CAEP
Annual Plan

Produced: Aug 9, 2024, 06:39 PM UTC - By Kaivan Yuen

27 Los Angeles Regional Adult Education Consortium
CONSORTIUM APPROVED

2024-25

Plans & Goals

Executive Summary

LARAEC continues its work in support of CAEP’s seven program areas, LARAEC member districts, and the LARAEC Three Year Plan (3YP) with its 24-25 Annual Plan.  The plan continues its focus on the priority areas developed by stakeholders and the LARAEC Board: marketing and intentional outreach, engagement and persistence, and consortium collaboration.  These priority areas address essential overarching themes for the consortium, including connecting with specific populations of underserved communities through outreach and engagement activities; providing support and resources for member districts to develop curriculum, enrollment protocols, and engagement activities that incorporate remote pedagogies and technologies; and being grounded in the post-COVID landscape.

In implementing the 23-24 Annual Plan, LARAEC leveraged the power of its established Action Planning Teams, which foster collaboration between districts and carry out focused activities that support the priorities laid out in the 22-25 3YP.  LARAEC also utilized the power of its communication infrastructure that has been built over the last five years: its website, which has become a clearinghouse and curated information and media hub for student and staff resources; the Lunch with LARAEC Zoomcast; the annual faculty and staff conference and its student-facing counterpart; and the LARAEC Insider, LARAEC’s weekly newsletter.  These overlapping conduits of interconnectedness allow the consortium’s messaging, resources, and priority area work to be shared in an amplified way through LARAEC’s member districts. 

This past year, LARAEC continued its progress in support of its priorities, including the rollout of new projects and the support of ongoing activities.  LARAEC’s Action Planning Teams a) hosted a web-based PD to share student voices around persistence, engagement, and academic success b) added resources and research to LARAEC’s shared knowledge base that is housed on the consortium’s website c) continued its work on targeted one-pagers for unhoused individuals, adults with disabilities, and adults looking to create change in their lives d) worked towards creating a curated hub of essential remote learning resources for teachers and school-site personnel e) created a student-facing webinar on essential support services with an accompanying guide that included housing, employment, mental health, and financial resources.  LARAEC also experienced successes in a number of other areas, including the roll  out of our new LARAEC Student Connect Webinars designed to bring high-interest student topics into the classroom; participation in the ELL Healthcare Pathway Grant; roll out of LARAEC’s new student portal, Whatsnext.LA; adoption of new member district monitoring procedures, bylaws, and member district carryover limits; facilitation of CAEP statewide peer learning community sessions,  and hosting of  a consortium-wide online student career training and resource fair.

For SY 24-25, LARAEC will continue activities consistent with its 3YP plan priorities and support of CAEPs seven program areas. It will focus efforts on outreach, supporting students and faculty using research and best practices to enhance existing programs, and build new models for meeting the needs of students. It will leverage its leadership team of point persons and LARAEC staff along with targeted member district subject matter experts to power collaborative work around creating shared resources and hosting relevant PD. LARAEC will utilize current structures such as Lunch with LARAEC, conferences, LARAEC Student Connect, professional development, web resources, and its newsletter to engage district staff and expand student-facing activities.

In SY 2024-25, LARAEC allocations will be used to support district and school site operations and provide education and workforce programs in the seven CAEP approved areas. The majority of program funds are allocated to districts for instructional and non-instructional salaries. LARAEC consortium funds and member-district allocations will be used for providing adult education programs and other activities outlined in this plan and aligned to the consortium 3YP, including quality collaboration between-member districts, strengthening transitions and pathways, strengthening student support services, aligning data and accountability efforts, and creating a coordinated PD approach. Member-district funds will also address specific priorities and supports which may include expanded CTE, professional development, equipment and materials, upgraded technology and facilities, transitions to workforce and post-secondary, increased enrollment, expanded facilities to meet enrollment and program growth, and further developing online and hybrid opportunities for students. These activities are aligned with the consortium's three-year and annual plans and are designed to meet the educational and workforce needs of adults in the Los Angeles region.

Regional Planning Overview

LARAEC’s consortium bylaws provide the vessel through which organizational structure is maintained.  They ensure compliance and continuity related to fulfilling the priorities of the Consortium Three Year and annual plans. In accordance with its bylaws, LARAEC has established Action Planning Teams (APT) to carry out and complete the targeted strategies outlined in the three-year plan.  In addition, member-district appointed point persons meet with LARAEC staff twice a month to provide input, ensure local district perspective, and assist with coordination for the implementation of consortium three-year plan activities. For SY 24-25, Action Planning Team members will primarily participate in three-year planning activities. LARAEC staff and point persons will collaborate to target and complete outstanding activities in the Three Year and annual plans. Selected member-district subject-matter experts will also be tasked with carrying out targeted activities with specific scope and deliverables to support final annual plan priority items and projects. The Point Persons and LARAEC Staff Annual Retreat provides the opportunity for collaboration and input around action planning team activities and yearly activities aligned with the consortium’s three-year and annual plans.  The LARAEC Executive Board also receives informational reports and updates related to the three year and annual plans.


Meeting Regional Needs

Regional Need #1

Gaps in Service / Regional Needs

          The Los Angeles basin is an area of high need. A review of the CAEP region and state fact sheets during the 3YP process indicates that among adults in the Los Angeles regions: almost 24% have less than a high school diploma; over one million people have limited English skills; over one million live near the poverty line; and the region has a significant number of disconnected youth (171,000) and unemployed (over one million). In addition, 42% of regional adults report Spanish as their primary language and 77% of adult education students are Hispanic. High-need communities represent a significant number of potential students, but only a small percentage are being served. Of the nearly three million people who are 18 years or older in the Los Angeles basin (2019-2020), the consortium served about 2% of those with no high school diploma, 7% of those with limited English, and only 2.5% of those who are low income. In addition, COVID has created additional barriers to engagement for many of these communities. This reality is reflected in a decline in overall numbers of students served in the consortium (an overall 38% decline in students served from 2018-19 to 2020-21).

                The opportunity in the workplace is here. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and the Center for Competitive Workforce (CCW) forecast over 200,000 middle-skill job openings (those jobs requiring more than a high school diploma and less than a BA) in the Los Angeles Basin over the next five years. However, engagement of students who can fill these openings has lagged. The 3YP initial planning group members, utilizing the data packet, identified multiple issues for students, including limited access to the appropriate technology, need for support services, the need for alignment of programs with high-priority middle-skill occupations, and a lack of awareness among potential students about resources and programs available through adult education. This lack of awareness was further validated by student surveys which indicated almost half of all students learned about adult education programs only from family and friends and 20% from a school website. A tiny minority, 2%, found adult education through traditional advertising such as billboards, TV, or radio.

                The implications for the consortium and its focus groups were clear. Traditional marketing strategies used by many institutions may not be as effective in connecting our programs and services to potential students and in particular communities of need. Therefore, it is essential to explore and prioritize new marketing strategies that would focus on targeted outreach in non-traditional ways. There is also a need to develop curriculum and support services specific to many of these high-need populations (foster youth, returning citizens, older adults, low literacy, and low skill), including the need to better align community-based employment opportunities with corresponding career training and then market this information to these at-risk communities.  Along with this, school website efficacy, organization, and ease of use must be included in the conversation. Students need to be able to find program information and connect with adult education staff. Layered onto this is the board’s expressed priority of making this a plan that will meet the needs of this moment.  Re-examining marketing strategies to more precisely outreach to special populations and communities of need reflects this concern.

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

          LARAEC member-districts selected personnel to participate in the consortium’s 3YP Initial Planning Groups (IPG).  These groups consisted of staff, teachers, and administrators, from all member districts.  These groups examined data as they looked to identify needs and gaps, and pinpoint critical focus areas. LARAEC staff and member-district point persons collaborated to create a data packet for this group, which included, among other things, Tops Enterprise data, adult education LaunchBoard data, CAEP regional fact sheets, and information from member-districts’ WIOA Continuous Improvement Plans, WASC plans, and Perkins goals.  The packet also included information and data from the City of Los Angeles’ Workforce Development Board Local Plan and the LAOCRC Strong Workforce Plan for the Los Angeles region. Each district also provided narrative data on student support services, marketing, and course offerings.  Subsequent to this, the LARAEC Executive Board met in a special session, open for public comment, to review the work of this group, provide input, and gain consensus on regional needs and focus areas. LARAEC student and staff surveys were utilized to validate findings and extend understanding of student needs. An additional member-district staff survey was conducted in spring 2023 and 2024 to confirm these gaps as continued priorities.   


                During the creation of the 3YP, LARAEC included opportunities for continued stakeholder engagement. In addition to IPGs, point persons, and staff, inter-district groups of subject-matter experts were formed for each consortium priority area. These groups participated in three days of facilitated discussions designed to identify strategies and activities that address regional and students’ needs. Student and staff survey data from all districts was provided to the planning groups and incorporated into the recommended activities. Individual districts solicited input from their regional partners and local community-based organizations to add to the plan. LARAEC provided opportunities for the public and stakeholders to provide comments on drafts of the plan through board meetings and remote formats. LARAEC is confident that the 3YP final document reflects a collaborative effort between all districts and stakeholders in identifying regional needs. Based on member-district staff surveys conducted again in spring 2023 and 2024, the gaps identified are continued priorities.

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

As part of the three-year planning process, LARAEC member-districts selected both consortium-level and district metrics. The consortium selected 5 % growth each year in overall enrollment and 5% growth each year in English language learners as measures of effectiveness. The primary need and focus area in the region is marketing and targeted outreach to communities of need. These measures will show progress toward this focus area. Member-districts also selected a 5% increase each year in adults who become participants (12+ hours).  This measure addresses the second focus area of increased engagement and persistence. The last focus area, consortium collaboration, will be measured by participation statistics reported by LARAEC staff. As the first year of this 3YP cycle, LARAEC staff will collect baseline data for participation in professional development, conference attendees, and website analytics. These data collection elements are included in the consortium three-year plan. Annual plan progress is a standing item on the LARAEC board agenda and progress is discussed at twice monthly point person and staff meetings. Progress is also reported to member-districts quarterly through the LARAEC Effectiveness Report.


The 2023-24 school year continues to the trend of overall enrollment increase. The consortium exceeded its three-year target of 5% for enrollment. In Tops Enterprise, the 2020-21 enrollment was 60,841 and the preliminary 2023-24 end of year enrollment is 104,989 (73% increase). LARAEC has exceeded pre-COVID enrollment of 98,939 (SY 2018/19). The consortium also exceeded the target of 5% for enrolling students with the barrier of English Language Learner with a 108% increase over 2020-21. CAEP data also shows that all member-districts have increased participants (students with 12 hrs +) over last year and the majority of districts have exceeded the 3YP target (5% increase) for 2023-24. For 2024-25 SY, LARAEC renewed its commitment to increasing enrollment by 5% over the prior year in all of the target areas identified in the 3YP.

Address Educational Needs

2024-25 Strategies

Materials for Special Populations and One-pagers

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Implement Targeted Marketing

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

A focus of the three-year plan is to intentionally outreach to underserved populations and communities of need. In 2022-23, LARAEC staff and point persons worked with the Marketing APT to create one-pager flyers that market to specific populations. Marketing materials were created that specifically target Spanish speakers, unemployed job seekers, those without high school diplomas, adults with special needs, and unhouse. The Marketing APT also created a general one-page flyer that provides for school site customization and points potential students toward LARAEC’s new whatsnext.LA website and program finder.  The intent of these flyers is to compliment district marketing and provide strategies that school sites and teachers can use to outreach to the local community. 3YP student survey results showed that the majority of students heard about LARAEC programs through word-of-mouth. These one-pagers can support expanded word-of-mouth and community marketing.  


For SY 2024-25, LARAEC will work on the following strategies:

 

Materials for Special Populations and One-pagers-  In 2024-25, the marketing efforts will focus on the distribution and accessibility of the materials to member-districts and school site staff to use as appropriate. These one-pagers can be utilized by all districts and is easily customized.  All materials will be added to the LARAEC website on the marketing and media support page for staff.  APT may create additional materials to address unique needs of returning citizens (formerly incarcerated), 50+ students, disconnected youth, high school seniors, or online only students. This collateral material will allow for consistent and distinct branding consortium wide; provide useful material to distribute to community partners; create consistent messaging around consortium programs and offerings; and provide a resource to facilitate access to websites, phone numbers and registration information. Since word of mouth is one of our most used marketing tactics, this one-pager can also be utilized by existing students as they share about programs. This gives potential students a tangible, informational item and a call to action. This one-pager should be available in English and Spanish to start. Unique marketing materials can highlight specific programs and support services that are attractive to these population segments and make continuing education more accessible.

 

Digital Marketing Campaign, Testimonials, and High-Quality Videos - LARAEC will work with a web developer to create digital marketing campaign graphics, logos, testimonials, and high-quality videos. These digital elements can be used by all sites and the consortium as highly visible social media content. All these marketing elements will be accessible to schools on the LARAEC website. Universal messaging will also target populations to identify program and school opportunities over a wide geographic area. Although each district may conduct their own marketing campaigns, these materials will make it easy for schools to share uniform messaging about adult education while retaining the ability to customize traffic to their local websites. LARAEC office use of these materials will direct traffic to the LARAEC program finder and Whatsnext.LA discussed as a separate strategy (see below).



Outcomes.

By December 2024, LARAEC will launch the use of the 2022-24 flyers including distribution of materials and the creation of a media and marketing hub for the LARAEC website.

 By June 2025, LARAEC will have implemented a digital marketing campaign, utilizing the newly created materials, to target special populations.



Non-traditional Outreach and Marketing

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Explore Non-Traditional Marketing Strategies

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

In the first two years of this plan, LARAEC created a Marketing Action Planning Team. This team created a variety of flyers targeting outreach to special populations. The marketing APT was supported by a marketing consultant to help with development of strategies to reach target audiences. Web design and social media experts were also leveraged to provide PD and expertise on using online marketing techniques. 


In 2024-25, LARAEC will continue to utilize the Marketing APT, LARAEC staff, and district point persons to focus on nontraditional outreach and marketing. The 2024 LARAEC staff survey continues to indicate that enrollment is a concern (92%) with 90% of staff indicating that marketing is a moderate to high priority area. In addition to other marketing activities outlined in this plan, LARAEC will work on the following strategies: 



LARAEC Adult Education Ambassadors - LARAEC will work with point persons, the conference committee, member-district staff, and partner organizations to develop a community outreach campaign. At the LARAEC conference, LARAEC will enlist volunteer member-district staff to distribute newly created marketing materials (from 2022-24 SYs) to school sites, current students, and locations throughout the community. Participating staff will receive branded ambassador swag items funded by conference exhibitors. This project will help LARAEC capitalize on word-of-mouth advertising by providing flyers for existing students to distribute and for faculty to share at community locations in their regions. These flyers can point to the LARAEC marketing landing pages and include a space for local school contact information. LARAEC will work with partner organizations to create related, branded swag items.   

 


Outcomes. 


By June 2024, LARAEC will have launched the first round of LARAEC’s ambassadors’ strategy to utilize existing students and local staff in spreading the word about adult education in local communities.


LARAEC Website Development

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

The LARAEC Program Finder

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

In SYs 2022-2024, LARAEC completed and launched the program finder on the LARAEC website. The program finder includes a google mapping program that allows students and staff to search for nearby schools by program area and a more detailed career technical education program finder.  These tools allow staff or students to ask questions like, “What school offers welding?” or “What career training do they have at Harbor College?” At the 2024 LARAEC Edge conference, LARAEC launched the new whatsnext.LA website to make tools and students-facing pages easier to navigate and utilize. Connecting students to programs and handing them off to specific staff members aligns all aspects of the 3YP.   

For SY 24-25, in addition to other web development activities outlined in this plan, LARAEC will work on the following strategies:  

Web Analytics - To track the impact of marketing campaigns and effectiveness of the consortium website, Google analytics will be used. LARAEC staff will work with the web developer to track web traffic, identify most used resources, monitor repeat visitors, and track conversions of visitors to requests for information and school referrals. New tags will be created for the whatsnext.LA website. Future years will look at increases in traffic and the effectiveness of specific campaigns.


Professional Development on Web Resources- The 2024 member-district staff survey showed that the majority of respondents utilized the website (52%) with 62% of users indicating it was useful to their work. As we move forward, LARAEC will work to expand the visibility and use of the website with member-district staff and students. The LARAEC staff will work with the point persons and school leadership to offer in-person and online professional development sessions. These sessions will focus on LARAEC resources and how to incorporate their use in classrooms or programs to support students.  


  Outcomes.

By June 2025, LARAEC will show growth in traffic to the program finder and other student webpages above the baseline data created in SY 2022-2023.

By December 2024, LARAEC will track tags on the new whatsnext.LA website to document effectiveness of outreach and marketing efforts. 

By June 2025, LARAEC staff will work with web developer to collect baseline for conversions from web-visitor to school referrals

By June 2025, LARAEC will conduct at least 2 PD sessions designed to connect member-district staff with LARAEC web resources.

Improve Integration of Services & Transitions

2024-25 Strategies

LARAEC Hosted Events

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Collaborative Professional Development

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

In SY 2023-24, LARAEC conducted 17 Lunch with LARAEC sessions throughout the year.  There were 20-40 live participants and 15-50 asynchronous participants for each LWL session. The LARAEC Experience conference was unfortunately canceled in 2023 due to ongoing labor disputes in local hospitality businesses. It was rescheduled for October 2024. Based on the 2024 member-district survey, staff indicated that Lunch with LARAEC (74%) and the LARAEC Experience (78%) were useful to their work. Topics included artificial intelligence, student engagement, teacher and student resources, online learning, student support services, CASAS Steps test preparation, and differentiating instruction.

For SY 2024-25, LARAEC will work on the following strategies:   

Lunch with LARAEC (LWL) - LARAEC staff will continue to work with APTs, point persons, and feedback from staff surveys to plan a calendar for Lunch with LARAEC sessions. These sessions are designed to provide relevant professional development, program spotlights, information, or best practices that focus on the skills and topics from the 3YP. These sessions are offered on-line during lunchtime (12:30- 1:30 PM Thursdays) and recorded to provide synchronous and asynchronous engagement.

LARAEC Conferences - LARAEC conferences provide the opportunity to bring member-districts together for engaging and energizing sessions, keynote speakers, and recognition.  Each conference has its own focus. The LARAEC Experience focuses on sharing best practices and instructional strategies across the range of adult education programs. The LARAEC experience will be held in October as a kickoff to the year.


LARAEC Conversations - LARAEC member-district surveys indicated a desire to provide more opportunities for consortium collaboration, including opportunities to share challenges, best practices, and teaching strategies. LARAEC will pilot a few topic-centered conversation opportunities that allow staff from different districts or schools to interact, share, and explore a focus area. These sessions will follow a more problem-solving approach that incorporates interaction between participants. Topics may include areas such as building classroom community, onboarding students, working with multi-level classes, differentiation and methods, establishing and building industry partnerships, testing and data collection, engaging staff, and supporting transitions.

Counseling Collaborative and Transitions Specialists - LARAEC surveys, interviews, and discussions with APT members show a need for connecting k12 Adult Education counselors with their counterparts at the community college, including the counselors from the credit side. On the 2024 staff survey, 94% of staff indicated that transitions support was a moderate to high priority area. The collaborative will focus on providing the opportunity for advising and counseling staff to meet, network, and share, as well as learn together through selected speakers and topics of interest. This group will meet twice a year with the kickoff at the LARAEC Experience 2024 conference. LACCD will be adding three transition specialists that will work with LARAEC staff and member-districts to develop structures that bridge K12 adult students to community colleges.     


Allied Health Collaborative- As a recipient of the ELL Healthcare Pathways Grant, LARAEC member-districts will be working on expanding access to allied health programs and support for English language learners in completing these programs. To this end, LARAEC has envisioned hosting an inter-consortia Allied Health Collaborative twice a year. This event will bring together allied health faculty and administrators from member-districts and surrounding consortia for networking, sharing, and discussing problems of practice for ELL students and implementing healthcare pathways in general. In 2024-25, LARAEC will host at least one session of the Allied Health Collaborative.



Access to Information and Transition Support

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Shared Resources, Strategies, and Tools

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)
  • Student Barriers: English Language Learner (AE 305 - Overall)

In SY 2022-23, LARAEC launched the new student and staff resources website. This website provided students with a program search tool, information and videos about transitioning to college, career search resources, career training programs and providers, and available support services. Staff resources included research, news, counseling, data, marketing, PD, and curriculum and instruction support.  A sample study showed that users felt the website was useful and easy to use. Teachers and counselors were excited to use the resources with students. Suggestions for improvement included simplifying the student site and providing a more guided experience, creating accompanying collateral materials, expanding resources, and providing marketing and training to faculty. These improvements began in 2023-24 SY with the creation and launch of the whatsnext.LA website and will continue in 24-25 SY.     

For SY 2024-25, LARAEC will work on the following strategies:    

Web-based Resource Toolkit - LARAEC consortium staff will continue to work with APTs to identify shared resources to include on the website. LARAEC staff will provide training and marketing materials to school sites to make them more aware of this great resource. 

Action Planning Teams - Since 2024-25 SY is a three-year planning year, Action Planning Team members will participate in the 3YP planning groups. Some smaller working groups may be utilized to work on identified special projects. Inter-district small working groups may be formed to complete projects such as:  Remote learning resources and onboarding modules, Whatsnext.LA graduation folders, guided transition tools for students, data sharing agreements, and an allied health collaborative team.


Equitable Student Transitions Plan and Data Sharing MOU - Over the last several years, student transitions have become a focus area in the consortium and the state of California. State-level analysis includes consideration of transitions as part of funding models for adult education. Recent legislation includes new pathways for adult education students to take advantage of transitions-focused programs like dual enrollment, LA promise, ATB, and programs that support immigrants. Consortium surveys continually show interest in expanding transitions activities and coordinating protocols for transitioning students between programs, schools, college, and career. To be responsive to student needs, provide equity in access, be proactive in preparing for future legislative changes, and positioning ourselves as a leader in transitions, LARAEC will develop a coordinated plan for transitions. This plan may include professional development on creating career and college-going campus cultures, sharing strategies for transitioning students between programs, putting structures in place (like scheduled counselor visits and dual enrollment) to expose all students to possibilities, developing partnerships that provide more connection between training and careers, and adding transition specialists to directly support students and staff. Additionally the plan will include exploring a strategy for tracking transition-related data across institutions. LARAEC staff, point persons, and other key personnel will participate in a working group designed to explore the creation of MOUs and shared Data for Articulation and Transitions. LARAEC staff will work with point persons and selected team members to develop a consortium equitable student transitions plan that supports school sites and their efforts to move students to what’s next.     


 Outcomes

By Summer 2024, LARAEC will develop a coordinated equitable student transitions plan

By December 2024, LARAEC will form a Data for Articulations and Transitions working group to explore better tracking of student transitions across institutions, including drafting a data sharing MOU between member-districts and LACCD.

By June 2025, LARAEC.org will develop collateral materials that provide a more guided experience of the student transitions resources and website.

By June 2025, LARAEC will provide training sessions on the use of the teacher and student website. These will also be recorded and posted.

LARAEC staff will work with APTs to add created and new content to the toolkit.


Shared Knowledge and Strategies

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Shared Knowledge Base

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)

As mentioned in previous sections, in SY 2022-23, LARAEC began creating an online platform for sharing and consolidating consortium information, resources for staff and students, links to professional and community organizations, and professional development. For 2024-25, LARAEC will continue to build this website and resources as we move forward. Additionally, LARAEC leadership has discussed the need for expanding its reach in the adult education and noncredit communities through both sharing consortium practices and expanding its base for collaboration. LARAEC wants to bring new models for creative programming to the member-districts and bring more visibility to what is working in Los Angeles. LARAEC staff and point persons will look for opportunities to acknowledge and share practices through joint conference presentations and writings, as well as learn about new programs outside the local regions. 

For SY 2023-24, LARAEC will work on the following strategies

Knowledge Base - As documents and resources are created by action planning teams, previous subject-matter expert groups, staff, or member-districts, LARAEC will continue to utilize areas of the website for easy access. Items for this shared knowledge base include counseling guidance, transition and admissions processes, CAEP data reminders, curriculum, calendars, and three-year and annual plans, and consortium data. For 2024-25 SY, LARAEC will continue to add items based on staff and student surveys, CAEP and state priorities, LARAEC initiatives, and point person or board recommendations. LARAEC will host information sessions for staff about access and use of resources.           

Professional Learning and Conferences - LARAEC will focus on bringing new learning to the consortium and sharing LARAEC strategies and findings with member-districts, other consortia, and adult education providers.  At a summer leadership retreat, LARAEC will draft a professional development plan (document) for the 2024-2025 SY that outlines: 1) professional development that will be provided or coordinated by LARAEC leadership to member-districts, 2) opportunities for collaboration and exploring problems of practice, 3) professional learning opportunities for LARAEC leadership (staff and point persons), 4) educational sessions and presentations that will be created and delivered at professional gatherings, conferences and events, and 5) articles or resources that will be authored and distributed through LARAEC communication networks and other local or state-wide publications and platforms. The aim of these activities is to improve capacity and support for member-district staff, as well as engage with the wider adult education community to share successes, strategies, and problems of practice.   

 

Outcomes:  

By June 2025, LARAEC will show increased traffic over baseline data to the knowledge base pages of the website.

By June 2025, LARAEC will have created and implemented an annual professional development plan as described above.

Improve Effectiveness of Services

2024-25 Strategies

Remote Learning and Technology Integration

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Scaffolded Professional Development

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

In SY 2022-23, LARAEC created a remote learning action planning team to support online and hybrid teachers. This APT provided two professional development sessions on key survival sites for teachers and using accessibility tools to increase access and learning. Based on 3YP research and the 2024 LARAEC member-district staff survey, online learning, technology integration, and computer literacy are still among the top requested professional development and areas of concern. Strengthening technology skills of staff and students, providing relevant resources, and sharing strategies for effective online learning continue to be priority areas for LARAEC.

For SY 2024-25, LARAEC will work on the following strategies

Remote Learning Support - On the 3YP staff survey, the top 5 areas of requested professional development were all technology related. Staff requested PD in incorporating digital resources, using advanced technologies (video editing, LMS management, and Google suite), strategies for blended and remote learning, using cloud-based technologies, and basic computer skills. In SY 2023-24 the LARAEC Remote Learning Action Planning Team  identified major areas for supporting remote and hybrid learning and curated resources for each of those areas. In SY 2024-25, these resources will be added to a new remote learning page on the LARAEC website.  LARAEC staff will organize and promote events, lunchtime sessions, and PD that support use of these and other remote learning resources. These learning opportunities will include research-based teaching methods, program-specific pedagogies, and adult learning practices. Professional development may also include remote teaching models, like TPACK and SAMR, as well as engagement and equitable instruction models, like UDL and culturally relevant education.     

Teaching Methods and Instructional Strategies - Based on the 2024 staff survey, the top areas for professional development include utilizing artificial intelligence in the classroom, differentiating instruction and teaching methods, and incorporating new technologies and new instructional strategies. These areas have remained priorities throughout this three-year cycle. LARAEC will create opportunities for providing instructional methods training at the LARAEC conferences, through Lunch with LARAEC, and as stand-alone training programs. 

Best Practices - LARAEC will create opportunities for member-district or outside consortia personnel to share proven practices that address persistence and completion. The 3YP staff survey and the 2024 staff survey showed that more than 50% of respondents wanted more support in shared practices for engaging and communicating with students and shared practices for reaching out to non-completers and non-returners. On the 2024 staff survey more than 95% of staff indicated persistence and completion were a moderate to high priority area.  LARAEC staff will work with the district point people to identify personnel that have high conversion rates for participants, high persistence rates, or high completion rates. High performers will be invited to share strategies with other educators.

Outcomes

By June 2025, LARAEC will host at least two sessions that provide support and professional development for remote and hybrid teaching and learning strategies.

By June 2025, LARAEC will host at least 2 instructional methods training opportunities for member-district teachers.

By June 2025, LARAEC will host at least two best practice or sharing sessions specifically designed to address engagement and persistence.

By June 2025, LARAEC staff will add to the LARAEC website by including curated resources from the Remote Learning APT that support online instruction in adult education.


Onboarding Best Practices

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Strategic Student Engagement

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

  • All: Adults who Became Participants (AE 202 - Overall)
  • All: Number of Adults Served (AE 200 - Overall)

Student Potential Graduate Folders -   LARAEC transition research showed that counselors and academic teachers would like more directed information about transitioning to college that can be shared with students. Teachers and counselors indicated that students need more guidance through the application and registration process as well as resources and activities that help them develop a college-going mindset. The LARAEC board supported the idea of creating a Whatsnext.LA potential graduate folder and companion webpages that can be distributed to new ASE students or those completing their programs in the next year. This folder and companion website will provide guided resources and people to contact for direct support. In 2024-25, LARAEC will create a small working group to assist with the design and layout of these materials.   

Onboarding Best Practices - The 3YP and 2024 staff surveys showed that respondents were concerned about the student onboarding (95%) and registration (92%) processes. Based on the LARAEC student survey, 11% of respondents indicated they saw a counselor during the registration process and only 10% said they had an education plan for their coursework.  In SYs 2022-24 LARAEC worked with the Counseling and Transitions APT in identifying best practices for enrollment, goal planning, motivation, and monitoring students.  The CT APT created shared best practices that can be implemented in the counseling office and the classroom to onboard students, increase student engagement, retention, and transition through goal planning, motivation, and targeted intervention. In 24-25, LARAEC staff will archive recordings, handouts, and websites so that all member-district schools can access resources.

Customer Service Training - On the 2024 staff survey, 83% of staff indicated that customer service is a moderate to high priority area. LARAEC intends to provide customer service training for member-districts. This training will focus on the school experience from the student perspective. This training will support clerical/classified staff, counseling and administrative personnel, and faculty and encourage school sites to look at removing institutional barriers that may impact student journeys from first engagement to completion. LARAEC will work with member-district administrators to support their school in implementing the training with their teams.


Outcomes: 

By June 2025, LARAEC will update the website to include shared best practices that can be implemented in the counseling office and the classroom to increase student engagement, retention, and transition through goal planning, motivation, and targeted intervention.

By June 2025, LARAEC will have created the Whatsnext.LA Potential Graduate Folder and companion website materials.

By June 2025, LARAEC staff will work with point people to organize customer service training for staff in the member-districts. By June 2025, LARAEC will host at least one inter-district customer service training series.


Addressing Special Populations

Activity that Applies to this Strategy

Equitable Curricular Instruction

Metrics that Apply to this Activity/Strategy

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

Student Community Topics - LARAEC staff will continue to work with action planning team members and point persons to develop presentations of high interest to students and those that support equity and increased access to resources. These sessions will offer students an opportunity to interact with experts and receive information about a variety of relevant topics including legal aid, immigration, mental health, and financial literacy.

Equity Topics - LARAEC staff will work with member-district staff and partner organizations to continue to develop an equity mindset in programs and services. LARAEC will include sessions for supporting adults with disabilities in our conference and Lunch with LARAEC. LARAEC will include topics on infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion in school operations and class instruction. LARAEC will ensure that equity topics are part of professional development opportunities at the LARAEC conference and Lunch with LARAEC. 

District Recommendations - In looking at the recommendations and discussion notes from the 3YP planning groups and the qualitative data collected during the member-district surveys, there were many strategies suggested that focused on district or school-level practices and protocols. LARAEC staff will work with point persons to discuss how to best disseminate this information to local administrators and the field. These recommendations included scheduling classes to provide more options including weekends and remote classes, embed digital literacy skills in all courses, develop and offer more CTE, re-engineer online classes, increase campus use of social media, create local marketing plans, and create more opportunities for staff to collaborate and observe each other. All of these items speak to increasing effectiveness of adult programs in meeting the needs of learners and creating inclusive campuses.

Student Focused Conversations - LARAEC 3YP and 2024 member-district surveys indicated that over 60% of respondents would like support and resources to help students facing challenging circumstances. In the student 3YP survey, almost a third of respondents indicated they had accessed no support services offered by schools in the previous year. Student focus groups would allow districts to determine if there is a need to adjust or enhance types of support services, or if these services need to be communicated more effectively. In 2024-25, LARAEC will work with point persons to build and host student focused conversations. This information will be used to inform activities and priorities for the next three-year plan.

Monitoring Procedures and Effectiveness- As part of the revised Member-district monitoring procedures adopted in fall 2023, LARAEC will be implementing a limited-scope review of all member-districts’ accounting and data management. This limited-scope review will follow the agreed plan. In the 2024-25 SY, LARAEC will also be working on creating a definition of cost effectiveness to be used as part of the consortium’s monitoring procedures and annual evaluation of member-districts.    

Outcomes: 

LARAEC staff will work with the Supporting Special Populations APT to identify student topics of interest. By June 2025, LARAEC will host at least 1 student-focused community topic.

By June 2025, LARAEC will host at least 1 teacher-focused professional development session on an equity related topic

By June 2025, LARAEC will conduct student focused conversations in all member-districts. The results will be used for the next 3YP planning cycle. 

By June 2025, the LARAEC Office will provide a district recommendations report based on information provided through 3YP planning groups, student focused conversations, and the 2024 member-district surveys.

By June 2025, LARAEC will complete a limited-scope review of all member-districts.

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.

LARAEC allocations are made to the five member districts and the LARAEC office. LARAEC allocations are used to support district and school site operations and provide education and workforce programs in the seven California Adult Education Program (CAEP) approved areas. The majority of CAEP program funds are allocated to instructional and non-instructional salaries to support adult education programs and services provided to consortium students and implement strategies outlined in LARAEC’s 2022-2025 Consortium Three Year Plan and the 2024-25 Annual Plan. The LARAEC office receives an allocation to fund consortium activities and LARAEC staff who conduct conferences and events, facilitate the action planning teams, coordinate the LARAEC board and point persons meetings, maintain the consortium website, manage consortium deliverables and reports, and monitor the progress of three-year and annual plan activities. To enhance oversight of member districts, in March of 2021, the LARAEC Board approved a written policies and procedures manual for the administration of CAEP funds as well as use of an effectiveness report to be issued quarterly. These policies and procedures were updated and approved in October of 2023. In 2024-25, LARAEC will begin monitoring with the revised policies. Allocations and expenditures are aligned with the consortium's three-year and annual plans and are designed to meet the educational and workforce needs of adults in the Los Angeles region.

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

The legislature has implemented carryover limits for all consortia. As instructed by the CAEP Office, LARAEC will implement the consortium carryover limit of 20% effective SY 2023-2024. LARAEC will create and submit any required state spending plans reflecting the evaluation of the carryover funds after review of the Q4 reporting for the 2023-24 SY.

The LARAEC Board approved the individual member-district excessive carryover threshold as 20% on April 17, 2024. This threshold will begin implementation for the 2024-2025 school year. As part of the implementation of the LARAEC Member District Monitoring Procedures, the consortium executive board will review twice-annual effectiveness reports which include carryover. Member-districts will have quarterly carryover targets and progress indicated in NOVA. The board will review any member-district carryover over the threshold during an executive board meeting after the Q4 report is finalized. Member districts with excessive carryover will be allowed an opportunity to provide a plan for spending down the carryover, justification for carryover, and any requests for technical assistance. As allowable, the board will review plans, provide or recommend technical assistance, and determine further actions. When a member-district has had excessive carryover for two consecutive years, the LARAEC Board will consider the specific circumstances, submitted plans, and needs of the consortium and students when making determinations about any reallocation of carryover funds. The LARAEC board has agreed to address excessive carryover on a case-by-case basis rather than a blanket policy.

Certification

Burbank Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Juan Noguera

08/06/2024 02:22 PM PDT

Culver City Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Dr. Dr. Jacqueline Cardenas

08/05/2024 03:29 PM PDT

Los Angeles CCD - Member Representative

  • Vice Chancellor of Workforce and Economic Development
  • lancasj@laccd.edu
  • (323) 359-2116
Approved by Jim Lancaster

08/05/2024 02:59 PM PDT

Los Angeles Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Renny Neyra

08/05/2024 04:02 PM PDT

Montebello Unified - Member Representative

Approved by Kaivan Yuen

08/09/2024 11:38 AM PDT