CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Aug 13, 2025, 05:04 PM UTC - By Keith Gonzales

21 Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2025-26

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

The Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium (SVAEC)—comprising GUSD, HCCD, MCOE, NMCUSD, SMCJUHSD, SUHSD, and SUSD—presents its 2025-2028 Three-year Plan. This plan was developed with input from administrators, students, teachers, and representatives from community organizations.

Needs Assessment Summary: Our 2024-2025 Community Needs Assessment revealed that most adult learners are between 20 and 49 years old, female, and primarily Spanish-speaking. A significant portion is unemployed or seasonally employed, and many have a high school diploma or less, with a concerning increase in those with less than an 8th-grade education. The top educational goal remains learning English, followed by earning certificates/degrees (for enrolled students) and developing computer skills (for community members). Key career goals include getting a better job and learning new skills/trades. Persistent barriers include the inability to take time off work, access to childcare and its associated costs, class location/time, and internet/computer access.

Selected Metrics: Key consortium-level metrics include Number of Adults Served (Reportable Individuals 200AE), English Language Learner (149AE), and Low Literacy (155AE). Member-level metrics include Participants (202AE) and Diploma, GED, or High School Equivalency (633AE).

Plan Objectives & Strategies: This plan outlines five core objectives and associated activities:

  1. Student Enrollment: To increase enrollment by 5% annually. Strategies include fortifying community trust, enhancing the economic relevance of programs, reducing participation barriers, deepening partnerships, and engaging in data-informed marketing.
  2. Workforce Goals: To increase by 10% annually the number of students acquiring workforce readiness skills, occupational licensure/certificates, or entering job training. Strategies involve aligning CTE with high-demand industries, integrating readiness skills across curricula, developing pathways to credentials/training, expanding work-based learning, and enhancing career counseling.
  3. Immigrant Integration: To increase support for immigrants using the AB2098 framework and increase by 5% annually the number of students passing an Immigrant Integration Indicator (I-3: Referral to Partners). Strategies include embedding the framework, enhancing needs assessment, strengthening community partnerships for referrals, contextualizing services, and staff professional development.
  4. Educational Goals: To ensure 35% of students achieve an Educational Functioning Level (EFL) gain. Strategies focus on enhancing instructional excellence, strengthening assessment practices, providing targeted professional development, implementing data-driven program improvement, and delivering focused student support.
  5. Focus Groups: To conduct focus groups each semester at each agency, rotating through six program areas (ESL, HSD/HSE, Basic Computer Skills, Citizenship, CTE, CSS) for qualitative evaluation. This involves standardized protocols, facilitator training, and using findings for program improvement.

Integration & Effectiveness Strategies: These strategies include utilizing data, providing professional development, aligning practices, offering flexible courses, developing pathways, enhancing community partnerships, offering transition/counseling services, implementing distance learning, improving ESL/ABE/ASE programs, and implementing specific operational improvements such as centralized intake and resource sharing.

Funds Evaluation Summary: CAEP funds (approximately $4.7M for 2025-26) will be prioritized for core programs (ESL/ABE/ASE) and strategic initiatives, including targeted CTE, pre-apprenticeship, barrier reduction, immigrant integration, and focus groups. Carryover will support one-time costs. SVAEC will leverage significant WIOA Title II funding, LCFF, Hartnell College funds/fees, CalWorks, in-kind contributions, private grants, and MCWDB partnerships.

Plans & Goals

How (if at all) do the consortium’s previous program year goals differ from the current year’s goals?

Goals have changed or new goals have emerged for the upcoming year

Why have the consortium’s goals changed for the upcoming year?

For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium (SVAEC) remains committed to the five core objectives established in the 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan. Our goals for student enrollment, workforce development, immigrant integration, educational progress, and qualitative evaluation through focus groups remain the strategic foundation for our initiatives. However, the context surrounding these goals and our strategies for achieving them have been significantly altered in response to a significant shift in our funding landscape and a deeper understanding of our community's needs.

For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the SVAEC's goals remain consistent with those outlined in our Three-Year Plan. The most significant change in our operational context is the welcome confirmation that WIOA Title II funding will be restored. This development stabilizes our funding landscape and enhances our capacity to fully implement the strategies outlined in our plan, particularly those related to our core instructional programs and workforce development.

Furthermore, our 2025 Community Needs Assessment has sharpened our focus. The assessment revealed a concerning increase in community members with less than an 8th-grade education, with the proportion rising from 29% to 53% since the previous cycle. This finding lends new urgency to our "Educational Goals" objective, emphasizing the need to expand foundational literacy and basic skills programs. The assessment also identified "Location of classes" as the top barrier for community members and confirmed that the inability to take time off work remains a primary obstacle for all learners. These findings demand a more flexible and accessible approach to achieve our "Student Enrollment" goal, reinforcing the need for varied class times and modalities, as well as potential worksite-based instruction in partnership with local industries.

Finally, a key strategic change outlined in our three-year plan, which will be operationalized this year, is the implementation of systematic student focus groups. This represents a formal shift toward gathering rich, qualitative data to complement our quantitative metrics. This new initiative will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of the student experience behind the numbers and make more responsive, data-informed improvements to our programs and services.

How much progress did the consortium make towards its previous program year goals?

A good deal of progress - most goals were met

During our 2022-2025 Three-Year Plan, the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium (SVAEC) made significant, measurable progress toward its strategic goals. The consortium showed a strong recovery after the pandemic, achieved important educational results for students, and steadily improved in key areas, while also recognizing challenges that have shaped our current strategic direction.

Accomplished Goals & Success Stories

We are proud to announce that we successfully achieved several key objectives, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our programs and students.

  • Student Enrollment: A key goal was to restore student enrollment to pre-pandemic levels (2,439 in FY 19-20). We successfully surpassed this baseline in all three years of the planning cycle, showing strong, consistent year-over-year growth from 2,652 students in FY 22-23, to 2,906 in FY 23-24, and reaching 3,235 in FY 24-25. This sustained growth illustrates a successful and expanding reconnection with learners across the Salinas Valley.

  • Educational Goals: We consistently surpassed our target of ensuring 60% of our students achieve an educational goal. The consortium exceeded this goal in all three years, reaching impressive rates of 67.91% in FY 22-23, 73.87% in FY 23-24, and 68.07% in FY 24-25. This demonstrates the strength of our core instructional programs.

Goals with Significant Progress & Ongoing Focus

Two of our objectives proved more difficult, but the data shows a clear story of ongoing improvement and adaptation.

  • Persistence: Although initially challenging, our goal was to have 60% of students persist for at least 40 hours. We demonstrated a remarkable turnaround, starting at 44.52% in the first year and then meeting and surpassing the goal in the last two years of the cycle, reaching 60.65% in FY 23-24 and climbing again to 62.47% in FY 24-25. Importantly, this progress is also evident at the program level. The number of individual SVAEC members meeting the 60% persistence target increased each year of the cycle, from two members in the first year to three in the second, and four in the final year.

  • Immigrant Integration: We made strong progress toward our goal of expanding support for our region’s largest adult learner group. Many students were linked to essential community services, with the percentage passing an I-3 referral indicator reaching 26.02%, 31.35%, and 27.64% over the three-year cycle. These outcomes were supported by a wide range of initiatives, including the implementation of the AB2098 framework, successful financial literacy workshops, the creation of an ECE pre-apprenticeship program offering pathways for all students, ongoing citizenship prep classes, and thorough staff professional development on culturally responsive services.

Most Significant Challenge

  • Workforce Goals: Our main and ongoing challenge was to have 20% of program graduates meet their workforce goals. This target was not reached in any of the three years of the cycle, with results of 19.95% in FY 22-23, 17.55% in FY 23-24, and 14.62% in FY 24-25. This highlights that workforce outcomes are strongly affected by external economic factors and the significant, ongoing barriers our students face, which often force them to focus on immediate work rather than long-term training. The lessons learned from this challenge have been key in shaping more focused and supportive workforce strategies in our new 2025-2028 plan.

What barriers did the consortium face in making progress towards its previous program year goals?

While the SVAEC made significant progress during the 2022-2025 plan, achieving every objective was hindered by a combination of persistent, deep-rooted socioeconomic and systemic barriers. These challenges are most visible in the consortium’s two most ambitious student outcome goals: Workforce Goals and Student Persistence.

The main obstacles are rooted in the economic and logistical realities of the Salinas Valley. Our 2025 Community Needs Assessment confirmed that the top challenges for students are the inability to take time off work, lack of access to affordable childcare, and issues with class location or timing. These economic pressures directly explain why the Workforce Goal was our most significant challenge; the 20% target was not achieved in any of the three years of the cycle, with outcomes declining from 19.95% to 14.62%. This indicates that many learners often prioritize immediate employment over completing longer-term career training. These same barriers also explain why the Persistence Goal, although ultimately a success story, required a significant, multi-year effort to overcome its initial low of 44.52%.

Systemic challenges also impeded our progress. The digital divide remains a significant barrier in our rural area, limiting the effectiveness of flexible learning models designed to address transportation and scheduling issues. Additionally, the complexity of the Workforce Goal extends beyond student barriers; success relies on active employer participation, advanced data tracking, and managing a fluctuating labor market.

Finally, our immigrant integration efforts, while effective in connecting students to services, operate within an external environment where a challenging political climate can create a "climate of fear," causing some community members to hesitate to engage with formal institutions. This can reduce participation and slow down the development of the deep community trust essential for success. Understanding these interconnected barriers has been key in shaping the more intensive and supportive strategies of the new 2025-2028 plan.

What are the goals for the consortium for the current program year?

Increase EFL gains/increase support for immigrants/gather focus group data on program areas

For the 2025-26 program year, the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium’s (SVAEC) goals are closely aligned with the findings of our recent needs assessment and are outlined in our 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan. The following offers additional context on our five main objectives.

1. Increase Student Enrollment: Our goal is to boost student enrollment by 5% each year. The 2025 Community Needs Assessment confirms a strong and ongoing demand for adult education in our region. However, it also points out major barriers, with "Location of classes" being the main obstacle for community members and "Can't take time off work" a significant issue for enrolled students. Therefore, our strategy goes beyond marketing; it focuses on fundamentally improving access. We will work on strengthening community trust, diversifying program delivery methods (including hybrid and online options), and expanding partnerships with employers and community organizations to bring education directly to our learners.

2. Increase Workforce Success: We aim to grow the number of students achieving key workforce outcomes—such as readiness skills, licensure, certificates, or entry into job training—by 10% annually. This goal directly addresses our students' primary career aspiration of "getting a better job" and aligns with regional demand in high-demand sectors like healthcare, agriculture/AgTech, and education. Our strategies include improving our CTE offerings, systematically integrating essential workforce readiness skills across all curricula, expanding work-based learning opportunities like pre-apprenticeships, and enhancing our career counseling and transition services.  Furthermore, the data gathered through the focus groups under Objective 5 will help us refine our CTE programs to better meet student needs. 

3. Enhance Immigrant Integration: This goal formalizes our commitment to the overall success of our region's large immigrant population, aiming to increase the number of students connected to essential community resources by 5% annually (an Immigrant Integration I-3 Indicator). The 2025 Needs Assessment reveals that our student body is overwhelmingly Spanish-speaking, with a growing number having very low levels of formal education. Our approach goes beyond language instruction by applying the AB2098 framework, which involves strengthening partnerships with social, legal, and financial service providers to meet the comprehensive needs of our students and their families.

4. Increase Educational Gains: Our main academic goal is to ensure that 35% of our students make an Educational Functioning Level (EFL) gain each year. This is a key measure of our teaching effectiveness. The 2025 Needs Assessment showed a concerning trend: 53% of community members have less than an eighth-grade education. This highlights the urgent need for high-quality basic skills instruction. Our strategies will include focused professional development for instructors, consistent and rigorous assessment practices, and using data to guide ongoing improvements in our ESL, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) programs.

5. Gather Qualitative Data Through Focus Groups: A new strategic goal is to conduct focus groups each semester at every member agency, rotating through our six main program areas (ESL, HSD/HSE, Basic Computer Skills, Citizenship, CTE, K12 Student Success/Parent Success). While quantitative data like enrollment and EFL gains show us what is happening, this initiative aims to explain why. It will provide in-depth, qualitative insights into the student experience, the subtle barriers they face, and how effective our programs are perceived. The results will create a direct feedback loop to guide more responsive, student-centered program improvements across the consortium.

How will the consortium measure progress towards the goals set for the current program year?

tracking EFL gains/tracking workforce outcomes/tracking immigrant integration indicators

The Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium (SVAEC) will track progress toward its 2025-26 goals using a comprehensive, data-based approach that combines numerical performance indicators with qualitative student feedback. Progress on each of our five core objectives will be evaluated as follows:

  1. Student Enrollment: Our progress toward a 5% annual increase in enrollment will be mainly measured by tracking the number of Reportable Individuals (200AE) in our student data system. We will perform quarterly reviews of this data to observe trends, evaluate how well our data-driven marketing and outreach campaigns work, and assess the success of our barrier-reduction strategies.  Furthermore, we will track enrollment by site, for "location of classes" was identified as the number one barrier in our community needs assessment.
  2. Workforce Goals: To achieve our aim of a 10% annual increase in workforce outcomes, we will use comprehensive data collection systems to monitor student progress in three key areas: developing workforce readiness skills, earning an occupational license or certificate, and joining a job training program. This will include tracking course completions and certifications, as well as enhancing feedback loops with employers and workforce partners to confirm skill achievement and the relevance of programs.
  3. Immigrant Integration: Progress will be measured by a 5% yearly increase in students successfully passing an Immigrant Integration Indicator (I-3). We will implement a clear system for tracking student referrals to our community-based partners for services aligned with the AB2098 framework. Additionally, we will utilize student intake processes and surveys to assess needs across the ten immigrant integration goal areas, ensuring that our services effectively connect students to essential support.
  4. Educational Goals: Our main measure for this objective is ensuring that 35% of eligible students achieve an Educational Functioning Level (EFL) gain. This will be measured through the consistent administration of standardized pre- and post-tests (e.g., CASAS). Student assessment scores will be systematically collected and analyzed at the class, program, and consortium levels to inform data-driven program improvements and provide targeted support for students.
  5. Focus Groups for Qualitative Evaluation: This objective functions as a measurement strategy in itself. Progress will be gauged by the successful execution of our plan to conduct focus groups at every member agency each semester, rotating through our six core program areas. The success of this goal will be assessed by our ability to utilize the qualitative insights from these student interviews to inform specific programmatic improvements and develop a more detailed, nuanced understanding of the student experience.

Assessment

Regional Needs Assessment

Please identify the categories of needs in your region.

entrepreneurship/small business support; support for parents of K12 students

Please identify resources used to identify these gaps.

accreditation institutional self-studies

The Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium (SVAEC) will assess its effectiveness and progress in meeting the diverse needs of our region through a comprehensive, data-driven approach. This includes tracking established CAEP metrics, monitoring specific local performance indicators, and collecting qualitative feedback, all aligned with the five core objectives of our 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan.

Foundational Skills and Educational Advancement: To measure our progress in addressing the critical needs for English language acquisition, literacy, and basic skills, our primary local indicator will be the Educational Functioning Level (EFL) gain rate. Our goal is to have 35% of eligible students achieve an EFL gain annually, which we will track through consistent, standardized pre- and post-testing. We will also measure success by the number of students who earn a High School Diploma or Equivalency (633AE).

Workforce Development and Economic Mobility: Progress toward meeting the need for living-wage jobs and career development will be measured against our goal to increase workforce outcomes by 10% annually. Our specific local indicators for this are the number of students who successfully: 1) acquire essential workforce readiness skills, 2) obtain an occupational skills licensure or certificate, or 3) enter a dedicated job training program. We will track these outcomes through student data systems and partner feedback.

Access, Enrollment, and Immigrant Integration: To ensure we are meeting the needs of underserved and immigrant populations, we will measure progress in two key ways. First, we will track overall student enrollment numbers, with a goal of a 5% annual increase in Reportable Individuals (200AE). Second, as a local indicator of our immigrant integration efforts, we will measure the number of students who successfully receive a referral to a partner agency (an I-3 indicator), with a target of a 5% increase annually. This directly assesses our capacity to connect students to vital wraparound services.

Qualitative Program Effectiveness: To ensure that our programs genuinely address the complex needs of our students, we have introduced a new local indicator for measuring effectiveness: the systematic collection and analysis of student feedback through focus groups. Progress will be tracked by the successful implementation of this process, with each of our six major program areas evaluated semester by semester. The actionable recommendations derived from these sessions will serve as an important qualitative measure of our responsiveness and program quality.

This combination of quantitative metrics and qualitative insights will provide a holistic view of our progress and ensure we remain accountable and responsive to the evolving needs of the Salinas Valley.

Adult learners in the Salinas Valley face unique challenges due to the region's agricultural economy, demographics, and geography. The prevalence of seasonal, low-wage agricultural jobs, combined with a high cost of living, results in significant economic pressures. Our 2025 Community Needs Assessment highlights that the inability to take time off work is a primary barrier to education for these students. Therefore, our programs must be highly flexible to accommodate the non-traditional schedules of this working population.

A significant and intensifying need among our community members is foundational skills. Our latest needs assessment shows a concerning trend: the percentage of individuals with less than an 8th-grade education has surged from 29% to 53% since the last assessment cycle. This alarming statistic underscores the critical importance of our ESL, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and literacy programs. Moreover, the need is further exacerbated by our region's linguistic diversity. While Spanish is the primary language for most of our learners, we are also seeing a growing number of indigenous language speakers from Mexico and Central America, necessitating culturally and linguistically responsive instruction.

To meet these needs, we will continue to prioritize and expand our foundational skills programs. Furthermore, our 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan outlines a strategy to address systemic access barriers. Recognizing that the "location of classes" is the top barrier for community members, and acknowledging the transportation and digital access challenges in our rural valley, we will expand flexible learning modalities and explore more decentralized service delivery models through strengthened community partnerships.

To address community needs, we will prioritize and expand our foundational skills programs. Our 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan outlines a strategy to tackle systemic access barriers: Recognizing that the location of classes is the primary obstacle for community members, and considering the challenges of transportation and digital access in our rural valley, we will implement flexible learning modalities and explore decentralized service delivery models through strengthened community partnerships.

Our data collection process prioritizes inclusivity. We employ bilingual proctors and conduct in-person surveys to ensure that we hear from community members facing literacy or digital access barriers. Moving forward, our strategic objective to implement systematic student focus groups will provide deeper qualitative insights into the lived experiences of our students. This ongoing dialogue keeps our consortium agile and effective in addressing the unique and evolving needs of the adults we serve in the Salinas Valley.

Activities & Outcomes

Objective #1: Address Educational Needs

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28

This activity aims to strategically expand student participation across all SVAEC member districts and programs, targeting a 5% annual increase throughout the 2025-2028 planning period. Achieving this will involve a multi-faceted approach centered on deepening community trust, enhancing program relevance to meet evolving learner and economic needs, systematically reducing barriers to access and persistence, and strengthening collaborative outreach and support systems.

Key components will include:

  • Targeted Outreach and Inclusive Engagement: Launching culturally sensitive, multilingual outreach campaigns directed at historically underserved populations and geographic areas within the Salinas Valley. This will involve leveraging partnerships with trusted community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based institutions, and ethnic media to build confidence and address potential hesitancy, especially among immigrant communities concerned about political uncertainties.
  • Responsive Program Development and Enhancement: Continuously adapting and expanding course offerings—particularly short-term CTE programs in high-demand local sectors like agriculture/AgTech, healthcare, hospitality, and essential trades—to provide clear pathways to economic resilience and upward mobility. This includes developing new curricula for in-demand fields and ensuring that existing programs, such as ESL and ABE/ASE, remain highly relevant.
  • Systematic Barrier Reduction: Implementing and scaling solutions to address critical student barriers such as childcare, transportation, class scheduling conflicts, and the digital divide, as identified in the SVAEC 2024-2025 Final Report. This involves expanding flexible learning options (hybrid, online) and piloting support mechanisms. To specifically address the top barrier identified in our 2025 CNA, these efforts will include exploring more decentralized, community-based class locations to better serve learners throughout the Salinas Valley.
  • Strengthened Partnerships: Strengthen referral pathways and co-enrollment processes with our workforce partners, including our WIOA Title II member agencies and our WIOA Title I partner, the Monterey County Workforce Development Board (MCWDB), as well as social service agencies, libraries, and CBOs.
  • Data-informed Strategies: Utilizing enrollment data, community feedback, and labor market information to continuously refine outreach tactics, program schedules, locations, and support services to maximize impact and reach new learner segments.

This activity aims to meet the quantitative target of 5% annual growth and ensure that SVAEC’s programs are increasingly accessible, valuable, and responsive to the diverse needs of all adult learners in the region. Thus, it fosters individual success and contributes to regional economic vitality.

Adult Education Metrics and Student Barriers

  • All: Participants (202AE)
  • All: Reportable Individuals (200AE)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (149AE)
  • Student Barriers: Low Literacy (155AE)

Responsible Positions, Responsible Consortium Members, and Proposed Completion Date

Responsible PositionResponsible MemberProposed Completion Date
Ivan PaganHartnell CCD06/30/2028
Jose YañezNorth Monterey County Unified06/30/2028
Ernesto VelaMonterey Co. Office of Education06/30/2028
Alexander KirkSalinas Union High06/30/2028
Candice CamachoGonzales Unified06/30/2028
Francisco PinedoSoledad Unified06/30/2028
Christian WoodsSouth Monterey County Joint Union High06/30/2028

Objective #2: Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

WORKFORCE GOALS

THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28

This activity is designed to significantly enhance the workforce success of SVAEC students by achieving a 10% annual increase in the number of students who: (a) acquire essential workforce readiness skills, (b) obtain an occupational skills licensure or certificate, and (c) enter a dedicated job training program. To achieve these targets, SVAEC will implement comprehensive strategies focused on curriculum enhancement, direct skill-building, pathway development, and robust partnerships.

Key components will include:

  • Strategic Program Alignment and Enhancement: SVAEC will systematically review, update, and expand its Career Technical Education (CTE) offerings to ensure direct alignment with high-demand local industries such as agriculture/AgTech, healthcare, hospitality, construction/skilled trades, and education/childcare, as identified in the SVAEC 2024-2025 Final Report and regional plans. This includes developing new short-term certificate programs and modularized credentials that are responsive to employer needs and provide quick wins for students. A particular focus for the 2025-26 academic year will be on developing pathways in the healthcare sector, a critical and consistently growing industry in our region.
  • Integration of Workforce Readiness Skills: Workforce readiness skills—including digital literacy, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and other soft skills—will be explicitly defined and systematically embedded across all core instructional areas (ESL, ABE, ASE) and CTE programs. This ensures foundational employability for all students.
  • Pathway Development to Licensure, Certification, and Further Training: SVAEC will strengthen and create clear pathways for students to attain industry-recognized licenses and certifications. This involves curriculum mapping, articulation with postsecondary institutions, and direct support for students navigating these processes. Additionally, SVAEC will enhance collaborations with our WIOA Title II member agencies, the MCWDB and its WIOA Title I services, as well as apprenticeship programs and other job training providers, to facilitate seamless transitions for students into more intensive or specialized training. 
  • Expanded Work-based Learning and Employer Engagement: SVAEC will increase opportunities for students to gain practical experience and connect with employers through internships, job shadowing, pre-apprenticeships (a noted service gap), and other work-based learning models. Stronger employer partnerships will inform curriculum and create direct hiring pipelines.
  • Enhanced Career Counseling and Transition Support: Dedicated resources will help students identify career goals, develop job search strategies, understand pathways to credentials, and successfully enroll in further job training programs.
  • Data Tracking and Continuous Improvement: Robust data collection and analysis systems will be utilized to monitor student progress towards these three specific workforce outcomes, identify areas for program improvement, and ensure accountability in meeting the 10% annual growth targets.

This activity directly addresses the career aspirations of SVAEC students and aims to equip them with the skills and credentials necessary for economic self-sufficiency and advancement.

Adult Education Metrics and Student Barriers

  • All: Participants (202AE)
  • All: Reportable Individuals (200AE)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (149AE)
  • Student Barriers: Low Literacy (155AE)

Responsible Positions, Responsible Consortium Members, and Proposed Completion Date

Responsible PositionResponsible MemberProposed Completion Date
Ivan PaganHartnell CCD06/30/2028
Jose YañezNorth Monterey County Unified06/30/2028
Ernesto VelaMonterey Co. Office of Education06/30/2028
Alexander KirkSalinas Union High06/30/2028
Candice CamachoGonzales Unified06/30/2028
Francisco PinedoSoledad Unified06/30/2028
Christian WoodsSouth Monterey County Joint Union High06/30/2028

IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION

THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28

This activity reaffirms and operationalizes SVAEC's commitment to equity by continuing to increase support and opportunities for immigrant learners through a comprehensive immigrant integration framework, as outlined in the AB2098 Work Group Final Recommendations. A key, measurable objective is to increase the number of students successfully passing an Immigrant Integration Indicator (I-3) by 5% each year. "Passing an I-3 indicator" will be defined as a student being successfully referred to and engaged with a partner agency or resource to address a specific need within one of the ten CAEP immigrant integration goal areas (e.g., Economic Security, Health and Well-being, Education and Career, Civic Participation, Digital Literacy, etc.). For the 2025-26 year, a key implementation of this framework will be to build upon our successful financial literacy pilot program by exploring new partnerships to address the health and well-being of immigrants.

To achieve this, SVAEC will:

  • Adopt and Embed the Framework: Formally adopt the AB2098 definition of immigrant integration and systematically embed the ten goal areas into program planning, curriculum development, and student support services across all relevant programs (ESL, ABE, ASE, CTE).
  • Enhance Needs Assessment: Integrate questions related to the ten immigrant integration goal areas into student intake and counseling processes to identify individual needs and facilitate appropriate referrals. This will help identify students who could benefit from a referral (I-3 outcome).
  • Strengthen Community Partnerships: Proactively develop and deepen collaborations with community-based organizations, government agencies, and other service providers that offer resources aligned with the ten immigrant integration goal areas. This is critical for successful I-3 referrals.
  • Develop and Contextualize Services: Create or adapt short-term modules, workshops, or contextualized instruction that address specific integration competencies (e.g., navigating the U.S. healthcare system, understanding tenant rights, digital literacy for job searching, civic engagement basics) and can lead to referrals for deeper support.
  • Provide Professional Development: Equip SVAEC staff (instructors, counselors, support staff) with training on the immigrant integration framework and cultural competency, identify student needs across the ten goal areas, and effectively make and track referrals to partner agencies.
  • Implement Tracking and Data Analysis: Develop a clear system for tracking student referrals to partners (I-3 indicator) and analyzing this data to monitor progress towards the 5% annual increase, identify successful referral pathways, and pinpoint areas needing more partnership development or service enhancement.
  • Promote Pathways to Citizenship: For those who qualify for citizenship, our adult schools offer preparation classes for the citizenship exam.

This activity aims to provide immigrants with adequate, culturally relevant, and linguistically accessible programs and services that facilitate upward social and economic mobility, increased civic participation, and multigenerational integration, thus building secure, thriving, and inclusive communities in the Salinas Valley. It acknowledges the diverse needs of immigrant-origin students beyond language acquisition, including those identified in the SVAEC 2024-2025 Final Report.

Adult Education Metrics and Student Barriers

  • All: Participants (202AE)
  • All: Reportable Individuals (200AE)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (149AE)
  • Student Barriers: Low Literacy (155AE)

Responsible Positions, Responsible Consortium Members, and Proposed Completion Date

Responsible PositionResponsible MemberProposed Completion Date
Ivan PaganHartnell CCD06/30/2028
Jose YañezNorth Monterey County Unified06/30/2028
Ernesto VelaMonterey Co. Office of Education06/30/2028
Alexander KirkSalinas Union High06/30/2028
Candice CamachoGonzales Unified06/30/2028
Francisco PinedoSoledad Unified06/30/2028
Christian WoodsSouth Monterey County Joint Union High06/30/2028

Objective #3: Improve Effectiveness of Services

EDUCATIONAL GOALS

THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28

This activity centers on a core educational objective for SVAEC: ensuring that 35% of enrolled students participating in programs below the postsecondary level achieve a measurable gain of one or more Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) annually. An EFL gain signifies concrete progress in foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency, as measured by standardized assessments (e.g., CASAS). This activity is fundamental to SVAEC’s mission of empowering adult learners and directly addresses the primary educational goals identified by many students, such as learning English and improving basic skills. In light of the 2025 community needs assessment data showing a significant increase in adults with very low levels of formal education, a renewed emphasis on foundational ABE and pre-literacy instruction will be a critical component of this objective for the upcoming year.

To achieve this 35% EFL gain target, SVAEC will implement strategies including:

  • Enhancing Instructional Excellence: Promoting evidence-based instructional methodologies, differentiated instruction, and contextualized learning within ESL, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) programs. Curricula will be closely aligned with EFL descriptors to ensure targeted teaching.
  • Strengthening Assessment Practices: Ensuring rigorous and consistent administration of standardized pre- and post-tests (e.g., CASAS) for all eligible students to measure learning gains accurately. This includes timely post-testing upon completion of recommended instructional hours.
  • Targeted Professional Development: Providing ongoing training for instructors and staff on effective teaching strategies for adult learners, data literacy (understanding and using EFL gain reports to inform instruction), assessment administration, and curriculum alignment with EFL standards.
  • Data-driven Program Improvement: Systematically collecting, analyzing, and utilizing EFL gain data at the class, program, and consortium levels to identify successful instructional approaches, pinpoint improvement areas, and address achievement gaps among different student populations.
  • Focused Student Support: Implementing strategies to support student persistence and engagement, such as supplemental instruction, tutoring, and academic counseling, as consistent attendance and effort are crucial for achieving EFL gains. Barriers to attendance identified in the SVAEC 2024-2025 Final Report will be taken into consideration.
  • Clear Program Pathways: Ensuring students are appropriately placed in programs based on their initial EFL and clearly understand the learning pathway and the importance of EFL gains for their overall educational and career goals.

This activity is crucial for demonstrating program effectiveness, ensuring accountability, and equipping students with the foundational skills necessary for further education, workforce entry or advancement, and more comprehensive community participation.

Adult Education Metrics and Student Barriers

  • All: Participants (202AE)
  • All: Reportable Individuals (200AE)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (149AE)
  • Student Barriers: Low Literacy (155AE)

Responsible Positions, Responsible Consortium Members, and Proposed Completion Date

Responsible PositionResponsible MemberProposed Completion Date
Ivan PaganHartnell CCD06/30/2028
Jose YañezNorth Monterey County Unified06/30/2028
Ernesto VelaMonterey Co. Office of Education06/30/2028
Alexander KirkSalinas Union High06/30/2028
Candice CamachoGonzales Unified06/30/2028
Francisco PinedoSoledad Unified06/30/2028
Christian WoodsSouth Monterey County Joint Union High06/30/2028

FOCUS GROUPS

THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28

This activity establishes a systematic process for gathering in-depth qualitative feedback directly from students through focus groups to enhance program effectiveness and ensure student-centered services. The objective is: "Over the next three years, each semester, focus groups will be conducted at each agency/program. Each semester, we shall evaluate one of these six major program areas: ESL, HSD/HSE, Basic Computer Skills, Citizenship, CTE, and CSS."

This initiative aims to achieve the following goals:

  • Gain Rich Insights: Move beyond quantitative data to understand the "why" behind student experiences, satisfaction levels, perceived strengths and weaknesses of programs, and barriers to success within each specified program area. This aligns with the need to understand student challenges as highlighted in the SVAEC 2024-2025 Final Report.
  • Inform Programmatic Improvements: Use the qualitative data gathered to make targeted improvements to curriculum, instructional delivery, student support services, scheduling, resource accessibility, and the overall learning environment for each program area on a rotating basis.
  • Enhance Student Voice and Engagement: Provide a structured platform for students to share their perspectives, fostering a sense of ownership and partnership in their educational journey. This directly supports SVAEC's commitment to equity.
  • Systematic Evaluation: Ensure that each of the six core program areas undergoes a qualitative review cycle through student feedback over the three years, allowing for comprehensive assessment across the consortium.
  • Complement Existing Data: Use focus group findings to triangulate with other data sources (e.g., enrollment data, EFL gains, completion rates, exit surveys) for a more holistic understanding of program performance and student needs.

The operationalization of this activity will involve developing standardized focus group protocols (including a question guide, recruitment strategies, consent forms, and culturally sensitive questioning techniques), systematically recruiting diverse student participants for each focus group, conducting the sessions, transcribing/summarizing findings, and disseminating actionable reports to relevant program staff, administrators, and advisory bodies for review and implementation of recommendations. This continuous feedback loop is crucial for adapting to the evolving needs of adult learners in the Salinas Valley.

Adult Education Metrics and Student Barriers

  • All: Participants (202AE)
  • All: Reportable Individuals (200AE)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (149AE)
  • Student Barriers: Low Literacy (155AE)

Responsible Positions, Responsible Consortium Members, and Proposed Completion Date

Responsible PositionResponsible MemberProposed Completion Date
Ivan PaganHartnell CCD06/30/2028
Jose YañezNorth Monterey County Unified06/30/2028
Ernesto VelaMonterey Co. Office of Education06/30/2028
Alexander KirkSalinas Union High06/30/2028
Candice CamachoGonzales Unified06/20/2028
Francisco PinedoSoledad Unified06/30/2028
Christian WoodsSouth Monterey County Joint Union High06/30/2028

Fiscal Management

Alignment & Carryover

The planned usage of allocations for the 2025-2026 program year is directly and strategically aligned with the goals of the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium’s (SVAEC) 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan. Our budget is designed to be the implementation engine for the plan's five core objectives, ensuring that every allocated dollar is purposefully directed toward meeting the identified needs of our region's adult learners.

  1. Supporting Student Enrollment: A significant portion of our allocations will fund the strategies designed to achieve our 5% annual enrollment growth target. This includes funding for targeted, multilingual marketing and outreach campaigns, staff time dedicated to strengthening community and employer partnerships, and resources for barrier-reduction pilots aimed at mitigating obstacles, such as transportation and childcare, identified in our needs assessment.
  2. Driving Workforce Success: To achieve our goal of a 10% annual increase in workforce outcomes, funds are prioritized for the development and enhancement of Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in high-demand regional sectors, such as healthcare and agriculture/AgTech. Allocations will support instructor salaries, the acquisition of industry-aligned curriculum and materials, and the expansion of work-based learning opportunities such as pre-apprenticeships.
  3. Enhancing Immigrant Integration: In alignment with our goal to increase support for immigrants, the budget will support essential professional development for staff on the AB2098 framework, the development of contextualized services, and dedicated staff time allocated for coordinating with community partners. This ensures we can effectively track and increase successful student referrals (the I-3 indicator) to vital wraparound services.
  4. Increasing Educational Gains: The largest portion of our allocations is dedicated to our core instructional mission: achieving a 35% EFL gain rate. These funds primarily support the salaries of our highly qualified instructors in ESL, ABE, and ASE programs. Additionally, allocations will cover the costs of standardized assessment materials (e.g., CASAS) and professional development focused on data analysis and evidence-based teaching strategies.
  5. Funding Qualitative Program Evaluation: To support our new objective of gathering deeper student feedback, funds are allocated for the implementation of our systematic focus groups. A consultant will be hired to plan the focus groups, develop protocols, run the focus groups, analyze the data, and report the findings.

In summary, the FY 2025-26 budget is not a standalone document but a direct reflection of our strategic priorities. Each expenditure is designed to fund the specific activities outlined in our Annual Plan, which in turn serve as the foundational steps for realizing the long-term vision of our Three-Year Plan.

While each SVAEC member directs the specific use of its carryover funds, our consortium's collective approach will be to prioritize these limited, one-time resources for strategic investments and pilot projects. This ensures that carryover funds are used to accelerate progress on our 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan objectives and directly address the most critical gaps identified in our 2025 Community Needs Assessment, without creating unsustainable ongoing costs.  With this in mind, the following areas would be prioritized if we have carryover funds.

A primary focus for carryover funds will be addressing the digital divide. As our needs assessment consistently identifies a lack of computers and internet access as a key barrier, we will use these funds for one-time investments such as purchasing laptops and hotspots, acquiring or renewing consortium-wide software licenses, and upgrading classroom technology to support hybrid instruction.

Second, carryover funds provide the flexibility to pilot innovative solutions for systemic access barriers. The 2025 Community Needs Assessment identified the location of classes, transportation, and childcare as top obstacles. Carryover can support pilot programs like a transportation assistance initiative for our rural South County students or a childcare voucher program in partnership with a local CBO. These pilots will allow us to test the efficacy of different support models before seeking long-term funding.

Third, these funds are ideal for seeding new program development aligned with our workforce goals. Starting a new CTE or pre-apprenticeship program often involves significant one-time costs. Carryover funds will be utilized to support the initial purchase of equipment, curriculum development, and materials for new pathways in high-demand sectors, including healthcare, construction, and agricultural technology.

Finally, we will direct funds toward intensive, high-impact professional development opportunities for our staff, such as bringing in expert consultants for training on AI in education or data-driven instruction.

This strategic approach ensures carryover funds are not merely spent, but invested in innovation, barrier removal, and capacity building. By using them to pilot new ideas and make critical one-time purchases, we enhance the long-term effectiveness and reach of our core, ongoing programs.

This proactive planning ensures that any carryover funds are used promptly and strategically, keeping the consortium well within the 20% limit mandated by the Education Code.

Usage

How does the consortium plan to use allocated funds in the upcoming year?

Fund program evaluation and partnership development

The Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium's (SVAEC) financial plan for the 2025-26 program year is strategically allocated to support the core instructional mission while simultaneously funding key initiatives designed to enhance access, workforce outcomes, and program effectiveness, in direct alignment with the 2025-2028 Three-Year Plan.

The largest portion of our funding will continue to support existing adult education programs by covering the teaching and staff salaries necessary to deliver high-quality instruction in our foundational programs: ESL, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and Adult Secondary Education (ASE). This core investment is essential for achieving our objective of a 35% gain in Educational Functioning Level (EFL) and is supported by allocations for program materials and assessment software.

To advance our workforce goals, funds will be used to fund new adult education programs, specifically short-term CTE courses in high-demand fields like healthcare and agriculture, as identified in our regional needs assessments. This includes purchasing necessary equipment and curriculum for these new programs, as well as strengthening existing activities through industry partnerships and work-based learning opportunities, such as pre-apprenticeships.

Recognizing the significant barriers our students face, a key strategy is to use funds to enhance access and support enrollment. We will enhance marketing and outreach efforts to increase awareness of our services, particularly in rural and underserved areas of the valley. Furthermore, allocations will be used to provide new/additional wraparound services through pilot programs targeting critical barriers, such as transportation and childcare. We will also continue to improve technology by investing in laptops and hotspots for our student loaner program to bridge the digital divide.

Ultimately, funds will be allocated to enhance the overall effectiveness of our services. This includes providing robust staff professional development on key initiatives, such as the Immigrant Integration framework. It also includes resourcing our new program evaluation activities, specifically the systematic implementation of student focus groups, which will provide invaluable qualitative data for continuous program improvement.

Consortium Objectives & Activities Overview

Objectives & Activities

= consortium has included this activity in an Annual Plan from the 2025-28 Three-Year Plan
= consortium has NOT selected this activity in an Annual Plan from the 2025-28 Three-Year Plan
ActivityOriginIncluded in Annual Plan
Objective #1: Address Educational Needs
STUDENT ENROLLMENT
THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28
Objective #2: Improve Integration of Services & Transitions
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28
WORKFORCE GOALS
THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28
Objective #3: Improve Effectiveness of Services
EDUCATIONAL GOALS
THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28
FOCUS GROUPS
THREE-YEAR PLAN 2025-28

Certification

Gonzales Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Candice Camacho

08/11/2025 01:48 PM PDT

Hartnell CCD - Member Representative

Approved by Ivan Pagan

08/11/2025 12:09 PM PDT

Monterey Co. Office of Education - Member Representative

Approved by Keith Gonzales

08/13/2025 10:04 AM PDT

North Monterey County Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Reyanna Flores

08/11/2025 01:23 PM PDT

Salinas Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Dr. Alexander Kirk

08/11/2025 12:55 PM PDT

Soledad Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Francisco Pinedo Jr

08/11/2025 12:41 PM PDT

South Monterey County Joint Union High - Member Representative

Approved by Roseanna Guerrero

08/12/2025 12:13 PM PDT