pandemic and enrolled 2,729 in 2020-2021. Data on the Adult Education Pipeline show that we enrolled 3,945 in 2021-2022. We are striving to reach our pre-pandemic forecast by addressing our low literacy student barrier.
In our region, the majority of adults we serve fall within the age range of 18 to 64 and primarily identify as Hispanic/Latino. The next significant demographic group is African American adults within the same age bracket. According to the US Census, in this underserved community, 17.7% of Compton, 16.1% of Lynwood, and 13.4% of Paramount populations lived below the poverty line in 2018–2022, higher than 12.5% national average. An average of 72.6% of households speak a language other than English and 23.46% residents have an educational attainment level less than the 9th grade. According to the most recent CAEP Fact Sheet, our 2022 adult population is 221,254 with 95,731 foreign born, 41,876 have limited English, and 68,961 have no high school diploma. It is worth noting that a substantial portion of the population we serve has access to both computers and internet services. Data shows that more than half of the residents in Compton, Lynwood and Paramount have completed high school and are actively participating in the labor force. According to the June 2024 Labor Market Information report, our region's top industries are retail, hazardous waste treatment and disposal, school districts, healthcare and manufacturing.
- How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
The data sources referenced contributed to supporting and assessing the Consortiumʼs needs in relation to regional alignment and current workforce services being offered. Tri City analyzed multiple websites, including the Adult Education Pipeline LaunchBoard, Labor Market Information (LMI), CAEP Fact Sheets, U.S. Census data, PIAAC Skills Maps, Table of Consortia Counties Living Wage data, California Workforce Development Research Analysis, the Employment Development Department and the Center of Excellence website. We also assessed our communities and used both forms of data to surface the gaps that arose. In addition, one method of identifying gaps has been feedback from surveys. Current students complete annual customer service, satisfaction, and student information surveys which allows us to collect some data in real time.
- How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
We will measure effectiveness by analyzing and comparing data from the same resources where gaps were identified: analyzing municipal websites, the Adult Education Pipeline LaunchBoard, Labor Market Information (LMI), CAEP Fact Sheets, U.S. Census data, PIAAC Skills Maps, Table of Consortia Counties Living Wage data, California Workforce Development Research Analysis, the Employment Development Department and the Center of Excellence websites.
Members prioritize the Adult Education metric of decreasing students’ barriers through their focus on accelerating student completion at low literacy levels, expanding CTE offerings, introducing students to college through gatekeeper classes or co-enrollment VESL classes, and offering robust supportive services on campus or through community partners. In addition, we will continue to survey students, members and partners to gauge our progress toward reaching the required enrollment, transitions and employment outcomes effectively.
Members have recently completed needs assessment surveys and self-evaluations to assess their effectiveness individually and collectively. As previously stated, we will use regional data to identify remaining gaps. We have started facilitating work-based learning to ease the transition to the workforce, collaborating with industries for internships, and supporting entry into college-level and career-oriented coursework. These transitions fuel industry growth through inclusion and access in our underserved communities.
Regional Need #2
- Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
According to the most recent CAEP Fact Sheet, as of 2022, our region's adult population is 221,254 with 95,731 foreign born, 41,876 have limited English, 68,961 have no high school diploma. 11,222 are unemployed, 52,388 are living near poverty and 30,276 are adults with disabilities. This data reveals our demographic has multiple barriers to education and employment as well as significant need for supportive services.
- How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
Data informs where we place priority on actionable areas. We employ various methods to pinpoint service gaps, including state-reported data, surveys, asset mapping tools, and transitions outcome data, particularly for pathways from adult schools to college or careers. Reviewing and analyzing our institutional data related to enrollment, the estimated family contribution indicated on the FAFSA, categorical program participation and student services data for support service accessed and early alerts for academic performance also provides insight to the depth of our students' needs.
U.S. Census data underscores the significant presence of residents lacking high school diplomas or GEDs, immigrants seeking English language skills and citizenship, and individuals living below the poverty line within our region. Our institutional data is derived from annual surveys distributed to current students via email, available in both English and Spanish. We gain valuable insights from our students through digital customer service and student information surveys. Additionally, a third-party marketing contractor has contributed additional findings by surveying a sample of students who left the program before completion.
Asset mapping tools help us identify community resources that staff, and students perceive as valuable or utilize. Assessments conducted on campuses and placements of adults seeking education and workforce services provide additional means to identify service gaps.
Furthermore, our members engage in annual needs assessments and self-evaluations to assess their effectiveness, both individually and as part of the Consortium. This ongoing assessment process ensures that we remain responsive and adaptable to the evolving needs and challenges within our community. As indicated above, the region primarily consists of underserved communities facing multiple barriers to education and employment. These challenges persist due to limited access to essential resources.
- How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
Tri City AEC is working collaboratively to bridge these gaps in service and access to supportive services. We are expanding our course and program offerings to ensure that access to supportive services directly correlates with workforce preparation, student success, and placement in rapidly growing industry sectors, enabling individuals to earn a living wage.
To effectively measure progress, we will employ data-driven methods (comparing data at set intervals), including:
- Quarterly Surveys: Implement surveys to identify and address gaps in real-time.
- Employment Follow-up Surveys: Distribute surveys to exiting CTE and Adult Education program students at 90-day, 180-day, and 365-day intervals.
- Data Collection: Gather feedback from students, staff, and Consortium Members, community and employer partners, local workforce boards comparing it to previous quarters and program years. Data will also be collected and analyzed from our regional CRM and curated student academic resource provider.
- Website and Social Media Polls: Use our website and social media platforms to gauge satisfaction relating to accessing supportive services.
- Board Meetings: Discuss necessary changes, even incremental ones, during Board meetings and advisory meetings.
- Asset Maps: Identify community resources available to overcome barriers.
- Community-Based Organization Surveys: Survey community-based organizations for satisfaction and effectiveness.
- Support Services: Each partner school will increase support services, including counseling, goal planning, tutoring, technology training, and agency presentations. These services will be monitored and reported in our data collection metrics.
- Data Sharing Agreements: Create agreements with employer and community partners for comprehensive data sharing.
- Comprehensive Data Analysis: Analyze combined data on student success, retention, transitions, and job placements to prioritize regional goals.
- Local Indicators: Use institutional data on enrollments, retention, job placements, transitions, learning outcomes, certifications, and degrees awarded.
- Digital Indicators: Consider student engagement, access to services, and results from stop-out surveys and employment surveys.
Improve Effectiveness of Services
2024-25 Strategies
Improve Integration of Services & Transitions
2024-25 Strategies
Strengthening Partnerships
Activity that Applies to this Strategy
Increase Partnerships with Local Businesses
Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy
- Student Barriers: Low Literacy (AE 311 - Overall)
As employer and community partnerships are secured, we will engage our individual advisory boards to convene a regional advisory board to share best practices and industry insights that will help us customize career pathways and prepare our adult learners for academic and employment success. For the success of our students, it is imperative that we foster relationships with organizations that offer resources that reduce barriers to employment and education. We also plan to partner with employers that contribute to our students' professional development, can give insight on the industry standards for training as well as offer immediate placement.
Members will increase our partnerships to host student-centered events including career fairs, education fairs, health fairs and regional events such as Tri City Transition Day. Implementation strategies for this program year include using our asset mapping tool as a foundation for strengthening employer connections. We will also create regional access to job leads through a web-based platform where employers can advertise positions and job placement data can be collected and reported for future quarters following completion. The goal is to reduce barriers and provide learners with high-demand career opportunities through an array of career pathways.
Address Educational Needs
2024-25 Strategies
Increase CTE Pathways for Students
Activity that Applies to this Strategy
Increase Support Services for Students
Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy
- Student Barriers: Low Literacy (AE 311 - Overall)
To address and overcome barriers, we coordinate efforts to provide supportive services, educational resources and provide clear pathways to quality education and sustainable careers. Members prioritize the Adult Education metric of decreasing students’ barriers through their focus on accelerating student completion at low literacy levels, expanding CTE offerings, introducing students to college through gatekeeper classes or co-enrollment VESL classes, and offering robust supportive services on campus or through community partners.
Fiscal Management
- A narrative justifying how the planned allocations are consistent with the annual adult education plan which is based on your CAEP 3-year plan.
The planned funding allocations are consistent with the annual plan. Increased leveraged funds will support the development of additional pathways and CTE training. Partnerships between Adult Schools and Compton College as well as industry sector specialists will create seamless transitions to postsecondary schools and the workforce. Building partnerships with local businesses will be supported because funding will go towards operating and maintaining various Advisory Boards, hiring for Job Coach/ Job Developer positions, Case Managers, tutors, regional technology and training, additional counselors, additional staff and purchasing or developing materials. Stronger support services will be plausible with new leveraged funding because multiple contractors will be hired to design and provide new consumable materials such as physical course catalogs, view books, and visual production of campus maps for the virtual tour.
- An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2024-25.
The carry over expense summary is accurate as determined in the May 2, 2024 Executive Board Meeting. The remaining carry over funds will be used to pay out contracts for marketing, project manager, regional customer professional development and professional expert to lead systems alignment.
Certification
Compton CCD - Member Representative
Lynell Wiggins - Director of Adult Education and Workforce Development
- lwiggins@compton.edu
- (310) 900-1600 ext: 2753
Compton Unified - Member Representative
Doi Johnson - Principal
- dojohnson@compton.k12.ca.us
- (310) 898-6470
Lynwood Unified - Member Representative
Shamell Wilson - Co- Principal
- swilson@mylusd.org
- (310) 603-3096
Paramount Unified - Member Representative
Yvonne Rodriguez - Principal
- yrodriguez@paramount.k12.ca.us
- (562) 884-9550
Patricia Tu - ptu@paramount.k12.ca.us
- (562) 602-6021
Christina Choi - cchoir@paramount.k12.ca.us