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CAEP Annual Plan: 2019-20 21 Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium

Status: Consortium Approved

California Adult Education Program : Annual Plan : 2019-20 Produced: Aug 16, 2019, 9:42 PM UTC Joseph DeRuosi

21 Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium

Plans & Goals - Consortium Approved

Executive Summary
In 2018-19, the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium (SVAEC) dedicated significant time, effort, and resources to reevaluating regional adult education (AE) needs and developing a new 3-year plan for improving and expanding services for adult learners. Census data, data from the SVAEC Regional Adult Education Needs Assessment that was conducted in 2018, Members’ student data, and input from current and prospective students, teachers, staff, and administrators indicated that there remain large portions of the population that may be in need of AE services but who are currently not being served. There are still gaps in services for immigrants and seasonal farmworkers, particularly English Language Development. Many community members are unaware of the AE programs and they do not know how to access or enroll in the programs at the adult schools or at the community college. Course sequences, education pathways, and transition processes are unclear and now outdated (mainly because of recent changes at the college due to AB705 and the development of new noncredit ESL curriculum). And there is still room for improvement in the Consortium’s data and accountability practices.The SVAEC developed 5 goals for 2019-22: 1) increase student enrollment; 2) increase the number of adult learners achieving their education goals; 3) increase the number of SVAEC adult learners making workforce gains; 4) adopt the new CAEP Immigrant Integration metrics and promote increased support for immigrants in the Salinas Valley; and 5) adopt practices that ensure equity, efficacy, and efficiency through data-driven decision making and alignment of adult education services and resources with regional needs. In this first year, 2019-20, the Consortium will focus most heavily on the first 2 goals to increase enrollment and improve student goal attainment. Priority activities will center most heavily on expansion and improvement of outreach and recruitment, program alignment, and data collection and analysis.Similar activities that had been planned for 2018-19 (e.g., consortium-level work like program alignment) were not accomplished due to numerous district-level projects and initiatives (e.g., AB705 and accreditation). However, in 2018-19 the SVAEC made significant progress. Enrollment increased, new geographic areas were served, student support services were expanded, student data collection improved, teachers and staff received valuable professional development, and partnerships were forged and strengthened.Overall as a Consortium the total adults served increased 3% in 18-19 compared to 17-18; total students with 1 or more hours of instruction increased 6%; and total students with 12 or more hours of instruction increased 7%. (Note: These data do not include the Hartnell College data which is still being compiled.)Instruction and academic and support services were expanded in impactful ways, including a new full-time College & Career Advisor and a successful job fair at Salinas Adult School; immigration services, food bank deliveries, bus passes, and Chromebooks for adult learners at Gonzales Adult School (through new partnerships); Saturday tutoring services for HSD/HSE students at Soledad Adult School; new noncredit ESL instruction in the Monterey County Jail provided by Hartnell College; expansion of HSD/HSE instruction for currently and formerly incarcerated adults by MCOE; social-emotional training for parents and other adults working with K-12 students provided by North Monterey County AE Services; and new citizenship prep and workforce readiness instruction at South Monterey County Adult School. Also of note is Salinas Adult School’s renewed WASC accreditation and MCOE’s new WASC accreditation of its adult education program.Impressive collaboration between Members and Partners led to new services in underserved communities and the development of new learning opportunities for students. For example, Gonzales Adult School started new AE programming in the city of Greenfield in partnership with a CBO that serves families from Oaxaca, Mexico. And Soledad Adult School, Hartnell College, and the Monterey County Workforce Development Board worked together to start a new Community Health Worker training program.There remain significant student and program barriers that the SVAEC would like to address but is limited in its capacity to do so: childcare and transportation and teacher shortages (especially ESL and CTE). We will continue to work with community partners and the state to address these collectively.The solid foundation and strong spirit of collaboration developed over the past few years has laid the groundwork for the SVAEC to accelerate its progress over the next three years. We are optimistic that 2019-20 will yield an increase in Salinas Valley adults reaching their goals due to increased awareness of and access to the SVAEC’s adult education programs and the invaluable instruction and services they provide.
Regional Planning Overview
The SVAEC’s new 3-Year Plan outlines 5 goals for the Consortium to strive to attain by 2022: 1) increase student enrollment; 2) increase the number of adult learners achieving their education goals; 3) increase the number of adult learners making workforce gains; 4) adopt the new CAEP Immigrant Integration metrics and promote increased support for immigrants in the Salinas Valley; and 5) adopt practices that ensure equity, efficacy, and efficiency through data-driven decision making and alignment of adult education services and resources with regional needs. In its discussions about what the priorities should be for 19-20, the Consortium determined that, before dedicating significant resources to new program/service development, work must be done to make current programs/services more efficient and effective. The primary regional needs addressed in 19-20 are the continued lack of awareness of AE programs and how to access them; the high number of students who do not persist in or complete AE programs; and the ongoing misalignment of AE programs. Thus, in this first year of the implementation of the 3-Year Plan, the Consortium will focus most heavily on the first 2 SVAEC goals – to increase enrollment and to improve student education goal attainment – and on the first 2 CAEP objectives – to maintain current levels of service and fill regional gaps and to integrate programs to create smooth transitions for adult learners. The majority of resources in 19-20 will be dedicated to maintaining current levels of service, from instruction and training to academic support and other student support services. Instruction and training services will continue in the areas of ESL, EL Civics, ABE/ASE/HSD/HSE (HSE instruction and testing in English & Spanish), Basic Literacy (English & Spanish), Citizenship Preparation, Computer Literacy, Family Literacy, K-12 Child Academic Success, contextualized ABE for Adults with Disabilities, Workforce Readiness, and CTE (e.g., forklift, food safety, culinary, CNA, RDA, CHW, and online and hybrid certification offerings). Services that were increased in 18-19 (e.g., tutoring, career advising, and transportation assistance) will be continued if not expanded. Strategies to increase capacity to address service gaps will focus on outreach and recruitment and data collection and analysis. Outreach and recruitment efforts will include a new recruitment plan; hiring new and leveraging existing personnel and resources for outreach; hosting more events at program sites and attending more community events; and consistently following up with prospective and former students. Data-related strategies will focus both on the collection of new data that will drive program improvement efforts (e.g., surveys) and the improvement of standard student data collection (e.g., data reported in TE and MIS). Additionally, the SVAEC will continue its ongoing consortium-level efforts to become more efficient, effective, and equitable in its decision-making and resource management. The collective review of data will be a regular practice as we strive to cultivate a data-informed consortium culture.Strategies to integrate existing programs and create seamless transitions this year will concentrate on curriculum and program alignment and on pathways and transition support for students. Priority activities will be the alignment of curriculum across Consortium programs and with academic standards (e.g., CCRS and ELPS); the mapping of course sequences and education pathways; and the improvement of enrollment, placement, and progression/transition processes to make them consistent throughout the Consortium and smoother for students. Student transition support will also be a priority, with more emphasis on regular communication and follow-up with students. The SVAEC also hopes to take initial steps towards its ultimate goal of helping every adult learner develop an individualized education plan.Some strategies to accelerate student progress are related to the above-mentioned strategies, particularly that of better utilizing student assessment data and student goals and interests to inform placement, instruction, and progression. Other strategies relate more to curriculum: maintaining current contextualized classes and integrating more college and career readiness components into all classes. The SVAEC will continue its collaborative professional development practices like the bi-annual Consortium PD Shareouts and collaborative “super-regional” PD with neighboring AE consortia. It will also better leverage other local PD resources like AE teachers and the County Office of Education. In order to implement the strategies above, regional structures and resources will be leveraged. For example, engagement of stakeholders and leveraging of partnerships – especially K-12 schools and employers – will be essential for the expansion and effectiveness of our outreach and recruitment efforts.

Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Lack of awareness of AE programs and services: There remains a significant portion of adults in the region who are presumably in need of AE services but who are not aware of the AE programs and/or are not aware of how to access the programs. It is clear that much more time, effort, and resources need to be dedicated to outreach, marketing, and recruitment in order to increase awareness and inform community members about how to access our programs. 2018 regional needs assessment data showed that 41% of participants said they want to know how to enroll in classes at their location adult school and 26% want to know how to enroll in community college. 58% said they want to learn English; however, most of our ESL classes are not full.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
•Census data, Member student data, and data from the 2018 SVAEC Regional AE Needs Assessment Survey•Feedback from teachers, staff, students, and community members, and partners
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
•Student enrollment data•Partner referrals•Quantitative and qualitative data collection (including current and former student surveys)

Regional Need #2

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Unsatisfactory student enrollment, retention, and progression: Too many students either stop attending before they reach their goals; stay in the same level when they should progress to a higher level; or do not ever attend class after intake/registration or orientation.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
•Census data – Member student data comparison•Quantitative student data, particularly data showing insufficient transition to postsecondary•Feedback from teachers, staff, and students
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
•Student enrollment data•Student outcomes data, including data indicating transitions to postsecondary (TE, MIS, and Launchboard)•Quantitative and qualitative data collection (including current and former student surveys)

Regional Need #3

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs
Limited AE program alignment or pathways for adult learners:Many changes have occurred that require realignment of AE programs, particularly due to the new NRS EFLs, new placement processes at the community college due to AB705, and new noncredit curriculum at the community college. Adult school programs are still not aligned with each other nor are they all aligned with the CCRS and ELPS standards or NRS EFLs. The adult school and community college noncredit programs are not aligned and the course sequences and pathways are not clearly mapped. Not all programs are utilizing the same placement, assessment, or progression/exit/transition mechanisms (and/or accurate crosswalks have not been completed). This makes it challenging for students to transition smoothly from one program or level or institution to another. And it makes it difficult for teachers, staff (particularly advisors and counselors), and community partners to effectively guide or refer students. It also leads to unnecessary duplication of services and gaps that remain unfilled because it is harder to identify the gaps and overlaps without accurate maps of the pathways.
How do you know? What resources did you use to identify these gaps?
•Feedback from teachers, staff, students, and community partners•Remaining gaps and unnecessary duplication of services
How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?
•PLC convening and participation•Aligned programs•Mapped pathways, including milestones and transition points•Student outcomes data (especially EFL gains and transitions to postsecondary)•Current and former student surveys•Feedback from teachers, staff, students, and community partners

Gaps In Service

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Maintain current levels of service. The SVAEC will continue to provide AE fundamentals like:•Instruction: ESL, ABE/ASE/HSD/HSE, Basic Literacy, Family Literacy and K-12 Child Academic Success, Programming for Adults with Disabilities, Computer Literacy, Workforce Readiness, CTE, and Citizenship Preparation •Academic support: placement and assessment, tutoring, and learning disabilities assessment•Support services: outreach, transition support, career services, job training, childcare, transportation assistance, and referrals and connection to other resources
Strategy #2
Increase and improve outreach and recruitment efforts. Activities will include:•Develop and begin implementing a new outreach, marketing, and recruitment plan•Hire new Consortium staff and leverage additional Member District staff to conduct outreach and recruitment. Engage current students and alumni in outreach, as well. •Consistently follow up with prospective students who expressed interest or who signed up but did not attend•Host more events at the AE program sites to welcome and build trust with the community and attract new students, showing them that our schools are important resource centers and safe spaces•Attend more district, community, and employer events to increase awareness of programs and recruit new students
Strategy #3
Improve data collection and analysis practices. •Continue to improve student data collection practices. The SVAEC Members will:oBetter capture student goals, barriers, progress, and outcomes, particularly through improved intake and follow up processesoResearch and begin to implement methods to capture workforce gains, including student employment, job retention, work quality, wage gains, and advancement oBegin to research and integrate new immigrant integration metrics into Consortium data practices •Collect, analyze, and utilize quantitative and qualitative data to improve programs and services, e.g., to further eliminate barriers, ensure offerings are relevant and accessible, etc. This will include: oData related to student persistence: Collected mainly through surveys of students who did not attend post-intake or post-orientation to identify barriers and surveys of current students to identify what helps them persistoData related to employment and career: Collected mainly through surveys of current and former students to track their gains and to better understand their barriers to achieving gains
Strategy #4
Continue to improve Consortium effectiveness, efficiency, and equity through regular review and revision of policies and processes and by implementing more data-driven decision making practices. •Regularly convene the TE Users Group and Data Workgroup; have the Data Workgroup report out to the Steering Committee•Integrate collective review and discussion of data into Steering Committee meetings•Review and modify as needed the Consortium bylaws, Member effectiveness guidelines, fiscal agreements, and other documents related to Consortium governance and Member accountability and effectiveness, including requirements for Member data reporting•Develop a new non-financial Consortium MOU and a new Data Sharing Agreement

Seamless Transitions

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Improve program alignment:•Align curriculum across AE programs, with the college curriculum, with academic standards like CCRS and ELPS, with industry standards and needs, and with new immigrant integration metrics. ESL will be the priority program area for 19-20. The ESL PLC will be reconvened.•Map course sequences and education pathways for each program area, including entry and exit mechanisms (enrollment requirements, assessment and placement, milestones, etc.). Create simple, clear, and visually appealing maps/guides. ESL will be the priority program area for 19-20. The ESL PLC will be reconvened.
Strategy #2
Improve current student advising and transitions support:•Improve and align enrollment and transition processes across Consortium to make them seamless, consistent, clear, and student-centered. Better communicate processes to students, advisors and other staff, teachers, and partners.•Provide ongoing advising, mentoring, and support to all AE students, with regular check-ins and follow up. The Salinas Adult School College & Career Advisor (who will help support all Consortium students, as her capacity allows), the Hartnell College Pathways Team and counselors, and MCOE’s Education Liaison will be the primary staff doing this work. Other staff and teachers in Consortium will be engaged and trained to do this work, as well (as much as possible with limited capacity).
Strategy #3
Develop new processes and tools to help students plan and progress along their individualized education pathways to reach their goals:•Start a Student Transitions PLC to research policies, establish common definitions and understanding of transition practices, and further develop strategies to improve student transitions between levels, programs, sites, and institutions – for all types of students, including undocumented adults and adults with disabilities. May begin later in 19-20.•Begin to create a common Adult Learner Education Plan template for the Consortium and establish best practices for student transition support. The ultimate goal will be to conduct individualized education planning with every AE student, completing the plan with students during or soon after intake and making sure they have access to the plan and other important documents. The development of the tools and processes will begin later in the 19-20 year (the program alignment and pathways mapping is the first priority). Piloting and implementation of the new tools and processes will be gradual, starting with HSD and HSE students.

Student Acceleration

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Maintain and continually improve current integrated education and training programming, including the following contextualized courses offered by various adult schools: Registered Dental Assistant, Community Health Worker, Culinary and Food Safety courses (all career training integrated with English Language Development support). Also encourage students to co-enroll in basic skills, technical skills, and employability skills courses.
Strategy #2
Better utilize student assessment data to inform placement, instruction, and progression. Ensure student placement is individualized and aligned with students’ goals, skills, and interests.
Strategy #3
Integrate college and career readiness curriculum and activities, such as job fairs, college tours, field trips, guest speakers, and other experiential learning opportunities for adult learners, into classes. Hold more job fairs at the adult schools.

Professional Development

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Provide professional development for teachers, staff, and administrators related to the 19-20 strategies, e.g., ensure familiarity with intake and enrollment processes, assessment and placement processes, and course sequences and pathways in order to provide effective student guidance.
Strategy #2
Continue collaborative PD practices like the bi-annual Consortium PD Shareouts. Leverage other local PD resources, including AE teachers and staff and the County Office of Education PD activities. Topics of interest include social-emotional learning, trauma-informed instruction, and educational equity.
Strategy #3
Collaborate with neighboring consortia to provider super-regional professional development opportunities for teachers, staff, and administrators.
Strategy #4
Research Immigrant Integration and provide training around it for Consortium and partners

Leveraging Resources

New Strategies

Strategy #1
Conduct more community outreach and targeted recruitment through engagement of stakeholders, leveraging of partnerships (especially K-12 schools and employers), improved cross-referral processes, and increased presence in the community
Strategy #2
Develop common (shared among Consortium Members) industry and community partner lists to better leverage and manage partnerships
Strategy #3
Partner with Monterey-Salinas Transit (local public transportation agency) to further remove transportation barriers and improve access to AE services
Strategy #4
Begin to engage partners to collaboratively address one of the top barriers to adults accessing adult education: lack of accessible child care

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.
At this time, the 19-20 allocation schedule is identical to that of 18-19. The SVAEC decided to set aside the additional CAEP funding (COLA) until the planning was completed. Now that the 3-year plan, annual plan, and individual workplans have been completed, the Consortium will decide how best to use the COLA funds. Activities in the 3-year plan, consortium annual plan, and individual workplans all align. All budgets align with the strategies and activities in the plans. As in prior years, the majority of funding is dedicated to teacher and support staff salaries for direct student services like instruction, intake and assessment, and transition support. Most funds will be used to maintain current levels of service. New activities being funded in 19-20 align with the Consortium’s priority goals for 19-20: to increase student enrollment and students’ attainment of their education goals.
An approach to incorporating remaining carry-over funds from prior year(s) into strategies planned for 2019-20.
The SVAEC has put several measures in place to monitor spending and ensure funding goes where it is both needed and likely to be spent efficiently and efficaciously. Effective fiscal year 18-19, the Consortium put policies into place to reduce carryover which are more aggressive than the State’s policies. Members now have 18 months to spend their funds; if carryover remains after that period of time the funds will be reallocated, although the Member does have the opportunity to petition (which did occur this year and the funds were not reallocated). The Consortium spending targets were approved before the State’s spending targets and are slightly more stringent; if a Member consistently falls below the targets their programs are flagged for review by the Consortium and action is decided on a case-by-case basis. The SVAEC hopes to develop a more formal process for both fund allocation and reallocation. A new process was piloted mid-year to reallocate $100,000 of carried over Shared Funds, in which Members were invited to submit proposals for funding for new or existing activities. 4 Members submitted proposals using a common template developed by the Consortium and these were reviewed by a committee of external stakeholders, including a former student. All 4 Members ended up receiving a portion of the reallocated funds, with 3 Members using them to expand existing services (adding courses on Fridays in Soledad, adding ESL in a the new service area of Greenfield, and extending services in the Monterey County Jail to cover winter and part of summer breaks) and 1 Member using the funds to start a new pilot program (driver’s education for adult learners, particularly women who are limited in their ability to access adult education services, employment, or their children’s schools due to the barrier of not being able to drive). Additional Shared Funds were distributed to Members in the form of $2,500 reimbursements for Professional Development of their choosing (separate from other PD opportunities covered by the Consortium). Still, there remained over $500,000 in carryover at the end of 18-19, with 3 out of 7 Members having spent less than 80% of their funds in 18-19 and the Shared Consortium Funds also underspent. This is largely due to delays or challenges in hiring new personnel, from teachers to support staff. It is particularly difficult for schools to find ESL teachers that meet minimum qualifications and schools in more remote locations find it challenging to find any personnel, from teachers to clerks to coordinators. There was underspending on collaborative Consortium activities like PLC participation and PD due to lack of capacity due to teacher involvement in other district-level initiatives and due to the concentration of resources (time, effort, and funds) on 3-year planning. Marketing projects were delayed due to the discontinuation of the contract with the marketing firm that had been working with us; when a new marketing and communications consultant was found her primary focus was on the development and publication of a formal summary report of our 2018 Community Needs Assessment for distribution to stakeholders. Most funds carried over into 19-20 will be used to continue the work for which they were originally budgeted, including personnel salaries and benefits, collaborative Consortium work and professional development, and marketing/outreach/recruitment. Member Annual Workplans and the Shared Consortium Fund Workplan were approved by the SVAEC Members in June 2019, with carryover incorporated into the 19-20 budgets. The new 19-20 activities for which carryover will be used are a pilot Spanish Literacy class and a new Small Business program in South County, a new bilingual clerk in North County, and the purchase of new computers by one of the adult schools. Per the above-mentioned policy, carryover will be reevaluated in January 2020.

Certification

Gonzales Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Candice Camacho

2019-08-15

Hartnell CCD - Member Representative

  • Alicia Gregory
  • Program Assistant, Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium
  • agregory@hartnell.edu
  • (831) 755-6892
Approved by Kathy Mendelsohn

2019-08-16

Monterey Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Mr. Joseph DeRuosi

2019-08-16

North Monterey County Unified - Member Representative

Approved by North Monterey County Unified School District Emily Brownfield

2019-08-15

Salinas Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Tatiana Roganova

2019-08-15

Soledad Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Francisco Pinedo Jr

2019-08-15

South Monterey County Joint Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Paige Leebrick

2019-08-15