CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Jul 28, 2024, 05:20 PM UTC - By Kelly Schelin

12 Contra Costa Adult Education Consortium
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2024-25

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

Overview

In accordance with California Adult Education Program (CAEP) requirements, the Contra Costa County Adult Education Consortium (CCCAEC) has developed its 2024-2025 Annual Plan to guide the implementation of adult education services during the 2024-2025 period. This Annual Plan is directed by the Consortium’s CAEP-required 2022-2025 Three-Year Plan.

Consortium Overview

The CCCAEC is made up of 12 members that include seven K-12 adult education centers, three community colleges, one representative from the Contra Costa Community College District, and one representative from the Contra Costa Office of Education, as listed below:

K-12 Adult Education:

  • Acalanes Adult Education
  • Antioch Adult Education
  • Liberty Adult Education
  • Martinez Adult Education
  • Mt Diablo Adult Education
  • Pittsburg Adult Education
  • West Contra Costa Adult Education

Contra Costa Community College District:

  • Contra Costa College
  • Contra Costa Community College District
  • Diablo Valley College
  • Los Medanos College

Contra Costa Office of Education:

  • Contra Costa Adult School

The CCCAEC is led by the Steering Committee made up of board-appointed voting members and non-voting members representing each member agency. The CCCAEC maintains various regional workgroups that support operational aspects of the CCCAEC’s efforts. Given the distinct communities in the county, the CCCAEC has also adopted a sub-regional approach to planning and implementation to ensure that strategies included in the three-year and annual plans are tailored to respond to local needs most effectively. As part of the annual planning process, representatives from each subregion convene regularly to strategize the implementation of activities named within consortium-level plans. Sub-regional approaches to plan implementation are reviewed at the Steering Committee level to ensure alignment with regional objectives and strategies.

Accomplishments from the 2023-24 Program Year:

  • Professional Development Needs Assessment: The members of the Steering Committee have engaged in a process to identify professional development needs and opportunities, both locally and nationally, of school personnel. By identifying regular opportunities, they hope to streamline approval and funding for personnel to attend events and conferences which will help their professional growth. 
  • Strengthened Partnerships: The consortium strengthened its connection with local employers through continued membership on the Contra Costa Workforce Collaborative and the Contra Costa Workforce Development Board. The application process for the ELL Healthcare Pathways grant gave Consortium members the opportunity to review and refine career pathways and associated documentation to align with local labor market demands and student skill needs.
  • Careers in Healthcare Event: Martinez Adult Education hosted a Careers in Healthcare event on April 25th, with representatives from many adult schools in the consortium, as well as healthcare industry employers. The event attracted over 300 participants and offered sessions where ESL students could learn about the Healthcare career pathways offered throughout CCCAEC schools. This will help develop bridge, bootcamps and pre-apprenticeship models for those pathways that will address the unique needs of ESL students
  • Data Collection and Sharing: The CCCAEC conducted an evaluation of its data collection and sharing systems, including its use of CommunityPro/My Professional Center. The Steering Committee identified areas of opportunity for improvement in data sharing systems and reached consensus on foundational elements that should be included in any new system, which it will work toward in the coming year.
  • Determination of member carry-over thresholds per AB 1491: Via a robust and collegial approach, the Budget & Fiscal Workgroup determined the member carry-over thresholds per AB1491. The new thresholds were incorporated into the Budget and Fiscal Agreement, and approved by the Steering Committee, reinforcing the consortium-wide focus on prudent fiscal management.

Primary Goals for the 2024-2025 Program Year:

  • Transition Data Best Practices Sharing: The Steering Committee will reconvene a group of personnel who work on student transitions, in order to share best practices and better assess ongoing needs for tracking student transition data.
  • Career Pathways: The CCCAEC members will continue to solidify career pathways between institutions and local employers and labor markets. The English Language Learners Healthcare Pathways grant will afford more resources to further connections to healthcare employers.

This plan provides a roadmap for the CCCAEC to continue to expand its capacity to serve adult learners and build the regional infrastructure to support seamless transitions and pathways to education and career goals. Following implementation beginning in 2024, the plan will be viewed as a living document to be modified as needs emerge or indicators require adjustment.

Regional Planning Overview

To ensure the 2024-25 Annual Plan is aligned with the 2022-2025 Three-Year Plan, Consortium members met to review the recently developed strategy areas and objectives, and to reflect on ongoing site- and consortium-level needs. The discussion of regional strategies in the sections below captures progress made under the Three-Year Plan as well as proposed Consortium activities for the 2023-24 CAEP implementation period.

As the Three-Year Plan was developed, all CCCAEC members actively participated in its development and agreed to adhere to the implementation goals included within. Members participated in both needs assessment and planning activities to identify key areas of need and targeted strategies to address them.


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Educational Attainment

Contra Costa County has relatively high levels of educational attainment and low levels of poverty in comparison to State averages. However, County-level data do not reflect the substantial challenges that disproportionately impact high-need communities located in Richmond (West) and East County. According to the American Community Survey 2020 Demographic Data, within Contra Costa County, 85,696 individuals ages 18 and up lack a high school diploma or equivalency.  Among those without a high school diploma in Contra Costa, over half identify as Hispanic (51.2%), and 48% with limited English skills.

These relatively low levels of formal education in these communities will increasingly become a challenge for employment attainment as 7 out of the top 10 fastest-growing professions in the Bay Area require more than a high school diploma. Expanded access to ABE/ASE and foundational skill development will be an ongoing need that CCCAEC will continue to prioritize in the next year.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

The CCCAEC undertook a pre-planning process that engaged member agencies, partners, and stakeholders in a comprehensive needs assessment and self-evaluation assessment. The Consortium Management Team facilitated the assessment phase with regular input, guidance, and coordination from an internal Planning Taskforce (PTF) made up of a small number of representatives from adult schools, Contra Costa County Office of Education and the community college district. The PTF and Consortium Management Team proposed assessment and planning frameworks to the CCCAEC Steering Committee for review and approval. Key assessment activities are detailed below:

  • Planning Taskforce (PTF): Formation and regular convening of a key consultative and administrative body within the Consortium to guide and coordinate needs assessment and Three-Year planning activities.
  • Development of Outreach and Analytic Framework Proposal: The Consortium Management Team, in collaboration with the PTF, developed a needs assessment data collection plan and analytic framework for review, comment, and adoption by the CCCAEC Steering Committee.
  • CCCAEC Site Interviews/Focus Groups: This activity leveraged the existing practice of conducting annual site interviews and small discussion groups to engage with key informants from each CCCAEC member site and elicit perspectives on current Consortium strengths, challenges, gaps, student barriers, and emerging needs.
  • Consortium Program Quality Self-Assessment Survey: This self-assessment tool was created by CAEP to help consortia evaluate their effectiveness in the following key areas: Capacity, Connection, Entry, Progress, and Completion/Transition
  • Secondary Data Collection and Analysis: The PTF utilized CAEP Fact sheets, US census data, local Workforce Board Development plans, and regional labor market data to understand regional educational, workforce, and economic needs experienced across Contra Costa County’s communities. The planning team also reviewed CCCAEC student enrollment, success, and transition data from LaunchBoard and TOPSpro to identify gaps in service and relevant trends and compare against regional data to identify gaps in populations served.

Following the completion of data collection activities and preliminary needs assessment findings development, the CCCAEC embarked on the planning phase that included the following activities:

  • Planning Workshop #1: Consortium administrators, faculty, and support staff reviewed preliminary needs assessment findings to validate findings, identify additional needs and/or gaps, and identify high-level strategic priorities for the Three-Year planning period aligned to the three CAEP-mandated objective domains: Educational Needs, Service Integration and Transitions, and Service Effectiveness.
  • Strategy Refinement and Adoption: the PTF met with RDA to consolidate and refine high-level strategies based on discussion held in the previous planning workshop. The strategies were then presented at the next CCCCAEC Steering Committee at which time the Committee voted unanimously to approve.
  • Planning Workshop #2: Consortium administrators, faculty, and support staff convened for a half-day workshop to break down strategies into actionable activities and identify associated short, medium, and long-term impacts.
  • Metric Selection and Presentation: The PTF and RDA met to refine activities and develop recommendations to the Steering Committee for activity performance metrics. The recommendations were then presented, discussed, and agreed upon by the Steering Committee.

Through the process described above, the following three Regional Needs were identified:

  1. Educational Attainment
  2. Staff Capacity and Professional Development
  3. Student Transitions
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

The CCCAEC has convened a Data and Accountability Workgroup, which will provide baseline reports from Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) for all Adult Education sites in the Consortium. This baseline data will then be used to assess the educational attainment needs of the student population.

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Staff Capacity and Professional Development

Staff capacity and professional development were identified as factors impacting members’ ability to best serve adult learners.  In particular, CCCAEC members have noted a decrease in the capacity of transition support staff to refer students to services or agencies outside of their home campuses.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

The CCCAEC undertook a pre-planning process that engaged member agencies, partners, and stakeholders in a comprehensive needs assessment and self-evaluation assessment. The Consortium Management Team facilitated the assessment phase with regular input, guidance, and coordination from an internal Planning Taskforce (PTF) made up of a small number of representatives from adult schools, Contra Costa County Office of Education and the community college district. The PTF and Consortium Management Team proposed assessment and planning frameworks to the CCCAEC Steering Committee for review and approval. Key assessment activities are detailed below:

  • Planning Taskforce (PTF): Formation and regular convening of a key consultative and administrative body within the Consortium to guide and coordinate needs assessment and Three-Year planning activities.
  • Development of Outreach and Analytic Framework Proposal: The Consortium Management Team, in collaboration with the PTF, developed a needs assessment data collection plan and analytic framework for review, comment, and adoption by the CCCAEC Steering Committee.
  • CCCAEC Site Interviews/Focus Groups: This activity leveraged the existing practice of conducting annual site interviews and small discussion groups to engage with key informants from each CCCAEC member site and elicit perspectives on current Consortium strengths, challenges, gaps, student barriers, and emerging needs.
  • Consortium Program Quality Self-Assessment Survey: This self-assessment tool was created by CAEP to help consortia evaluate their effectiveness in the following key areas: Capacity, Connection, Entry, Progress, and Completion/Transition
  • Secondary Data Collection and Analysis: The PTF utilized CAEP Fact sheets, US census data, local Workforce Board Development plans, and regional labor market data to understand regional educational, workforce, and economic needs experienced across Contra Costa County’s communities. The planning team also reviewed CCCAEC student enrollment, success, and transition data from LaunchBoard and TOPSpro to identify gaps in service and relevant trends and compare against regional data to identify gaps in populations served.

Following the completion of data collection activities and preliminary needs assessment findings development, the CCCAEC embarked on the planning phase that included the following activities:

  • Planning Workshop #1: Consortium administrators, faculty, and support staff reviewed preliminary needs assessment findings to validate findings, identify additional needs and/or gaps, and identify high-level strategic priorities for the Three-Year planning period aligned to the three CAEP-mandated objective domains: Educational Needs, Service Integration and Transitions, and Service Effectiveness.
  • Strategy Refinement and Adoption: the PTF met with RDA to consolidate and refine high-level strategies based on discussion held in the previous planning workshop. The strategies were then presented at the next CCCCAEC Steering Committee at which time the Committee voted unanimously to approve.
  • Planning Workshop #2: Consortium administrators, faculty, and support staff convened for a half-day workshop to break down strategies into actionable activities and identify associated short, medium, and long-term impacts.
  • Metric Selection and Presentation: The PTF and RDA met to refine activities and develop recommendations to the Steering Committee for activity performance metrics. The recommendations were then presented, discussed, and agreed upon by the Steering Committee.

Through the process described above, the following three Regional Needs were identified:

  1. Educational Attainment
  2. Staff Capacity and Professional Development
  3. Student Transitions
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

The consortium will conduct a survey to identify the professional development needs of data and transition personnel to gauge success of supporting professional development needs of personnel.

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Student Transitions

The transition of adult learners into post-secondary education, training, and/or employment is a high priority for the CCCAEC. For many adult learners, the successful transition to post-secondary coursework, at either adult education or community college sites, is a critical capstone in meeting their education and career goals. As both the leader of adult education in the region and a workforce development partner, CCCAEC will continue to build on current investments to both support and measure successful student transitions.

While CCCAEC continues to make progress in supporting successful transitions, this also continues to be an area for additional improvement and investment. During the self-assessment, CCCAEC members identified one of the key challenges for the consortium is to facilitate successful transitions from secondary education into post-secondary education and/or employment.

The ability of member agencies to share, coordinate, or align services has improved slightly over the past three years, but continues to be one of the consortium’s largest areas for improvement. Concurrent enrollment is offered by all CCCAEC members, but it is not currently implemented in a coordinated fashion. And, while there is a sense that the level of enrollment has increased since 2019, the data infrastructure needed to track this trend fully is lacking.  Improvements in these areas are expected to further student support and successful transitions.

How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?

The CCCAEC undertook a pre-planning process that engaged member agencies, partners, and stakeholders in a comprehensive needs assessment and self-evaluation assessment. The Consortium Management Team facilitated the assessment phase with regular input, guidance, and coordination from an internal Planning Taskforce (PTF) made up of a small number of representatives from adult schools, Contra Costa County Office of Education and the community college district. The PTF and Consortium Management Team proposed assessment and planning frameworks to the CCCAEC Steering Committee for review and approval. Key assessment activities are detailed below:

  • Planning Taskforce (PTF): Formation and regular convening of a key consultative and administrative body within the Consortium to guide and coordinate needs assessment and Three-Year planning activities.
  • Development of Outreach and Analytic Framework Proposal: The Consortium Management Team, in collaboration with the PTF, developed a needs assessment data collection plan and analytic framework for review, comment, and adoption by the CCCAEC Steering Committee.
  • CCCAEC Site Interviews/Focus Groups: This activity leveraged the existing practice of conducting annual site interviews and small discussion groups to engage with key informants from each CCCAEC member site and elicit perspectives on current Consortium strengths, challenges, gaps, student barriers, and emerging needs.
  • Consortium Program Quality Self-Assessment Survey: This self-assessment tool was created by CAEP to help consortia evaluate their effectiveness in the following key areas: Capacity, Connection, Entry, Progress, and Completion/Transition
  • Secondary Data Collection and Analysis: The PTF utilized CAEP Fact sheets, US census data, local Workforce Board Development plans, and regional labor market data to understand regional educational, workforce, and economic needs experienced across Contra Costa County’s communities. The planning team also reviewed CCCAEC student enrollment, success, and transition data from LaunchBoard and TOPSpro to identify gaps in service and relevant trends and compare against regional data to identify gaps in populations served.

Following the completion of data collection activities and preliminary needs assessment findings development, the CCCAEC embarked on the planning phase that included the following activities:

  • Planning Workshop #1: Consortium administrators, faculty, and support staff reviewed preliminary needs assessment findings to validate findings, identify additional needs and/or gaps, and identify high-level strategic priorities for the Three-Year planning period aligned to the three CAEP-mandated objective domains: Educational Needs, Service Integration and Transitions, and Service Effectiveness.
  • Strategy Refinement and Adoption: the PTF met with RDA to consolidate and refine high-level strategies based on discussion held in the previous planning workshop. The strategies were then presented at the next CCCCAEC Steering Committee at which time the Committee voted unanimously to approve.
  • Planning Workshop #2: Consortium administrators, faculty, and support staff convened for a half-day workshop to break down strategies into actionable activities and identify associated short, medium, and long-term impacts.
  • Metric Selection and Presentation: The PTF and RDA met to refine activities and develop recommendations to the Steering Committee for activity performance metrics. The recommendations were then presented, discussed, and agreed upon by the Steering Committee.

Through the process described above, the following three Regional Needs were identified:

  1. Educational Attainment
  2. Staff Capacity and Professional Development
  3. Student Transitions
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

The consortium will form a subgroup to conduct an inventory of current partnerships and develop a formal partner engagement plan that will prioritize engagement with potential partners and outline a plan for coordination among Consortium members.

The enrollment at consortium sites significantly dropped due to the pandemic. According to CASAS data, total CAEP enrollment dropped more than 50% from the year 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. While female enrollment increased in the year 2020-21, there was a decreased enrollment among Black, Hispanic, and Asian (excluding Filipino) students.

Address Educational Needs

2024-25 Strategies

Optimize learning & clarify career pathways to support student success

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Identify and address foundational skill gaps

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

In the first year of the three-year plan timeframe (2022-23), the consortium made many efforts to identify foundational skill gaps among adult learners. Using CASAS test scores, student performance in classes, and work with other adult schools in the county, the following skill gaps were identified:

  • Severe learning loss of district students entering adult education programs, specifically reading, writing, and communication;
  • COVID’s deleterious effects on professional communication in class and conflict resolution skills;
  • Struggles with basic math, especially shown with students who are in CTE programs that require math skills, mostly in the medical field.

Since 2022, the member institutions have continued to augment the ability of existing instructional systems and services to meet the needs of students with skill gaps via:

  • Increased days and times of day for reading classes.
  • Incorporation of professional skills development into CTE courses.
  • Increased student hours and “bootcamp” style math programs for Pre-apprenticeship pathways.
  • Inclusion of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) staff person in the EMT program.
  • Addition of weekly "Listening, Pronunciation, and Speaking" class
  • Inclusion of pull-out services to work individually or in small groups on reading, writing, and communication skills with students most in need.
  • Continuation of Adult Education ELL Summer Bridge Programs in Central and West County.
  • Addition of in-person and on-campus classes, especially for CTE and ELL programs, to make up for online learning losses
  • Integration of an Intro to Healthcare Professions COAPP class into the EL Civics program for English Language Learners.
  • Regular counseling for students to augment their educational planning.
  • Concurrent enrollment opportunities for students to augment their college-level courses with Adult Basic Education.

In order to support the incarcerated population of learners in Contra Costa County, content was added to bridge High School to college English at CCC West County Detention Facility in Partnership with Contra Costa Adult School (CCAS).  Since 2022, CCAS has offered a community college level course: COUNS 103A-Personal Development for College Success.

2024-25 Activity Plans

The consortium members will continue to enhance and expand upon the services listed above. They will build on these supports using different techniques including online programs, additional tutoring, and pre-apprenticeship programs. Especially with new funding from CAEP’s ELL Healthcare Pathways Grant, the consortium members will be able to better scaffold supports for English Language Learners in their healthcare pathways programs. It is expected that with additional targeted support and enhanced curricula to address gaps, over time CCCAEC member sites will see an increase in the number of participants who earn a high school diploma or equivalency and/or a postsecondary credential.


Optimize learning & clarify career pathways to support student success

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Define pathways between member institutions

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

The CCCAEC members have reviewed and updated pathway documents and community-facing marketing materials, including an overview of career pathway options, such as business, health care, and trades. The updated materials have been disseminated via:

  • Local Chambers of Commerce
  • Social media, such as Facebook and Instagram
  • Updates to websites to further highlight career pathways

The consortium and its members have also hosted a number of events. Martinez Adult Education hosted a Career pathways expo in May 2023, which brought all adult schools and community colleges together to share the multiple career pathways available within the consortium, and will also host an expo on April 25, 2024, focused on Health care pathways for English Language Learners in Contra Costa County.

Completion of the application for the CAEP ELL Healthcare Pathways grant gave many of the members the opportunity to further define, map, and expand their career pathways for the healthcare sector, and they look forward to continuing to expand their supports specific to English Language Learners. The consortium members have relationships and agreements with many local workforce partners, and they regularly adjust and match pathway skills training to workforce needs.

2024-25 Activity Plans

The consortium plans to strengthen existing and build new pathways between adult schools & community colleges in order to support smoother transitions for students through education and into careers. Pittsburg Adult Education and Los Medanos College are planning a CTE event which will include presentations from the CTE department, campus tours, and assistance with applications. In order to have clearer communication of pathways, Mount Diablo Adult Education plans to build a pathway map so that students can easily chart out their course to career pathways within the consortium’s services. Colleges will continue hosting open houses for adult education students and staff. In addition, all schools have a designee who is supporting transitions to college and employment and will be strengthening partnerships and adding activities.


Increase equitable access for CCCAEC members’ services

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Increase Awareness of Services for Students

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

This was not an area of focus for the consortium during the 2023-24 school year, but there has been some movement at individuals levels, including the following:

  • Martinez Adult Education hosts a weekly food pantry for the broader community, and uses the opportunity to outreach to families about career support services that they offer
  • Liberty Adult Education regularly does outreach at local libraries and at career events

 2024-25 Activity Plans

More targeted outreach will require organized efforts at a consortium-level, and planning for how members can move the needle on this strategy. The CCCAEC will explore and execute targeted marketing and outreach to priority populations within the County. The consortium will collaborate at the sub-regional level to identify target populations and tailor specific approaches to engagement based on best practices and input from local partners and stakeholders. Member sites and sub-regions will share lessons learned and progress at the regional level, in order to increase awareness of and access to the CCCAEC’s services.


Increase equitable access for CCCAEC members’ services

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Streamline Enrollment Process

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

This was not an area of focus during the 2023-24 school year.

 2024-25 Activity Plans

CCCAEC will review and refine practices for enrolling and orienting new adult learners to the adult education system with a focus on reducing unnecessary steps and streamlining data collection where possible. Member sites will collaborate to ensure that processes related to enrollment, orientation, and initial student data collection are, to the extent possible, standardized, and consistent across member sites. The CCCAEC also plans to convene all data & transition personnel consortium-wide, and will include the topic of enrollment and onboarding to gain feedback and ideas from these frontline staff.

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2024-25 Strategies

Continue to align data/reporting processes across Consortium.

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Establish a Reporting Process

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

In December 2023, the CCCAEC discontinued use of its data-sharing system (CommunityPro/MyProfessionalCenter). Tracking of student success and transition data between member institutions has been a focus of this year. RDA has assisted with assessments of current processes in use, which include the use of technology, including ASAP, TopsPRO, Colleague, MIS, and spreadsheets and/or other shared documents. Adult schools and colleges have been meeting regularly on a sub-regional level to facilitate warm handoffs. Many college representatives, such as from Diablo Valley College, do regular outreach at their local adult education campuses. Acalanes Adult Education hosts targeted outreach events to students which are tailored to their specific interests. 

 2024-25 Activity Plans

There continues to be a need for an aligned approach which could be adopted consortium-wide. The transition personnel at member sites will continue to meet regularly on a sub-regional or one-on-one level. The steering committee, with the help of the Consortium Manager, plans to convene all personnel consortium-wide who work on student transitions to share best practices and identify pain points. This will include assessment of further needs for ongoing support of transition personnel in order to support seamless transitions.


Enhance capacity to support seamless transition

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Assess PD Needs

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

Despite staffing capacity and training issues members continued to improve student transition support by refining existing approaches to professional development. The continued shortage of instructors and substitutes has restricted the comprehensive formation of Professional Learning Circles (PLCs). Some member sites have established meeting frequencies & times. Members have engaged in discussions on how best to provide PD to those in the role of student transitions both at the adult schools and the colleges.

Other related discrete activities included:

  • Second annual Allied Health Career Fair in March (attended by150 district students).
  • Summer open house for current ESL and HS students.
  • Re-established use of a shared Google Doc to maintain student referrals.
  • Steering Committee approval of a list of conferences which are “pre-approved” for use of Professional Development funds.

2024-25 Activity Plans

The Consortium Manager will convene all personnel who work on student transitions throughout the consortium. In this convening, the participants will have opportunities to share what has been working well, and also to discuss their interest in and/or need for regular convenings as a form of ongoing support. Continued turnover rates in staffing enhance the need for regular, ongoing support and connections for personnel working in these areas.

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2024-25 Strategies

Engage in data-informed quality improvement efforts to improve consortium outcomes

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Bolster Data Infrastructure

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

This was not an area of focus during the 2023-24 school year. Initial conversations at the Steering Committee level began in the Spring of 2023 regarding whether or not to replace the use of CommunityPro/My Professional Center with another proprietary software for tracking student transition data.

2024-25 Activity Plans

The CCCAEC will evaluate current options for shared student information systems and reporting tools to inform the selection of the most appropriate option(s) for the consortium. The consortium will continue efforts to implement the agreed-upon data system across member sites upholding existing minimal use agreements and/or establishing new expectations for usage. Site administrators and data personnel will participate in relevant training and efforts to refine and calibrate data systems to effort streamlined integration of data entry into existing workflows. Improved data infrastructure will facilitate data-driven quality improvement efforts to identify and address adult learner needs. 


Engage in data-informed quality improvement efforts to improve consortium outcomes

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Assess Collaborative Student Supports

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Success: Participants Who Earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (AE 633 - Overall)
  • Success: Participants Who Earn a Postsecondary Credential (AE 625 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

This was not an area of focus during the 2023-24 school year.

 2024-25 Activity Plans

Through other activities within the plan (2.1.A and 3.1.A), including gathering the data and transition personnel for sharing of best practices, the Consortium will enhance the CCCAEC’s existing data governance framework through the implementation of shared data systems and the alignment of reporting practices. With these components in place, the CCCAEC, through either the existing Data and Accountability workgroup or newly convened task forces, will analyze student transition and success data to identify where gaps and needs exist.


Strengthen internal and external partnerships to optimize referral opportunities for adult learners

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Conduct gaps analysis to identify common needs

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

The CCCAEC has refreshed much of its documented inventory of active community partnerships across the consortium and around Contra Costa County, especially in the Healthcare industry, as part of the ELL Healthcare Pathways grant application. Member sites have also continued to formalize partnerships, especially with organizations which support students’ basic and employment needs:

  • Martinez Adult Education hosts a weekly food pantry, which is made available to the whole community. This not only connects community members with needed sustenance, but also often can help connect them to career services at the campus.
  • Contra Costa Adult School works with the Office of Reentry and Justice (ORJ) to help identify gaps in needs for students who are exiting incarceration, including housing, employment preparation, and pre- & post-release services.
  • Contra Costa College worked with Rising Scholars Network, which serves community college students who have been impacted by incarceration, to identify which partners will be beneficial to connect with.
  • Contra Costa College also participates in the BASIC convening, for people working with the reentry populations, therefore expanding its reach beyond Alameda and Solano Counties.

 2024-25 Activity Plans

The consortium plans to conduct a gaps analysis later in the 2024-25 School year, which we expect will inform the 2025-28 Three-year planning process.  Additionally, the new funding from the ELL Healthcare Pathways grant is an opportunity to strengthen sub regional partnerships throughout the county.


Strengthen internal and external partnerships to optimize referral opportunities for adult learners

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Coordinate outreach to potential partners

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

2023-24 Activity Highlights

The consortium continues to share four members with the Contra Costa Workforce Collaborative (CCWC): Danny Lockwood, Drew Douglass, G. Vittoria Abbate, and Suzanne Murphy. The steering committee also shares two members with the Contra Costa Workforce Development Board: Steven France and Kelly Schelin. These representatives all ensure that connections between the schools and workforce partners in the county are strong.

  • Continued and expanded partnerships include:
  • Loaves & Fishes and Food Bank of Solano and Contra Costa for wraparound services.
  • Project ACCESS for early childhood education careers
  • Monument Impact for ESL for the workplace classes
  • Rising Scholars to support students in the process of reentry from incarceration

The application process for the English Language Learners Healthcare Pathways grant presented members the opportunity to further formalize agreements with workforce partners in the healthcare field, including:

  • American Medical Response
  • Bay Area Health Workforce Partnership
  • CVS
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Warby Parker

Additionally, in service for adults with disabilities, Mount Diablo Adult Education is working to establish relationships with Goodwill and with Saint Mary’s College of California.

2024-25 Activity Plans

The CCCAEC continues to strengthen its existing partnerships, while also exploring new opportunities in the local workforce. Acalanes Adult Education has consulted with the Workforce Development Board on possible connections to labor markets which are in need of more workers, such as for deckhands on local ferries.

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 allocations are distributed to member agencies based on the originally approved percentages. Each member utilizes these funds to support existing Adult Education programs, grow and strengthen existing activities as indicated by increased targets, and implement the activities detailed within the CCCAEC Three-Year Plan.

On an annual basis, CCCAEC members develop and approve member allocation budgets through the annual budget development process outlined in the CCCAEC’s governance document. The final allocation budget is entered into the current year’s Consortium Fiscal Administration Declaration. This document is reviewed and approved at the CCCAEC Steering Committee meeting, a public meeting, by board-designated, voting members. On an ongoing basis, the fiscal oversight workgroup ensures accountability of the usage of funds by members and provides recommendations to the Steering Committee as needed. Lastly, the CCCAEC utilizes the annual planning process as a mechanism to review consortium goals and strategies and ensure funding allocations are aligned. 

An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2024-25.

Carry-over funds initially roll over within member budgets; however, the Consortium does have a process by which it can shift carry-over funds to members in need of additional funding using a one-time reallocation process. Any carry-over from common costs (including any contingency budget) gets reallocated to members in this fashion. The Consortium’s Budget and Fiscal Agreement, Section III, Items 4 & 5 state:

4) Members may request a one-time allocation amendment if they require additional funds for one-time expenses.

  1. One-time allocation amendments may only be applied to one-time expenses, not ongoing costs.
  2. Adult school members that desire a one-time allocation amendment should inform the CCAEN chair by September 1. Colleges that desire an amendment should inform the CCCCD Steering Committee co-chair by the same date. Each group will convene in September and October to develop a proposal for one-time reallocations for their respective proportion of the consortium budgets.
  3. Proposals will be considered at the November Budget and Fiscal Workgroup meeting. The workgroup will determine whether to forward recommendations to the Steering Committee.
  4. One-time allocation adjustments will be funded using carry-over from members that did not fully expend the previous year’s budget. Member carry-over equates to remaining funds from the previous year minus eligible reserve for economic uncertainty (REU) funds.

5) Members that have projected carry-over may retain up to 3% of their budget allocation as REU to support fiscal solvency in the face of economic uncertainty. A member’s REU may not exceed its projected carry-over amount.

In light of the new requirements stipulated under Assembly Bill 1491, the Budget & Fiscal Workgroup has determined a percentage threshold of 20% for all members, in alignment with the consortium threshold specified in AB 1491. This strategy went into effect in the 2023-24 academic year.

Certification

Acalanes Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Steven France

07/26/2024 06:12 AM PDT

Antioch Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Jose Hernandez

07/25/2024 05:55 PM PDT

Contra Costa CCD - Member Representative

  • Executive Vice Chancellor, Education and Technology
  • kschelin@4cd.edu
  • (925) 229-6826
  • Senior Dean of Career and Community Partnership
  • barman@dvc.edu
  • (925) 969-2240
  • Director of District Finance Services
  • asmith@4cd.edu
  • (925) 229-6946
Approved by Kelly Schelin

07/28/2024 10:20 AM PDT

Contra Costa Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Hilary Dito

07/25/2024 06:43 PM PDT

Liberty Union High - Member Representative

  • Coordinator of Adult Education
  • steens@luhsd.net
  • (925) 634-2565 ext: 1073
Approved by Sarah Steen

07/25/2024 05:55 PM PDT

Martinez Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Suzanne Murphy

07/26/2024 08:48 AM PDT

Mt. Diablo Unified - Member Representative

  • Director, College & Career and Adult Education
  • abbategv@mdusd.org
  • (925) 685-7340 ext: 6711
Approved by Vittoria Abbate

07/26/2024 11:21 AM PDT

Pittsburg Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Lisa Williams

07/26/2024 07:52 AM PDT

West Contra Costa Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Gregory Brooks

07/26/2024 08:55 AM PDT