CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Aug 15, 2024, 12:31 AM UTC - By Nicole Lopez

26 Long Beach Adult Education
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2024-25

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

The Long Beach Adult Education Consortium (LBAEC) three-year plan is in alignment with California’s Vision 2030 overarching goal to ensure that the community college system effectively supports adult learners in achieving their educational and professional goals, contributing to a more skilled and competitive workforce in California. LBAEC comprised of Long Beach City College (LBCC) and Long Beach Adult School (LBSA), is one of the smallest consortia in the region. Despite its size, the Consortium continues to see considerable growth in meeting the needs of the adult population in the region through collaborative efforts between the Consortium members, community stakeholders, and regional partners.   

Marked growth has occurred in the number of enrollments in noncredit classes, program offerings on campus and at off-site locations, student completions, and students' matriculation from LBSA to LBCC into both noncredit and credit programs. Specifically, in 2023-2024 new noncredit enrollments increased by 17% serving 6,450 students and an additional 22 noncredit programs were created. Student completions increased by 145% in 2023-2024 compared to the previous year, meaning there were nearly 2.5 times as many completions as in 2022-2023.    

LBAEC continues to strengthen its partnership to provide seamless services to students. LBCC supports a full-time Outreach and Recruitment Specialist (ORS) to be housed at LBSA to serve as a connection or “bridge” to support student enrollment in noncredit courses, develop and implement effective recruitment strategies to optimize enrollment by attracting new students and assist prospective students with the admission process. This effort, along with providing adult dual enrollment courses, at the request of students, to provide noncredit reading preparation and computer courses at LBSA resulted in an 11% increase in students transitioning into Long Beach City College.  

In Year 3, the LBAEC will enhance marketing for noncredit courses, expand off-site classes at LBSA to include reading preparation, technology, and counseling, increase courses at other off-site locations, and support enrollment and registration. A key focus of the three-year plan is to emphasize connections to living wages and supporting pathways and job readiness to help students secure careers with living wages.  

For the upcoming year, planned allocations will focus on improving enrollment, completions, job readiness and placement support, creating noncredit to credit pathways, and marketing these pathways for students to see clear and visible ways for entering, re-entering, or upskilling in the workforce. A dedicated team of counselors and student success coaches will support student transitions from LBSA to LBCC or directly into the workforce. The approach will include needs assessments, workshops on career pathways, financial aid, AB 540 benefits, LBCC resources, basic needs, and internships, and field trips to LBCC. This comprehensive strategy aims to create a sense of belonging, especially for students at off-site locations.      

The Consortium will continue to address the following objectives in Year 3: 

Program Map Review, Development and Marketing

  • Continue to develop and refine existing maps that help students see long-term goals that are attainable and communicate those maps. 
  • Share information with faculty regarding opportunities for growth in gap areas. 
  • Work with communications to market information.  

Connection to Living Wages

  • Identify high demand living wage jobs in district area and work with faculty to develop programs leading to these jobs. Provide job readiness and placement support.  

Clear Pathways and Access to Support Services 

  • College information regarding services within LBCC and within the community and create a process for connecting students and sharing information regarding services.

Data Review and Program Improvement 

  • Refine data dashboards tracking student transitions and share with Consortia. Host annual meeting to review Launchboard data.  
  • Launch feedback process, collect and analyze data. 
Regional Planning Overview

Regional Planning Overview 

LBAEC remains committed to addressing the evolving needs of the region. Through intentional strategies and activities, we will continue to implement the three-year plan through various cross-functional teams at LBCC and within the LBSA. Support will be provided in areas such as enrollment, counseling, job readiness, internships and job placement, and data collection and analysis. 

Year Three activities include:   

Address Educational Needs   

To address the Educational Needs of the LBAEC, the Member Districts will engage in activities to support Connections to Living Wages.   

  • Review existing programs for alignment with living wage jobs.    
  • Identify high demand living wage jobs in district area and work to develop programs leading to these jobs.    
  • Survey existing and former students to access their needs and career goals. 
  • Provide job readiness, internship and placement support.  

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions   

To improve Integration of Services and Transitions of the LBAEC region, the Member Districts will engage in activities to create Clear Pathways and Access to Support Services.   

  • Reviewing noncredit program maps for overlap and creating program maps in gap areas. 
  • Develop maps across programs that help students see long-term goals that are attainable and communicate and market those maps to students.   
  • Provide or connect students to wrap-around supports that may include anything from educational planning to childcare, as appropriate.     

Improve Effectiveness of Services 

To improve the Effectiveness of Services of the LBAEC region, the Member Districts will engage in activities to support Data Review and Program Improvement.   

  • Develop data dashboards that focus on key metrics that inform students’ transitions between programs.    
  • Establish a special meeting each year to review Launchboard data, timed with when the data becomes available.  
  • Establish a process for getting feedback and providing the results to the consortium annually.  



Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs 

When reviewing adult education services, regional service providers, and regional demographics, there is an opportunity for growth to fully meet community needs. For example, over 75,000 residents in the District speak English less than “very well,” yet ESL programs support only about 5,405 students. Similarly, over 115,000 residents in the District would benefit from adult basic or secondary education, but fewer than 1,000 are enrolled in these programs. To address this, LBCC is partnering with the City of Long Beach to host classes in libraries and public park community centers. In addition to the HiSET courses being offered at LBSA, LBCC faculty are developing more HiSET courses, including those taught in Spanish. 

LBAEC will focus on increasing enrollments in relevant programs to support more of these students. It will also offer short-term programs leading to living-wage jobs, helping residents below the regional living wage exit the cycle of poverty. To achieve this, LBCC along with input from its regional partners are mapping noncredit and credit programs to align with living-wage occupations. This information will be integrated into student-facing materials and marketing to help students make informed choices about their education and career aspirations. 

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

Using data from the American Community Survey, LBAEC reviewed and analyzed the characteristics of the community within the Consortium’s service area, which includes over 500,000 adults. Of these, 9% (41,451) have less than a 9th-grade education, while an additional 17% (74,284) have some high school education but lack a diploma or credential. The highest proportions of these individuals reside in North and Central/Downtown Long Beach. When disaggregated by race/ethnicity, we find that over one-third (36%) of residents identifying as Latinx/Hispanic would benefit from access to adult basic and secondary education. Interestingly, while residents identifying as Asian represent the second-highest racial/ethnic group with a bachelor's degree (42%, following White residents at 45%), they also have a significant proportion (18%) who need adult basic and secondary education. 

Within the LBAEC's service area, 13% (57,763) of adults live below the federal poverty level. Those with less than a high school education are twice as likely to live below the federal poverty level compared to those with some college education (i.e., with an associate’s degree or college credits completed but not a bachelor’s degree). It is also important to note that the service area has a high cost of living, meaning the federal poverty line represents approximately one-third of the income a single adult would need to have a living wage in the region. Therefore, the proportion of adults effectively living in poverty (i.e., not making a living wage) is much higher than 13%. The largest number of Consortium residents living below the poverty line reside in the same areas as those with lower levels of education, North and Central/Downtown Long Beach. When disaggregated by racial/ethnic identity, more residents identifying as Latinx/Hispanic (19%), Black/African-American (20%), and Native American (21%) experience living below the poverty level compared to other racial/ethnic groups (e.g., White: 9%, Asian: 13%, Pacific Islander: 15%). 

Within the LBAEC’s service area, 9% (39,072) of adults live with a disability. Adults with a disability are more likely to live in poverty (19%) than those without a disability (12%). Adults with disabilities are also less likely to have completed high school (19%) than those without a disability (13%). 

In addition to analyzing local data, LBAEC consulted community partners providing direct services. For example, Centro CHA, an LBAEC partner, hosted its annual Latino Economic Impact Report Convening at LBCC and followed up with a roundtable of community leaders. They validated our local data findings, provided qualitative data on individuals' experiences, unique neighborhood needs and challenges, and offered input on how we can better partner with community groups. 

How will you measure effectiveness / progress towards meeting this need?

Progress updates and metrics are reported monthly at the LBCC Adult Education Subcommittee (part of the participatory governance process) and at the LBAEC quarterly meetings.   

Data dashboards to track the activities of the three-year plan are created by LBCC and tracked regularly and shared at LBAEC meetings.  The metrics for student success, disaggregated by race, including course success rates and closing equity gaps are included in campus wide planning and in campus-wide annual metrics.  

Address Educational Needs

2024-25 Strategies

Noncredit Mapping

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Program Map Review, Development and Marketing

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: Low Income (AE 310 - Overall)
  • Based on year one findings, develop program maps that help students see long-term that are attainable and communicate and market those maps. Share information with faculty regarding opportunities for growth in gap areas.
  • Work with communications to market information.

Job Readiness and Connection to Living Wages

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Connection to Living Wages

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: Low Income (AE 310 - Overall)
  • Identify high demand living wage jobs in district area and work with faculty to develop programs leading to these jobs.
  • Provide job readiness and placement support.


Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2024-25 Strategies

Connections with Support Services

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Clear Pathways and Access to Support Services

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: Low Income (AE 310 - Overall)

College information regarding services within LBCC and within the community and create a process for connecting students and sharing information regarding services. 

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2024-25 Strategies

Data collection and analysis

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Data Review and Program Improvement

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: Low Income (AE 310 - Overall)

Refine data dashboards tracking student transitions and share with Consortia. Host annual meeting to review Launchboard data. Launch feedback process, collect and analyze data. 

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.

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 for this fiscal year will include an aggressive plan that reorganizes and develops a staffing team to address not only the emerging needs of the community and region but also to reach the untapped population that can benefit from the courses offered by the LBAEC. 

Funding for Long Beach School for Adults will remain unchanged, as the adult school uses funds for direct instruction and operations. Long Beach City College will use funding for staffing a team that directly serves students and supports the three-year plan, including partial funding for staff in enrollment and outreach, instructional associates in ESL, counseling and support, admissions and records, and Institutional Effectiveness. 

Additional funding will be dedicated to support other efforts such as communications and marketing efforts, including print, direct mail, and social media campaigns. Braided funding will be leveraged to support year three activities.  

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

To ensure the efficient use of resources, a strict spending plan has been developed to allocate carryover funds for investing in additional full-time positions. These positions will support the advancement of the CAEP plan and include a Project Lead and additional community education coordinators. The funds will be incorporated into strategies planned for 2024-25, supporting direct student services, outreach and enrollment, as well as job placement and career development activities.

Certification

Long Beach CCD - Member Representative

  • Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development
  • kmadrid@lbcc.edu
  • (562) 938-4417
Approved by Pamela La Rose

08/14/2024 04:40 PM PDT

Long Beach Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Nicole Lopez

08/14/2024 05:31 PM PDT